The Congressional Connector:
The Week of May 30-June 3, 2005

Levin and Students Kick Off Local Veterans History Project

On May 31, local veterans and students joined Rep. Levin to kick off a local Veterans History Project at Southfield-Lathrup High School.  They were joined by retired Army Captain Richard Macon, one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen from World War II, who recounted his story of being shot down in southern France in 1944.  Also speaking at the event were Mr. Jeff Kenward, an Army Reservist and teacher at Southfield-Lathrup who just returned from Iraq, and Bea Sacks, a Red Cross volunteer during World War II.  The Oakland Press covered the History Project kickoff and included some fascinating details of their war stories.  Click here to view the Oakland Press story.  This local effort is part of the nationwide Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.  The Project collects audio- and video-recorded oral histories from America=s war veterans and those who served in support of them, along with other first-hand materials such as memoirs, photographs, diaries, and letters. 

 Legislation Introduced to Restore Great Lakes

A bipartisan group of 18 Representatives, including 8 from Michigan, recently introduced legislation to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes.  Their bill would boost federal funding for several environmental programs in the basin by $4 billion over six years.  The funds would be used to clean up toxic hotspots in the Lakes; speed the construction of sewer system improvements; spur fisheries, wildlife, ecosystem and habitat restoration efforts; and support research and monitoring programs.  The Michigan Representatives leading this effort are Reps. Ehlers, Camp, Dingell, Kildee, Kilpatrick, Levin, McCotter and Upton.  The legislation is the second major Great Lakes restoration bill to be introduced in the current session of Congress.

 Lawmakers Urge President Bush to Raise Darfur Crisis at G-8 Summit Meeting

On May 25, Rep. Levin and 19 other Members of Congress wrote to President Bush to request that he raise the ongoing crisis in Darfur at the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in July.  Darfur is a large region of Sudan that has been ravaged by civil war for many years.  An estimated 2 million people have died over the past two decades due to war‑related causes and famine, and millions more have been displaced from their homes.  The letter notes that the G-8 was prominently involved in resolving the conflict in Kosovo during the late 1990s and urges the active engagement of the G-8 regarding the crisis in Darfur.  To view the letter, click here.

 House Democrats Fight to End Disabled Veterans Tax

Representative Levin and 161 other Democrats have signed a discharge petition that would force a vote on legislation to end the Disabled Veterans Tax.  Currently, more than 400,000 military retirees who also have a service-connected disability are forced to give up a dollar of their military pension for every dollar they receive in VA disability benefits -- essentially a 100 percent tax.  Other federal retirees may keep both their pension and their VA disability compensation.  Discharge petitions are used in the House to prevent important bills from being bottled up in committee by bringing them directly to the House Floor for a vote.  In this case, the discharge petition needs 218 signatures to force a vote on H.R. 303, a bi-partisan measure that would finally end the Disabled Veterans Tax and give the men and women who have defended America the same benefits as other federal retirees.

 Chippewa Valley High School Student Wins Congressional Art Competition