Congressman Bob Filner

Largest College Aid Expansion Since GI Bill in 1944 Is Signed into Law

Last month, President Bush signed into law historic college aid legislation, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. The bill is another legislative accomplishment for the 110^th Congress, and was passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate on September 7.

The legislation signed into law today saves college students an average of $4,400 on student loan interest, increases Pell Grant amounts, and forgives loans for those who provide 10 years of public service. It is the single largest investment in college financial assistance since the GI Bill in 1944, at no new cost to U.S. taxpayers. The new Congress promised to make college more affordable for all Americans and we have delivered on that promise.

This new investment in college financial aid is critical. In today’s economy, a college education is as important as a high school diploma was a generation ago. Yet, college costs have grown nearly 40 percent in the last five years. Students are graduating from college with more debt than ever before. Approximately 200,000 students do not go to college every year because they can’t afford the cost. This historic legislation helps restore the American dream for those families.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act will boost college financial aid by more than $20 billion over the next five years – including boosting financial aid by $3,034,928,000 for the college students in the state of California. The bill pays for itself by reducing excessive federal subsidies paid to lenders in the college loan industry by $20.9 billion. It also includes $750 million in federal budget deficit reduction.

To reduce the cost of loans for millions of student borrowers, the legislation will cut interest rates in half on need-based student loans, from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over the next four years. Once fully phased in, this will save the typical student borrower – with $13,800 in need-based student loan debt -- $4,400 over the life of the loan. 228,489 students in California take out need-based loans at four-year public colleges and universities each year and will benefit from this interest rate reduction.

In a critical step to expand access to college, the bill will also increase the maximum Pell Grant scholarship by $490 in 2008 and by $1,090 over the next five years. This will restore the purchasing power of the Pell Grant – raising the scholarship from $4,050 in 2006 to $5,400 by 2012, benefiting the 574,226 students in California who receive Pell Grants. 74 percent of Pell Grant recipients have family incomes below $30,000.

In addition, the legislation will prevent students from facing unmanageable levels of federal student debt by guaranteeing that borrowers will never have to spend more than 15 percent of their yearly discretionary income on loan repayments and by allowing borrowers in economic hardship to have their loans forgiven after 25 years.

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act also includes a number of other provisions that will ease the financial burden imposed on students and families by the cost of college, including:

Tuition assistance for excellent undergraduate students who agree to teach in the nation’s public schools;
Loan forgiveness after 10 years of public service and loan repayment for college graduates that go into vital public service jobs; and
Landmark investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and other minority serving institutions.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law in 1944. The original law enabled 7.8 million veterans of the Second World War to participate in education or job training programs.

Congress Passes New Law to Protect America From Terrorism

At the sixth anniversary of 9/11, the 110^th Congress has finally enacted H.R. 1, a sweeping new security bill to protect America from terrorism – which enacts the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission into law. These recommendations were submitted to Congress by the 9/11 Commission back in July 2004.

As we remember the tragedy of 9/11, an appropriate way to honor the memories of the nearly 3,000 Americans who were killed is to recommit ourselves to ensuring that such a terrible tragedy never happens again. One of the key tools we will have in protecting America from terrorism is the sweeping new security bill signed into law by President Bush on August 3, which finally enacts the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission into law.

This comprehensive, bipartisan legislation will make our nation stronger, our cities and towns more secure, and our families safer.

A nuclear bomb detonated in a container in a port in a large U.S. city could kill millions. The only way to protect Americans living near our ports is to ensure that all U.S.-bound containers are scanned before they leave overseas ports, yet currently only 5 percent are scanned. This bill will make Americans safer by requiring 100 percent scanning of U.S.-bound seaborne containers before they leave a foreign port within five years.

In addition, about 3 million tons of air cargo is transported on passenger aircraft each year and yet most of it is not screened. This bill will make the millions of Americans who fly each year safer by requiring 100 percent screening of cargo on passenger aircraft within three years.

This bill also strengthens our efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring WMD – including beefing up the Nunn-Lugar program that secures nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union.

Furthermore, it is shameful that six years after 9/11, most first responders across the country still don’t have equipment enabling them to communicate with one another. This bill makes getting the first responders the interoperable communications equipment they need a top priority – creating a stand-alone grant program at DHS, authorized at $400 million a year.

The bill also includes a number of other long-overdue steps to better protect America from terrorism, including the following:

Quickly accelerates the installation of advanced electronic explosive screening systems for checked baggage at the nation’s airports;
Improves explosive detection at passenger screening checkpoints at airports;
Provides that homeland security grants will be allocated primarily on the basis of risk;
Authorizes more than $4 billion over the next four years to improve the security of mass transit, rail, and buses.;
Takes aggressive steps to better prevent terrorist travel;
Improves the security of our critical infrastructure – such as our dams, our bridges, our power grids, and our telecommunications systems; and
Strengthens intelligence and information sharing with local law enforcement.

This 9/11 bill is one of the most critical pieces of legislation that will be enacted by the 110^th Congress. All of us in Congress have an obligation to the American people to do all within our power to keep them safe. We now can perform strong oversight over the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that it follows through and implements all of the key provisions of this critical law. And we will continue to listen to the experts to determine what additional steps we can take to continue better protecting Americans from terrorism.

Congress Passes Bi-Partisan Bill To Provide Health Care For More Than 10 Million Children

I was pleased to join a majority of my colleagues in the House of Representatives in support of bipartisan legislation to provide health care to more than 10 million low-income children. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act was approved by a vote of 265-159.

No child in California or anywhere throughout our nation should ever go without medical care. I was proud to back a plan to give more than 10 million children the care they deserve and to move us closer to providing every child in our nation with affordable, high-quality health care.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created in 1997 to provide health care coverage for children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. This bill gives states the resources and incentives necessary to reach millions of uninsured children who are currently eligible but not enrolled in CHIP.

This bipartisan House-Senate bill has a broad range of support. It has been endorsed by more than 270 organizations, representing millions of Americans – ranging from groups such as the American Medical Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans to Families USA, the consumer advocacy group.

This bipartisan bill reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for five years and preserves the coverage for all 6.6 million children currently covered by CHIP, including preserving the coverage of 1,223,475 children in California.

The bill also extends health care coverage to 3.8 million additional low-income children, who are currently uninsured, including extending coverage to 607,000 uninsured children in California.

Right now, millions of children in America’s working families can’t see doctors when they should and can’t get medicines when they need them, because their parents just can’t afford costly private insurance. This bill will give millions of low-income children the chance for good health. In the name of the children of California, I am asking the President to reconsider his misguided veto threat of this vital legislation.

Filner Introduces Bill to Eliminate Mercenary Training Camps

In late September, I introduced H.R. 3649, legislation that would require that mercenary training, including paramilitary-style training by federal contractors, be conducted only on property owned by the federal government.

Blackwater USA, a private military security contractor, already operates two private paramilitary-style training facilities: one in Moyock, North Carolina and the other in Mount Carroll, Illinois. Blackwater USA is also seeking to open a third facility in Potrero, California, which is located in our Congressional District.

It is outrageous to allow private individuals or corporations to establish private military bases anywhere they choose in the United States! The paramilitary-style training conducted at these facilities has no place in our backyards.

I believe that the federal government and the U.S. military have become too reliant on private security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We must stop this trend. But until we do, H.R. 3649 would require government contractors, like Blackwater USA, to train only on property owned by the federal government, such as our military bases.

Helping Citizens Protect Endangered Species

As scientists around the world proclaim that human activity is to blame for much of the warming of our planet and the dramatic negative impact on our wildlife, I am supporting legislation to help private landowners preserve and protect endangered species and their habitat.

I have recently co-sponsored H.R. 1422, the Endangered Species Recovery Act, which would provide financial incentives through tax credits and tax deductions to landowners who help protect threatened or endangered wildlife on their property.

We need to change how the Endangered Species Act is managed. Farmers, ranchers, and other landowners should not be forced by the federal government to protect wildlife at their own expense. This bill will help create a positive partnership with landowners to implement effective recovery plans nationwide.

The Endangered Species Recovery Act would provide financial incentives for private landowners to help save endangered plants and animals by providing $400 million annually in new tax credits and deductions for landowners who take steps to help wildlife on their property. To qualify for the tax incentives, landowners must demonstrate that animals listed as endangered or threatened live or migrate through their property.

Constituent Mail Bag

From National City

Dear Representative Filner:

As your constituent and a supporter of the American Humane
Association, I urge you to support HR 3327, the Federal Dog
Protection Act, to end dog fighting.

Reps. Elton Gallegly (R-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) recently
introduced this legislation, which mimics the pending Dog
Fighting Prohibition Act of 2007 (S 1880/HR 3219) in that it
would make it a federal offense subject to a maximum 5 years'
imprisonment to sponsor, train dogs for, watch or otherwise
participate in a dogfight. HR 3327 adds two more critical
components: 1) specifically banning the use of the U.S. Postal
Service to mail dog fighting paraphernalia and 2) allowing
animal control agencies, humane societies and state societies
for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCAs) to file civil
suits to stop individuals from engaging in and promoting dog
fighting ventures.

This legislation would have a profound impact on the ability of
federal prosecutors and agents to punish those who engage in
this heinous blood sport.

Congressman Filner replies:

Thank you for contacting me about dogfighting.

I wholeheartedly agree! Dogfighting is a cruel and inhumane activity that has no role as a sport in our nation. You will be pleased to learn that I have co-sponsored H.R. 3219, the Dogfighting Prohibition Act, as you requested.

I appreciate your advocacy on this important issue.

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