House Passes Veterans Spending
Bill:
Democrats Craft Largest Annual
Increase in VA Health Care Spending
in 77 Years
I applaud my colleagues for passing
the largest increase for VA health
care in 77 years. H.R. 2642 sends a
clear message to Americas
servicemembers that this Congress
recognizes that taking care of
veterans is an ongoing cost of war
and our national defense. It
provides an
unprecedented increase for
a time when we are faced with
unprecedented needs.
This
bill provides the resources necessary to improve health care
services, to meet the needs of our servicemembers returning
from Iraq and Afghanistan, especially in the areas of mental
health and PTSD services and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
care. This bill also invests in the hiring and training of new
claims processors to reduce the VA claims backlog
and provides much needed resources for medical facilities,
maintenance, and VA research.
I worked
with House Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee
Chairman Chet Edwards in creating this bipartisan
legislation and I thank House Appropriations Committee Chairman
David Obey for his leadership, as well as his Republican
counterpart. We have all worked together to make great
strides in meeting the needs of our veterans, and we shall
continue to work tirelessly and boldly in the months ahead
to care for our veterans. There is no higher responsibility
of our government than to keep the promises made to the men
and women who defend our nation.
Requesting Public Meetings in Designating Power Line
Corridors
I am happy
to announce my co-sponsorship of
H.R. 829, mandating that the Department of Energy
conduct more public meetings to give state and local
communities control over the process of designating
corridors for massive transmission power lines. I also
joined with my colleagues in sending a letter to Department
of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman requesting that the
Department extend the comment period by at least 30 days and
hold meetings in every Congressional District to determine
the impact of proposed designations.
It is
vitally important that impacted communities have the ability
to be heard. Given the controversies these transmission
corridors bring with them, all concerns must be addressed
and that takes time.
H.R. 829
would also prohibit power lines on
lands on where scenic, natural, cultural, or historic resources
are protected.
Filner Supports Same Day Voter
Registration
I am
proud to be a co-sponsor of
H.R. 2457, the Same Day Voter Registration Act, which
would require states to allow individuals to register and
vote for federal elections on the date of the election.
Many
states have pre-registration requirements of up to 30 days.
The State of California requires voters to register at least
15 days before an election.
It is
unknown how many Americans have been prevented from
exercising their Constitutional right to vote only because
they were unaware of cumbersome pre-registration
requirements.
Many
Americans do not focus on elections until just days before
Election Day. In addition, close elections lead many voters
to the polls who had not previously planned to vote. Thus,
millions of Americans from some of the most populous states
are being denied the right to vote, simply because they did
not pre-register.
Supporting Research & Development
Tax Credit
I would like to announce my
co-sponsorship of
H.R. 2138, legislation that
would make the research and
development tax credit a permanent
part of the U.S. Tax Code and
increase the tax credit from 12
percent to 20 percent.
There is
wide-spread agreement in the economic community that the
research and development tax credit spurs technological
innovation, which is a major driving force of our economy.
The R&D tax credit has served our nation well and should be
made a permanent part of our tax code.
Since its enactment in mid-1981, the credit has been
extended 12 times and significantly modified five times.
H.R. 2138 has been referred to the House Ways and Means
Committee for consideration.
Supporting the Unsolved Civil Rights
Crime Act
I am
proud to announce House passage of
H.R. 923, the Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. The bill
would create a section in the Department of Justice to
aggressively investigate and prosecute pre-1970 civil
rights cases that resulted in death and remain unsolved.
If a crime other than murder is discovered during the course
of an investigation, it will be referred to the appropriate
law enforcement officials.
As a co-sponsor of H.R.
923, I firmly believe that we
in Congress have a moral obligation to bring justice to the
families of the victims. Furthermore, as a society based on
laws, we have a responsibility to ensure that criminals
dont go unpunished.
Constituent Mail Bag
From Spring
Valley
Dear
Representative Filner:
Should Congress
Impeach Bush and Cheney? I Vote Yes
I ask Congress to impeach President Bush and
Vice President Cheney for
the following reasons:
1. Violating the United Nations Charter by
launching an illegal "War of
Aggression" against Iraq without cause,
using fraud to sell the war to
Congress and the public, misusing government
funds to begin bombing
without Congressional authorization, and subjecting our military
personnel to unnecessary harm, debilitating
injuries, and deaths.
2. Violating U.S. and international law by
authorizing the torture of
thousands of captives, resulting in dozens
of deaths, and keeping
prisoners hidden from the International
Committee of the Red Cross.
3. Violating the Constitution by arbitrarily
detaining Americans, legal
residents, and non-Americans, without due
process, without charge, and
without access to counsel.
4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by
targeting civilians, journalists,
hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal
weapons, including white
phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new
type of napalm.
5. Violating U.S. law and the Constitution
through widespread
wiretapping of the phone calls and emails of
Americans without a
warrant.
6. Violating the Constitution by using
"signing statements" to defy
hundreds of laws passed by Congress.
7. Violating U.S. and state law by
obstructing honest elections in 2000,
2002, 2004, and 2006.
8. Violating U.S. law by using paid
propaganda and disinformation,
selectively and misleadingly leaking
classified information, and
exposing the identity of a covert CIA
operative working on sensitive WMD
proliferation for political retribution.
9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing
Presidential power by
asserting a "Unitary Executive Theory"
giving unlimited powers to the
President, by obstructing efforts by
Congress and the Courts to review
and restrict Presidential actions, and by
promoting and signing
legislation negating the Bill of Rights and
the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
10. Gross negligence in failing to assist
New Orleans residents after
Hurricane Katrina, in ignoring urgent
warnings of an Al Qaeda attack
prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and in increasing
air pollution causing global
warming.
Congressman
Filner replies:
Thank you for contacting me to
express your support for impeaching Vice President Cheney.
I
wholeheartedly agree! Vice President Cheney has governed
with cynicism and complete contempt for the American
people.
I recently
cosponsored articles of impeachment against Vice President
Cheney (H.Res. 333) because it is time for Congress to make
clear that he is not above the law!
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