ONLINE OFFICE

Contact Me

How Can I Help You?

Enews Sign-Up

Internet Tools

This Web site is speech enabled with the BrowseAloud plug-in

« Return to Previous Page

Local & State Priorities

Jobs and the Economy

Topics:
»»Tornadoes »»Economy »»Droughts »»Nuc Waste »»York VA »»Related Press
________________________________________________________________________

"Improving the lives of Middle Tennesseans is my #1 priority.”

— Congressman Bart Gordon

Preparing for Tornadoes in Tennessee
On Friday, April 10th, two tornadoes hit Rutherford County and a smaller one hit Sumner County. While the tornado that touched down in Sumner damaged 4 homes, the two that hit Rutherford County caused significant structural damage in Murfreesboro, in addition to killing two people and injuring 42. I surveyed the damage immediately after the storms had passed and has since been working with local officials to ensure that the recovery and rebuilding process moves along smoothly. Click here to be taken to my Middle Tennessee Tornado Center, where you will find information about the storms, loans and grants available to home and business owners whose property sustained damage from the tornadoes, in addition to information about being properly prepared for future tornadoes.

On June 8, 2009, I held a roundtable discussion at the Murfreesboro City Hall with weather experts about tornado preparedness and technologies that can provide people with more advanced warning when a tornado may hit their community. For more information on or to watch video from the event, click here.

Helping Tennessee Endure the Economic Recession
As the American economy has unraveled, Tennessee’s unemployment rate has doubled in the past year, and local governments and states across the country, including Tennessee, have faced staggering budget shortfalls that were likely to result in mass layoffs and program cuts. In February, Congress took action to stem the tide of job loss and stabilize the economy by passing the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), which was signed into law on February 19, 2009. I supported the ARRA because I believed it was necessary to protect existing jobs, create new ones, and prevent the economic recession from becoming into a depression. Chick here to be taken to my Economic Recovery Center, where you will find information about the tax incentives included in the ARRA, in addition to details on funds provided to the state of Tennessee. You will also find my “Middle Tennessee Resource Guide,” which explains the federal competitive grants and loan programs that Middle Tennessee governmental and non-governmental organizations can
apply for.

Helping Tennessee Counties Prepare for Droughts
Droughts have destroyed the harvests of farmers in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast over the past few years. During these dry spells, many local and county governments have been forced to resort to desperate measure to make water available, especially to those that rely on wells and water tanks for their water. Legislation that I authored, National Water Research and Development Initiative Act, passed the House on April 23, 2009 (press release). My bill would require the President to create a national water strategy, which is an essential component to a stable economy. A coordinated federal water research effort will help states and local governments better manage their water supplies and get through dry seasons and droughts.

Stopping Foreign Radioactive Waste from Entering Tennessee
Since September of 2007, a Utah-based company named EnergySolutions has been seeking permission to import 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy into the United States. The waste would be transported to Tennessee for processing and the remnants would then be trucked to Utah for final disposal. I have been leading the effort to stop the importation of foreign-generated low-level radioactive waste all together, and has authored bipartisan legislation to ban the practice (press release). The United States is the only country in the world that imports and disposes of this kind of waste for other countries. With limited disposal space in the United States for the low-level waste produced domestically, I believe that we should not fill it up with foreign-generated radioactive trash (op-ed).

Improving Conditions at VA Hospitals
In late 2008, it was revealed that staff at the Murfreesboro VA Medical Center had been improperly disinfecting endoscopic equipment from 2003 to 2008, putting more than 6,000 veterans living in Middle Tennessee at risk of having been infected with Hepatitis B or C, or HIV. I wrote a letter to the VA Under Secretary for Health asking that detailed information be made available about the situations (letter to the Under Secretary). The Under Secretary reported that as of April 15th (the Under Secretary's letter), twelve veterans had tested positive – four for Hepatitis B, seven for Hepatitis C, and one for HIV (the Under Secretary’s letter). As it was further revealed that similar incidents had occurred at a VA facilities in Florida and Georgia, I joined my colleagues in Congress in calling for a formal investigation by the VA Inspector General, in addition to congressional hearings before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. For updates on the situation, click here to be taken the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs “Endoscopic Reports” page.

On June 16th, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing entitled “Endoscopy Procedures at the VA: What happened and what has changed?” While I do not sit on the Committee, I was given special permission to participate in the hearing. Click here to read more.

>> Recent Local & State Press: