Dear Friends,
I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones. We all give thanks for the blessings of this great country. I’m still busy in Washington, where the Congress is dealing with Afghanistan, health care and committee work. We will be in session most of the month of December.
JOBS IN THE FOURTH – Although the economy is showing signs of recovery and job losses are slowly easing, the pace of recovery has frustrated those seeking work. To better serve constituents of Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District, I will feature as many available government positions as possible as part of this e-newsletter. The Census jobs below is the first in a series of jobs I plan to bring to your attention. I am also posting this information on my Web site under “Hot Topics: Jobs for the Fourth District.” I hope you find this useful.
CENSUS JOBS AVAILABLE – The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours and paid training. Best of all – census takers will work in their own communities and provide an important service for their community and the nation. To apply in DeKalb, call 404-239-2160; in Gwinnett, call 678-327-2860 and in Rockdale, call 404-348-2020. For more on this, click here.
PRESIDENT’S AFGHANISTAN SPEECH – I have concerns regarding the strategy’s viability. While I’ve heard from Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen in an Armed Services Committee hearing this week and hope to hear from Gen. Stanley McChrystal next week, I will withhold judgment until I have weighed the proposal in detail with the benefit of their testimony. My constituents and our military personnel expect me to take great care before making any decisions about funding. The president asked for space to craft a new policy moving forward in Afghanistan, and I am going to take some time to weigh his proposal.
HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT – As of Dec. 1, Georgia homebuyers can take advantage of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit for an additional three months. Made available originally through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the credit is now extended through the Unemployment Insurance Extension Bill until April 30, 2010. Move-up buyers as well will now be able to benefit with a $6,000 tax credit. The first-time tax credit already has a proven record of success in increasing home sales in Atlanta and throughout the U.S. To date, as many as 355,000 sales this year can be directly attributed to the credit. For more on this tax credit, click here.
SIGNS OF RECOVERY – There has been a lot of confusion about the Recovery Act and how many jobs it’s saved or created. Much of the work is still to be done, but I can assure you that critical investments are being made in our schools, law enforcement agencies, transportation system, housing and jobs skills training for residents just to name a few. A new report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is further evidence that the Recovery Act is already responsible for saving or creating more than 1 million jobs nationwide and has prevented the unemployment rate from becoming much worse. The Georgia Department of Human Services conducted a workshop on the Recovery Act dealing with child care expenses, grants for child-care providers, subsidized employment programs, aging services, fatherhood programs, family and children services (food stamps), job support and training and employment opportunities for non-custodial parents on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at Salem Bible Church on Hillandale Drive in Lithonia.
STAYING IN TOUCH WITH FEMA – If your home or business was damaged by the September floods and you applied for relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by the Nov. 23 deadline, you can ask questions about the status of your case and update changes in address and phone numbers by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 800-462-7585. Phone lines are open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Information also is available online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
VETERANS PARK CELEBRATION – It’s important to recognize the service of all of our veterans no matter what war, conflict or generation they served. The Georgia Veterans Memorial Park in Rockdale County will host a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Monday, Dec.7 at 6 p.m. For more information, call 770-278-7001. The address is 3001 Black Shoals Road, Conyers, 30012.
LITHONIA MAKEOVER – Thanks in large part to an injection of federal funds, downtown Lithonia is receiving a $1 million makeover. New sidewalks, street lights and street resurfacing are all being upgraded in the hopes of boosting downtown business activity. So if you see workers beautifying downtown, that’s your tax dollars hard at work. Hopefully construction will be completed next spring.
Until next time, be safe and try to stay warm. It looks like winter is trying to settle in.
Hank
