Interior

RSS Feed
Worked to remedy the Gulf Oil spill.  Congressman Forbes supported a bill (H.R.5481) that gives subpoena power to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling in order to secure witness testimony and obtain documents related to the spill.  This bill passed the House by a vote of 420-1, 2 present.

Prepared Americans for hurricane season.  Congressman Forbes supported a resolution (H.Res.1388) which alerts Americans of the upcoming hurricane season and encourages them to use the resources of the National Hurricane Center to prepare.  This resolution passed the House by a vote of 419-0.

Supported individual property rights. Congressman Forbes voted against H.R. 3726 to establish the Castle Nugent National Historic Site on the island of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This bill costs $45 million and does not contain a “willing seller” provision to protect property owners from eminent domain.  This legislation passed by a vote of 240-175.

Voted against excessive government spending. Congressman Forbes voted against three bills, H.R. 3254, H.R. 3342 and H.R. 1065, which would spend approximately $650 million to resolve outstanding Indian water rights claims in Arizona and New Mexico.  Congressman Forbes was concerned that Congress lacked sufficient information to determine whether these expenditures represent a net benefit to the taxpayer at this time.  H.R. 3254, H.R. 3342, and H.R. 1065 passed the House by votes of 254-158, 249-153, and 262-147, respectively.

Applauded committee passage of legislation to expand Petersburg National Battlefield. The House Committee on Natural Resources passed the Petersburg National Battlefield Boundary Modification Act, H.R. 3388, which was introduced by Congressman Forbes. Earlier this month, Congressman Forbes testified before the Committee in support of this legislation, which would expand the boundaries of Petersburg National Battlefield by 7,238 acres. The next step for the bill is a vote on the House floor in the full House of Representatives. 

Testified in support of the Petersburg National Battlefield Expansion. Congressman Forbes offered testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in support of H.R. 3388. The bill would expand the boundaries of the Petersburg National Battlefield to include an additional 7,200 acres of land. 

Supported 9/11 Flight 93 memorial. Congressman Forbes supported H. Res 795, honoring the Shanksville, Pennsylvania community and United Flight 93 Ambassadors in their efforts to complete the 9/11 Flight 93 National Memorial.  This bill passed the House by a vote of 426-0.

Honored and remembered firefighters. Congressman Forbes cosponsored for H.Res. 729, a resolution urging the designation of National Firefighters Memorial Day to thank and remember firefighters for their courage in defending and protecting the country. There are over one million firefighters in the United States who serve as the line of defense against the 1.6 million fires that occur annually. Over 100 firefighters die each year in the line of duty.

Remembered victims of storms and floods in the Southeast. Congressman Forbes joined Congress in expressing condolences for all those who have died or who have lost possessions due to the devastating storms and floods in Georgia and the Southeast region of the United States. At least nine people have died amid widespread destruction caused by the September 18-21 storms.

Supported the recognition of six Indian tribes in Virginia. Congressman Forbes voted for H.R. 1385, which makes six tribes and their members eligible for all services and benefits provided by the federal government to federally recognized Indian tribes. The bill would also prohibit any of the tribes established under this bill from participating in gambling or operating gambling facilities on any of the tribal land.

Voted in favor of H.R. 44 to recognize the suffering and loyalty of the residents of Guam during World War II and the Japanese occupation of the territory, and to make payments to living Guam residents or survivors who were killed, injured, raped, forced into labor, or interned.  During World War II, the U.S. territory of Guam was occupied by the Imperial Japanese military. Residents of Guam were subjected to execution, rape, severe personal injury, forced labor, forced march, and internment. It is estimated that over 1,000 people died during the occupation. 

Voted to oppose H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act, a bill that would expand the federal government by $25 million to enforce new laws that would prohibit the transfer of nonhuman primates for the purpose of interstate or foreign commerce.  This legislation is duplicative of other regulations that are currently carried out by other federal agencies.  Nonhuman primate pets pose very little threat to humans and are closely regulated by the states and other agencies.  Recently, the nation was horrified when a 200-pound male pet chimpanzee critically injured a Connecticut woman before being shot by police.  However, the actual risk of pet primates harming humans is minute. According to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition, only 132 people have been injured by primates in the past ten years, and 40% of those attacks occurred in laboratories. 

Voted in favor of H.Res. 139 commemorating the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln.  This resolution recognizes and echoes the commitment of President Lincoln to what he called the “unfinished work” of unity and harmony in the United States and encourages Americans to recommit to fulfilling his vision of equal rights for all. 

Supported H.R. 663 designating a post office located at 12877 Broad Street in Sparta, Georgia, as the “Yvonne Ingram-Ephraim Post Office Building.” Yvonne Ingram-Ephraim was a committed educator and public servant, serving as councilwoman and mayor pro tempore of the City of Sparta, Georgia.  She also served as assistant secretary and secretary to the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials and was a member of the National League of Cities, the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the National Rainbow/Push Coalition, and the Georgia Association of Educators and the National Education Association.

Signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 708, legislation that would reinstate the “Mexico City Policy” restricting assistance to foreign organizations that perform or actively promote abortions. The Mexico City Policy establishes a wall of separation between abortion and family planning by ensuring that U.S. international family planning funds are not directed to foreign non-governmental organizations that actively promote or perform abortion as a method of family planning. 

Signed a letter on January 16, 2009 to President Obama urging him to continue the Mexico City Policy, which separates abortion and family planning in America’s foreign aid programs. This policy, in place by Executive Order, is necessary to ensure that international family planning funds are not directed to foreign nongovernmental organizations that promote or perform abortion as a method of family planning. President Obama overturned the Mexico City policy on January 23, 2009.

Signed a letter to President Obama urging him to withdraw his pledge to sign the so-called Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which would overturn virtually all pro-life laws nationwide, and to refuse to support legislation that incrementally enacts the FOCA agenda by rescinding or weakening existing pro-life laws piece by piece. During the campaign, President Obama talked about reducing abortions, but FOCA would do the opposite. By overturning laws that require parental notification or consent before a minor girl obtains an abortion, the abortion rate would increase. Also, advocates on both sides of the abortion debate agree that longstanding provisions that restrict funding for abortions reduce the number of abortions dramatically.

Signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 636, the Positive Alternatives Act, which would ensure that states have the flexibility to use their TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) block grant dollars to offer alternative-to-abortion services to women who are pregnant or think they may be pregnant. This includes information or counseling that promotes childbirth instead of abortion and assists pregnant women in making informed decisions about parenting or adoption.  

Signed on as an original cosponsor of the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act.  This bill would prohibit transporting a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion and avoid the home state’s abortion laws. This bill was introduced in the House on January 22, 2009, in connection with the 36th Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Supported H.R. 160, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act. This bill would establish a battlefield acquisition grant program to state and local governments to help pay for the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. 

Supported H.R. 2933, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2008. This bill extends the American Battlefield Protection Act of 1996 for 5 years, through September 30, 2013.

Supported H.R. 4544, the Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008.  During World War II, the United States employed Native American code talkers who developed secret means of communication based on native languages and were critical to winning the war.  To the frustration of the enemies of the United States, the code developed by the Native American code talkers proved to be unbreakable and was used extensively throughout the European theater. 

Supported H.R. 2786, the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act, which would authorize $627 million annually for several programs for housing assistance to Native Americans, including the Indian Housing Block Grant. This bill would streamline oversight and allow tribes to exercise greater discretion over grant funding for affordable housing activities. H.R. 2786 would create a new housing program under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 that would give tribes and recipients greater flexibility to use grants for various housing activities. Additionally, the bill would allow the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma to receive funding under the bill as long as a tribal court order allowing citizenship for non-Cherokee descendants of Freedman remains in place. Tribe members voted in 2007 to revoke the citizenship of descendants of former slaves who cannot also prove Cherokee ancestry. An earlier version of the bill would have denied the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma funding unless it recognized descendants of former black slaves as citizens.

Supported H.R. 5335 , which would amend the National Trails System Act to provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

Supported H.R. 6685, which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide an annual grant to facilitate an iron working training program for Native Americans. 

Cosponsored H.R. 406, the Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act, which would posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Alice Paul in recognition of her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women. Alice Paul dedicated her life to securing suffrage and equal rights for all women. As founder of the National Woman's Party, she was instrumental in the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

Cosponsored H.R. 5489, to name the U.S. Post Office in Gloucester, Virginia, after the late Rep. Jo Ann Davis.  Rep. Davis became Virginia's first Republican woman elected to Congress in 2000.  She represented Virginia’s First Congressional District and served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee.  Rep. Davis passed away on October 6, 2007, after a hard-fought battle against breast cancer.

Supported H.Con.Res. 281, a resolution celebrating the birth of Abraham Lincoln and recognizing the prominence the Declaration of Independence played in the development of Abraham Lincoln's beliefs.  The resolution also encourages educational agencies to devote sufficient time to study and appreciate the reverence Abraham Lincoln had for Declaration of Independence in the development of American history, jurisprudence, and the spread of freedom around the world.

Supported H.Res. 960, a resolution congratulating the National Football League champion New York Giants for winning Super Bowl XLII and completing one of the most remarkable postseason runs in professional sports history.

Supported H.Res. 942, a resolution recognizing the significance of Black History Month and the contributions of African-Americans in the Nation's history. For resources and historical information on celebrating Black History Month, visit the Library of Congress' website here.

Supported H.Res. 931, which highlights the 50th running of the Daytona 500, and expresses support for designation of February 17, 2008, as "Race Day in America." 

Supported H.Res. 634, which encourages participation in hunting and fishing, and supports the goals and ideals of National Hunting and Fishing Day. The resolution also supports the efforts of hunters and fishermen toward the scientific management of wildlife and conservation of the natural environment.

Supported H.Con.Res. 193, which recognizes hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety.

Cosponsored H.R.1609, legislation to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to Constantino Brumidi to recognize his contributions as the artist of the United States Capitol. The gold medal would be displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center as part of an exhibit honoring Constantino Brumidi. To learn more about works of art in the Capitol, please click here.

Cosponsored H.Con.Res 117, legislation that commemorates the 400th Anniversary of the settlement at Jamestown and recognizes its historical significance in the founding of the United States.

Voted in favor of H.R. 249, legislation that would restore the ban on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros. The bill would allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to detain and examine any horse if it suspects that the animal will be slaughtered for human consumption. Violators could receive criminal and civil penalties.

Cosponsored H. Con. Res. 172, which honors the life of the nine fallen City of Charleston firefighters who lost their lives in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 18, 2007. The firefighters were fighting a blaze at a furniture warehouse when its roof collapsed. The incident was the nation's deadliest single disaster for firefighters since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Voted in favor of H.Con.Res 117, legislation that commemorates the 400th Anniversary of the settlement at Jamestown, honors the founding of the colony in 1607 and urges all Americans to honor this historic event.

Voted in favor of H.R. 1294, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2007, which would give Federal recognition to six tribes in the Commonwealth of Virginia: the Chickahominy Indian Tribe; the Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division; the Upper Mattaponi Tribe; the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.; the Monacan Indian Nation; and the Nansemond Indian Tribe. Federal recognition will encourage tribal economic development, making the tribes more self-sufficient. H.R. 1294 includes a gambling ban on their federal land as a condition of federal recognition.

Invited interested high school students to participate in the 2007 Congressional Arts Competition, "An Artistic Discovery." Since 1982, the Congressional Arts Competition has offered high school students from across the nation the opportunity to exhibit their artwork in the United States Capitol. For more information, please click here.

Services

Other Services

Issues

More Issues