Supported recreational aviation.  Congressman Forbes supported H.Res.1473 recognizing the value of recreational aviation and backcountry airstrips, and commending aviators and the various private organizations that maintain airstrips for public use.  This resolution passed by voice vote.

Supported the expansion of rail capacity in Virginia.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored legislation (H.R.272) that would provide a 25% tax credit for infrastructure investments in new track, intermodal facilities, yards, locomotives and other projects that expand rail capacity.  Railroads will be eligible for the credit in addition to any shippers or other entity investing in new rail capacity.

Secured real-time weather reporting at Chesterfield County Airport. Congressman Forbes attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Chesterfield County Airport (KFIC) this week to re-open its reconstructed taxiway and mark the recent connection of its Automated Weather Observation System to the National Airspace Data Interchange Network.  Congressman Forbes played an instrumental role in securing this important automatic weather reporting function at KFIC.

Voted Against Increasing Passenger Airport Fees. Congressman Forbes voted against the Aviation and Safety Investment Act (H.R.1586), which would increase the maximum fee airports could charge each passenger by $2.50 per ticket on top of the $4.50 fee that is currently allowed.  The bill would also increase taxes on non-commercial aviation fuel.  This bill passed the House by a vote of 276-145.

Supported continued investment in roads. Congressman Forbes voted to provide continued funding for federal-aid highways in Virginia and across the nation while Congress continues to debate a long-term extension of the federal highway bill.  Congressman Forbes supports an immediate long-term extension of the highway bill to ensure long overdue transportation projects that are essential to our national economy can receive funding and move forward.  The measure was included in H.R. 3326, which passed by a vote of 395-34. 

Sent a letter urging reimbursement for Richmond Airport security screening. Congressman Forbes signed a letter to the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration urging TSA to reimburse the Capital Region Airport Commission for installation of an explosive detection system at the Richmond International Airport. These reimbursements have been outstanding since 2004.

Called for passage of a permanent federal highway bill. Congressman Forbes sent a letter to the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to encourage swift passage of a permanent federal highway bill to support critical projects that can lead to economic development in the Fourth District and around the country.   

Encouraged safe driving during the holiday season. Congressman Forbes supported H. Res. 841 to designate November 29, 2009 as “Drive Safer Sunday." The Sunday after Thanksgiving is normally the busiest travel day of the year. This bill passed by a vote of 413-1.

Supported safety and security requirements for cruise ships. Congressman Forbes voted for H.R. 3360, which would enact new requirements for cruise vessels to provide safety and security to Americans who go on cruise vacations without realizing they are not protected under U.S. laws when they leave its territorial waters. The bill would require the cruise industry to comply with a number of security provisions, including specific rail heights and warning devices, video surveillance to monitor crime, proper maintenance of equipment, medical personnel on board, among others. This bill passed by a vote of 416-4. 

Enhanced the safety of handicapped pedestrians. Congressman Forbes cosponsored H.R. 734, which would study the best way of alerting blind persons and other pedestrians as a result of quiet hybrid and electric vehicle traffic.

Improved airline safety. Congressman Forbes supported H.R. 3371, which enacts several new safety requirements related to increasing pilot training and increasing qualifications on commercial aviation transportation. This bill passed by a vote of 409-1.

Supported high speed passenger rail in Virginia.  Congressman Forbes joined the Virginia congressional delegation in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to support the Commonwealth’s applications for a high speed rail program in Virginia from Washington, D.C. via Richmond, VA to Petersburg, VA. 

Applauded a decision to connect Chesterfield County Airport to the nation-wide weather reporting system.  Congressman Forbes petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on March 5, 2009 to connect Chesterfield County Airport to the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), which provides weather condition reporting that is critical to terminal aviation operations. The FAA has made a preliminary decision to make the AWOS connection. Congressman Forbes also supports the AWOS connection at Hampton Road Executive Airport.

Provided additional transportation funds. Congressman Forbes voted for H.R. 3617 to provide additional funding for federal-aid highways, mass transit, and road safety programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia and across the nation. Congressman Forbes believes continued support and funding for federal surface transportation programs is essential to our national growth. This bill passed the House by a vote of 335-85.

Voted to restore the Federal Highway Trust Fund balance. H.R. 3357 would transfer $7 billion to the balance, which is needed to prevent significant reductions in Fiscal Year 2009 federal highway programs. The bill will allow the Commonwealth of Virginia to move forward with transportation projects with the assurance that they will receive the amount of transportation funds pledged to them under federal law. The bill passed the House by a vote of 363-68.

Discussed transportation with the Board of Supervisors from Isle of Wight County. The Board and the Congressman discussed high-speed rail, transportation funding related to Route 460, a proposal for a new workforce development center, and stimulus funding. 

Secured funding for Chesterfield County to construct an I-295 Meadowville Interchange.  The $750,000 in funding was included as a part of H.R. 3288, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.  The I-295 Meadowville Interchange will enhance economic development opportunities for the region and help relieve local roads of the additional traffic generated.  In total, Congressman Forbes has secured $2,725,000 for this project since 2004.
 

Discussed important Fourth District transportation issues with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation. Congressman Forbes met with Virginia Secretary of Transportation, Pierce Homer, to discuss important transportation issues impacting the Fourth District of Virginia, including the restoration of the Highway Trust Fund, the closing of Virginia’s rest areas, and the future of high speed rail in the Fourth District.

Congressman Forbes secured the following projects in the Energy and Water spending bill:

    --$100,000 for Deep Creek Bridge in Chesapeake. This project will begin the process of replacing the existing 2-lane Deep Creek AIW Bridge with a 5-lane, dual bascule bridge, thus providing a new structurally sound bridge and reducing traffic congestion along the corridor. AIW Deep Creek Bridge (owned and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers) was built in 1934 and is functionally obsolete.

    --$2.62 million for Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. This project will help protect the navigation route between the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River and the VA-NC state line in the North Landing River, a distance of 27 miles. The ACC is of critical importance to transportation, especially to the U.S. Navy which transports over 55 million gallons of jet fuel yearly from the Craney Island to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. Failure to fund the ACC will result in the Navy being unable to meet the fuel demand of the Oceana Naval Station.  The Navy has stated that trucking this much fuel would not be feasible on a long-term basis.

    --$100,000 for Chowan River Basin Study. This project will investigate federal flood control projects in the Chowan River Basin. In many locations within the basin, six of the top 10 historical high water marks have occurred from 1998 forward, including the flood of record (Hurricane Floyd in 1999), October 2006 cold core upper level low (second highest), and Hurricane Isabel in 2003 (5th highest). Damages from these storm events have ranged from $10M to over $100M (February 2008 dollars). The reconnaissance study will evaluate the Federal interest in ways to protect the water resources of this highly productive basin with particular emphasis on restoring wetlands and forested buffers lost from erosion and flooding, reducing flood damages throughout the basin, and improving navigation and to determine the Federal interest in conducting a more detailed feasibility study.

    --$600,000 for Appomattox River. This project will fund the maintenance dredge of the Appomattox River. The dredging of the Appomattox River will be of benefit to the region by: (1) restoring the Appomattox River to the free-flowing, fully navigable river that it was until the late 1970's; (2) reconnecting the City of Hopewell to the navigable portions of the Appomattox River; (3) serving as a catalyst for the commercial and residential revitalization; (4) enhancing local and regional tourism and recreational opportunities; and (5) improving the environmental condition of the Appomattox River.

Met with senior Coast Guard officials to investigate rules and regulations concerning the construction of a New Jordan Bridge. Congressman Forbes met with Rear Admiral Kevin Cook and other officials from the United States Coast Guard to review the permit application process for construction of a New Jordan Bridge. Since the decommission and closure of the Jordan Bridge on November 8, 2008 due to structural deficiencies, the southern branch of the Elizabeth River has been without a vital connection for mobility, regional economic development and commerce, and life-saving emergency evacuation and response.

Remembered the victims of a Metrorail accident and their families.  Congressman Forbes voted for H.Res. 612 to express his profound sympathies for the victims of the tragic Washington, D.C. Metrorail accident on Monday, June 22, 2009, and their families, friends, and associates.

Promoted High-Performance Buildings. High-performance buildings are energy efficient, have low long-term and short-term costs, are healthy for occupants, and have low environmental impact. Congressman Forbes supported H.Res.492, a bill that reaffirms our nation’s commitment to High-Performance Buildings by promoting awareness about their benefits and by promoting new education programs, supporting research, and expanding access to information.

Called for increased security measures for Guantanamo Bay detainees. Congressman Forbes supported an amendment to H.R. 2200, which would place every detainee held at Guantanamo Bay on the TSA’s “No Fly List” unless the President certifies that the detainee poses no threat to the citizens of the United States.  

Joined the Congressional General Aviation Caucus. The purpose of this caucus is to stay informed and meet with other Members of Congress on issues related to general aviation airports. The Fourth Congressional District holds two general aviation airports - the Chesterfield County Airport and the Chesapeake Regional Airport.

Voted to fund the Transportation Security Administration. Congressman Forbes voted for H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Authorization Act of 2009, which provides funding for the TSA for the next two years. Among the highlights, the bill increases the number of explosive sniffing dogs, requires mandatory self-defense training for certain airline personnel, and implements a biometric identification program for individuals with access to secure areas of an airport. 

Met with city officials from Suffolk, Virginia to discuss on-going projects, transportation issues, and concerns about federal regulations impeding road repairs within the City.  

Voted against increasing passenger airport fees. Congressman Forbes voted against H.R. 915, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009, which would increase the maximum fee airports could charge each passenger by $2.50 per ticket on top of the $4.50 fee that is currently allowed. The bill would also increase taxes by $1.3 billion on non-commercial aviation fuel. 

Sent letters to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of expanding the Port of Virginia and the National Gateway project. These projects would allow increased shipment of goods from the Port to the Midwest and along the East Coast of the United States.  

Supported H.R. 1512, which would extend the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) authority through the end of the fiscal year 2009. This bill would extend the FAA’s authority to collect revenues that maintain the aviation system through September 30, 2009, giving lawmakers time to work toward a comprehensive update of the FAA. The FAA has been operating under a series of short-term extensions since October 2007.

Signed a letter urging a study of flooding in the Chowan River Basin. This study is necessary to determine ways to protect the water resources of this highly productive basin, restore wetlands, reduce flood damages throughout the basin, and improve navigation on the Chowan River.  In several locations within the basin, six of the top ten historical high water marks have occurred since 1998, including the flood of record (Hurricane Floyd in 1999).  Flooding and other damage from each of these storm events have ranged from a minimum of $10 million dollars to more than $100 million dollars.  However, this flooding is directly related to an infrastructure deficiency that is correctable.  The study would determine ways to effectively correct this flood problem while protecting and restoring the region’s precious wetland natural resources. 

Sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration requesting support for connecting the weather observation system of Chesterfield County Airport (FCI) to the National Airspace Data Interchange Network (NADIN).  A connection to NADIN allows an airport to automatically transmit weather data to the National Weather Network, which allows aviation officials anywhere in the world to access terminal weather conditions.  Without such network connection, an airport can only report weather locally though limited range radio transmission and telephone line.  This network connection is necessary for FCI to effectively serve as a Reliever Airport for Richmond International Airport (RIC) and to support FCI’s 82,000 annual aviation operations.  Furthermore, this connection would enable many aviators to utilize FCI as a primary destination airport, as opposed to just an alternative landing location. 

Supported H.R. 912, the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act, to make flight attendants eligible for extended family and medical leave, benefits that have not been guaranteed to those workers due to the way their work hours are calculated.  The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees employees who have worked a 60 percent full-time schedule, or 1,250 hours, for a single employer over a 12-month period up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a family member’s illness or death or for the birth or adoption of a child.  Flight attendants, whose paid work hours are calculated in gate-to-gate flight time, exclusive of time spent away from home on layovers, have had difficulty meeting this threshold.

Hosted Congressman John Boozman (Arkansas), Ranking Member of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, to the Fourth District of Virginia to meet with local officials to discuss transportation and infrastructure projects. On October 7, 2008, the Congressmen met with community leaders from the cities of Chesapeake and Franklin, followed by meetings on October 8, 2008, with community leaders from Chesterfield County and Petersburg. Congressman Forbes hosted Congressman Boozman to the Fourth District to provide an opportunity for local communities to present their transportation and infrastructure projects and concerns to an influential Member of Congress with jurisdiction over these issues. 

Supported H.R. 6370, the Oregon Surplus Federal Land Act of 2008, which would require the transfer of jurisdiction over Coast Guard lands in Coos County, Oregon to the Secretary of the Interior to hold in trust for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians and to be included in the reservation of those tribes. 

Supported H.R. 6524, which would direct the General Services Administration to release land conveyed to the city of Eastlake, Ohio in exchange for $30,000 and to convey to Koochiching County, Minnesota, certain land located in International Falls, Minnesota, (formerly the site of the Koochiching Army Reserve Training Center) in exchange for $30,000.

Supported H.R. 6984, the Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2008 Part II, which would provide a short-term extension of FAA programs to allow the agency to continue collecting and spending the tax revenues that keep the U.S. aviation system functioning. This bill would reauthorize the FAA through March 31, 2009 before the new presidential administration and Congress redraft and pass a four-year reauthorization of the agency.

Supported H.R. 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which would authorize $13 billion to Amtrak for 5 years and include funds for state intercity passenger rail grants and high-speed rail corridor grants.  The bill would require changes to Amtrak’s financial accounting system and a five-year financing plan to improve accountability.  Additionally, the bill includes language that would implement rail safety measures that have received renewed attention following the deadly train crash in California on Sept. 12, 2008. Such funded safety measures would include Positive Train Control (PTC) systems and other rail safety mechanisms. The recent crash in Los Angeles involving two trains that killed 25 people could have been prevented if the passenger train had been employing PTC technology. 

Met with officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to question FHWA Officials on what federal requirements related to bike and pedestrian access apply to new bridges under construction.  During the September 23, 2008 meeting, Congressman Forbes questioned FHWA officials with respect to the federal regulations relating to the construction and maintenance of bike paths on roadways that are constructed through the use of federal funding.  

Supported H. Res. 1224 commending the Tennessee Valley Authority on its 75^th anniversary. 

Supported H.R. 4131 designating the portion of California State Route 91 located in Los Angeles County, California, as the “Juanita Millender-McDonald Highway.” Juanita Millender-McDonald represented the 37^th Congressional District in California from 1996 until 2007, when she died from a battle with cancer.  The district includes parts of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. 

Virginia transportation officials recently announced that a project to replace the Gilmerton Bridge in Chesapeake, Virginia could receive as much as $13 million in Federal Highway Administration “bonus” dollars. The “bonus” money is part of $32 million in federal money reallocated to Virginia from other states. Congressman Forbes recently sent a letter to Mr. Pierce R. Homer, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, urging the Secretary to obligate such bonus funds to complete the project. Congressman Forbes wrote the Federal Highway Administration in August supporting VDOT's request for the bonus dollars. 

Sent a letter to Mr. Pierce R. Homer, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, urging the Secretary to obligate federal bonus funds allocated to the Commonwealth to complete the Gilmerton Bridge replacement project in Chesapeake, Virginia. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently announced that the Commonwealth has been allocated nearly $32 million in bonus federal highway funds that were redistributed back to the state because they were not spent in Fiscal Year 2008. The replacement of the Gilmerton Bridge is critical to the transportation needs of Chesapeake, especially following the recent announcement that another bridge crossing the Elizabeth River, the Jordan Bridge, must be closed by the end of the year.  In his September 18, 2008 letter to Secretary Homer, Congressman Forbes stressed the importance of moving quickly to provide a way for the shipyard workers at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and other commuters to travel safely and conveniently over the Elizabeth River.  Last month, Congressman Forbes sent a letter to the FHWA supporting the Virginia Department of Transportation’s request of the bonus funding. Congressman Forbes has made the replacement of this bridge a top priority for the City of Chesapeake and the Fourth Congressional District. 

Voted in favor of H.R. 6630, which would terminate a year-old pilot program that allowed long-haul Mexican trucks on U.S. highways under the North American Free Trade Agreement, due to public safety concerns. This bill prohibits Mexican trucks from operating outside designated commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border until truck safety concerns are addressed by Congress and new safety regulations can be established and implemented. There is concern that the current safety standards for Mexican trucks traveling into the U.S. (for example, drug testing and background checks for drivers) are insufficient and endanger public safety. 

Voted in favor of H.R. 6532 to restore the Federal Highway Trust Fund balance.  This bill transfers $8 billion from general Treasury funds to the Highway Trust Fund. The transfer will prevent a 30% reduction in 2009 federal highway programs. Without the transfer, Virginia’s highway funds would have been cut by $272 million from this year’s level, and as many as 9,500 construction-related jobs would have been impacted.

Signed a letter to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, urging the Committee to act on a bill to rename the U.S. Courthouse in Richmond the “Spottswood W. Robinson III and Robert R. Merhige, Jr. United States Courthouse.”   Spottswood Robinson was one of the key attorneys for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and achieved national acclaim with his representation of the Virginia plaintiffs in the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. This decision declared “separate but equal schools” unconstitutional. After his work with the NAACP, Judge Robinson became the first African-American to be appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1964.  Robert Merhige was appointed Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia where he served for 30 years. While on the federal bench, Merhige presided over important litigation, namely ordering the University of Virginia to admit women, and later ruling in favor of desegregation of a dozen Virginia school districts.

Supported S. 3145, designating a portion of U.S. Route 20A, located in Orchard Park, NY, as the “Timothy J. Russert Highway.”  Mr. Russert was NBC’s Washington, D.C. bureau chief and the longtime host of NBC’s Sunday morning political program, Meet the Press.

Supported S. 496, the Appalachian Regional Development Amendments Act of 2008.  This bill provides $510 million in funding over five years to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which administers a highway program and other grant programs to assist the 410 counties in the region.

Voted to support H.R. 3999, the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act.  This bill provides $1 billion for the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Program, and requires that states will not be able to transfer the funds to general highway programs unless they are able to certify that they have no structurally deficient bridges.  The language provision that ended up being included in the bill was one of Congressman Forbes' top transportation policy requests this year as Virginia has roughly 1,200 structurally deficient bridges and 2,200 functionally obsolete bridges, which, taken together, makes up 25% of all of Virginia’s bridges.

Voted to support H.R. 6532, to restore the Federal Highway Trust Fund balance.  This bill transfers $8 billion from general Treasury funds to the Highway Trust Fund.  The transfer will prevent a 30% reduction in 2009 federal highway programs.  Without the transfer, Virginia’s highway funds would have been cut by $272 million from this year’s level, and as many as 9,500 construction-related jobs would have been impacted.

Voted to support H.R. 6493, the Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008.  This bill clarifies the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) role in oversight and safety enforcement of commercial airline carriers. 

Voted to support H.R. 6327, the Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2008.  This bill will provide funding to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which is used for development and improvement projects for our nation’s airports.

Supported H.R. 2452, the Raw Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act.  This bill requires treatment facility operators to establish an alert system to inform the public and public health authorities in the event of sewer overflows. 

Opposed H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.  This bill would authorize another $15 billion of taxpayer money to subsidize Amtrak, which provides train service throughout the country.  It was estimated that Amtrak would break even by 1974, but it has never had a profitable year.  The $3 billion in annual spending is more than double the current federal subsidy of $1.3 billion. 

Wrote a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee requesting funding for the Maritime Administration’s Title XI Ship Loan Guarantee program.  Funding for Title XI is vital to ensuring that small and medium sized ship owners have access to affordable financing to build ships in the United States to meet the country’s domestic commerce, energy transportation, and military sealift needs.  The financing terms and conditions facilitated by Title XI are comparable to finance rates at commercial banks to which large corporation have access.  The $60 million request could generate up to $1.2 billion in ship construction in the United States.

Voted for H.R. 2830, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008, which would increase the size of the Coast Guard by 1,500 and would reform the acquisition process for the troubled Deepwater program.  This program is the Coast Guard’s long-term program to replace its ships and aircraft at a cost of $24-billion.  The Coast Guard is one of the uniformed services of the United States and is primarily responsible for maritime security. Since 2003, it has been part of the Homeland Security Department.

Supported H.R. 1216, the Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Cars Safety Act of 2007. H.R. 1216 would direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to reduce the incidence of child injury and death occurring inside or outside of light motor vehicles. H.R. 1216 would require light motor vehicles to have power windows and panels that automatically reverse direction when they detect an obstruction to prevent children from being trapped, injured, or killed. The bill would also require light motor vehicles to have a rearward visibility performance standard that provides drivers with a means for detecting the presence of a person or object behind the vehicle to prevent death and injury resulting from backing incidents. The bill would require new light motor vehicles to comply with the regulations within 42 months. Finally, the bill would require the Secretary to create a database containing information about the hazards of non-traffic, non-crash accidents and a consumer information program to disseminate the information.

Supported H.R. 4343, the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act. H.R. 4343 would increase the mandatory pilot retirement age to 65. Under this legislation, pilots over the age of 60 would have to renew their First-Class Medical Certificate every six months, as well as pass a line check every six months. This legislation is not retroactive to pilots who turned 60 prior to the enactment of this legislation.

Voted in favor of H.R. 3985, the Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007. H.R. 3985 would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to take into account compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of over-the-road buses when they are registering for the authority to operate in interstate commerce. An over-the-road bus is defined in this legislation as a bus characterized by an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment.

Voted to overturn the President’s veto of H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which contains critical funding for water and infrastructure projects in the 4^th District and in the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area. WRDA would authorize funds for improvements to the Deep Creek Bridge and for a study of the Chowan River Basin. Congress has not enacted a WRDA bill since 2000 due to disagreement between the House and Senate.

Cosponsored H.R. 2550, the Recreational Boating Act of 2007, which would restore an exemption from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for incidental discharges, other than ballast water, from recreational boats. Incidental discharges would include deck run-off, engine cooling water, and uncontaminated bilge water. This exemption would not impact separate regulations on oil discharge, sewage, hazardous pollutants, garbage or debris. This legislation is supported by the Congressional Boating Caucus, of which Congressman Forbes is a member.

Supported H.Con.Res. 165, which supports the goals and ideals of National Teen Driver Safety Week. This resolution encourages the people of the United States to observe the week with activities that promote licensed teenage drivers to drive safely.

Supported H. Res. 505, which recognizes the contributions of the recreational boating community and the boating industry to the continuing prosperity and affluence of the United States.

Cosponsored H.R. 1584, the Short Line Railroad Investment Act of 2007, which would extend the existing section 45G short line tax credit for an additional three years through 2010 and increase the per-mile credit of $3,500 to $4,500. The Short Line Tax Credit helps short line railroads improve their existing track to be able to handle heavier railcars and serve local customers in rural areas.

Voted in favor of H.R. 1615, the Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2007. This legislation would establish penalties for intentionally aiming laser pointers at airplanes or airplanes' flight paths. Incidents involving lasers aimed at aircraft cockpits have raised concerns over the potential threat to aviation safety and security.

Voted in favor of H.R. 1773, the Safe American Roads Act of 2007. This legislation seeks a balance between safety regulations and the fast and efficient movement of goods across the United States/Mexico border. It would prohibit Mexican trucks from operating outside designated United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border until American trucks are allowed to begin comparable operations in Mexico. This legislation also requires that the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation monitor and review the existing pilot program for Mexican trucking regulations and report the findings to Congress.

Supported H. Res. 386, legislation to recognize the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Safe Boating Council for their efforts to promote National Safe Boating Week, which is May 19 through 25, 2007. Recreational boating fatalities have declined by more than half since 1970 due to the use of proper lifejackets and safe boating education by these organizations.

Cosponsored the Volunteer Pilot Organization Protection Act. This legislation is designed to provide liability protection for nonprofit public benefit flying organizations that perform missions such as free medical patient transportation, environmental observation, and organ transport. It would include groups such as Angel Flight and similar organizations, who provide free air transportation to those in need, whose non-emergency health care problems require travel to and from medical facilities.

Cosponsored H.R. 1615, the Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act. This legislation would establish penalties for intentionally aiming laser pointers at airplanes or airplanes' flight paths. Incidents involving lasers aimed at aircraft cockpits have raised concerns over the potential threat to aviation safety and security.