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Washington Update Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District Week of February 23 - 27, 2009 |
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ü Voted to oppose H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009, a $410 billion spending bill that includes nine spending bills for the rest of Fiscal Year 2009, which ends on September 30, 2009. The bill included funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, State, Treasury, Justice, Energy, Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. Under this bill, funding for government agencies and programs would increase by $32 billion, or 8.3%, over FY2008 levels. While the economy shrunk at a rate of 6.2% in the last three months of 2008, and families and businesses are making sacrifices to make ends meet, the government continues to grow unrestrained. To watch Congressman Forbes discuss increasing government spending, click here.
üSigned a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee and Energy and Commerce Committee and a letter to House Leadership asking them to urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide appropriate payments for home oxygen therapy services. Specifically, the letter refers to a recently released CMS final rule that would cap Medicare reimbursements for home oxygen suppliers at 36 months. This rule coincides with an across-the-board 9.5% cut in Medicare reimbursements to home oxygen suppliers. Without adequate recognition of the services that home oxygen providers furnish, the quality of care that patients have come to expect will deteriorate, leading to an increase in the number of emergency room visits. This letter requests assistance in urging CMS to revise post-36 month oxygen payment policies to address serious shortcomings that are creating hardships for both oxygen patients and providers of these services.
ü Served as Ranking Member for a House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing on acquisition of real estate for military training. Congressman Forbes noted in his opening statement that the military should only resort to forcefully taking private property as an absolute last resort. He questioned Navy officials on where the proposed Outlying Landing Field fits into the priorities for the Navy budget given the economic downturn, the Navy’s aging strike aircraft fleet, deferred ship maintenance, and a shipbuilding budget that is inadequate to build a 313-ship Navy. ü Introduced H.R. 1034, to designate the Honor and Remember Flag as an official symbol to recognize and honor members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty. This flag was created by George Lutz of Chesapeake, VA to honor the fallen, which includes his son who was killed in action in Iraq. ü Introduced H.R. 1186, to prohibit the use of funds to transfer individuals detained at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, to facilities in Virginia. The new Administration’s own review concluded that detainees at the prison met all Geneva Convention standards, and the new Attorney General, Eric Holder, recently traveled to Guantanamo Bay and stated that the prison is well-run now. However, the Administration recently announced plans to close the detention center at Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The military prisons at Quantico, Virginia and the Naval Brig in Norfolk, VA, which will move to Chesapeake, VA over the next two years, have been cited as two locations with the capacity to hold such prisoners. ü Met with Vice Admiral Kevin McCoy, Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, who oversees readiness for Navy ships and submarines. During the meeting, Congressman Forbes expressed his concern that the Navy would not reach 313 ships unless the Navy invested enough in ship maintenance so that ships lasted their designed length. He also asked Admiral McCoy about the recent freeze on ship repair contracts for the rest of fiscal year 2009. In 2008, Congressman Forbes successfully added $120 million to cover the Navy’s ship repair shortfall in the annual defense policy bill, but the Senate rejected the change.
üSigned on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 1176, the Secret Ballot Protection Act. This legislation would protect a worker’s right to a federally-supervised secret ballot election when considering whether or not to organize a union. As a nation, we vote for President in secret, and Members of Congress vote for their leadership in secret -- Congressman Forbes believes workers should be afforded the same rights as general election voters and Members of Congress.
üSigned a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Appropriations Chair David Obey, and Rules Committee Chair Louise Slaughter calling for the retention of pro-life provisions traditionally included in the annual spending bills. These provisions, often referred to as riders, are contained in multiple spending bills and must be retained each year for the policies to remain in place. These provisions address issues such as abortion funding, conscience protection for health care providers, and embryo research. Removing any of these provisions could lead to an erosion of current pro-life law.
ü Rejoined the Immigration Reform Caucus in the 111th Congress. The Immigration Reform Caucus (IRC) was established in May 1999 to review current immigration policy, to initiate new immigration policy, and to create a much-needed forum in Congress to address both the positive and negative consequences of immigration. This bipartisan caucus promotes effective border enforcement, supports worksite enforcement, and opposes amnesty and full benefits for illegal immigrants.
ü Voted against H.R. 157, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 in a House Judiciary Committee mark-up. This bill attempts to create a voting Member of the House of Representatives to represent the District of Columbia. The bill would also grant one additional Member to the state of Utah, which would permanently increase the size of the House to 437 Members. This legislation has constitutional questions that will likely have to be decided in the courts. For example, Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution states “The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States…” Because D.C. is not a state, questions have been raised that it does not qualify to have a voting Member in the House. üOffered an amendment to H.R. 1106, which would have restored the credit counseling requirement for borrowers seeking Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection. The amendment also would have prevented borrowers who committed fraud in their mortgage application from benefiting from the legislation. The amendment was rejected by the House Rules Committee.
ü 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. ü 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.
ü Voted in favor of H.Res. 83 recognizing the significance of Black History Month as an important time to recognize the contributions of African-Americans in our nation’s history. ü Voted in favor of H.Res. 47 supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day. Peace Officers Memorial Day honors federal, state, and local peace officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.
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