Agriculture

ü  Voted to approve the final conference report for the Farm Bill, H.R. 2419.  The long-awaited final agreement between the House and Senate Farm Bills provides a total of $289 billion over five years for national farm and nutrition programs.  The measure also bars those with more than $750,000 in farm-related income, or more than $500,000 in non-farm-related income, from receiving federal farm subsidies.  The bill also includes a Chesapeake Bay Program that establishes and funds a new program for implementing conservation measures on agricultural lands in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  The House approved the conference report by a vote of 318-106, and the Senate passed it soon after by a vote of 81-15, sending it to the White House where it now awaits the President’s signature.  To read Congressman Forbes’ statement on passage of the final Farm Bill, click here.

Education

ü Offered an amendment to accelerate Impact Aid funding for BRAC communities in H.R. 5658, the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of 2009.  The amendment was adopted by voice vote.  Impact Aid provides federal funds to assist local school districts that educate military dependents, whose parents may not necessarily be on the local tax base.  However, Impact Aid traditionally has relied on the previous school year’s attendance levels to determine funding.  Rep. Forbes’ amendment will allow school districts heavily impacted by Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) to use current school year numbers if they have a large influx of students because of military moves.  The most recent BRAC round will more than double the population of Ft. Lee, Virginia.

ü Signed onto an amicus brief supporting the right of parents to home school their children.  Earlier this year, the California Supreme Court ruled on the case In re Rachel L that parents do not have a constitutional right to educate their children without state-approved teaching credentials.  After significant outcry from families across the nation, the court decided to reconsider the case.  This “friend of the court” brief is being submitted by several Members of Congress to the court in order to provide information they believe the court should consider when making its decision.  The brief provides numerous, detailed examples of state and federal legal precedent that has repeatedly affirmed parents’ rights to direct the upbringing of their children.  Congressman Forbes is also a cosponsor of H.Res. 1076, which applauds the court’s decision to re-hear the case and affirms the right of parents to home school.

 ü Supported House passage of H.Res. 789, which honors the contributions of public child welfare agencies, nonprofit organizations and private entities who are dedicated to finding homes for the more than 500,000 foster children in the United States and assisting foster families in securing the future success of their foster children. 

Health Care

ü Supported H.Con.Res. 331, supporting the goals and ideals of National Women's Health Week.  This resolution recognizes the importance of preventing diseases that commonly affect women, highlights the role of federally funded programs that provide research and collect data on common diseases in women, and calls on women to observe National Women's Check-Up Day by receiving preventative screenings.

ü Supported H.Res. 1134, supporting the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month.  This resolution recognizes that mental well-being is equally as important as physical well-being, and applauds the coordination of national and community organizations to promote public awareness of mental health and provide critical information and support to the people and families affected by mental illness.  This resolution also encourages all organizations and health practitioners to use Mental Health Month as an opportunity to promote mental well-being and awareness, ensure access to appropriate services, and support overall quality of life for those with mental illness.  Mental illness is the most common disability in our Nation, affecting more than 57 million Americans.  Approximately one in five children has a diagnosable mental disorder, and more than 1 in 5 of our troops suffer from major depression or post traumatic stress disorder. In addition, untreated mental illness is estimated to cost businesses and the American economy over $150 billion annually.  

Energy

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 6022, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act of 2008.  This bill will aid efforts to lower gas prices by temporarily suspending the addition of petroleum to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through December 31, 2008, until the weighted average price of petroleum in the United States for the most recent 90-day period is $75 or less per barrel.

Defense

ü Voted to support H.R. 5658, the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of 2009 during the House Armed Services Committee markup of the annual defense policy bill.  The bill includes support for military readiness, military families, the base realignment and closure process for 2005, and the Navy and shipbuilding and repair: 

Support for Military Readiness

• An additional $2.6 billion to field Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP) to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Authorizes an increase of 13,450 military personnel in 2009 to increase end-strength and increase the time soldiers spend at home between tours of duty.
• $2 billion toward unfunded readiness initiatives requested by the services.
• $11 billion for equipment reset requirements.
• $500 million to fix recently discovered shortfalls in military barracks.
• A requirement for the Pentagon to study joint logistics organization.  The Virginia Fourth Congressional District is home to Army Logistics at Fort Lee, Virginia, and also U.S. Joint Forces Command in Suffolk, Virginia, which is responsible to make sure deployed forces are properly equipped and manned.

 Support for Military Families and Veterans

• Funding for a 3.9% pay raise for active duty military personnel to reduce the pay gap between the military and private sector pay to 2.9%.
• Prohibit increases in both TRICARE and pharmacy user fees, which would prevent over $1.2 billion in healthcare costs from being passed on to service members.
• Increased funding for family support programs by $15 million.
• Establishes a tuition assistance program for eligible military spouses, authorizing a career intermission pilot program, and creating new preventive health care initiatives.

 Implementing Base Realignment and Closure

• 100% of the required funding for the implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure Round 2005.  Fort Lee, Virginia will double in size as a result of the BRAC 2005 round.
• $10.6 million for dining facilities at Fort Lee, Virginia.
• $4.35 million for a group storage facility at Fort Lee, Virginia.
• $2.95 million for a Multipurpose Machine Gun Range at Fort Pickett, Virginia.
• $90 million for barracks at Fort Lee, Virginia.

 Support for Navy, Shipbuilding, and Repair

• Full funding for one Virginia Class Submarine, plus $722 million in additional funding to allow defense industrial base to build two submarines beginning in 2010, rather than waiting until 2011 that are in current Navy plans.
• More than $600 million for the aircraft carrier overhaul of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
• $120 million in additional ship repair funding included at the request of Rep. Forbes.  This funding will allow for 31 more ship maintenance periods and one more submarine maintenance period than was in the budget request.  About 40% of the new work would occur in the Hampton Road region.
• $10 million for a new gate entrance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia to ease traffic congestion and provide access during heightened threat condition.  The project includes a new turn lane off George Washington Highway to the Shipyard, a new pass office, security gate, a vehicle inspection area, and a guard house.  An average of 12,000 vehicles enter the Shipyard each day.  This project was included at the request of Rep. Forbes.
• $1.8 billion for a San Antonio LPD-17 ship, which was requested by Rep. Forbes.  The LPD carries vehicles, helicopters, and troops close to shore. The additional ship will help the Navy get a step closer to a 313 ship Navy.
• The measure did not include a waiver to allow the Navy to reduce its fleet from 11 aircraft carriers to 10 aircraft carriers.  Rep. Forbes along with other members on the Committee, believe that 11 aircraft carriers should be the minimum number of carriers we have.
• $30 million at the request of Rep. Forbes for the Maritime Guaranteed Loan Program to support a strong domestic shipbuilding industrial base and preserve a U.S. flagged merchant fleet; and
• A limitation on the leasing of foreign-built ships.

ü Offered an amendment to H.R. 5658 that requires the Navy to report to Congress on the timetable for the development of a target for the “Sizzler” missile.  The amendment was adopted by voice vote.  The Sizzler missile is a Russian made, sea skimming missile that has been deployed in the last 8 of 12 Chinese submarines.  Current target technology owned by the Navy cannot verify that U.S. ships, including aircraft carriers can defend against the missile.  Rep. Forbes has repeatedly called upon the Navy to develop a target as soon as possible.

ü Offered an amendment to H.R. 5658 calling on Congress to pass an emergency war supplemental as soon as possible on May 14, 2008.   The supplemental bill would provide funding for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through next summer.  The funding would also improve our military’s readiness by funding efforts to increase the Army’s end-strength by 36,000 soldiers and restoring broken or damaged equipment.  By increasing the number of soldiers in the Army over time, each soldier will have more time at home between deployments.  The measure was not adopted by the committee.

ü Voted in favor of an amendment to H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 to pass an emergency defense spending bill.  Following the contentious vote on the funding, which failed 141-149, Rep. Forbes said, "I am not going to play politics when it comes to funding our troops who are fighting over in Iraq. I voted for troop funding because it is my responsibility to see that our troops get the funding they need, first and foremost. However, I could not support increasing discretionary spending and other entitlements in the same bill after it became clear that no funding was approved for our men and women in uniform. While foreign aid programs, unemployment benefits, and GI bill improvements all deserve serious consideration in this Congress, it is unthinkable to include them in a war supplemental that doesn't even fund our troops."

Modeling and Simulation

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About Washington Update Washington Update serves as a resource to the constituents of the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia on the work of Congressman Forbes. It is published weekly while Congress is in session. Hyperlinks to bill information are provided if the information disseminated by the House of Representatives is available at the time of distribution.   As always, Congressman Forbes welcomes your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://randyforbes.house.gov to send an e-mail or call any of Congressman Forbes' three district offices.    Please do not reply to this email.  It has been sent from an unattended mailbox.