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Washington Update Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District Week of July 7 - 11, 2008 |
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ü Called upon the Democratic House Leadership to debate solutions for the energy crisis rather than naming historic trails. Congressman Forbes released a statement saying: “Another week has gone by in Congress without any action to address our current energy crisis. Instead of spending our time naming historic trails, perhaps we should be debating long-term solutions that will help drive down the price at the pump and move us towards energy independence. It’s time we address this national energy challenge with a bold initiative that gets at the scope of the problem. If the Majority leadership is short on ideas, I suggest the New Manhattan Project for Energy Independence. When our nation is facing one of the greatest challenges of this decade, we need to put the partisanship aside and adopt a bold plan that will move us in the direction of energy independence.” Congressman Forbes introduced the New Manhattan Project for Energy Independence, H.R. 6260, on June 12, 2008. The New Manhattan Project challenges the United States to achieve 50% energy independence in 10 years and 100% energy independence in 20 years, and awards significant prizes to any individual, group, or entity who can reach one of seven established energy goals. H.R. 6260 has been referred to the Committee on Science and Technology and is awaiting action. For more information on the New Manhattan Project, click here. To watch Congressman Forbes discuss his initiative on CNN, click here. ü Signed a discharge petition to force House Leadership to bring H.R. 2208, the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Act, to the floor. This legislation would spur development of coal-to-liquid projects that could expand U.S. energy supplies. If a discharge petition is signed by a majority of the Members (218), the bill must be brought up for a vote on the House floor. Majority leadership has not brought energy legislation to the House floor for a vote in recent weeks. This is the fourth energy discharge petition filed by House Republicans to try to force action on the energy issue. ü Signed onto a letter urging Gov. Kaine to support a 50% waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Gov. Rick Perry of Texas submitted a waiver request to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking a temporary 50% reduction in the congressionally-mandated RFS of 9 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008—twice the amount of ethanol mandated in 2007. Poor weather, export restrictions, increasing energy prices, and global demand have increased commodity prices 300% compared to two years ago, which directly impacts food prices for Virginians. A recent study by agricultural economist Dr. Thomas Elam estimates that federal ethanol policies will add more than $421 million to the cost of feeding poultry and other livestock, and the increased production costs coupled with higher food costs for consumers will result in an estimated net loss of $863 million in Virginia’s economy alone. The temporary waiver provision under the RFS was created specifically to lessen severe economic harm to states. As such, members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation are calling on the Governor to support this waiver..
ü Voted in favor of H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act. This bill would provide 20,000 housing vouchers to homeless veterans and establish a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs to ensure veterans have sufficient access to HUD housing assistance programs. According to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, more than 154,000 veterans are homeless in our country on any given night.
ü Cosponsored H.Con.Res. 381, honoring the achievements of Thurgood Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Justice Marshall was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Before sitting on the Court, Marshall successfully argued Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS, the landmark case that ended the legal basis for school segregation in the United States. ü Cosponsored H.R. 6045, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2008. This bill extends a federal grant program that provides bulletproof vests to state and local law enforcement until 2012. Last year, Virginia law enforcement officers received 3,000 vests under the program.
ü Supported H.R. 6216, the Asset Management Improvement Act. The bill seeks to reduce bureaucratic red tape by exempting Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) with 500 units or less from keeping accounting records unit-by-unit and project-by-project. Instead, the PHAs would be able to report their finances based on their entire portfolio of housing units. ü Supported H.R. 4461, the Community Building Code Amendment Grant Act, which seeks to make buildings safer by creating a Federal grant program to assist local building code enforcement agencies monitor and enforce local building codes.
ü Supported H.R. 5541, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act, which establishes a special Federal emergency fund to help pay the costs of catastrophic emergency wild land fires separate from accounts used to pay for predicted levels of annual firefighting activities. ü Supported H.R. 6184, America’s Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act, which directs the Treasury Department to mint quarter dollars with designs of one national park or another site from each state of the United States and the District of Columbia beginning in 2010.
ü Supported H.Res. 1322, which commends firefighters for their courageous actions and sacrifices in fighting wildfires in California to protect National Forest System land, other public lands, and private property from further damage.
ü Supported H.Res. 1315, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This resolution recognizes the value of NASA’s accomplishments and pledges to maintain America’s position as the world leader in space exploration and technology. ü Supported H.Res. 1313, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally K. Ride. This bill honors Dr. Ride’s contributions to the space program and to science education. ü Supported H.Res. 1312 , commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Space Foundation. The Space Foundation is a leading nonprofit organization that advocates space exploration and space education throughout the country. ü Supported H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2007. This bill develops a plan for understanding, monitoring, and improving the increasing acidity levels of our oceans and its impact on marine ecosystems. ü Supported H.Con.Res. 375, which honors the International Year of Astronomy, and encourages discoveries about the Universe and promotes the understanding of astronomical sciences during the IYA celebration.
üSupported S. 2607, the DTV Transition Assistance Act. In February, 2009, all television broadcasts will convert to a digital format. This bill directs the Department of Commerce to provide educational and technical assistance to citizens in advance of that transition in order to minimize problems. ü Supported H.Res. 1260, recognizing the goals and ideals of National Internet Safety Month. This resolution calls on parents, educators, law enforcement, community leaders, Internet service providers, and volunteers to increase their efforts to raise the level of awareness for the need for online safety in the United States. For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.
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Energy