Washington Update

Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District


Weeks of September 22 - October 3, 2008


 

Economy and Business

ü Voted against H.R. 1424, the Senate version of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, after also voting against H.R. 3997 – the House version of the bailout bill. Congressman Forbes released the following statement after voting against the bailout: “When I voted against the first Wall Street bailout bill on Monday, I did so because I was not willing to risk $700 billion of taxpayer dollars on a plan that I, after talking with senior Treasury officials and the former chairman of the FDIC, was not confident would work. The revised bailout bill we voted on today contained a number of positive provisions, including increasing FDIC insurance coverage for American families and businesses. Even with these improvements, the core of the bill remained the same – the federal government will purchase $700 billion in bad assets from private corporations who have made poor financial decisions, and there is still no assurance as to whether the expenditure of $700 billion will solve the problem at hand. It became a bit like adding ornaments to a Christmas tree that no one wants; no matter how many ornaments were added, the problem was still the tree. I could not support a bill that leaves us with no backstop if it fails.” Click here to learn more about the initial bailout plan and its potential effect on the economy, and here to read Congressman Forbes’ analysis of the proposal and the reasons he chose to oppose it.

ü Supported H.R. 3232, the Travel Promotion Act of 2007. This bill would establish a non-profit corporation to communicate United States entry policies and otherwise promote tourist, business, and scholarly travel to the United States.

ü Supported H.R. 3402, the Calling Card Consumer Protection Act. This bill would require accurate and reasonable disclosure of the terms and conditions of prepaid telephone calling cards and services.

ü Supported H.R. 7175, the Small Business Lending Improvements Act of 2008. This bill would amend the Small Business Act to improve the section 7(a) lending program by increasing the availability of loans to small businesses in rural areas.

 

Veterans

ü Voted in favor of the H.R. 2638, the Fiscal Year 2009 Continuing Resolution, which includes funding for veterans affairs initiatives in Fiscal Year 2009. The bill provides a record level of funding, $94 billion, for all veterans’ programs for FY2009, which is $6 billion more than FY2008. Congressman Forbes signed a letter to President Bush, Speaker Pelosi, and House Leadership urging that the FY2009 Veterans spending bill be brought for a final vote before the new Fiscal Year 2009 begins on October 1, 2008. Provisions included in the bill that may be of interest to veterans in the Fourth District include:

  • $41 billion for VA health programs, which is 9% more than the current level.         
  • $5 billion for VA hospitals, which is 14% more than the base budget request.
  • Increased gas mileage reimbursement from 28.5 to 41.5 cents per mile for veterans who must travel long distances for medical care.

Since 2007, the federal government has devoted more resources to caring for our nation’s veterans than at any time in modern history, according to the Congressional Research Service.

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 6897, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2008, which would compensate Filipinos who fought for the United States in World War II. Additionally, Congressman Forbes supported S. 1315, the Veterans' Benefits Enhancement Act of 2008, which would include approximately $221 million in benefits for at least 13,000 Filipino veterans. 

ü Signed on as an original cosponsor to H.R. 7111, to designate the Honor and Remember Flag created by Honor and Remember, Inc., as an official symbol to recognize and honor members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty. The flag was designed by Chesapeake Resident George Lutz, whose son, Corporal George Lutz II, died in Fallujah, Iraq in 2005.

 

Social Security and Medicare

 

ü Supported H.R. 6600, which would prohibit the government from printing seniors’ Social Security numbers on their Medicare cards, a practice that many lawmakers and Social Security’s inspector general consider a security risk. This bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to remove the numbers from new Medicare cards within 30 days of enactment and the government would have to replace existing Medicare cards within three years. Social Security’s inspector general warned in a report in May that displaying Social Security numbers on Medicare cards made seniors more vulnerable to identity theft.

 

  

Defense

 

ü Voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act and the Fiscal Year 2009 Continuing Resolution, which will authorize and fund the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security for FY2009. Congressman Forbes releases the following statement after passage of these bills: “These critical pieces of legislation contained several strong provisions that will bolster our military readiness and maintain a high standard of living for our troops and their families. I am eager for these bills to be signed into law to help protect our homeland and provide critical resources for our troops at home and abroad.”  Provisions included in the bills that may be of interest to the Fourth Congressional District include.

  • 100% authorization of the required funding for the implementation of the Base Realignment and Closure Round 2005. Fort Lee will double in size as a result of the BRAC 2005 round, and more than $200 million in new construction authorized for FY2009.
  • $250,000 for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The function of the EOC is to provide information to public safety providers and citizens on a range of items to include criminal activity, terrorist activity or natural disasters.
  • $10.6 million for dining facilities at Fort Lee.
  • $2.95 million for a Multipurpose Machine Gun Range at Fort Pickett, Virginia.
  • $90 million for barracks at Fort Lee.

In addition, the bills included some general provisions to assist military service members and their families that would:

  • Authorize 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.
  • Establish a tuition assistance program for eligible military spouses, authorizing a career intermission pilot program, and creating new preventive health care initiatives.

ü Signed a letter to General David Petreaus, thanking him for his service as Commander, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, and congratulating him for his selection as Commander, U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

üSigned letters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to bring H.R. 5673, the Military Voting Protection Act of 2008, to the House floor for a vote, which would modernize the overseas/absentee ballot system which is too cumbersome and inefficient to allow many men and women in uniform to vote. Congressman Forbes believes that we owe it to every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen, and Marine to ensure they are afforded the right to vote like every other American of appropriate qualification. According to the Elections Assistance Commission, only 5.5% of eligible overseas and absentee voters in uniform had their votes counted in the 2006 mid-term election.

ü Commended the Air Force for its decision to take disciplinary action against Air Force officers connected to nuclear deficiencies on September 25, 2008. The decision follows an instance where nuclear warheads were flown from Minot AFB, North Dakota to Louisiana without approval. Congressman Forbes stated, "Today, the Air Force took tough disciplinary action in response to Admiral Donald's investigation. I am grateful for the service and sacrifice of these men and women to our nation, and I also commend the Air Force for demonstrating its commitment to safeguarding our nuclear arsenal by holding accountable those who were in charge during these missteps."

 

Energy

üCelebrated “Energy Freedom Day” on October 1, 2008.  On that day, the current prohibitions on oil and gas leasing on most of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and on oil shale leasing on federal lands expired, putting the U.S. on a path to energy independence as we begin to develop our own energy resources. Congressman Forbes joined 155 Members in signing a letter in September that called on the Democratic Leadership to allow these bans to expire.  Estimates from the Minerals Management Service and Bureau of Land Management indicate that there are upwards of 18 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil on the currently off-limit areas of the OCS, as well as more than 55 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. 

ü Supported H.R. 6323, the Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 2008, which would establish a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program to promote research of appropriate technologies for heavy duty plug-in hybrid vehicles.

ü Voted against H.R. 7060, the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Tax Act.  This bill sets tax policy for investment incentives in renewable energy, carbon capture, and sequestration demonstration projects.  H.R. 7060 is fully offset, which means that any tax cuts are “paid for” by tax increases in other areas. Therefore, this bill provides no net tax relief to the American people.  The Senate passed a comprehensive bipartisan tax package, H.R. 6049, by a vote of 93-2.  This bill provides $30 billion in net tax relief. By comparison, H.R. 7060 offers little tax relief for the rehabilitation of homes and businesses in the Gulf Coast, funding for rural schools, energy-efficient home credits, plug-in hybrids, or a special depreciation allowance for recycling property.  Additionally, H.R. 7060 delays implementation of worldwide interest allocation rules, which help corporations avoid double-taxation on their foreign income.

 

Appropriations

ü Voted against H.R. 7110, Providing for Appropriations for Job Creation and Preservation, Infrastructure Investment, and Economic and Energy Assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. This legislation was billed as a second economic stimulus but would have increased the National Debt to pay for over $60 billion in new government spending.  The bill would provide $35 billion in additional funding for infrastructure, extend insurance benefits by an additional seven weeks nationwide and by an additional 13 weeks for workers in states with high unemployment, provide over $14 billion in additional funding for state Medicaid programs, and provide an additional $2.6 billion for food stamps. 

 

Workforce

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 6867, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008, which would provide an additional seven weeks of unemployment insurance benefits for workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment compensation, and an additional 13 weeks for workers in states with unemployment rates of 6% or higher. The U.S. Department of Labor announced on October 3, 2008 that 159,000 nonfarm jobs were lost in September 2008. Forecasters had predicted a decrease of 100,000 jobs.  The unemployment rate however held steady at 6.1%. Congressman Forbes is committed to assisting American workers during this period of economic instability.

 

Transportation and Infrastructure

ü Congressman Forbes 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.

ü 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.

ü 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.

ü 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. 

ü 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.

ü 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. 

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

ü 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 37th 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.

ü 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. 

 

Health Care

 

ü Cosponsored H.Res. 1328, recognizing November as “National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.” This year nearly 40,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which has the highest mortality rate of all cancers – nearly 75 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of diagnosis and 95 percent die within 5 years. Currently there are no early detection methods and only minimal treatment options for those who have been diagnosed. For more information on current cancer research efforts, visit www.cancer.gov

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 758, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007. Congressman Forbes is a cosponsor of this bill, which would ensure adequate treatment for breast cancer patients by allowing a patient and her to doctor decide whether she should recuperate in the hospital for 48 hours before returning home. Currently, many insurance companies refuse to cover a hospital stay for mastectomies, despite the known physical and emotional toll the surgery has on women. H.R. 758 is identical to H.R. 119, a bill that the late Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis introduced at the beginning of 2007 and of which Congressman Forbes was an original cosponsor. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with about 1 in 8 women developing breast cancer in their lifetime.

ü Supported H.R. 6908, the Health Insurance Source of Injury Clarification Act of 2008.  This bill would require that limitations and restrictions on coverage under group health plans be disclosed in a timely way to group health plan sponsors and communicated to participants and beneficiaries under such plans in a form that is easily understandable.

ü Supported H.R. 6469, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Organ Transplant Authorization Act of 2008, which provides an additional $5 million in Federal funding for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

ü Supported S. 1760, the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007. This bill reauthorizes the Health Start program and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to focus on factors that contribute to infant mortality, and put the priority on grants for organizations that facilitate a community-based approach to the delivery of services and a comprehensive approach to women's health care to improve outcomes.

ü Supported H.R. 1532, the Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Act of 2007. This bill would establish research and demonstration projections for the prevention, control, and elimination of tuberculosis. It also would require the Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis to set forth a national plan to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States.

ü Supported H.R. 2994, the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2007. This bill instructs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Institute of Medicine to convene a Conference on Pain. The purpose of the conference would be to increase the recognition of pain as a significant public health problem, evaluate the adequacy of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of acute and chronic pain, identify barriers to appropriate pain care, and establish an agenda for action that will reduce such barriers and improve pain care research, education, and clinical care.

ü Supported H.R. 5265, the Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research and Education Amendments of 2008. This bill sets up centers of excellence for research on various forms of muscular dystrophy. It also requires the Muscular Dystrophy Interagency Coordinating Committee to give special consideration to enhancing the clinical research infrastructure required to test emerging therapies for the various forms of muscular dystrophy.

ü Supported H.R. 6901, the Meth Free Families and Communities Act. This bill would provide for the establishment of a drug-free workplace information clearinghouse. It also supports residential methamphetamine treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women, and would improve the prevention and treatment of methamphetamine addiction.

ü Supported H.R. 2583, Physician Workforce and Graduate Medical Education Enhancement Act of 2007. This bill would establish a loan program for eligible hospitals to establish residency training programs.

ü Supported H.Res. 1042, Supporting the We Don’t Serve Teens Campaign. This resolution supports the goals and ideals of campaigns working to improve long-term public health and well being, including campaigns that work to prevent underage drinking of alcoholic beverages, such as the We Don't Serve Teens Campaign. It also encourages Americans to utilize resources that provide a wealth of information beneficial to combating and reducing such underage drinking, and commends the leadership and continuing efforts of all groups working to reduce underage drinking.

ü Supported H.Con.Res. 393, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. This resolution supports efforts to educate people about sudden cardiac arrest and to raise awareness about the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, identifying warning signs, and the need to seek medical attention in a timely manner. It also acknowledges the critical importance of sudden cardiac arrest awareness to improving national cardiovascular health, and calls upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

ü Supported H.Res. 1381, Expressing the sense of the House that there should be an increased Federal commitment prioritizing prevention and public health for all people in the United States. This resolution recognizes that it is imperative that this nation strengthen its public health system to provide all persons with the resources they need to make healthier choices and live healthier lives and to protect people from health threats beyond their control. It also commits to creating public health strategies to eliminate health disparities and improve the health of all people in the United States.

ü Supported H.R. 1014, the Heart Disease Education, Analysis Research, and Treatment for Women Act. This bill would improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women by requiring that when new drugs for cardiovascular diseases are submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval, the applicant must provide information on safety and effectiveness broken out by sex, race and ethnicity.

ü Supported H.R. 6983, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This legislation would require health insurance companies that cover physical illness to do so at parity with mental illness. It would require the same co-payments, deductibles, limits on doctor visits, limits on hospitalization, and annual and lifetime limits on coverage. It would break down existing barriers of higher insurance co-payments and deductibles, without requiring insurers to cover specific mental health conditions, and without limiting the growth of physician-owned hospitals.

ü Supported H.R. 1157, the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2008. This bill would authorize the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to make grants for the development and operation of research centers to study the environmental factors that may be related to the development of breast cancer.

ü Supported H.R. 6568, Tom Lantos Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Education Act of 2008. This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to encourage research and carry out an educational campaign with respect to pulmonary hypertension.

ü Supported S. 1382, the ALS Registry Act.  This bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a system to collect data on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron disorders that can be confused with ALS, misdiagnosed as ALS, or progress to ALS.  The CDC would then be directed to establish a national registry for the collection and storage of this data in order to develop a population-based registry of cases.

ü Supported S. 1810, The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. This bill would provide parents of unborn children diagnosed in the womb with Down syndrome or other conditions more information about how the conditions can be treated and the kind of outcomes the children might face. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 90 percent of children prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted.

ü Supported S. 2932, the Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008. This bill would reauthorize the poison center national toll-free number, national media campaign, and grant program to provide assistance for poison prevention. It also would continue to provide funding for poison centers in order to enhance the public health of people of the United States.

ü Supported H.Res. 1333, Supporting the goals and ideals of Tay-Sachs Awareness Month, and encouraging and expressing support for education and research efforts on Tay-Sachs disease.  Tay-Sachs disease is a rare, genetic disorder that causes destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no proven treatment or cure for Tay-Sachs disease, which is always fatal in children.

ü Supported H.R. 1343, the Health Centers Renewal Act of 2008. This bill authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 2012 for health centers to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations. It also instructs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to recognize the unique needs of high poverty areas in making grants for projects to plan and develop health centers to serve medically underserved populations.

ü Supported H.R. 1283, the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act of 2007. Congressman Forbes is a cosponsor of this legislation, which requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a National Arthritis Action Plan and, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct, support, and promote the coordination of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases research.

ü Voted in favor of S. 906, the Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2007, which would ban the export of mercury starting in 2009.

 

 

Homeland Security

ü Voted to support H.R. 2638, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2008. This bill will provide $40 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2009. The bill includes:

·        $838 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program, which is designed to help high-risk urban communities prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks. Hampton Roads is classified as an urban center under the program and will receive a portion of the funding. 

·        $9.8 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which represents a $400 million increase from current funding levels. CBP funding will be used to hire 2,200 additional Border Patrol agents, 1,370 officers and specialists, and 600 technical and support staff.  The bill also provides $200 million to provide CBP officers with law enforcement retirement benefits, which will assist in recruiting and retaining officers. 

·        $5 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including $1 billion to identify illegal immigrants convicted of a crime who may be deportable, and to remove them from the United States once they are judged deportable.

·        $250,000 for the Emergency Operations Center in Chesterfield County, VA.  These funds will be used to enhance perimeter security. 

ü Supported H. Res. 1429, commending the employees of the Department of Homeland Security and their partners at all levels of government, and the millions of emergency response providers and law enforcement agents nationwide for their dedicated service on the Nation's front lines in the war against acts of terrorism.

 

 

Financial Services

ü Supported H.R. 5244, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008. This bill would protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit practices. It would also prohibit retroactive rate increases on existing balances, require creditors to provide written notice of any rate increase 45 days before, prohibit double cycle billing, limit overlimit fees, and ban fees on interest-only balances.

ü Supported H.R. 3018, the Family Self-Sufficiency Act of 2007. This legislation would provide for payment of an administrative fee to public housing agencies to help cover the costs of administering family self-sufficiency programs in connection with the housing choice voucher program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

ü Supported H.R. 6965, to extend the authorization of the national flood insurance program through April 30, 2009.

 

Science

ü Supported H. Res. 1466 saluting the 25th anniversary of the pioneering accomplishments of Dr. Guion "Guy" S. Bluford, Jr. as the first African-American in space. This resolution extends the gratitude and deep appreciation of the House of Representatives for Dr. Bluford's dedication, commitment, and excellence as an astronaut and a leader in support of the nation's space program.

ü Supported H. Res. 1390 designating October 8, 2008 as 4-H National Youth Science Day.

 

 

First Responders

 

ü Voted in support of S. 2606, the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, which would authorize $292 million from FY 2009 through FY 2012 for the U.S. Fire Administration. The bill would allow the agency to make contracts with certain nationally recognized organizations to provide training to fire service personnel and increase the amounts available for such training. The agency would also be required to upgrade the National Fire Incident Reporting system.

 

 

 

Taxes

ü Voted in support of H.R. 7005 which would provide a one-year “patch” to the Alternative Minimum Tax. The AMT was created in 1969 as a means to ensure that the wealthiest citizens were not able to lower their taxes through deductions and tax credits. Unfortunately, the AMT was never adjusted for inflation and it is estimated that, without this patch, up to 22 million Americans could be subject to the AMT. H.R. 7005 would provide a “clean” one year patch to the AMT without increasing taxes and increases the AMT exemption amount to $69,950 for joint filers and $46,200 for individuals.

ü Voted in support of H.R. 7006 which would provide much-needed tax relief to victims of natural disasters. This disaster relief bill would create a new program of tax breaks for areas with declared disasters in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It would provide low-income housing tax credits to affected areas, allow victims to deduct losses more liberally and let more companies apply current losses against past years’ profits. The bill would also increase the deduction that volunteers can take for mileage driven for charitable purposes.

 

Judiciary

ü 

Voted to support S. J. Res. 45, approval of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. This resolution approves a compact that sets uniform standards for permitting the drawdown of water from sources in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. 

ü Voted to support H.R. 5352, the Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2008. This bill directs the Attorney General to develop policies relating to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The Attorney General is also authorized to award grants to victim advocacy groups who study the special needs of victims of elder abuse. 

ü Supported H.Res. 1438, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958 and celebrating the extensive contributions of Portuguese-American communities to the United States. The Azorean Refugee Act was enacted in response to thousands of refugees fleeing the Capelhinos volcano, which erupted on the island of Faial (off the coast of Portugal) from September 1957 to October 1958. 

ü Supported H.Con.Res. 214, urging the President to grant a posthumous pardon to John Arthur "Jack" Johnson. Mr. Johnson was the first African-American professional boxer to hold the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World (1908-1915).  He was sentenced to one year in prison for violation of the Mann Act against “transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes. Many believe the prosecution of Mr. Johnson was racially motivated. 

 

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 4120, the Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act of 2007.  This bill expands the definitions of the crimes of child sexual exploitation and child pornography to included activities that merely affect interstate or foreign commerce. 

 

ü Supported S. 1738, the Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2008. This bill directs the Attorney General to create and implement a national strategy for child exploitation prevention and interdiction. Part of the strategy is the creation of a National Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to address online enticement of children, child obscenity, and pornography. 

 

ü Supported H.R. 6146 to prohibit recognition and enforcement of foreign defamation judgments. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of freedom of speech.  Many foreign countries do not have comparable protections of free speech. Therefore, defamation suits are easier to bring and win in foreign civil courts. This bill will prevent the enforcement of foreign defamation judgments unless a United States court determines that the judgment is consistent with the First Amendment. 

 

ü Supported H.R. 3174, the Equal Justice for Our Military Act.  This bill permits the U.S. Supreme Court to review actions of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

ü Supported H.R. 1777, the Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2008. This bill allows institutes of higher education that admit all students on a need-blind basis, to enter into agreements among themselves regarding the administration of need-based financial aid. 

ü Supported H.R. 5571, extending for five years the program allowing international medical graduates to work in medically underserved areas in the United States. The program is limited to 30 participants per state.  

 

ü Voted in favor of S. 3325, the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO-IP) Act of 2008. This bill will help protect intellectual property (IP) by dedicating resources—prosecutors, agents, and international specialists—to focus exclusively on counterfeiting and digital theft issues. The bill also establishes an IP Coordinator in the Executive Branch to ensure cooperation among the many government agencies that have a hand in IP enforcement. Intellectual property accounts for more than $5 trillion of the U.S. gross domestic product and represents 40 percent of U.S. economic growth. IP theft causes businesses to lose up to $250 billion in revenue each year and has already cost the U.S. an estimated 750,000 jobs. 

 

ü Voted in favor of S. 2840, the Military Personnel Citizenship Processing Act. This bill directs the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expeditiously process naturalization applications filed on behalf of (1) members and former members of the Armed Forces; (2) current spouses of active Armed Forces members and surviving spouses and children of U.S. citizens who died while on active duty; or (3) deceased individuals eligible for posthumous citizenship.

üVoted in favor of S. 3641, to authorize funding for the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI). The institute provides support for victims of crime under Crime Victims Legal Assistance Programs. NCVLI does not directly represent crime victims, but ensures representation through legal technical assistance clinics and a national alliance of victims’ rights attorneys. 

ü Voted in favor of S. 3197, the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008.  This bill provides a temporary exemption from the Chapter 7 bankruptcy means-test for Guardsmen and Reservists who have served on active duty for 90 days since September 11, 2001.

 

Law Enforcement

ü 

Voted in favor of 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. In 2007, the program provided $28.6 million to state and local law enforcement agencies across America. Last year, Virginia law enforcement officers received 3,000 vests under the program.

 

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 6853, the Nationwide Mortgage Fraud Task Force Act of 2008.  This bill establishes a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nationwide Mortgage Task Force, which will investigate instances of mortgage fraud, establish a toll-free hotline, and create a database of mortgage industry license suspensions and revocations. 

ü Supported H.R. 5057, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2008. This bill provides federal grant money to states to reduce the DNA backlog in criminal investigations. $150 million will be spent annually over five years to assist states in collecting and processing DNA samples that will be used to help apprehend criminals.

ü Supported S. 431, the KIDS (Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators) Act of 2008. This bill requires convicted sex offenders to register an electronic mail address or other self-identification for Internet communication in the National Sex Offender Registry. A sex offender who knowingly fails to register this information is subject to a prison term of up to 10 years. The bill also requires the Attorney General to maintain a system available to social networking websites that permits the automated comparison of online identifiers to sex offender registries for the purpose of protecting the safety of users of such websites. 

 

ü Supported H.R. 6838, the CAMPUS (Center to Advance, Monitor, and Preserve University Security) Safety Act of 2008. This bill establishes a National Center for Campus Public Safety. The Center will provide training for campus public safety agencies and help develop protocols to prevent, protect against, and respond to natural and man-made emergencies involving an immediate threat to the campus community. 

 

Native Americans

 

ü 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.

ü 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.

ü 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.

ü 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.

 

Telecommunications

ü Supported H.R. 3402, the Calling Card Consumer Protection Act. This bill is designed to address fraud in the prepaid telephone calling card industry by requiring card distributors to disclose the card’s total value in dollars or number of calling minutes, a description of all terms and conditions, and the service provider’s name, customer service number, and hours of service. 

ü Supported H.R. 7084, the Webcaster Settlement Act. This bill permits the Copyright Royalty Board to continue negotiations pertaining to royalty rates for the use of music over Internet radio services. Because Internet radio royalties operate under a government license, Congressional authority is required to allow any negotiated settlement to take effect. This bill does not affect the scope of performance rights or any underlying copyright law.

 

Government Reform

ü Supported H.R. 6669, which would expedite the donation of certain presidential documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the National Archives. The Sun-Times Media Group hopes to donate the Grace Tully papers — named for the former commander in chief’s secretary, who collected them — to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, N.Y. That library is an arm of the National Archives.  However, the Archives has asserted a claim that it already owns a portion of the papers — which would prevent the Sun-Times from reaping the full tax benefits of a donation. This bill would waive the National Archives’ claim.  The collection includes historical gems such as Roosevelt’s correspondence with Benito Mussolini.

ü Supported S. 3536,which would allow the United States Postal Service to set its own rates for international air mail contracts, scrapping a system of government rate-setting that has been in place for decades. The measure would allow the Postal Service to enter into contracts to transport mail internationally, with U.S. airlines given preference. However, it also would establish a process through which the Postal Service could contract with a foreign air carrier if it had not received offers from at least two U.S. airlines at a “fair and reasonable price.” Currently, the Transportation Department sets rates that the Postal Service must pay to U.S. air carriers for transporting international mail, based on a methodology set in the late 1970s by the Civil Aeronautics Board, the predecessor to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Postal Service has argued that the current system results in excessive rates, impeding the U.S. operation’s ability to compete in the international airmail marketplace.

 

Foreign Affairs

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 7061, to approve the U.S.-India Peaceful Nuclear Energy Act. The agreement ends a ban on nuclear trade to India following India’s test of nuclear weapons in 1974. After the President signed this bill, India now has access to US civilian nuclear technology in return for inspections of its civilian nuclear facilities. Nuclear power currently supplies about 3% of India's electricity, and it is expected to grow to 25% of India’s needed electricity supply by 2050.  India is the world’s largest democracy, with more than 1 billion people.

 

 

Education

 

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 6890, legislation that would allow emergency aid to storm-damaged schools. H.R. 6890 would allow the Department of Education to circumvent funding restrictions for schools affected by the recent hurricanes. This measure would extend, until Sept. 30, 2009, the Secretary of Education’s authority to waive a requirement that school districts use federal funds only to supplement, rather than replace, state and local funds for assistance to students affected by hurricanes along the Gulf of Mexico coast. This legislation would help schools in storm-ravaged regions continue on the road to recovery by devoting funds to their most immediate needs.

ü Supported H. Res. 1463 recognizing the benefits of service-learning as a teaching strategy to effectively engage youth in the community and classroom, and supporting the goals of the National Learn and Serve Challenge.

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 642, the College Fire Prevention Act, which would direct grants to private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities to install fire sprinkler systems and other fire suppression/prevention technologies. 

ü Cosponsored H. Con. Res. 416 commending the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia on the occasion of its 75th Anniversary. The Barter Theatre was founded in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression when few people could afford to attend a theater performance. Founder Robert Porterfield created a novel arrangement in which patrons could view live theater performances in exchange for fresh produce or livestock, inspiring the name “Barter Theatre.”

 

Agriculture

 

ü Supported H.R. 6849, to amend the commodity provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to permit producers to aggregate base acres and reconstitute farms to avoid the prohibition on receiving direct payments, counter-cyclical payments, or average crop revenue election payments when the sum of the base acres of a farm is 10 acres or less. This bill would strike a provision from the newly enacted farm bill that says farmers must hold at least 10 base acres to qualify for federal payments. The language in question was intended to prevent payments from going to non-producers who reside on small plots of land, but the USDA has said the law essentially bars payments to most actual commercial farmers who aggregate scattered plots of land to meet the threshold. 

ü Supported S. 3597, to provide that funds allocated for community food projects for fiscal year 2008 shall remain available until September 30, 2009. This bill ensures that food banks and other community food projects will receive needed funding through the next fiscal year.

 

Natural Resources

 

ü 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.

ü 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.

ü Voted in favor of H.R. 1907, the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act. This bill would authorize the acquisition of land from willing sellers to improve the conservation of coastal and estuarine areas and enhance their ecological health, in order to benefit both the economies and environments of coastal communities.

 

For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.

 

 
 

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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.
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