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Washington Update Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District Week of December 3-7, 2007 |
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ü Selected to serve as Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee Readiness Subcommittee by full Committee Ranking Member Duncan Hunter (CA-52). The Readiness Subcommittee oversees issues like the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, military construction and housing, shipyard issues, and military readiness, including training, logistics, and maintenance as well as 30 percent of the Defense budget authorizations. For more information about the selection, click here. ü Selected by the Speaker of the House to be a conferee on H.R. 1585, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). As a conferee, Congressman Forbes participated in negotiations between the House of Representatives and the Senate on differences in the versions of the two bills. The NDAA is an annual defense policy bill and the legislation authorizes funding for the United States military. Conferees have informally negotiated for weeks, and the bill is expected to come to the floor the week of December 9 now that a controversial hate crimes provision was removed in negotiations. Prior to being formally selected, Congressman Forbes wrote a letter that was signed by 28 other Members urging the leadership of both the Armed Services Committees to remove the provision. ü Cosponsored H. Res. 111, which would establish a House Select Committee on Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) affairs. The measure, which has 248 cosponsors, would create a committee that would conduct a full investigation of all unresolved matters relating to United States personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam era, the Korean conflict, World War II, Cold War Missions, or Gulf War, including MIA's and POW's.
ü Voted in favor of H.R. 3887, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2007. H.R. 3887 would authorize the Trafficking Victims Protection program for fiscal years 2008 through 2011 to combat forced labor. This legislation directs the President to carry out programs to prevent and deter human trafficking and to implement an anti-trafficking program monitoring system. In addition, H.R. 3887 sets forth protections for aliens who may be trafficking victims or who may testify against traffickers (including parole entry for certain family members), provides assistance for trafficking victims, including child victims and U.S. citizens and, establishes penalties for trafficking, unlawful compelled service, sex tourism, and aliens in prostitution. Click here to listen to the Judiciary Committee hearing on trafficking victims. ü Supported H.R. 1759, the Managing Arson Through Criminal History (MATCH) Act of 2007. H.R. 1759 would require jurisdictions to establish and maintain jurisdiction-wide arsonist registries and make such registries available on the Internet. This legislation would require a criminal arsonist to register in each jurisdiction in which he/she resides, is an employee, or is a student. Under H.R. 1759, the Attorney General would be required to maintain a national database at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a national arsonist Internet site containing information on each criminal arsonist registered in a jurisdiction's registry or listed on a jurisdiction's Internet site. A Criminal Arsonist Management Assistance program would be established to award grants to jurisdictions to offset the costs of implementing this Act. This registry will be a key law enforcement tool in fighting arsonists, particularly in light of the recent fires in California. ü Supported S. 888, the Genocide Accountability Act of 2007. S. 888 would expand federal criminal jurisdiction for prosecution of those responsible for genocide. S.888 would provide for the prosecution of acts constituting genocide committed by an alleged offender who is: (1) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; (2) a stateless person whose habitual residence is in the United States; or (3) brought into, or found in, the United States, even if the offense occurred outside the United States. Click here to listen to the Crime Subcommittee hearing on genocide. ü Joined Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith in sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requesting that the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection examine the advertising, marketing and financial practices of companies associated with illegal online gambling in the United States.
ü Supported H.R. 4118, which would prevent the Internal Revenue Service from taxing payments from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007. ü Supported H.R. 2930, the Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act. H.R. 2930 would expand and streamline the Section 202 Housing Program, which provides seed money to nonprofit groups to help finance the construction, rehabilitation and acquisition of buildings to serve as housing for very low-income seniors, especially those who are frail, and offers rental assistance for residents of the complexes. The section 202 housing for the elderly program is the primary program within the Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides housing exclusively for low-income elderly households. Over 300,000 seniors, most of them with incomes of less than $10,000 a year, currently rely on Section 202 for housing. ü Supported H.R. 4050, the Levee-Like Structure Consideration Act. H.R. 4050 would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to take into account the flood protection potential of levee-like structures - such as railroad tracks and highways - in mapping flood plains. This is an important component of flood protection plans for areas in the Chowan River Basin that have been subjected to severe flooding in recent years.ü Supported H.R. 4253, Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization and Opportunity Act. H.R. 4253 would authorize $4.4 million for Veterans Business Outreach Centers. It would also establish a Women Veterans Business Training Resource Program to provide information on resources available to women veterans. The bill also provides technical and regulatory assistance to small businesses owned by reservists. The Military Reservist and Veteran Small Business Reauthorization Act has been endorsed by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. ü Supported H.R. 4252, a temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. H.R. 4252 would extend the Small Business Administration’s authorization until May 23, 2008. The SBA is currently operating under a temporary extension until such time as the Small Business Administration Reauthorization bill passes Congress and is signed into law.
ü Supported lower energy prices for Virginians by voting against the Senate amendments to H.R. 6, a bill to overhaul the energy policies of the United States. The bill included policies that would mandate a federal renewable portfolio standard (RPS) and increased fuel efficiency for vehicles, but did not include provisions to increase U.S. domestic energy supplies or decrease U.S. reliance of foreign oil. The bill was estimated to result in higher gas and electricity prices for consumers, as well as over $1.1 billion in costs for Virginia by 2030 to implement the federal RPS. To learn more about why Congressman Forbes voted against the bill and what energy policies Congressman Forbes supports, click here. ü Cosponsored H.R. 2927, which would increase the corporate average fuel economy standards for automobiles and promote the domestic development and production of advanced technology vehicles. This legislation would increase fleet-wide corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for non-passenger and passenger automobiles to between 32 and 35 miles per gallon by 2020, and would establish separate standards for cars and light trucks. It also would establish an account to fund domestic commercialization and production of advanced technology vehicles and vehicle components and extend provisions providing manufacturing incentives for alternative fuel automobiles for 10 years.
ü Voted in favor of H.R. 710, the Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act. H.R. 710 would make paired human organ donation legal and allow organizations like the United Network for Organ Sharing to track eligibility for paired donation. Currently, the practice of matching a transplant candidate and an incompatible living donor with another such incompatible pair is not allowed under the National Organ Transplant Act. The bill's original sponsor, Congressman Charlie Norwood, died of lung disease and cancer in February 2007.
ü Cosponsored H.Res. 847, which would recognize the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith. This bill would recognize the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world, express continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide, and acknowledge the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith. The resolution would also acknowledge and support the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization, reject bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide, and express deep respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world.
ü Joined House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (VA-06) in cosponsoring H.R. 4193, a one year extension of the Farm Bill. H.R. 4193 would extend the expiration of the 2002 Farm Bill from July 31, 2008 to July 31, 2009.
For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.
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