Congressman Bob Filner

Urging the Immediate Funding for Border Infrastructure

Last month, Members of the House Border Caucus and I, joined together to emphasize the urgent need to invest in the improvement of outdated infrastructure at our nation’s land ports of entry.

In a letter to the House Leadership, we urged that any jobs package include funds for the new construction, modernization, rehabilitation, and expansion of our land ports of entry on our nation’s southern and northern borders.

Investing in our Land Ports of Entry is critical to our nation’s homeland security. Funding for these improvements will also put Americans to work immediately, creating jobs in the local communities.

Calling for More Equality for the LGBT Community!

I recently joined my colleagues in two letters supporting the ongoing fight for civil rights in the LGBT community.

The first letter to Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, requests regular updates on the service members that are discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The second letter is to President Obama and Congressional leaders, to ensure that the Uniting American Families Act is included in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) legislation.

As I continue to urge the Obama Administration to repeal this unjust policy, there must be full transparency of who is discharged under "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.“ Also I strongly believe that there must be LGBT inclusion in any CIR that Congress considers in the upcoming year. I will continue to stand up for full equality and will not stop fighting until we overcome all discrimination!

Supporting an Increase in Pay for Federal Police Officers

Last month, I co-sponsored H.R. 2613, a bill that would amend the Federal Law Enforcement Pay Reform Act of 1990. The bill would increase the percentage differentials payable to Federal Police Officers in “high-cost areas” throughout the United States.

Our federal law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each and every day for our safety and we must ensure they are properly compensated for their hard work and duty! I strongly support the consideration and passage of this important piece of legislation.

Under this legislation, the percentage differential for the San Diego area would increase from 8 percent to 43.49 percent.

Voting to Protect our Farmers

Before the end of the year, I voted for H.R. 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009. This legislation was supported by the American Farm Bureau. It extends through 2010 more than 40 provisions of current law, scheduled to expire at the end of this month, that provide tax breaks to farmers, businesses and individuals.

In a letter to me, American Farm Bureau President, Bob Stallman, discussed the importance of tax incentives for agricultural-based, renewable energy resources, which would be extended by the legislation.

We must encourage the development of clean, alternative, renewable energy resources through tax incentives to farmers. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels from the Middle East will have multiple benefits for our national and local economies, our foreign and military policy, and our environment. I am pleased to support this important tax package.

The Farm Bureau also supports extension of the charitable deduction for donated food; 5-year depreciation for farm machinery and equipment; deductions for donating conservation easements, sales and property taxes, and "above-the-line" tuition expenses; as well as railroad maintenance credits and special tax treatment of Unrelated Business Income Tax payments to tax-exempt organizations.

Urging President Obama to Seek Strong CO2 Regulations!

As world leaders prepared to gather in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Congressman Kucinich and I, along with twelve of our colleagues, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to seek an agreement with world leaders on an ultimate goal of lowering and maintaining the level of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere of 350ppm.

Science tells us that unless we aggressively reduce the level of CO2 in our atmosphere, global warming will irrevocably change our planet forever. This is truly a global problem, and will require all our Earth’s leaders to work together to reduce the CO2 in our atmosphere.

A recent report from the United Nations Environment Program provided very specific consequences that will result from not lowering the level of CO2 in our atmosphere. These consequences include the loss of mountain glaciers, in turn affecting drinking water, irrigation and hydro-power for 20-25 percent of the world’s population and the acidification of the oceans, destroying shell-making creatures that provide the foundation for life in our seas. About 1 billion people depend upon the bounty of the oceans for food. Sea levels will rise six feet, inundating low-lying islands and coastal areas, and droughts in the Southwest United States will become more severe.

“If we are serious about combating global climate change we must agree to set a goal that will represent our best shot at averting the worst effects of climate change. The best science tells us that goal is 350 parts per million” said Congressman Kucinich.

Supporting Funds for Community Colleges

I recently co-sponsored legislation (H.R. 4196) to create the Community College Emergency Stabilization Fund (CCESF), which would provide one-time, emergency funding to our community colleges. This funding would not only create sought after teaching and career counselor positions, but also ensure that our community colleges have the necessary resources to educate members of our communities.

Education is the cornerstone to ensure all Americans have the opportunity to improve their job marketability. Community colleges offer unique opportunities for workers to retrain and re-enter the job market with new skills and expertise.

Unfortunately, due to the current economic crisis, community colleges are facing a perfect storm: increasing enrollments and substantial state budget cuts. More than ever individuals are seeking to improve their job skills through community colleges only to be closed out of courses because of reduced or stagnant funding by the states. The simple fact is: community colleges are struggling to add the faculty and staff required to meet the educational needs of our communities.