Congressman Bob Filner

Applauding the SBA for Offering Disaster Assistance to Imperial County

In response to my request, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a disaster declaration for Imperial County and is now in the process of offering low-interest Federal disaster loans to residents and business owners affected by the recent earthquake.

I am grateful that SBA Administrator Karen Mills has acted in a timely manner to issue the disaster declaration. Through these disaster loans, we can begin to put our homes, businesses, and our lives back together. I will continue to make sure our communities get all the assistance they need!

SBA customer service representatives are on hand at the following Disaster Loan Outreach Center and Local Assistance Center:

Calexico El Centro

Disaster Loan Outreach Center Local Assistance Center

Calexico City Hall Central Baptist Church

608 Heber Avenue 1290 South Imperial Avenue

(Monday - Friday 8am-5pm) (M - F 10am-7pm)

(Saturdays, 9am-2pm)

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Businesses of any size and private, non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate and other business assets.

Disaster loan information and application forms are available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling SBA toll-free at (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or visiting SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

The filing deadline to return applications for property damage is June 21, 2010. The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 21, 2011.

Calling for an End to Social Security Disability Claims Backlog

Last month, I called for an end to the excessive backlog of Social Security disability claims in testimony before a joint congressional hearing.

Disability applicants are being denied the opportunity to have their cases fairly and accurately decided. This is inhumane and unacceptable treatment of our disabled, many of whom are children, the elderly, and veterans who have nobly served this country.

The disability claims backlog has steadily grown as the workers who process Social Security disability claims have been subject to state-mandated furloughs in California and elsewhere. These workers are fully funded by the federal government, and states see no cost savings when these employees are furloughed.

We need to move aggressively to help the tens of thousands who are waiting for their disability claims to be processed.

Prior to the implementation of furloughs in California — totaling 36 days in 2009 — disability claims were assigned to an analyst within 48 hours. Now that the furloughs have been in effect in the state for over a year, cases can sit for up to two months before they are assigned to an analyst. There are over 40,000 cases waiting to be processed in California, a number that is growing by more than one thousand every week.

Nationally, the disability claims backlog consists of almost one million Americans waiting for a disability hearing, and the waiting time for a disability decision currently averages 442 days.

My complete testimony is available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BTdWiU1-GE.

Honoring Dr. Dorothy Height

I am pleased to announce the House of Representatives has passed H.Res. 1281, a resolution celebrating the life and achievements of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height and recognizing her life-long dedication and leadership in the struggle for human rights and equality for all people until her death at age 98 on April 20, 2010.

Dr. Height fought for equal rights for both women and blacks, and was active in such causes as securing voting rights, equal employment opportunities and the desegregation of public schools. Marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she spoke out for women’s rights during the Civil Rights struggle. Dr. Height was instrumental in the fight for equal pay for women and organized numerous programs to help women achieve equal rights and independence.

Dr. Height served as the president of the National Council of Negro Women for four decades, stepping down from the position in 1997. In her position with the Council, which connected nearly 4 million women worldwide, she tackled issues that affected women, including child care for working mothers, health and nutrition and providing adequate housing for families in need.

Widely recognized as one of the founding members of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Height was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President Bill Clinton. In 2004, she also received the Congressional Gold Medal.

More Must be Done to Close Wage Gap Between Men and Women

Last month, I called for the Senate to take up a bill that would help close the wage gap between men and women on Equal Pay Day - the day that marks how much longer women would have to work from the previous year to “catch up” with their male counterparts.

It’s been 47 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. And yet still today, there isn’t equal pay for equal work in this country.

In 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was signed, women who worked full time year-round made 59 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. In 2008, women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. That is progress – but it is slow progress. It means that the wage gap has narrowed by less than half a cent per year.

In January 2009, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law by President Obama, only a week after he was inaugurated as President.

The enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Act was a major victory. Now, the Senate needs to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and send it to the President’s desk.

The Paycheck Fairness Act gives teeth to the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It closes numerous loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and stiffens penalties for employers who discriminate based on gender. It protects employees from retaliation for sharing salary information with their co-workers, with some exemptions. And it creates initiatives to provide negotiation skills training programs for girls and women. The House passed the bill by a vote of 256-163 in January 2009.

The Lilly Ledbetter Act restored the right of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay in court. Specifically, it rectified the May 2007 Ledbetter v Goodyear Supreme Court decision that overturned the precedent and made it much more difficult for workers to pursue pay discrimination claims. The law simply restored the longstanding interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and other discrimination statutes, thereby protecting women and other workers.

Equal Pay Day highlights the need for equal pay for women workers. Today, people across the country will mark the time of year in which the wages paid to American women “catch up” to the wages paid to men from the previous year. In other words, because the average woman earns less, she must work longer for the same amount of pay.

Announcing Support for Plan to Save Local Jobs

Last month, I announced my support of the Local Jobs for America Act, a bill that would create or save thousands of jobs in San Diego and Imperial counties and a million jobs nationwide. The bill would invest $100 billion over two years in communities facing the highest unemployment rates, providing crucial funds to local city, county, and state governments to save the jobs of teachers, police officers, and other first responders facing elimination.

It will put people back to work and money back in their pockets. State and local governments have already had to make some difficult decisions, and those cuts have already had an impact on the economy and people’s lives. This bill will help keep people in their jobs, increase demand for local businesses, prevent state and local tax increases, and help our economy thrive.

The Local Jobs for America Act would help keep services in local communities by providing funds to local governments to restore eliminated positions and threatened services. For example, $23 billion would help states support 250,000 education jobs, and nearly $2 billion would put thousands of law enforcement officers and firefighters back on the beat protecting our communities. The bill would also provide $500 million through the Workforce Investment Act for approximately 50,000 additional on-the-job training positions to help small businesses – the engine of local job creation – grow and hire.

The funding will be allocated by the Department of Labor to communities most in need according to population, unemployment, and poverty rates. In the 51st District, 3,263 jobs will be created in the City of San Diego, 467 jobs will be created in Chula Vista, 163 jobs will be created in National City, 1,483 jobs will be created in San Diego County and 209 jobs will be created in El Centro. It is also expected to save 38,900 education jobs statewide.

Putting people back to work and strengthening the economy in San Diego and Imperial counties are my top priorities, and this bill will do just that.

The Local Jobs for America Act, H.R. 4812, has already received strong support in Congress and from many national organizations. The bill currently has over 100 supporters in the House, and has been endorsed by the United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, and the National Association of Counties, among other organizations.

Honoring the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

I recently co-sponsored H.Con.Res. 255, a resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and honoring the founder of Earth Day, the late Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.

Gaylord Nelson is recognized as one of the leading environmentalists of the 20th Century, and helped launch an international era of environmental awareness and activism. April 22nd will mark the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, a milestone all Americans should celebrate!

Gaylord Nelson grew up in Clear Lake, Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1949 to 1959, as Governor of the State of Wisconsin from 1959 to 1963, and in the United States Senate from 1963 to 1981. He founded Earth Day, which was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, by 20 million people across the United States, making the celebration the largest environmental grassroots event in history at that time.

The establishment of Earth Day launched an unparalleled period of legislative and grassroots activity that resulted in passage of major pieces of environmental legislation from 1970 to 1980, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Education Act.

Delivering $400,000 for Second Chance Prisoner Reentry Program

I recently delivered a giant check for $400,000 for Second Chance's prisoner reentry program at a graduation in their Chula Vista center.

I am happy to see this money going to such a worthwhile program. They are truly giving people a ‘second chance’ at life by giving former offenders the tools they need to find a job and get the support they need as they work to put their lives back together. Programs like this keep ex-offenders off the street and out of jail. I know the $400,000 I delivered will go to help many, many people to build new lives.

The funds will go to Second Chance’s Prisoner Reentry Employment Program, PREP, which provides complete job readiness training, housing and life skills programs to help incorporate former inmates into the regional workforce. According to Second Chance, the program is focused on giving participants a hand up, not a hand out at a three week intensive training that begins after prisoners have served their time. When the program is over, Second Chance continues to provide post-placement support services for a minimum of two years.

I secured $400,000 for the PREP program in the FY2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Constituent Mail Bag

From El Centro:

The reckless behavior of big banks on Wall street, credit card companies, mortgage lenders and irresponsible consumers caused a financial crisis that cost Americans millions in lost jobs, billions in tax-payer funded bailouts and trillions in lost retirement savings.

I'm writing you today to support financial reform that will rein in this behavior and finally hold these corporations, big banks and individuals accountable.

Congressman Filner replies:

Thank you for contacting me about the need for financial reform.

I wholeheartedly agree! We must protect American consumers, increase transparency over the financial markets and prevent "too big to fail" institutions from costing the taxpayers billions of dollars. You will be glad to know I voted in favor of H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009!

I appreciate your advocacy on this important issue.

Useful Website: Wildfire Preparedness

This summer, as the temperatures continue to rise, Californians have seen the terrible costs that wildfires have on their neighborhoods and their lives. I ask that you take a look at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/wildfire/ for some helpful hints on how to protect your home from fire.

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