(Washington D.C.) - The New Democratic Congress joined together today to highlight major accomplishments on the one year anniversary of the election which brought about change in both the U.S. House and Senate.   

Members of both houses of Congress were on hand to discuss new legislation passed in 2007, such as landmark lobbying and ethics reform, “pay-as-you-go” budget rules, homeland security measures, college aid expansion, an increase in the minimum wage, aid to areas still struggling from the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and measures designed to make America more competitive in the global economy.

“Congress has accomplished much this year.  The challenges we face are immense and the pace of change too slow, but we can be proud of our accomplishments as we continue down the path of a New Direction,” said Rep. Sander Levin.  “We have reformed Congressional ethics rules, made our government more fiscally responsible and our homeland more secure, helped more people attend college, increased the minimum wage, and re-established good trade policy that stands up for U.S. businesses and workers alike in the global market place.”  

2007 accomplishments to date include:

• Landmark lobby and ethics reform with the Honest Leadership, Open Government Act of 2007.  The Act requires more public disclosure of lobbyist contributions to legislators’ campaigns, charities, and events, bans gifts from lobbyists and lobbyist funded travel for all legislators, bans Senators from becoming lobbyists for at least two years after leaving the Senate, and increases criminal and civil penalties for lobbyists and legislators found to be in violation of ethics laws.  
• “Pay-as-you-go” budget rules to force fiscal responsibility by requiring that newly proposed expenditures or tax cuts must be offset by savings elsewhere in the budget.
• Implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations to protect America from future terrorist attacks.  This will help ensure that America’s ports will be more secure, first responders will be better equipped, cargo on aircraft will be better inspected, airport security will no longer be under-funded, law enforcement agencies will share more information, and more aggressive steps will be taken to reduce proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• Enactment of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the largest College Aid expansion since the G.I. Bill in 1944.  The bill increases college financial aid by more than $20 billion over the next five years and cuts interest rates on subsidized student loans in half over the next four years. The bill pays for itself by reducing excessive federal subsidies paid to lenders in the college loan industry by $20.9 billion.
• An increase in the minimum wage for the first time in over a decade, from $5.15 to $7.25 by 2009.  As a result, 13 million working Americans, the majority of whom are full time working adults, will finally get a raise and be better able to provide for their family’s needs.
• Enactment of the “Innovation Agenda” to help the U.S. be more competitive in the global economy by strengthening math, science, engineering and technology education; increasing funding for scientific research and development; creating an agency to provide talent and resources for research leading to greater energy independence; and spurring new growth with assistance programs for small businesses.
• Restoring middle class priorities in the federal budget by providing additional funding for critical needs; including improvements in veterans health care and defense health programs; making significant investments in public housing; increasing funding for scientific and medical research; and increasing the Labor, Health and Education bill to keep up with inflation.  While increasing funding for these key priorities, the 2007 budget did not spend more overall than the previous year’s budget.

“In the days ahead, we will continue bi-partisan efforts to expand health care to 10 million children, address the critical issue of energy security, and most importantly, press the Bush Administration to change course in Iraq,” concluded Rep. Levin.

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