Pete's Accomplishments in the 111th Congress

Accomplishments Archive: 111th, 110th , 109th, 108th, 107th, 106th, 105th, 104th

During the 111^th Congress, Representative Stark helped to pass historic health care legislation that will finally provide affordable and quality health care to every American. Stark also brought back over $2.7 billion in Recovery Act investments to Alameda County that created thousands of jobs, provided much needed aid to local governments to keep teachers and police employed, gave 226,000 families in the 13^th Congressional District a tax cut, and strengthened the safety net for families impacted by job loss. Mr. Stark’s District Office opened over 3,000 cases to assist constituents resolve problems with federal agencies. Stark used his position as a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee and Chair of its Health Subcommittee to fight for policies that allow seniors to age with dignity, protect children and lift families out of poverty, and make our tax and economic system work for everyone, not just the wealthy. A strong voice for peace, Stark consistently voted against escalating the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and strongly advocated for cuts to our bloated defense budget.

 

This document provides an overview of Congressman Stark’s major accomplishments and initiatives in the 111^th Congress (January 2009-December 2010).

 

HEALTH

As Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, Rep. Stark is one of the nation’s foremost experts on Medicare and health policy. He is an outspoken proponent of providing quality, affordable health care to all; minimizing fraud and abuse in our health care system; and protecting and improving Medicare.

In collaboration with newly elected President Obama, the 111^th Congress provided a rare opportunity to legislate bold changes to our health care system to improve health coverage for people of all ages, incomes, and health status. 

As Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, Rep. Stark held hearings on health care reform and other important health topics. To see the list of hearings and review testimony, please visit http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/.

 

HEALTH REFORM

“Today’s vote is the most important of my career. I am proud to have helped author this legislation, which will finally guarantee affordable, quality health care to every American.”

                             - Rep. Pete Stark, on the House floor, November 7, 2009

                                (See his floor remarks here)

The 111^th Congress achieved what no Congress had done before: enactment of a federal law guaranteeing health coverage to all Americans of all ages. As a senior Member of the Committee on Ways and Means and chair of its Health Subcommittee, Rep. Stark was deeply involved in the enactment of this historic law. 

The Affordable Care Act will extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. It also protects those who are already insured by prohibiting insurances companies from discriminating against Americans with pre-existing conditions and dropping coverage when you get sick and need that coverage the most. It will lower costs for middle-income families and small businesses. It strengthens Medicare and lowers senior citizens prescription drug costs. And, it creates new, fair marketplaces – called exchanges – where people can purchase coverage and obtain subsidies to make that coverage affordable if their incomes are below 400% of the federal poverty level. While it will take some time for many of these components of health reform to be implemented, there are also immediate improvements that will provide immediate benefits. Already, young adults up to age 26 are able to stay on their parents’ health insurance. Insurers are prohibited from discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions. There is a new Pre-existing Health Insurance Plan in each state providing coverage to people who were previously uninsurable. To learn more about the law, visit www.healthcare.gov. 

The House of Representatives took the first action in health reform by introducing a bill crafted collaboratively with the three Committees of jurisdiction over health reform: the Committee on Ways and Means, Committee on Energy & Commerce, and the Committee on Education and Labor. This collaborative legislation, HR 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act was introduced on July 14^th, 2009. It was then marked up and moved through each of the three committees of jurisdiction over the summer and fall of 2009.

After all three committees completed their work, the Committee leaders developed a final version of the legislation to bring forth to the floor of the House of Representatives. The House passed that legislation, HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, on November 7^th, 2009 by a vote of 220-215, with only one Republican joining Democrats in support of its passage.

The Senate acted on its version of health reform in December 2010. Their version of the legislation varied greatly from the House bill. The goal was to combine the House and Senate versions of health reform – taking the best from both pieces of legislation. Unfortunately, once the Senate lost its 60-vote Democratic majority with the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, it was apparent that the Senate couldn’t vote on health reform again.

Instead, the House passed the Senate health reform legislation and passed a reconciliation bill that made a number of improvements to the Senate health reform bill so that it could pass the House. The President signed these bills into law on March 23, 2010. 

For details about the law, please visit my website at:

http://stark.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1307&Itemid=103

COBRA SUBSIDY: As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Rep. Stark worked to include a provision to temporarily subsidize people’s premiums for COBRA health continuation coverage. 

COBRA is a program that allows people who have left their jobs to temporarily maintain their health insurance coverage with their previous employer. Typically they are eligible to extend their coverage for 18 months (though longer in some instances). The individual is personally responsible for paying the full premium in addition to a 2% administrative fee. 

COBRA health continuation coverage is a lifeline for many people between jobs, but as anyone who has ever been on COBRA knows, it is expensive. On average, the monthly premium for COBRA coverage is $1069 – an amount that exceeds many people’s entire unemployment check.

To help people who’ve lost their jobs maintain health insurance for themselves and their families, ARRA included a 65% COBRA premium subsidy for up to 9 months for people who were involuntarily terminated as a result of the recession.

To qualify for premium assistance, a worker must have been involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. The subsidy terminated upon offer of any new employer-sponsored health care coverage or Medicare eligibility. Workers who were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and enactment, but failed to initially elect COBRA because it was unaffordable, were given an additional 60 days to elect COBRA and receive the subsidy.

To ensure that this assistance is targeted at workers who are most in need, participants were required to attest that their same year incomes will not exceed $125,000 for individuals and $250,000 for families.

The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that this provision would help 7 million people maintain their health insurance – providing a vital bridge for workers who were forced out of their jobs in this recession.

Congress extended the COBRA Subsidy program through May 31, 2010 and lengthened the eligibility period from nine to fifteen months.

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Health Information technology helps save lives and lower costs. Stark introduced legislation in the 110^th Congress (HR 6898, the Health-e Information Technology Act of 2008) that would implement a federal investment in health information technology via the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

President Obama shared Rep. Stark’s belief that this investment was key to improving medical care and lowering costs. He also agreed that if we were pursuing a stimulus bill, that the inclusion of Health IT legislation made sense because it would also expand jobs in the IT sector.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act incorporated a version of Stark’s legislation from the previous Congress. Stark and other key Congressional leaders on health policy worked together to craft this provision, called the HITECH Act. 

It takes groundbreaking steps to advance the development, adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. Under the HITECH Act, the federal government is taking a leadership role to promptly develop standards for health information technology that will allow for the nationwide electronic exchange and use of health information in order to improve the quality and coordination of patients' care, within a framework of enhanced security and privacy.  The Act provides financial incentives under Medicare and Medicaid, including $19 billion over ten years, to encourage physicians and hospitals in order to modernize the health care system, save billions of dollars, reduce medical errors and improve quality.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, as a result of this legislation, approximately 90 percent of doctors and 70 percent of hospitals will be using electronic health records within the next 10 years.  CBO further estimates that this proposal will reduce the health care costs of the federal government by over $12 billion over 10 years and it will generate additional savings throughout the health sector through improvements in quality of care, care coordination, and reductions in medical errors and duplicative care.   

CHIP EXTENSION: One of the first achievements of the 111^th Congress was to enact legislation reauthorizing and improving the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Democratic Congress had tried to pass similar legislation in the previous Congress, but then-President Bush vetoed those bills twice. Instead, that Congress was able to pass emergency legislation that maintained the existing program, but failed to make needed improvements. 

HR 2, expands CHIP to 4 million additional children who would otherwise be uninsured and protects the coverage of 7 million currently covered children. It extends the program for another five years. It was signed into law on February 4, 2009.

MEDICARE: The Affordable Care Act includes major Medicare reforms. Key improvements include: Closing the Medicare prescription drug donut hole, providing free coverage for most preventive services, adding a new annual wellness visit, and extending the solvency of Medicare by 12 years.

The health reform law also reduced overpayments to private health insurers in Medicare which helps to lower Part B premiums for the 80% of Medicare beneficiaries in traditional Medicare.

For more details on how the new health reform law affects Medicare, please visit: (http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/Media/pdf/111/HCare/2010_SENIORS.pdf)   

PROTECTING PHYSICIAN PAYMENTS: Congress acted several times in the 111^th Congress to prevent large reductions in physician payments in the Medicare program. On December 15, 2010, the Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010 was signed into law. It averted a 25% reduction in Medicare physician payments that was scheduled to take effect January 1, 2011. The bill also extended a host of smaller Medicare provisions. It prevents the pay cut through 2011, but leaves doctors facing a 30% pay cut in 2012 if further legislation is not enacted.

Stark also authored legislation, HR 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, that would permanently resolve the physician payment formula problem in Medicare. This legislation was endorsed by most mainstream physician organizations and senior advocates. It passed the House on November 19, 2009 by a vote of 243-183 (with only one Republican voting in support of it).   Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act on it.

COMBATTING FRAUD & ABUSE: While the new health reform law contains a host of provisions to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in Medicare (click here for more information) Rep. Stark also continued to work on a bipartisan basis to combat fraud in Medicare. He and the Ranking Republican Member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA) joined together to introduce H.R 6130,·the Strengthening Medicare Anti-Fraud Measures Act. This bill would provide increased authority to the Inspector General of Health and Human Services to ban corporate executives from doing business with Medicare if their companies have been convicted of fraud. It also gives the Inspector General the authority to go after parent companies of shell companies that have committed fraud. This bill was developed as a result of a hearing in the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee where the Office of the Inspector General made clear their need for these additional tools. The legislation passed the full House, but failed to be considered by the Senate before they adjourned. Stark and Herger are committed to pursuing the legislation in the new Congress.

PROTECTING WORKERS AND CREATING JOBS

 

The 111^th Congress was faced with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Congressman Stark worked with the Obama Administration and colleagues to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1/”ARRA”), which strengthened the safety net, provided a tax cut to 95% of workers, and made critical, job-creating investments. Stark helped to write provisions in ARRA that provided subsidized COBRA coverage for laid-off workers, expanded subsidized employment opportunities, and extended and improved Unemployment Insurance benefits. ARRA has been a success and was responsible for an estimated 3.5 million jobs according to the Congressional Budget Office. With unemployment still unacceptably high and many families suffering, Congressman Stark continued to be an advocate for continued bold actions to create jobs and keep people in their homes. Stark supports direct creation of public service and public works jobs so we can put people to work rebuilding our schools, bridges, and infrastructure. Stark supports assistance to state and local governments to keep teachers and police working and incentives for businesses to hire new workers. Finally, Stark favors providing bankruptcy protection for homeowners facing foreclosure to ensure banks are actively working with homeowners to modify mortgages and keep families in their homes.

INVESTING IN JOBS AND THE 13^TH DISTRICT THROUGH THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was enacted in the first month of President Obama’s term to jumpstart the economy. Stark voted for this legislation and has worked to bring resources back to the 13^th District to create jobs and strengthen our communities. The following list breaks down the stimulus funds Alameda County has received for various purposes, followed by examples of projects that have benefitted from ARRA:

EDUCATION: $70,280,420 to save teachers jobs and improve our schools

ENERGY: $1,430,707,054 for home weatherization and creation of green jobs

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: $5,411,727 for health care and services to protect vulnerable families and individuals

HOUSING: $23,422,807 for restoration and creation of affordable housing

LABOR: $8,625,471 to help train dislocated workers for new opportunities

PUBLIC SAFETY: $5,921,293 to keep police on the beat

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: $2,794,456 to spur research and development

TRANSPORTATION: $23,178,709 to create jobs improving our highways and mass transit

WATER & ENVIRONMENT: $4,428,244 to create jobs making our water and environment cleaner

TAX: 226,000 families in the 13^th CD have received the Making Work Pay Tax Credit- $400 per year for individuals and $800 per couple; 911,000 California families are benefitting from a $2500 tax credit for college tuition.

SOCIAL SECURITY AND UNEMPLOYMENT: 99,000 seniors and Social Security recipients in the 13^th CD received a $250 one-time payment; over 2 million workers in the state received extended and enhanced unemployment insurance benefits.

 

Alameda Family Services received $1,009,556, which will aid the organization in improving the emotional, psychological, and physical health of children, youth, and families.

The Community Health Center Network in San Leandro received $3,000,000, which will help to establish a Health Information Exchange (HIE) for patients seen at CHCN health centers in order to improve their care management and clinical outcomes.

Tesla Motors received $465,000,000 to finance a facility in Fremont that will manufacture battery packs and electric drive trains to be used in Tesla electric cars and other automobiles. The new facility expects to employ 650 people.

Alameda County received $11,000,000 to complete the purchase, rehabilitation and resale or rental of 100 affordable homes.

Alameda County also received almost $9,000,000 to provide employment services, work readiness and occupational skills for unemployed adults and youth.

The City of Hayward received over $4,000,000 to increase its police department staff, allowing the department to form a gang investigation unit and assign four police officers to the Department’s Community Policing Offices.

The Cancer Prevention Institute of California received over $700,000 for cancer research at the local, state and national level.

Union City Transit received almost $400,000 to replace two transit buses that were suffering from age and use.

The City of Alameda received $50,000 to fund three wetland restoration projects at Bay Farm Island Shoreline Park.

For more information on these projects and others, please visit Congressman Stark’s ARRA map at http://www.stark.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1260&Itemid=110.

PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE UNEMPLOYED: The Recovery Act provided all UI recipients with a $25 weekly increase in benefits, $2400 in tax-free benefits, and 13 additional weeks of eligibility. The law also created incentives for states to modernize their UI systems to cover more workers, including lower wage and part-time workers. With the unemployment rate remaining stubbornly high, Congressman Stark worked to further extend benefits and cosponsored bills throughout 2010 to maintain extended UI benefits. Republicans in both the House and Senate continually blocked these efforts before agreeing to include a continuation in the December 2010 tax compromise bill that was signed into law. This legislation extended UI through 2011.

FIGHTING FOR NUMMI’S WORKERS: After nearly 3 decades of producing some of the best cars and trucks on the road, the Fremont NUMMI plant closed in early 2010 when Toyota decided to end production there. Stark worked with local, state, and federal officials to craft a package of incentives to try and keep Toyota at NUMMI. Unfortunately, Toyota was committed to shipping production to a non-unionized site. Once it was clear the plant would close, Stark focused on getting assistance to the workers and the impacted communities:

• ·Stark worked with the Obama Administration to ensure that all NUMMI workers were certified as eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which provides up to 2 years of income supports, an 80% health care tax credit, and training/education assistance. Stark also led the effort to ensure that the suppliers impacted by the closure also received TAA. 17 suppliers and their employees have been certified and are receiving assistance.
• ·Stark hosted 2 community forums with representatives from relevant federal agencies to provide workers and local officials with information and resources. These efforts resulted in the award of a $350,000 planning grant to the City of Fremont to redevelop the NUMMI site.
• ·Stark led the efforts to advocate for a National Emergency Grant for the State of California that would provide retraining and job placement services to NUMMI’s workers. In June 2010, Labor Secretary Solis visited Fremont to announce award of a $19 million grant.
• ·Stark contacted both Toyota and Motor Liquidation Company (“old GM”) to fight for a fair closeout package for NUMMI’s workers. As a result, Toyota set aside $250 million for severance to the dislocated workers.
• ·Within months of the NUMMI closure, TESLA announced plans to use a Department of Loan Guarantee (authorized by the Recovery Act), along with private funds, to purchase part of the NUMMI facility and build their new model of electric car. The TESLA plant is up and running and former NUMMI workers have already been hired.

BUILDING A GREEN ECONOMY IN THE EAST BAY: With the help of the Recovery Act, the East Bay is quickly becoming a hub for green manufacturing jobs. Stark has helped to secure funds for electric car manufacturing in Fremont. Stark also helped to secure over $14 million in direct grants to companies engaged in developing new battery technology, more efficient wind turbines, better clean water systems, and less expensive solar panels. These investments are laying the foundation for a flourishing green economy in the 13^th CD. 

HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES GROW: Congressman Stark supports small businesses, some of which have been hit especially hard during the economic downturn. He voted in favor of the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act and the Small Business Lending Act, which were signed into law by the President. These laws created a lending fund to make it easier for small businesses to access the capital they need and also cut taxes for small businesses. The law also provides billions in tax incentives to spur creation of, investment in, and expansion of small businesses. 

EXPANDING U.S. MANUFACTURING: With Congressman Stark’s support, the House passed H.R. 4380, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, which was signed into law by the President in August 2010. The legislation helps U.S. manufacturers keep business, and jobs, in America. The law will reduce and suspend tariffs on imported materials used in domestic manufacturing when there is no American source for the material. It will cut the cost of doing business in the country and boost our competitiveness in manufacturing and save American jobs.

HOME STAR JOBS ACT (H.R. 5019): Stark voted to put 168,000 Americans to work making and installing energy efficiency products, by providing incentives for consumers to make their homes energy-efficient -- cutting energy bills for 3 million families and reducing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and dirty fuels. This bill passed the House, but was blocked in the Senate. 

JOBS FOR MAINSTREET ACT (H.R. 2847): In December 2009, Stark voted to redirect $75 billion in TARP funds from the Wall Street bailout fund to Main Street to create jobs through direct infrastructure investment. This bill passed the House, but was blocked in the Senate.

ENSURING WORKER’S RIGHTS TO ORGANIZE: Stark is a strong supporter of labor and workers’ right to organize.  He was an original co-sponsor of H.R. 1409, the Employee Free Choice Act that would recognize a union if a majority of employees sign cards authorizing a representative to bargain on their behalf. This reform is necessary to ensure that the will of workers to unionize is being honored without interference and coercive campaigns by employers. It would counter the current practice by which employers can engage in retaliatory activities to thwart legal organizing activities, and allow for penalties if employers engage in prohibited anti-union activity.

MAKING THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD WORK: Due to Senate obstruction, the 5 person NLRB consisted of only 2 members for much of President Obama’s first year in office. This meant a huge backlog of cases and many 1-1 decisions that could not be enforced. Stark joined with other colleagues in writing to President Obama and urging him to use recess appointments, if necessary, to fill the vacancies. The President responded in March of 2010 by using his authority to make two recess appointments to the NLRB, including Craig Becker, a long-time champion for working people.

GROUP LEGAL SERVICES ACT: Stark introduced H.R. 1423, legislation to restore and make permanent the tax-exempt status of qualified group legal services plans.   The tax incentive encourages preventive legal services benefits for employees and their families.  Group legal services plans provide employees with low cost, basic legal services, including assistance with the purchase of a home, the preparation of a will, probate services and the resolution of domestic relations difficulties, such as child support collection.  With evictions and mortgage foreclosures rising, legal plans also help keep employees in their homes and focused on their jobs.

  

FAIR TRADE

The Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over trade matters and Congressman Stark has used his position to oppose “free trade” agreements that are neither free nor fair.   Congressman Stark works to ensure that trade agreements do not facilitate the outsourcing or ‘off-shoring” of American jobs and that they protect the human and economic rights of workers in other countries.  He opposed both the North American and Central American Free Trade Agreements.

 

CHINA CURRENCY LEGISLATION: China frequently breaks international trade agreements to benefit its own industries. When China refuses to play by the trade rules, it gives an advantage to their own workers and costs American workers their jobs. Stark participated in four Ways and Means Committee hearings to investigate the ways in which the Chinese government gives an unfair advantage to their own industries and the best strategy to fight back. Congressman Stark voted in favor of the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, which would provide the U.S. government a new way to fight back against China. It will allow the Department of Commerce to impose tariffs on Chinese imports that are deliberately subsidized by the Chinese government so that they are cheaper than American-made goods. This legislation passed the House in 2010, but was not taken up by the Senate.

KOREA TRADE AGREEMENT: Congressman Stark opposed the Korea Free Trade Agreement. This was another NAFTA-style Free Trade Agreement. The text of the agreement provides unnecessary benefits for multi-national corporations at the expense of small businesses. Numerous American industries like the beef and textile sectors will continue to face trade barriers while the agreement will open U.S. markets to their Korean competitors. In July 2010, Congressman Stark sent a letter to letter to President Obama to voice opposition to the U.S. – Korea agreement.

COLOMBIA TRADE AGREEMENT: Stark voted against the Colombia agreement, H.R. 5724 when it was brought to Congress for a vote in July 2008 and continued to oppose the agreement.  The Colombian government has a troubling history of not protecting labor leaders and trade unionists.  This coupled with the fact that the Colombian agreement did not include robust labor or environmental standards cemented Stark’s opposition.  Trade agreements should benefit workers and the countries that enact them and this agreement fails that test. 

 

OPPOSING CORPORATE WELFARE AND STRENGTHENING WALL STREET REGULATIONS

 

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE ACT: Congressman Stark introduced H.R. 5783, The Investing in Our Future Act, which would make Wall Street speculators help to fight poverty here and around the globe.

This legislation would levy a fee on speculative currency transactions and use the funds to pay for investments in children, global health, and climate change mitigation. Every day there are $4 trillion in trades in the world currency market and many of these are purely speculative as banks just try to out-guess the market for a quick profit. This legislation would put a tiny 0.005 percent tax on all currency transactions done by or on behalf of U.S. participants and could potentially raise $28 billion annually and reduce speculation in the currency market by 14 percent.  

PROTECTING CONSUMERS: Congressman Stark voted in favor of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that was signed into law in July 2010. The law will rein in the reckless behavior on Wall Street that caused the economic downturn and prevent banks from becoming too large and unstable. It also expands protections for consumers by creating new rules for the mortgage and credit card industries. The highlights of the legislation:

• ·New Consumer Protections: The legislation creates a new independent bureau that will consolidate and strengthen consumer protection responsibilities. It will oversee the banks and credit unions, payday lenders, student lenders, mortgage lenders and similar financial agencies to ensure that consumers are protected from scams and bad deals. Stark publically supported the appointment of consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren to set up the new agency.
• ·Ends Too Big to Fail Bailouts: The new law prohibits the government from using taxpayer dollars to save failing financial institutions. Any bailout money from the government must be repaid by the company first before any other credits. A new oversight council will monitor all financial institutions and enforce requirements to ensure that banks do not grow so large as to put the whole financial sector at risk. If any company does become too unstable, regulators will shut down their operations.    
• ·A “Say on Pay” for Shareholders: Shareholders will now have a “say on pay.” They can hold a non-binding vote on executive pay and golden parachutes for executives. Public companies will be required to have policies allowing for pay to be taken back if it was based on inaccurate financial statements.
• ·Protects Investors: The new laws will provide new rules that will hold credit ratings accountable for their ratings, which will protect investors and businesses. A new program in the SEC will encourage whistle blowing of securities violations.
• ·Small Business Protection: The Federal Reserve will create rules to ensure that fees charged to merchants by credit card companies are reasonable and proportionate to the cost of processing the transactions.
• ·Transparency for Financial Instruments: The CFTC and the SEC will now have the authority to regulate financial products like derivatives that were previously traded without any oversight. Many of these financial products will have to be traded on exchanges, which will bring them out of the shadow marketplace.
• ·Mortgage Reform: A new federal standard will require that a lender must be able to repay a mortgage before one can be issued. The law will also prohibit lenders from using financial incentives to steer borrowers into unaffordable mortgages. New penalties will hit lenders and mortgage brokers who don’t comply with stricter mortgage lending standards.

 TRANSPARENCY FOR THE FEDERAL RESERVE: Congressman Stark cosponsored the bipartisan H.R. 1207 the Federal Reserve Transparency Act that proposed a full audit of the Federal Reserve. Though the Act was not brought to the floor for a vote, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will require a full one time audit of the Federal Reserve to examine all emergency lending that took place during the financial crisis. It will also prohibit future emergency loans from the Federal Reserve to individual unstable institutions.

OPPOSING BAILOUTS: Congressman Stark voted against the multiple bailout packages that were brought before Congress in late 2008. Government action was necessary to assist those who had been hit hardest by the economic downturn but argued that the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) plan was the misguided. Billions of taxpayer dollars were handed over from the Treasury to the largest financial institutions, many of which continued the same practices that caused the initial crisis.

Voicing his opposition, Congressman Stark explained that the TARP program was a rush to action, in the same way that the Bush Administration rushed to war in Iraq and to quash civil liberties under the Patriot Act.  Stark explained that the bill did nothing to address the underlying problem, lax oversight by an “anti-government” Administration, and did nothing to help suffering homeowners.  Stark advocated helping homeowners with their mortgage payments, and allowing bankruptcy judges to re-set principle amounts to prevent foreclosure. Stark stated that he was “not willing to make a $700 billion gamble that President Bush is right after 8 years of seeing all that he’s done wrong.”

During the 111^th Congress, Stark supported robust oversight of how the TARP funds were being allocated. He also called on redirecting the un-spent funds toward efforts to help Americans stay in their homes through stronger foreclosure prevention efforts.

TAX ON BANKER BONUSES: After receiving a massive taxpayer funded bailout in late 2008, Wall Street banks paid millions in employee bonuses in 2009. Congressman Stark supported H.R. 1586, legislation that would have put a retroactive 90 percent tax on bonuses for executives and bankers earning more than $250,000 at companies that received more than $5 billion in bailout money. This would have taxed the $165 million in bonuses paid by AIG, which receiving $173 billion in bailout funds, and financial institutions like Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., and Goldman Sachs. The legislation passed in the House by a vote of 328-93, but was blocked in the Senate.

OPPOSING WASTEFUL DEFENSE SPENDING: Stark believe it is vital that we make our priorities apparent in our spending habits. Stark has never voted for a Defense Appropriations bill nor a Department of Defense Authorization bill during his time in Congress because none of these bills has proposed significant cuts to the defense budget.

Stark cosponsored of the War is Making You Poor Act, H.R. 5353. It would cut $159 billion from the defense budget, which is the same amount that was spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would then use this funding to eliminate taxes for everyone who makes less than $35,000 a year, while cutting the deficit by $15.9 billion. He is also a cosigner of a letter  that was sent to President Obama’s Deficit Reduction Commission, urging them to consider cutting defense spending to help with deficit reduction.

Stark also drafted an amendment to the FY11 Defense Authorization bill, which sought to cut additional spending on missile defense. Even the Department of Defense said the extra funds were unnecessary. Unfortunately, the amendment didn’t make it through the Rules Committee, but this is yet another example of the Congressman’s determination to cut our bloated defense budget.

Stark believes the U.S. needs to focus on diplomacy and humanitarian assistance, not war. Stark is an original cosponsor of HR 808, legislation sponsored by Rep. Kucinich that would create a Department of Peace, which sought to establish peace as an important national policy objective.

ENDING TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES FOR CORN ETHANOL: Stark is an outspoken critic of taxpayer subsidies for the corn ethanol industry. Ethanol has received the lion’s share of “clean energy” government assistance-$30 billion over the past 30 years. Yet ethanol made from corn does not reduce greenhouse gas, uses up land, and drives up the price of food. Both the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office found that the ethanol tax credit primarily benefits large oil companies. BP claimed $510 million in taxpayer subsidies for ethanol in 2008 alone. Stark cosponsored legislation that would completely end the corn ethanol tax credit in 5 years and will keep working to get rid of this wasteful policy.

IMPROVING FOOD SAFETY: Stark was a strong supporter of the sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food safety system. This legislation was signed into law in December 2010 and will give the FDA the authority to recall tainted food and prevent contaminated food from entering the food supply.

  

TAX FAIRNESS

As a senior member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Stark works to close tax loopholes make the tax code more progressive and simple.  Congressman Stark believes that tax relief should benefit middle-class Americans, not the wealthiest among us, and the tax code should not be riddled with special interest tax credits. Stark was an outspoken advocate of allowing the Bush Tax Cuts for the very wealthy to expire on schedule at the end 2010 and strongly opposed President Obama’s compromise with Congressional Republicans to extend tax cuts for the very wealthy for two more years.

EXPIRING INDIVIDUAL TAX RATES: Congressman Stark opposed the Republican Party’s efforts to permanently extend all of the 2001 and 2003 tax rates that were scheduled to expire at the end of 2010. These tax breaks for the highest earners have little impact on the overall economy but increase the deficit and create a tax break for a few very wealthy individuals. When it became clear that Senate Republicans would block any legislation unless the tax cuts for the wealthy were extended, President made a deal to extend the rates for 2 years. Stark strongly opposed this compromise and voted against the final bill because extending the tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 will add $826 billion to the deficit over ten years and increase our nation’s troubling economic inequality. Stark voted for alternative legislation to extend the tax cuts for the middle class and allow the tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. Unfortunately, this bill failed in the Senate.  

ESTATE TAX: Congressman Stark voted against H.R. 4853, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 . The legislation, which was signed into law by the President on December 17, raised the individual estate tax exemption to $5 million and reduces the tax rate to 35% through 2012.  Congressman Stark voted against this legislation because it serves as a massive tax break for the 40,000 wealthiest households in the country.  Focus on the estate tax was misplaced when there are still thousands of Americans without jobs and the tax only hits the wealthiest Americans.

AMT: The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) was originally designed to impose taxes on wealthy taxpayers who were using deductions, credits and other tax shelters to pay little or not tax. Unfortunately, the AMT was not indexed to account for inflation, and without Congressional action, would impose an added tax burdens on middle-class Americans.  The President signed into law an AMT "patch" for the AMT for the 2010 and 2011 tax years.   Congressman Stark voted for an AMT patch on December 2, when it was included in the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010.   The Congressman supports these temporary fixes but believes that a permanent change to the AMT rules would be a better, and more cost effective solution for middle-income families.   

TAX BENEFITS IN THE STIMULUS PACKAGE: The Recovery Act provided a number of tax breaks to individuals and companies. It created a one time Making Work Pay Tax Credit, a refundable tax credit of up to $400 to working individuals. It also provided a tax break for people who had lost their jobs and were receiving unemployment compensation by exempting the first $2,400 of benefits from income tax, and expanded the benefits of 529 college savings plans to help families pay for higher education. The Act also provided a boost to the real estate market by providing a tax credit for all first time home purchasers of up to $8,000. The stimulus package also gave bonus tax credits and expanded depreciation and loss carry back allowances to companies to encourage hiring and expansion.  

EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT EXPANSION: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the most effective tax credits because it focuses government resources on families who are most likely to spend the money and exclusively assists low-income working families with children. The Recovery Act expanded the reach of the EITC for the 2009 and 2010 tax years. The stimulus package raised the amount of the EITC payment, expanded the credit for taxpayers with more than two children, and raised the income level at which families may qualify for the EITC. This program brought immediate and essential resources to low-income families quickly and Congressman Stark supports extending the extended EITC program for another year.

CLOSING FOREIGN TAX LOOPHOLES: Congressman Stark supports closing tax loopholes exploited by multinational corporations use to ship jobs overseas. Congressman Stark cosponsored H.R. 1586, which passed the House on August 5, 2010 and was then signed into law on August 10. The legislation will close tax loopholes that allow multinational corporations that allow them to pay artificially low taxes instead of their fair share.   Companies shift jobs offshore and then shift the burden of their foreign income tax onto the U.S. government so that they will owe little tax to the U.S. government. These companies should pay their fair share of taxes like everyone else.

CLOSING INDIVIDUAL TAX LOOPHOLES (CARRIED INTEREST): Everyone should pay fair rates of income taxes on the money they earn from their work, whether they work for a private equity fund, or any other kind of industry. Today, too many investment fund managers pay taxes at low, 15 percent capital gains rates on their earnings instead of ordinary income rates like everyone else. Congressman Stark supported legislation that would end this preferential treatment where billionaires are able to pay lower tax rates than all other ordinary workers.   The bill would reclassify much of this compensation earned by investment managers so that it is treated as ordinary income and taxed at income rates. H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 passed the House on May 28, but was blocked by Senate Republicans.

ENDING TAX SUBSIDIES FOR OIL AND GAS COMPANIES: Stark cosponsored H.R. 5644, the End Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act of 2010, which would roll back billions of tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry. While the top five oil and gas companies made a combined profit of $100 billion, the companies were still receiving government subsidies that shield them from their tax burden. Oil and gas companies had record profits in and don’t need a tax break from the U.S. government. Our investments should be directed towards creating green jobs within the alternative energy sector.

 

PROTECTING CHILDREN AND FIGHTING POVERTY

 

Stark is a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee Income Security and Family Support subcommittee. Stark has used this position to be a vocal advocate for strengthening the safety net and implementing policies that improve the lives of working parents and low-income families, abused and neglected children, and people with disabilities. He works to improve programs that provide access to childcare, shield children from the dangers of poverty, and provide individuals with disabilities the resources they need to lead independent lives. FirstFocus named Stark a “Champion for Children” and he received an “A” from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. Stark is also a member of the Out of Poverty Caucus.

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE: H.R. 1723, the Family Leave Insurance Act of 2009 

In March 2009, Stark introduced legislation to provide 12 weeks of paid leave for workers to care for a new child, a sick family member, or to deal with the exigent circumstances arising when a service member relative is deployed. The benefit would be equally financed by employers and workers and provide progressive benefits so that lower income workers will receive a greater portion of their lost wages than higher income workers. This bill garnered 36 cosponsors and was endorsed by numerous organizations including the AFL-CIO, the National Partnership for Women and Families, and the Human Rights Campaign.

Stark is also a cosponsor of legislation to require employers to provide 5 paid sick days per year to all fulltime employees. In addition, Stark believes that the original Family and Medical Leave Act should be expanded to include same-sex couples and has sponsored legislation that would make this important change.

IMPROVING CHILD WELFARE: Stark understands that foster children and children exposed to poverty need our protection and assistance. The Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over the foster care system as well as other important safety net programs. Stark uses his position to fight for policies that give children a chance to succeed and grow into healthy and thriving adults.

Implementing the Fostering Connections to Success Act

Stark worked to properly implement the Fostering Connections to Success Act (H.R. 6893 in the 110^th Congress) to ensure that as many children as possible are benefitting from the new law. One aspect of this law would provide federal funding for subsidized guardianship programs. These programs place foster children into the care of relatives who receive a small subsidy to provide the care. California had an existing subsidized guardianship program called KinGAP with about 16,000 children participating. In 2009, the Department of Health and Human Services issued program instructions that would not reimburse relative caregivers under California’s KinGAP program. This guidance put tens of thousands of vulnerable children in limbo. Stark led a bipartisan coalition of California Representatives in writing  a letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius requesting that the agency rescind their previous program instructions and ensure that children in subsidized guardianship placements could remain there. In response, the Administration amended their program guidance and will now reimburse California under the new law. This will save the state nearly $70 million and allow children to remain in their placements. The state has now used that savings to extend foster care until age 21, which will help the transition to adulthood for many of the state’s 72,000 foster youth.

Protecting Foster Youth During the Recession

The Recovery Act provided an increase in the FMAP formula, which determines how much state Medicaid programs receive. FMAP also applies to funding the child welfare system. Stark advocated to ensure that the FMAP formula for child welfare also received an increase in H.R. 1. This increase meant that states were better able to protect children during the historic recession when state and local governments were forced to cut services at the time those services were most needed. The FMAP increase has helped California and other states continue to protect children from abuse and neglect during the downturn.

Providing Medical Care to Foster Youth

As part of the historic health reform bill that Stark helped to write and pass, former foster youth, starting in 2014, will be automatically eligible for Medicaid until age 26. Under current law, former foster youth only maintain eligibility for Medicaid until age 18 (or to 21 in some states).

Foster Children Self Support Act (H.R. 6192) and the Foster Youth Financial Security Act (H.R. 6193)

Each year, over 20,000 children age out of foster care without any family support or assistance as they transition to adulthood. Some of these children lack resources because the state has taken their Social Security disability or survivor’s benefits. To end this harmful practice, Stark introduced the Foster Children Self Support Act. This bill would create a “nest egg” for vulnerable foster children by requiring states to set aside their benefits. When a child leaves the system, he or she would be able to use the money to pay for education, housing, or job training.

Foster children are also disproportionately victims of identity theft and often leave care without a clean financial history. H.R. 6193 would prepare foster youth who are transitioning to adulthood to properly manage their finances, in addition to adding greater protections of their financial information while they are under the care of the state. It would require periodic credit checks and assistance in resolving a child’s credit history. It would also increase funding under the Chaffee Independence programs to provide youth who are aging out of the system financial literacy education and seed money to start individual development accounts. The Child Welfare League, FirstFocus, American Humane, America Bar Association, and the National Foster Care Coalition endorse both H.R. 6192 and 6193.    

Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R. 4806)

There are over 120,000 children in foster care waiting to be adopted. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of adoptive parents, so nearly 20,000 children “age out” of the system each year with no family. Despite the shortage of foster and adoptive homes, some states have enacted discriminatory bans that prohibit gay, lesbian, or unmarried people from adopting or fostering. Stark introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act to ensure that all qualified individuals can open their homes to children. It mirrors provisions that ended racial discrimination in adoption and foster care placements and would restrict federal funds to states or adoption agencies that close homes to children based on the sexual orientation or marital status of the prospective parent. This legislation garnered 40 cosponsors, is endorsed by numerous child welfare and civil rights organizations, and has brought national attention to the issue of discrimination in adoption and foster placements.  

EASING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD: Healthy Transitions Act, H.R. 2691

As anyone with children is well aware, nothing magical happens when a child turns 18 that makes them ready to live independently. The transition to adulthood is a difficult time for all young people, but for young adults with mental illness the transition is even tougher. In 2007, Stark joined with Republican Senator Gordon Smith (OR) in requesting a study from the GAO examining the barriers facing young adults with mental illness. The report, released in June 2008, found that the more than 2.4 million young adults with serious mental illness do not obtain timely or quality treatment and services that would help them to become productive adults. In response to the report, Stark introduced bipartisan legislation with Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) that would address the service gaps for young people with mental illness. The Healthy Transitions Act would provide resources to states to develop and implement comprehensive cross-agency plans to assist young people with mental illness.

SUPPORTING ECONOMIC MOBILITY: In most parts of the country, including the East Bay, owning a car and having a driver’s license are pre-requisites to obtaining decent employment. Unfortunately, many states use the tool of suspending licenses as a blunt instrument and without regard for the effect that suspension will have on a person’s ability to work. For example, if a parent cannot afford to pay child support the state may suspend their license. Thus, significantly impacting that person’s ability to find work and make their support payments on time.

Stark requested that the GAO study this issue and identify best practices that use license suspensions as an effective enforcement tool while also accounting for the impact that suspensions have on economical mobility. The GAO issued their report in February 2010, where they identified the negative impacts on license suspensions and highlighted best practices that could be used to alleviate those impacts on low-income. This report will continue to inform policy as Congress moves forward with reauthorization of important anti-poverty programs, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

IMPROVING THE SAFETY NET FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Many women who seek temporary cash assistance from the federal TANF program (CALWorks in California) are victims of domestic violence. Too often these victims face barriers in obtaining assistance and are faced with a choice of returning to their abuser or living on the streets. Stark joined with Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) in introducing H.R. 4978. This bill would improve the TANF program to ensure that all applicants are screened for domestic violence and that some program requirements (such as collection of child support) would be suspended if they would put the victim or her children in danger of further abuse. The bill would also ensure that the application for assistance is processed quickly, so that no victim of domestic violence would have to return to his or her abuser because of a lack of money.

REDUCING THE CYCLE OF RECIDIVISM: Stark was an original cosponsor of H.R. 2829, the Recidivism Reduction Act. This legislation would ensure that mentally ill inmates and inmates with disabilities would be able to obtain Federal disability benefits, such as SSI immediately upon release. These benefits are often the difference between the ex-offender being able to obtain treatment and pay rent or returning to past criminal activities and eventually landing back in jail. Under current law, ex-offenders must often wait months to have their benefits restored. The American Jail Association, the American Correctional Association, and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law all backed this legislation.

MAKING WELFARE WORK DURING THE RECESSION: The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF”) program is our main cash assistance program. Unfortunately, because of the numerous barriers built into the program and the fact that it has been allocated the same amount of money since 1996, it was not adequately assisting those families hit hardest by the recession. Stark worked to include the 2-year TANF Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF ECF) in ARRA. This fund allowed states to provide one-time assistance to families facing eviction or foreclosure and set up subsidized employment programs. This program also placed workers with private employers and provided a portion of their wages. Nationwide, this program created over 240,000 jobs, including at least 35,000 in California. Stark worked to pass an extension of the TANF ECF for one year through the House, but Senate Republicans blocked it in that chamber.

PROVIDING SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES: In April 2009, Congress passed the Edward Kennedy Serve America Act, H.R. 1388. Stark voted for this historic legislation that will triple volunteer opportunities to 250,000 slots for everyone from students to retirees. It also provides college financial awards for young people who chose to serve their communities.

WORKING FOR A MORE PEACEFUL AND JUST WORLD

OPPOSING ESCALATION OF THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN: Stark has consistently voted against increased defense spending throughout his tenure in Congress, including this year’s bloated Defense Authorization bill (HR 5136), which includes even more funding than the DoD requested. He also voted against the Defense Appropriations bill (HR 3326) back in December 2009 and HR 2647, another Defense Authorization bill, continuing his consistent record of voting against every defense spending bill.

The Congressman is also a founding member of the Out Of Afghanistan Caucus, and is a sponsor of H.R. 2404, which requires an exit strategy from Afghanistan. He also cosponsored HR 3699, legislation that prohibits any increase in the number of troops serving in Afghanistan and voted for H. Con. Res. 248, which would have ordered the President to remove US troops from Afghanistan. Congressman Stark has been an outspoken opponent of the war in Afghanistan as well as President Obama’s troop surge in early 2010.

ENDING THE IRAQ WAR: Stark has been a consistent opponent of the Iraq War since its inception. He is a tireless advocate for bringing all of our troops home from Iraq and opposes the construction of permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.

In February 2009, President Obama announced plans to remove all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. Congressman Stark was the cosigner of a letter to President Obama asking him to reaffirm his dedication to removing all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION: Congressman Stark is a leader in fighting for a world free from nuclear weapons. He led a group of 27 Members of Congress in writing a letter to the Administration to ask that the Nuclear Posture Review support the goals of disarmament and non-proliferation. His proposal rules out the use of nuclear weapons against a conventional attack from a non-nuclear nation for the first time.

As a result of this work on the Nuclear Posture Review, he received an award from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. The group is a network of grassroots and national groups like Peace Action West. Since then, he has remained committed to limiting nuclear proliferation by pushing for more funding in Defense Appropriations for dismantling nuclear weapons.

Stark is also a cosponsor of H. Res. 333, a resolution calling on President Obama to implement all of the obligations and commitments of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and to revise national policies and procedure on nuclear weapons accordingly.

PEACEFULLY RESOLVING THE ISRAEL/PALESTINE CONFLICT: Congressman Stark believes that the only way to peace with Israel and Palestine is through a two-state solution that ensures the security of the Israeli people and the dignity of the Palestinian people.  He has consistently supported legislation and measures that advance this goal.  He signed a bipartisan letter to President Obama urging strong U.S. leadership in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict, including a two-state solution. 

Rep. Stark was an outspoken critic of the invasion of Gaza in January 2009.  He supported a ceasefire in the conflict, and signed on to a letter to President Obama opposing the blockade of Gaza and calling for improved humanitarian conditions in the region. 

Rep. Stark also supported a resolution calling for a U.S. Government investigation into an incident involving Tristan Anderson, an Oakland resident.  Anderson was taking photos following a demonstration in the West Bank when he was shot in the head with a metal high-velocity tear gas canister, causing severe traumatic brain injury and blindness in his right eye.

PROTECTING REFUGEES AND ASYLEES: In March 2010, Representative Stark introduced the Restoring Protection to Victims of Persecution Act, H.R. 4800. This bill would eliminate the arbitrary one-year deadline for filing asylum applications, a technical requirement that has led to the denial, rejection, or delay of thousands of requests for asylum protection in the United States and created unnecessary inefficiencies in the asylum adjudication process. This bill will help save the lives of women fleeing domestic and gender-related violence, individuals who are being persecuted for their religion, and other people whose basic human rights are endangered. Human Rights First supported this bill, along with 86 other faith-based, human rights, legal services and refugee assistance organizations, as well as 81 individual asylum law practitioners, pro bono attorneys, law professors and other experts.

HAITI: The earthquake in Haiti devastated many millions of lives and was a terrible tragedy. Stark is an original cosponsor of HR 4462, a bill that accelerated tax benefits, allowing people to write off charitable donations for relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti. This bill passed both Houses, was signed by the President and became law on January 22, 2010.

The Congressman also cosponsored HR 4616, the Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act, which allows relatives of Haitian Americans the opportunity to come to the US while they wait for visas during the earthquake crisis. Stark also sent a letter to Secretary of State Clinton urging her to help ensure that Haiti has free and fair elections. While Haiti takes time to rebuild and regain its democratic government, it is vital that the international community sees its new government as legitimate and viable. We want to ensure that Haiti gets off on the right foot and is able to stand on its own. 

CUBA: It is time to put an end to the tensions between our two nations. Stark coauthored three pieces of legislation that he believes would help heal the wounds of years of bad policy. HR 874, the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, allows our citizens to travel freely back and forth to Cuba without reprisal. He is also a cosponsor of HR 1530, the Free Trade with Cuba Act, which would repeal the embargo on trade with Cuba. Even though President Obama recently allowed Cuban Americans to travel and send money back home to Cuba, it is not enough. Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans support ending the travel ban and embargo to Cuba, and that is exactly what we need to do to mend our relationship with Cuba.

FIGHTING GLOBAL POVERTY AND DISEASE: Stark is dedicated to helping those less fortunate around the world. One way to help lift entire nations out of poverty is through debt cancellation. HR 4405, the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2009, would do just that for eligible low-income countries that desperately need those funds to improve conditions at home.

The Congressman is a leader on international development issues and supports the Millennium Development Goals, and was an original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 318. This legislation would work to end hunger and poverty, provide universal education, gender equality, child and maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS. Stark also sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee urging an increase of $1.45 billion in funding to the Global Fund to provide HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria meds to those in need.    

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT

 

Congressman Stark is a staunch environmentalist and believes that a healthy environment is not only a moral obligation to future generations, but is also essential for a strong economy and good public health. Stark is proud to cast votes for laws that protect our land, air, and water and is not afraid to speak out on the many environmental issues facing California and the nation.

PROTECTING THE BAY: Stark is a strong advocate for the ongoing restoration of wetlands around San Francisco Bay. He has helped to secure federal funding for the salt pond restoration efforts being carried out in the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, including a $1 million grant for the Eden Landing Salt Pond restoration in Alameda County and Recovery Act funds for the renovation of the visitor center at the refuge.

Stark has opposed the construction of two proposed gas power plants along the Hayward Shoreline. Stark sent letters to the California Energy Commission, the EPA, the FAA, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District opposing the plants. As a result, one of the proposed plants (Eastshore Energy Center) was denied a permit.

Mr. Stark was an original cosponsor of the San Francisco Bay Improvement Act (H.R. 5061), which would provide $1 billion to restore the Bay and improve recreational opportunities around the Bay. Stark was also an original cosponsor of H.R. 2442, legislation that passed the House and would invest in water recycling programs around the Bay Area, saving millions of gallons of water each year.

The historic salmon runs in northern California have been decimated by pollution, habitat destruction, and misuse of water. Stark is committed to preserving wild salmon in California and protecting the tens of thousands of jobs that depend on a healthy salmon population.   Stark is a cosponsor of the Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act (H.R. 2055), which would provide resources and technical assistance to preserve and rehabilitate salmon populations along the entire Pacific Coast. Stark has also worked to provide Federal disaster assistance for Bay Area salmon fisherman impacted by the closure of the fishery in 2009 and 2010.

CONFRONTING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: Stark is committed to ending our addiction to fossil fuels and drastically reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, Stark introduced H.R. 594, the Save Our Climate Act. This legislation would gradually reduce CO2 emissions to 80% below 1990 levels (the levels that the International Panel on Climate Change- IPCC- tell us we need to reach to avoid catastrophic global warming) through the imposition of a simple tax on the carbon content of fuel. Most economists, including the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, agree that a straightforward carbon tax is the most efficient method of achieving CO2 reductions.

As a proponent of a carbon tax, Stark is wary of Cap and Trade proposals that would give away pollution “credits” to big utilities and energy companies and create unregulated carbon trading markets that would be rife with speculation and strip the EPA of its authority to regulate new coal power plants. For those reasons, Stark voted against the House-passed Cap and Trade bill in June 2009. Friends of the Earth and MoveOn.org supported his no vote, among other progressive groups. At the time Stark said that the legislation “gave too much to the polluters and not enough to the environment.”

In lieu of Congressional action, Stark strongly supports the ability of the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.

MOVING TOWARD A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY: Stark believes that our future prosperity lies in moving away from a dependence on dirty fossil fuels and investing in clean and renewable sources of energy. Stark supported legislation, such as the H.R. 4085, that provides incentives to manufacture solar panels and other clean energy technology here in the U.S.

Stark is a strong opponent of subsidizing and expanding the use of fossil fuels. Stark opposes risky methods of extraction, such as hydraulic fracturing (“Fracking”) for natural gas, deepwater oil drilling, and mountaintop removal coal mining that pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. He cosponsored legislation to permanently ban oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and along the Pacific Coast. He wrote to the Administration in opposition to construction of a new “tar sands”  pipeline that would transport dirty tar-sands oil from Canada into the U.S. Stark is a consistent supporter of increasing CAFE mileage standards for cars.

PROTECTING PUBLIC LANDS: The Congressman is a proponent of protecting our one of a kind natural places, including our National Parks and Wilderness Areas. Stark is a member of the National Parks Caucus and works not only to set aside additional lands, but also to provide resources to agencies to properly care for and maintain our wild areas and parks.

Stark voted for the Ominbus Public Land Management Act, H.R. 146, which was signed into law in 2009. This is the most significant conservation bill in 15 years, strengthening tourism and rural economies with more than 2 million new acres of wilderness and parks. The bill protects 735,000 acres of new Wilderness in California and over 100 miles of California’s rivers as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Congressman Stark joined with his colleagues in pressuring the Obama Administration to permanently protect unique natural areas from development, including the proposed Red Rocks Wilderness in Southern Utah, the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, and the Giant Sequoia National Monument in California.

PROTECTING AIR AND WATER: Mr. Stark believes that clean air and water are human rights. He supports strong enforcement of the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act and is a vocal opponent of legislative and judicial efforts to weaken those landmark laws.

PROTECTING ANIMALS: Congressman Stark believes it is important that all animals are treated humanely. Congressman Stark cosponsored H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act. This legislation adds nonhuman primates to the list of species prohibited from being sold or purchased in interstate or foreign commerce. H.R. 80 passed the House, but was blocked in the Senate. Stark was an original cosponsor of the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326), which would prevent invasive research from being performed on apes. Stark also cosponsored HR 503, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, which punishes the act of shipping, processing, or purchasing any horse carcass for human consumption. He was also a cosigner of a letter to House Leadership urging them to bring H.R. 503 to the floor for a vote.

RESPONDING TO THE BP OIL SPILL: In the aftermath of the disastrous BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Stark worked with his House colleagues to pass legislation to hold BP fully accountability for their negligence, revamp the nation’s oil drilling regulations, and provide protections to oil and gas workers who blow the whistle on unsafe conditions. Here is an overview of those efforts:

• ·The House passed the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Resources (“CLEAR”) Act, H.R. 3534 on July 30^, 2010. Stark voted for this legislation that would revamp safety guidelines for drilling rigs, implement strict inspection requirements, establish the Gulf of Mexico Recovery Program, lift the cap on oil spill liability (from $75 million), ensure oil companies are paying their fair share of royalties for drilling on public lands, and investing in new spill clean up technology. This legislation was blocked by Senate Republicans.
• ·Stark voted in favor of S. 3473, which became law. This law allowed for an advance from BP to the U.S. Coast Guard to cover the cost of the spill cleans up and ensure that taxpayers were not left on the hook.
• ·Stark also supported the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act (H.R. 5851), which passed the House. This legislation would provide strong protections for workers who blow the whistle on dangerous conditions on oil and gas rigs. This legislation was not taken up by the Senate.

 

EDUCATION

Congressman Stark believes that public education is the backbone or our democracy and our economy. He is committed to providing high quality education programs from birth through college.

MAKING COLLEGE AFFORDABLE: Stark believes that all qualified students should be able to access higher education. The 111^th Congress passed historic investment in higher education, which will put college within reach of many more students.

As part of the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act passed in March, H.R. 3221 the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, became law. This legislation saves $87 billion by ending taxpayer subsidies to for-profit lenders and uses $77 billion of those savings to invest in education. The law substantially increases Pell Grants and indexes them to inflation, makes college loans more affordable by keeping interest rates under control and provided protections for students trying to pay off their loans, and strengthens community colleges with a $10 billion investment. The law also dedicates $10 billion in savings to deficit reduction.

The Recovery Act also contained a $2500 federal tax credit that families or students can claim to offset the cost of their tuition. The credit translates into $10,000 saved for a 4-year college student. This provision was extended through 2011 as part of the President’s tax compromise package that became law in December 2010.

PROTECTING STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES: In response to complaints that students with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, are being denied accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act on high stakes tests like the SAT, LSAT, GRE and numerous professional exams (e.g. Medical Board exams), Stark joined with Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller to request that GAO study the issue and make recommendations to Congress on how to fix the problem. 

KEEPING SCHOOLS STRONG DURING THE RECESSION: School districts in California and throughout the country face difficult budget choices, including laying off teachers and increasing class size. Stark believes that our children must continue to receive a world-class education, even in tough economic times. The Recovery Act provided around $11 billion for California’s schools through FY 2010. With states still facing massive budget shortfalls, Congress stepped up to save 160,000 education jobs by passing the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act (H.R. 1586) in August 2010. Stark voted for this legislation that will save over 13,000 teacher jobs in California and prevent cuts to vital health programs.

IMPROVING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS: Stark understands that the zero to age 5 period is critical in a child’s development. In fact, much of the achievement gap between rich and poor and white and minority students is already in place by the time children start kindergarten. Investing in high quality early childhood education programs is the best way to make sure that all children get off to a good start and begin school with the foundation to learn and succeed. 

• ·The Recovery Act included $2 billion for affordable childcare. California’s $220 million share has provided childcare to thousands of working parents in California.
• ·With Stark’s support, the House created an Early Learning Challenge Fund that will provide competitive grants to states to build comprehensive, high-quality early learning systems. Stark continues to advocate fully funding this program and recently sent a letter to House appropriators in support.
• ·Health Reform contained a new grant program to fund state based home visitation programs for at-risk families. These evidence-based programs include home visits from nurses or other professionals to provide assistance in raising healthy children and supporting new families and their babies.

PROMOTING FAIR ELECTIONS

 

In early 2010, the Supreme Court in Citizens United vs. FEC overturned important campaign finance reform laws, which had placed some limits on the ability of corporations to fund and influence federal elections. By overturning these restrictions, the Supreme Court has freed corporations to secretly spend millions of dollars on political campaigns and advertisements without any public disclosure of those expenditures. The American people have a right to know who is paying for all the expensive advertising during campaigns.

Stark cosponsored The DISCLOSE Act (HR 5175), which passed the House of Representatives in June 2010. It would require corporations and special interests to disclose both the identity of their organization and their top donors when they contribute to campaigns or advertise. Corporations with government contracts, foreign nationals and foreign-controlled companies would be prohibited from giving campaign contributions or paying for campaign advertising. Additionally, individuals spending $10,000 or more would be required to file a report with the Federal Elections Commission to be made publicly available. This legislation was blocked by Senate Republicans.

Although the DISCLOSE Act would be a great initial step, Stark is a firm believer in the public financing of elections as the only way to get money out of politics. He cosponsored the Fair Elections Now Act (HR 1826), which provides public financing for House of Representatives election campaigns. With this legislation, candidates who raise a set number of small donations within their district would be eligible for a federal grant matching those funds. For the first time, candidates for Congress would be able to forgo massive private fundraising without losing the ability to compete on a level playing field.

 HOUSING

 

The collapse of the housing market has rippled throughout the economy, impacting countless families in the East Bay. Years of lax oversight and regulation allowed unscrupulous lenders to make bets that they could not pay off. Congressman Stark voted against the 2008 TARP bank bailout because it did not provide any protection for homeowners or require the bailed out banks to work with homeowners to modify their mortgages. The Obama Administration’s Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP) has not worked well enough. Congress has taken steps to protect homeowners and stabilize the housing market, but Stark believes that more needs to be done. Here are the important steps that Congress has already taken:

• ·Passage and extension of the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit: Stark voted to extend the $6,500-$8,000 credit through July 2010. This credit helped to reinvigorate the housing market and allowed thousands of Californians to purchase homes.
• ·Increasing the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) conforming loan limits, so that buyers in high-cost areas such as the Bay Area can still access affordable and reliable mortgage options. These limits were extended through 2011.
• ·Passage of Wall Street Reform legislation that will create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency with the authority to regulate unscrupulous lenders, police the banks, and protect consumers from mortgage and other financial frauds.
• ·In October 2010, Stark and other members of the California Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Attorney General Holder and Federal Reserve Chairman Bernake asking for an investigation into questionable foreclosure practices in California. This letter included case examples from constituents treated unfairly by their lenders.

Despite these positive steps, Stark believes that are additional measures that Congress should take to protect families and prevent foreclosures. Stark supports the following efforts:

• ·Allowing homeowners the same bankruptcy protections as other property owners is the best way to ensure that lenders are working with borrowers. If a bankruptcy judge can modify a mortgage (something they can do on loans for boats or vacation homes), the lender is more likely to work with the borrower before getting into court. Stark voted for an amendment to the Wall Street Reform Bill on December 11, 2009 that would amend the bankruptcy code, unfortunately this amendment failed.
• ·Stark cosponsored the Right to Rent Act (H.R. 5028). This legislation would allow a homeowner the option of remaining in his or her home for five years as a renter paying the market rate. This legislation would only provide families with another option; it would also increase the leverage that borrowers have in negotiating with banks on modifications. 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Stark believes that decent housing is a human right and works to maintain and improve federal affordable housing programs. In the 110^th Congress, Stark supported the creation of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which would provide financing to increase the nation’s supply of affordable housing. Since the 110^th Congress, Stark has supported efforts to provide funding for the Trust Fund by redirecting funds from the TARP fund. Stark voted in favor of the Jobs for Main Street Act in December 2009, which would have provided $1 billion for the Trust Fund. This legislation was blocked in the Senate. Stark also was a strong supporter of the affordable housing provisions in ARRA, which included:

• ·$4 billion for public housing capitol upgrades;
• ·$2 billion for neighborhood stabilization programs, includes efforts to purchase foreclosed homes and turn them into affordable housing;
• ·Creating a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)- Grant Exchange program to ensure that LIHTC financed projects went forward even when the LIHTC market dried up due to the recession. This has preserved and created thousands of construction jobs in the state. Stark is also leading the fight in the Ways and Means Committee to extend the Grant Exchange program for another year.

 

STRENGTHENING SOCIAL SECURITY & PROTECTING SENIORS

Stark understands that Social Security and Medicare have ensured millions of seniors can live healthy and dignified lives, free from poverty. Stark strongly opposes all efforts to cut Social Security benefits, either through raising the retirement age or means testing the benefits. Stark has led the fight against Republican plans to privatize Social Security or create personal accounts.

 

OPPOSING THE FISCAL COMMISSION

Stark voted against the creation of a Congressionally mandated fiscal commission because he thought that Congress should be making the decisions about the fiscal path of the nation, not an unelected commission. President Obama chose to create a commission via Executive Order. Stark wrote to the commission in opposition to any benefit cuts to Social Security.

Social Security is not in a crisis and is not running out of money. Stark believes that the best solution to ensuring the long-term solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund is to lift the taxable maximum. Currently, workers only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,800 of income. This amounts to a raise for wealthy workers each year that lower and middle-income workers don’t get. According to the Congressional Budget Office, lifting the taxable maximum would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund until 2083 without any benefit cuts or an increase in the retirement age.

ASSISTING SENIORS DURING THE RECESSION

Seniors and retirees lost trillions of dollars in wealth when the economy collapsed in 2008. The Recovery Act, helped to fill in some of the gap by providing a $250 payment to all Social Security beneficiaries.

Due to the recession and a drop in the Consumer Price Index, seniors received no Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in 2010 and will not receive one in 2011. Stark crafted legislation that would protect Medicare Part B recipients from paying higher premiums. The Medicare Premium Fairness Act, H.R. 3631 passed the House, but was blocked in the Senate.

Stark cosponsored H.R. 5987. This legislation would help to alleviate the lack of a COLA by providing seniors with a $250 payment. Stark also favors amending the Social Security COLA to be based on a senior-specific COLA formula rather than the current generic CPI formula that does not reflect the economic realities facing seniors.

 

CIVIL RIGHTS

 

ENSURING WOMEN’S AND GIRL’S RIGHTS: Stark believes that women should receive equal pay for equal work.  He also believes that women should have autonomy over their bodies and be able to make their own decisions regarding family planning and reproductive health.

Stark was an original cosponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed into law in January 2009. This legislation makes great strides toward gender equality in the workplace by giving women the protection of the law when they are paid less than their male counterparts solely because of their sex.  

Stark cosponsored several bills that, if passed, would ensure safe and easy access to reproductive health services for women at home and abroad. These bills included:  

• The ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL ACT, H.R. 5309, which would make pharmacy refusals of emergency contraception illegal;
• The GLOBAL DEMOCRACY PROMOTION ACT,H.R. 4879, which would permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule. Under the Rule, no U.S. family planning assistance funding can be given to organizations that provide abortion services, offer counseling and referral for abortion care, or advocate legal abortion access in their own countries – even if they do so with their own funds;
• The EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION EDUCATION ACT, H.R. 5561, which would fund public-education campaigns to inform women and healthcare professionals that Emergency Contraception is safe, available, and effective in preventing pregnancy;
• The STOP DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING FOR WOMEN’S SERVICES ACT, H.R. 5652, which declares it a deceptive act for a Crisis Pregnancy Center to advertise as a provider of abortion services if it does not provide such services;
• THE PREVENTION FIRST ACT, H.R. 463, which would offer an innovative approach to reducing unintended pregnancies by providing comprehensive access to all forms of contraception and sex education; and
• The COMPASSIONATE ASSISTANCE FOR RAPE EMERGENCIES ACT, H.R. 1236 which would require federally funded hospitals to offer Emergency Contraception to rape victims. 

EQUAL RIGHTS: Stark is an equal rights advocate, and believes that no one should be discriminated against based on his or her race, gender or sexual identity.

In May, Stark voted in favor of a portion of the National Defense Authorization Act that called for repealing the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, which bars those who are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual from military service. The full House of Representatives approved such an amendment. Under the legislation, the DADT repeal would not take effect until the Department of Defense working group completes its review of the impact on such a change, due on December 1, 2010. Stark again voted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in December 2010. This legislation was signed into law.

Throughout the 111^th Congress, Stark called for the elimination of discriminatory policies by cosponsoring:

• The EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT, H.R. 3017, which would prohibit public/private sector employers from making decisions about hiring, firing, promoting or compensating an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity;
• The ENDING LGBT HEALTH DISPARITIES ACT, H.R. 3001, which would address inequities of health care system for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by investing in research on LGBT health, establishing non-discrimination policies, providing cultural competence training for health care providers, and an extension of Medicare benefits to partners;
• The END RACIAL PROFILING ACT, H.R. 5748, which would provide a prohibition on racial profiling by law enforcement, enforceable by declaratory or injunctive relief. The bill would also mandate training on racial profiling issues as part of Federal law enforcement training;
• The JUSTICE INTEGRITY ACT, H.R. 1412, which would require states and localities receiving Byrne/JAG funds to implement policies and practices to identify and reduce racial and ethnic disparities within their criminal justice systems; and
• The RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT, H.R. 3567, which would fully repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Federal law would recognize marriages between two people of the same sex, as long as they were valid in the place they were performed under the proposed repeal.

ENSURING EQUALITY FOR THOSE WHO ARE BLIND: In an age of rapidly developing technology, Stark believes that individuals with disabilities must have easy access to today’s essential tools and communication devices.

Stark cosponsored the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, which passed this July in the House of Representatives. This bill would amend law to ensure that new Internet-enabled phone and video services/equipment are accessible and usable by people with disabilities and would close existing gaps in telecommunication laws.

Stark cosponsored the Technology Bill of Rights for the Blind Act, which mandates that the manufacturers of consumer electronics, home appliances, kiosks and electric office technology design their products with non-visual means of use so that they are accessible to all consumers.

SUPPORTING OUR VETERANS: Stark works to create educational and job opportunities for returning veterans and ensure that they receive high quality physical and mental health care.

In June 2009, Stark voted for the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which passed into law in October of that year. This legislation was a top priority of veterans’ groups, authorizing Congress to approve Veterans Administration (VA) medical care appropriations one year in advance to ensure reliable and timely funding and prevent politics from ever delaying VA health care funding. 

In April 2010, Congressman Stark voted for the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. It passed through Congress and is now law. The bill answers many of our veterans’ most urgent needs – it ensures that mental health services are more accessible to returning soldiers and expands coverage for women’s health, including newborns. The bill also eliminates health care copayments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled.

In July 2010, Stark voted in favor of the fiscal year 2010 Military Construction-VA appropriations bill, which passed in the House of Representatives. This legislation strengthens quality health care for 5 million veterans by investing 11% more for medical care, benefits claims processors, and facility improvements.

Stark cosponsored the Home for Heroes Act, which would provide housing and housing services for low-income veterans. This bill passed in the House of Representatives in June 2009.

Throughout the 111^th Congress, Stark supported the expansion of benefits for veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange. Congress has successfully provided long overdue disability benefits to more than 150,000 Vietnam veterans and survivors for exposure to Agent Orange.

IMMIGRATION: Stark was an original cosponsor of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (“CIR ASAP”) Act of 2010. This bill would permit current nonimmigrant skilled workers whose employer has petitioned for an employment-based green card on their behalf and their dependents to file an application for adjournment of status, regardless of whether a visa is immediately available. The bill would permit the “recapture” of unused employment-based visas and family-sponsored visas from fiscal years 1992-2008 and allow future unused visa numbers to roll over to the next fiscal years. To recognize family unity principles and facilitate visa backlog reduction, the bill would reclassify spouses and children of lawful permanent residents as immediate relatives. The bill takes a humanitarian approach to reform – it would improve detention conditions, protect family unity and unaccompanied migrant children, and offer relief for orphans and widows.

Stark also co-sponsored the following bills:

• ·The AMERICAN DREAM ACT, H.R. 1751, would provide a path to legal status for individuals brought to the U.S. as undocumented children years ago. If an individual was brought 5 years ago as a child, grew up here, and has remained in school and out of trouble, a student can adjust his/her status to a conditional permanent resident and could have conditional status lifted if they complete two years of college or serve in the military. This legislation passed the House in December 2010 with Stark’s support, but it failed to pass the Senate;
• ·The REUNITING FAMILIES ACT, H.R. 2709, which includes provisions that would ensure visas are allocated efficiently, reduce long wait times that keep legal immigrants apart from families, and decrease measures that keep family members from obtaining visas. The bill also eliminates discrimination in immigration law against permanent partners and their families who want to reunite;
• ·The STRENGTHEN AND UNITE COMMUNITIES WITH CIVICS EDUCATION AND ENGLISH SKILLS ACT, H.R. 3249, which provides businesses with tax credits for providing English-as-a-second-language programs to their employees, incentivizes teachers with tax credits when they teach ELL, and authorizes more funding for such instruction; and
• ·The HELP SEPARATED CHILDREN ACT, H.R.3531, which requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adhere to humane procedures in all enforcement actions, strengthens ability of child welfare agencies to protect immigrant children separated from families, improves immigration officer training, improves oversight of DHS enforcement, ensures separated immigrant parents have contact w/kids.

HELPING COMMUNITIES AND REDUCING CRIME

Stark supports making attacks based on sexual orientation a federal hate crime, and Congress did just that in the 111^th Congress. In October 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. This law gives law enforcement resources to prevent and prosecute hate crimes against Americans based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

 

Stark is an advocate for making streets safe by ensuring that community youth and juveniles have a strong network of support and resources. He cosponsored the following bills:

 

• ·The YOUTH PRISON REDUCTION THROUGH OPPORTUNITIES, MENTORING, INTERVENTION, SUPPORT, AND EDUCATION ACT, H.R. 1064, authorizes funding for communities that want to address youth gang and crime challenges, bringing together community leaders (law enforcement, mental health volunteers and other organizations dealing with children) to develop a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies;
• ·The JUVENILE CRIME REDUCTION ACT, H.R. 1931,  identifies juveniles with mental health and substance abuse disorders, diverts juveniles from detention/incarceration into home/community-based care, and implements services that reduce recidivism and improve outcomes of juveniles offenders;
• ·The JUVENILE JUSTICE IMPROVEMENT ACT, H.R. 1873, protects youth from being held in an adult jail or lock-up pre-trial, allows states to house youth convicted as adults in juvenile facilities, keeps youth out of locked facilities for non-criminal offenses, and encourages states to adopt better policies (grants, training) to address the needs of juveniles; and
• ·The FIGHTING GANGS AND EMPOWERING YOUTH ACT, H.R. 5969, which offers improved prevention programs, more focused recidivism and reentry efforts, and stronger penalties for those involved with recruiting gang members. 

Stark believes that police departments and emergency responders should be well equipped and prepared for every situation. With this in mind, Stark has cosponsored the following:

• ·The ENHANCED VIOLENT CRIME COMMUNITY POLICING ACT, H.R. 3154, which provides grant money to localities for the purpose of recruiting and training new officers;
• ·The JUSTICE FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ACT, H.R. 4114, which addresses the national rape kit backlog, denial of free rape kits to survivors of assault, and shortage of trained health professionals capable of administering rape kit exams;
• ·The FVPSA REAUTHORIZATION ACT, H.R. 4116, which reauthorizes the Family Violence Prevention & Services (FVPS) Act. The FVPS Act provides local domestic violence shelters with critical funding to meet the needs of victims. Its authorization expired in 2008. This bill will increase authorization from $175M to $250M, tailor shelter programs to help children exposed to violence, and update the National Domestic Violence Hotline; and
• ·The TEEN DATING VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT, H.R. 789, which provides counseling services to victims and abusers, identify practices for reducing violence, offer legal and mental health services for victims, and encourage community-based solutions.

 

IMPROVING TRANSPORTATION

Stark supports improvements to airline passenger safety. In August 2010, the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act became law. The bill strengthens commercial pilot training requirements by mandating a minimum of 1,500 flight hours before a pilot receives his or her airline pilot certificate.

Stark has been a longtime advocate of airline passengers. He cosponsored the following bills:

• ·The AIRLINE PASSENGER BILL OF RIGHTS ACT, H.R. 624, requires airlines and airports to deplane passengers after excessive delays and provide passengers with food, clean drinking water, usable bathrooms, proper ventilation and medical care during delays;
• ·The BAGGAGE FEE FAIRNESS ACT, H.R. 5384 requires airlines to refund a baggage fee if the luggage is lost, damaged or delayed. This bill would also make it easier for travelers to comparison shop by requiring inclusion of baggage fees when getting a quote over the phone or online; and
• ·The FIRST BAG FLIES FREE ACT, H.R. 4077, which makes it illegal to charge a fee for the first checked bag that weights 50 Ibs or less and doesn't exceed 62".

Stark supports legislation that makes our communities greener and our roads safer, and is a cosponsor of:

• ·The PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ACT, H.R. 734, which directs the Secretary of Transportation to study and establish a motor vehicle safety standard that will provide a means of alerting the blind, elderly, and young pedestrians of nearby cars in order to insure pedestrian safety;
• ·The OLDER DRIVER AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND ROADWAY ENHANCEMENT ACT, H.R. 3355, which would provide $500 million annually for roadway infrastructure improvements recommended by the Federal Highway Association to make the roads safer for older drivers;
• ·The ACTIVE COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION ACT, H.R. 4722, which provides qualified communities with grants of $5-15 million for 3-5 years to fund pedestrian-oriented transportation projects, such as bike lanes and sidewalks; and
• ·The GREEN ROUTES TO WORK ACT, H.R. 3271, which creates a series of tax incentives for people or employers to make it easier for commuters who want to get to work by bike/walking/carpooling/public transit.

LOCAL ISSUES

KEEPING THE NILES POST OFFICE OPEN: After extraordinary efforts by the community and several correspondences to the Postmaster General from Rep. Stark, the Niles Post Office will remain open. The U.S. Postal Services had included Niles on its long list of potential orders as a measure to save the USPS money. Closing Niles would have hurt many seniors and small businesses in the Niles District that rely on this centrally located post office. 

RESPONDING TO THE PG&E SAN BRUNO GASLINE EXPLOSION: On September 9^th a PG&E gasline exploded in San Bruno killing 7 people and raising concerns about aging lines throughout the Bay Area. Stark helped to arrange a meeting between the Bay Area Delegation and PG&E officials. He also sent a letter to PG&E on September 17^th requesting that the company disclose the high-risk lines in the East Bay, provide constituents with information about how close they live to a potentially high risk line, and what PG&E plans to do to inspect and repair their high risk lines. After the letter, PG&E created a public website where residents can find information about potentially dangerous gas lines in their area.

Stark is an original cosponsor of the Pipeline Safety and Community Empowerment Act (HR 6295). This legislation would mandate safety inspections and improved safety equipment, such as automatic shut-off valves. It will also improve accountability and increase public awareness surrounding natural gas pipelines.

BRINGING RESOURCES TO THE 13th DISTRICT

 

In addition to securing ARRA funds for the community, Stark has also worked to direct federal funds to worthy projects that will benefit residents of the 13^th District. This Congress, Rep. Stark made numerous funding requests to the House Appropriations Committees for projects within the District, including but not limited to: emergency communications upgrades for city police and fire departments, school and after-school care programs, flood-control studies and programs for at-risk youth. These requests for Fiscal Year 2011 can be found at http://www.stark.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1536&Itemid=104.

The following projects were requested by Rep. Stark for fiscal year 2010 and received funding:

The Alameda County Public Works Department received $1,337,000 for the Alameda County Resource Conservation District. The purpose of this project is mitigation of the negative effects of soil erosion caused by upstream development, local urbanization, and channel instability resulting in a critical impact to endangered wildlife habitats.

The Digital Connectors At-Risk Youth Program Extension, run by Eden Housing, received $575,000. Digital Connectors is a community-based vocational training, academic enrichment and volunteer program that improves the ability of at-risk youth to interface with technology effectively, troubleshoot software needs and facilitate general comfort with common applications which promotes confidence and professional capacity.

The East Bay Regional Communication System Authority received $1,050,000 for the East Bay Regional Communications System. Alameda County has requested funding to help Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, 29 cities and four special districts to build and operate a state-of-the-art P25-compliant communications system for the public agencies within the two counties.

Alameda County and the Alameda Social Services Policy Offices received $200,000 for a Family Visitation Center. The primary goal of the center will be to reunite children with the birth parent, with an expected outcome of reducing the reentry of families into the foster care system that successfully reunify. Typically, the various levels of government (federal, state, and local) become the parents of last resort to foster children, which is the most expensive and least efficient means of meeting the needs of abused and neglected children. Therefore, the establishment of a family visitation center embraces the concept of family and the rebuilding of families as the most cost-effective, nurturing and viable way of addressing the needs of abused and neglected children.

The City of Newark received $200,000 for the city’s Public Safety Interoperability Program. The City relies on the Alameda County Radio System for communications. However, the current communication system is not compatible with agencies not using the County’s Motorola “SMARTNET” system. Alameda County will be allocating funds received through Urban Areas Security Initiatives (UASI) and other sources to upgrade their system in order to become a Project 25 (P25) compliant radio system.

The Alameda County Public Works Agency received $112,000 for Pre-Construction Engineering and Design for the Estudillo Canal. The primary objective of this Feasibility Study is to determine the extent of Federal interest in providing flood damage reduction in the study area. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) requires $85,000 more in federal funds to complete the study.

The Bay Area Clean Water Agency received $1,215,000 for the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Recycling Program. The funds requested are for the San Jose Area Water Reclamation and Reuse Project; the Mountain View, Moffett Area Reclaimed Water Pipeline Project; the Pittsburg Recycled Water Project; the Antioch Recycled Water Project; the Redwood City Recycled Water Project; the North Coast County Water District Recycled Water Project; the South Santa Clara County Recycled Water Project; the South Bay Advanced Recycled Water Treatment Facility; the CCCSD-Concord Recycled Water Project; and the Petaluma Recycled Water Project, Phases 2A, 2B and 3. These projects are part of the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program and will construct pipeline and related conveyance facilities to develop and expand the use of recycled water to augment surface water supplies, helping to preserve overdrawn river and groundwater supplies, protect the environment, and improve the overall security and reliability of the Area’s urban water systems.

The California State Coastal Conservancy received:

• ·$2,800,000 for the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study. The project generated from this Study will provide tidal and fluvial flood protection for Silicon Valley and tidal wetland habitat restoration. The flood protection will benefit approximately 42,800 acres, 7,400 homes and businesses, and major highways, parks and airports. This year’s funding will allow the Corps of Engineers to make essential progress on completion of the Feasibility Report for the Study as directed by the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
• ·$1,000,000 for the South San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds Restoration Project. This request will provide funding to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). USGS will use these funds to conduct interdisciplinary monitoring (biological, hydrological, and water quality studies) of Salt Ponds in San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay. With restoration work occurring in both the South Bay and North Bay salt ponds, there is an urgent need for monitoring to guide planning and implementation efforts. In fact, the continuance of the project and current and future restoration activities are all dependent upon monitoring as the project is proceeding based on adaptive management.
  

The City of Newark received $50,000 for its After School Recreation Program. The City’s After School Program serves the youth by offering a program that recognizes a child’s need for recreational activities with caring adults to help foster social and emotional skills. The City is seeking federal assistance to continue our unique partnership between the City and Newark Unified School District that addresses the issues of providing school age children with positive use of leisure time, latchkey problems and early-age gang intervention.

The City of Fremont received $150,000 for Aging and Family Services. Funding will support a Tri-City coalition to further implement a community-wide plan to address the growing needs of seniors, including those most often underserved. The City works to develop a model of civic engagement that encompasses private, public, non-profit agencies and community members to support an efficient and culturally appropriate infrastructure for elder support.

First 5 Alameda County received $500,000 for the Alameda County Children’s Screening, Assessment, Referral and Treatment (SART) Initiative. First 5 seeks funds to enhance the Children’s SART Initiative, the purpose of which is the early identification of children with developmental and/or social emotional concerns and early intervention to help children reach their full potential. The SART Initiative is a countrywide, collaboratively funded program that builds on and enhances existing services for children, families and providers. This funding will be used to support assessment and treatment for children who are not Medi-Cal eligible, to make available education materials in multiple languages for families and providers, and for the purchase of an electronic standardized screening tool in multiple languages, which will facilitate developmental screening in community settings. 

AC Transit received $1,000,000 for Berkeley-Oakland-San Leandro Bus Rapid Transit. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) constitutes a unique effort to revitalize a densely populated urban area by applying state-of-the-art transit service to AC Transit's core service area. Not only is the BRT improvement critical for the over 30,000 current daily riders along this corridor, but they will become a vehicle for community development and urban revitalization for the cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro, attracting thousands more daily riders. AC Transit is proud to be at the forefront of these critical efforts to provide fast, frequent, cost effective and reliable transit service to the most densely populated and transit-dependent corridor in the East Bay.

The City of Alameda received $300,000 for Park Street Pedestrian Safety Transportation Improvements. Improvements made to the Park Street Business District are revitalizing downtown Alameda. A phased approach is reversing the chronic leakage of retail sales out of the island community by creating jobs and desirable business opportunities. The project meets the eligibility requirements of the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation (TCSP) Program under the Federal Highway Administration.

Union City and the Alameda County Congestion Agency received $500,000 for the Union City Intermodal Station. Funds will go toward the creation of a two-sided Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station to provide a link between transit-oriented development and transit systems, including regional rail transit, inter-regional rail service and regional and local bus service.

ADDITIONAL FEDERAL GRANTS

 

September 2009:

*   Alameda Point Collaborative (APC) was awarded a $625,000 Community Economic Development grant from the Office of Community Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. APC is a community that provides housing and services to help formerly homeless individuals flourish. The grant has enabled APC to expand its main social enterprise, Ploughshares Plant Nursery, in order to create at least 25 permanent positions for APC residents over the next 3 years.

*  APC, located on 34 acres situated on the former Alameda Naval Air Station, operates 200 housing units. APC provides affordable housing, job training, health services and employment in a community that fosters support and interaction. APC operates a community garden, bike shop, commercial plant nursery, health center and community center.

*   $451,440 was directed to BART’s Alameda Terminal for the design and construction of pedestrian and bicycle elements.

October 2009:

*   The Housing Authority of the City of Alameda received $555,588 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family Unification Program, which provides Housing Choice Vouchers to families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary cause of parents being separated or near separated from their children. The funding also provides stable housing for young adults (ages 18-22) who have “aged-out” of the foster care system.

*   RAPT Industries, Inc. and Applied Spectra, Inc. in Fremont received funds from NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The SBIR program works with NASA to competitively select ventures that address research and technology needs for agency programs and projects.

February 2010

*   Cellasic Corporation received $451,800 from the National Institute of Medical Sciences for pharmacology, physiology, and biological chemistry research.

March 2010

*   Sun Innovations Company in Fremont received $367,829 from the National Center for Research Resources at the Department of Health and Human Services for their project, ‘High Throughput Screening for Advanced Scintillation Detectors.’

May 2010

*   Cellasic Corporation received $105,208 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for their project, ‘Microfluidic Liver Array for Long Term In Vitro Hepatocyte Culture and Screening.’

June 2010

*   Lypro Biosciences in Alameda received $726,199 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for allergy, immunology, and transplantation research.

*   The Arbor Vita Corporation received $208,622 from the National Cancer Institute for their project, ‘PDZ-targeted Therapeutics for Cervical Cancer.’

July 2010

*   The Cancer Prevention Institute of California, located in Fremont, received $999,998 from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities for their project, ‘Expanding Vietnamese Community and Academic Infrastructure for Health Research.’

*   Union City Transit received $1,909,974 from the Federal Transit Administration for the East Plaza Transit Loop Road. This Road is an integral part of the Union City Intermodal Station that is the centerpiece of a high-density, transit-oriented district that provides service to transit, pedestrian, bicycle and auto access to the east side of the intermodal station.

*   The Hayward Public Library and the San Leandro Public Library received a total of $34,100 from The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts. These awards help support projects that bring communities together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 31 selections from United States and world literature (Hayward chose the book ‘In the Time of Butterflies’ and San Leandro chose ‘The Joy Luck Club’).

August 2010

*   The Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation in San Leandro received $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy for their project, ‘SRF-Nb Thin-Films Grown Using Energetic Condensation for Nb-on-Cu SRF Cavities.’

*   California State University in Hayward received $163,793 from the National Endowment for the Arts for the project, ‘Mexican Literature and Culture in Context.’

September 2010

*   The California Prevention Institute of California in Fremont received $220,500 from the National Cancer Institute for the project, ‘Microbial Exposures across the Lifespan and Cancer Risk in Women.’

*   The New Haven Unified School District received $100,000 from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) ‘Citizenship and Integration Grant Program’. Through this grant program, the District will receive much needed support to expand community capacity to prepare lawful permanent residents for citizenship and the naturalization process.

*   The California State University East Bay Foundation, Inc. in Hayward received $499,406 from the U.S. Department of Education for the Promise Neighborhoods Program. The purpose of the Program is to provide all children in the neighborhood access to effective schools and strong systems of support that will prepare them to attain excellent education and successfully transition to college and career.

* The California State University East Bay Foundation, Inc. in Hayward received $6,626,535 from the National Science Foundation for the San Francisco Bay Integrated Middle School Science Project (IMSS) Targeted Math-Science Partnership. This project is a partnership - between California State University, East Bay (CSUEB), the Alameda County Office of Education, and the Hayward, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo unified school districts – that is developing and studying a comprehensive teacher professional development model designed to transform science teaching and learning in underperforming middle schools serving predominantly low-income, underrepresented minority students.

* The Newark and San Leandro Police Departments received a total of $3,175,857 from the Department of Justice’s COPS Hiring Program. Funds will be used to hire new and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort and to increase the departments’ community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.

October 2010

* The East Bay Regional Park District received $10,200,000 through the Department of Transportation's Tiger II Discretionary Grants Program. Funds will go toward closing several critical gaps in the nearly 200-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail system serving the 2.5 million residents of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties in California.

 * The State of California (along with the States of Arizona and Nevada) received $500,000 through the Department of Transportation to fund the western high-speed rail alliance service area plan.

November 2010

            * TaoMedix, Inc., a biological products manufacturing company in Alameda, received $150,000 through the National Science Foundation for their project "SBIR Phase I: A Novel Interferon for Augmenting Wound Healing of Burns."

             * OndaVia, Inc., a research and development company in Hayward, received $200,000 through the National Science Foundation for their project "SBIR Phase I: (RAPID) Hazardous Hydrocarbon Monitoring."      

            * The Ohlone Community College District in Fremont received $10,000 through the National Endowment of the Arts that will support the presentation of traditional Indian and Chinese music and dance. 

  

CASE WORK & DISTRICT EVENTS

In the 111^th Congress Stark hosted 13 in-district town hall meetings, including 9 Saturday morning meetings and 4 weeknight meetings; rotating sites throughout the district. On a typical Saturday morning, Stark held 2 or 3 meetings with average attendance at each meeting running between 50 and 75. In the midst of the health care debate in the first session of the 111^th Congress, attendance at the August and September 2009 town halls swelled to over 1,000. Lines of constituents wound around the meeting sites and seating capacity was quickly reached. In addition to the in-district Saturday and weeknight meetings. Stark also held 4 telephone town halls.

In September of both sessions of the 111^th Congress Stark held an Academy Information Night at the San Leandro Library. On average, 45 interested students and parents attended. Representatives from the US Service Academies – West Point, Annapolis, Air Force and Merchant Marine – made brief presentations spotlighting their respective schools, then met with students and parents to answer individual questions. District staff was on hand to answer questions about the nomination process.

Stark also held successful 28^th and 29^th Annual Congressional Arts Competitions in May of each session of Congress. Students from 8 high schools in the district submitted approximately 40 original works of art for each competition. The artwork was displayed in the district, followed by a reception for the students and their families. The competition winners were announced at the reception. Teresa Mooney of Alameda was the winner of the 28^th Annual Competition. Teresa attended Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School. Her winning painting was a mixed media piece titled Paper Plates. Patrick Magno of Fremont was the winner of the 29^th Annual Competition. His winning piece, Saunter, was an acrylic on cardboard and paper. Patrick attended Moreau Catholic High School. Teresa’s painting was on display in the Capitol tunnel corridor during the first session of the 111th Congress; Patrick’s artwork was displayed in the second session.

Helping cut through federal red tape, Stark’s office opened nearly 1500 new cases in the first session of the 111^th Congress, and worked on nearly 1600 cases in the second session. In addition to the formal cases opened, district staff has met with hundreds of constituents in person and assisted thousands over the phone. Casework during the 111^th Congress ranged from simple status checks on pending immigrant petitions to tracking down missing Social Security checks and arranging expedited appointments for passport renewals to more complicated issues requiring perseverance or advocacy on a constituent’s behalf. Reflecting the downturn in the economy, the district casework load shifted dramatically from immigration related issues to housing foreclosures and loan modifications – with one exception. Because of technicalities in immigration regulations, the district office assisted with a spate of expiring Employment Authorization Documents, helping to expedite the processing of many cases.

Examples of some of the varied issues the district office helped to resolve during the 111^th include:

Veterans Administration

Unable to work and in dire financial straights, Walter contacted our office in late October for assistance with his VA disability benefits, which were being held up pending the appointment of an assigned payee. We contacted the VA on Walter’s behalf and requested expedited processing of his case. In early December, in just over a month, a payee was assigned and Walter’s retroactive benefit of $20,000 was released.

Veterans Administration

Wanda contacted us for assistance on behalf of her mother who was due retroactive Veterans’ Survivor Benefits. The benefits were needed to pay for her mother’s care, but were being withheld pending the appointment of a fiduciary. We contacted the VA and requested expedited processing of the fiduciary appointment. In less than a month, the appointment was finalized and a retroactive payment of over $11,000 was made.

Air Force

Jeffrey contacted us for assistance in obtaining a bronze replica of the Tuskegee Congressional Medal of Honor for his father. His father served with the original Tuskegee Airmen from 1942 –1945 and was among the honorees of the President at the Inauguration Ceremony in Washington, D. C. in January 2009. We contacted the U. S. Air Force and Jeffrey was able to order the special replica medal for his father. In addition, we were informed that Jeffrey’s father was eligible for several more service medals and ribbons as well as 2 bronze stars and a silver star. The replica medal and long-overdue medals, ribbons and stars were presented to Jeffrey’s father. His family, who flew in to help him celebrate, was in attendance.

Navy

John applied for a job at a Naval Facilities Engineering Command. Though qualified for the position and meeting the job criteria, John was informed he was not qualified and would not be offered a job. As a result of our inquiry, the Navy reviewed the case, corrected an administrative error that had disqualified him and placed John on a priority consideration list.

Housing

Victims of the downturn in the economy, Ellen’s husband lost his job and the couple could no longer afford their mortgage. Having always paid the mortgage timely, Ellen asked her bank to renegotiate the loan. The bank refused. After contacting the Office of Thrift Supervision on Ellen’s behalf, the OTS contacted the bank. The bank reviewed the case and Ellen was able to work out a loan modification and save her house.

Housing

Ruth, a single mother, contacted our office on a Monday for assistance stopping a foreclosure/short sale of her home the following day. Ruth, a longtime homeowner, needed to put a new roof on her house. After talking to her lender, she took out a home equity loan and refinanced her house in order to pay for the roof. The lender assured her if she kept her payments current for 2 years she would qualify for a more manageable rate. She kept her payments current for a year until a medical disability intervened. Her monthly payments skyrocketed, more than doubling. We contacted the Office of the Controller of the Currency who, in turn, contacted Ruth’s bank. The next day the bank postponed the sale for 30 days giving Ruth time to become current with her payments and time to work out refinancing with her lender.

Housing

Vanda requested a home loan modification in order to retain ownership of her home. When Vanda did not quality for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and her husband simultaneously lost his job, the family’s financial situation became extremely difficult. Vanda contacted us for assistance and we contacted the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on her behalf. The OCC, in turn, contacted the bank. The bank reviewed the case for all available retention options and Vanda was found eligible under a Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) Solutions plan, which temporarily reduced her payments. After successfully making the reduced payments, Vanda was approved for a permanent loan modification. She was able to stay in her home and continue caring for her family.

Railroad Administration

Kathleen lived adjacent to land owned by a railroad. Overgrown by weeds, Kathleen believed the site posed a serious fire hazard. Finding no local agency able to help, she contacted us for assistance. We contacted the Federal Railroad Administration on Kathleen’s behalf. The FRA investigated, determined the weeds were a hazard and instructed the railroad company to correct the problem and trim the weeds.

Passport

Ernest lost his passport and needed a new one to attend his son’s wedding. Nine months before the wedding, he applied for a new passport. When, 3 weeks before the wedding, he had not yet received a new one, he contacted us. We contacted the Passport Agency and Ernest received his passport in time to see his son take his wedding vows.

Passport

Faced with a medical emergency, Edna and her sister booked flights to the Philippines and made appointments at the San Francisco Passport Agency to renew their passports. When their appointments were scheduled several days after their departure date, they contacted us. We were able to expedite their appointments and Edna and her sister received their passports in time to make their flights and take care of the family emergency.

Immigration

Venky contacted us for assistance with travel documents for her parents. Both her mother and father had pending adjustment of status applications when her father was diagnosed with cancer. In need of immediate radiation therapy, and unable to pay out-of-pocket for medical care here, her father needed to return to his home country for treatment. With Green Cards pending, Venky’s parents could not travel abroad without advance parole travel documents. We were able to expedite processing of the travel documents so Venky’s father could leave the county for radiation therapy and return to the US when his treatment was completed.

Immigration

Pauline and her husband married in 1975 and a year later they immigrated to the US. Thirty-three years later, after many moves, they were unable to locate their marriage certificate – a document they needed for the designation of pension beneficiaries. After trying, unsuccessfully, to request their marriage certificate from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, they contacted us for assistance. After contacting USCIS on their behalf, Pauline and her husband soon received their original marriage certificate, along with the rest of the documents they had provided to immigration services 33 years earlier.

TriCare

71-year-old Edilberto traveled to Australia and fell seriously ill. He was admitted to a local hospital for care. After recovering and returning to the US, Edilberto submitted a claim to TriCare for reimbursement, using the invoices he received upon discharge for the hospital. Because hospitals in Australia do no provide itemized statements, TriCare would not process the claim. After making an inquiry with TriCare on Edilberto’s behalf, TriCare contacted the Australian hospital directly, obtained the information they needed to process the claim, and Edilberto was reimbursed for his medical expenses.

Military

To arrange a military burial for her late husband, Marcia, the grieving widow of a veteran, contacted our office for assistance in obtaining her husband’s service records. As a result of our inquiry, within the week Marcia received the necessary records and was able to arrange her husband’s military funeral.

Army

Onofre wanted to retire but did not have 20 years of service with the US Army. At age 60, he had reached the natural age-out for re-enlistment in the Army and could not acquire additional credits. However, Onofre had performed several years of drills with the Army Reserve, for which he was never paid. To retire, he needed to receive the pay and credits for these drills. Onofre contacted our office for assistance. After providing supporting documents for the drills he had performed with the Army Reserve, the US Army reviewed Onofre’s documents and awarded the credits. Onofre was pleased that he could now retire.

Army

Refugio served in the US Army as a Private during WWII. Putting his life on the line for his fellow soldiers and helping his platoon avoid capture or death, Onofre received a Letter of Commendation (LOC) for his actions. However, although Refugio received the LOC, he was never awarded the medals he deserved because the LOC was signed by a Colonel rather than a General. Sixty-five years later, Refugio’s grandson, Ronald, was determined to get the medals his grandfather was commended for. Ronald contacted our office and we requested a review of Refugio’s Army record. After reviewing the record, the US Army awarded Refugio the medals, including a Bronze Star, the fourth highest combat award. Refugio was pleased to receive the Bronze Star and grateful for his grandson’s persistence.

Medicare

Gail’s medical claims were denied because of a mix up between her primary insurer, Medicare, and her secondary private insurer. With a mounting stack of unpaid medical bills, and unable to resolve the problem on her own, Gail contacted us for assistance. We contacted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Gail’s behalf. CMS corrected Gail’s records and her previously denied claims were reprocessed and promptly paid by Medicare, much to her relief.

Social Security Disability

Gerald was involved in a serious car accident, which resulted in a catastrophic injury limiting his mobility and his ability to work. Several months before he exhausted his CA State Disability benefits, he contacted the Social Security Administration to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. Although Social Security informed him that his application would be processed within 3 months, a year later Gerald had received no correspondence. We made an inquiry with Social Security on Gerald’s behalf. Social Security immediately assigned Gerald a caseworker and within 3 days he had received a call that his benefits were approved and he would begin receiving them soon.

Social Security Disability

Dev initially received a Notice of Award from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in November, entitling her to monthly benefits and 3 years of retroactive benefits. While her monthly benefits commenced as scheduled, Dev did not receive the retroactive payment. Our office received her correspondence in late May, and contacted the SSA on her behalf. In June Dev received notification from the SSA that her next check would include the retroactive payment she was owed over $40,000!

Department of Defense

Said contacted our office in July, furious at the difficulties he was experiencing getting through the federal government bureaucracy. In the downturned economy, Said, the sole income earner for his family, had been fortunate enough to find employment as a translator for the United States Army, pending security clearance from the Department of Defense (DOD). When his unemployment insurance ended and his security clearance remained pending, Said contacted our office for assistance. In reply to our inquiry on his behalf, the DOD indicated that further clarification was required before a decision could be made on his case. Said provided clarification and his case was handled on a priority basis. Said visited our office in August employed as a full-time translator for the US Army.