Rep. Levin Works to Curb Predatory Lending Practices Targeting Troops

Rep. Levin Works to Curb Predatory Lending Practices Targeting Troops   

We owe our service members a fair and honest lending environment that is free from predators.  Rep. Levin recently joined 65 colleagues in writing a letter to Secretary of Defense Hagel in support of the Department of Defense’s proposed rules that would curb and prevent abusive practices currently used by some lenders to target military personnel.  For example, one lender charged a service member over $15,600 in interest for a 13-year-old car, when the title loan amount for the car was $1,615 -- an annual interest rate of approximately 400 percent for the loan.  Rep. Levin fully supports the rules proposed by the Department of Defense to close such unconscionable practices.

Keystone Pipeline:  Good for Big Oil, Bad for Midwest Drivers

On November 14, the House Republican Leadership rushed to bring a bill to the Floor to approve the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, which would be used to transport Canada tar sands oil across 1700 miles of our country to Gulf Coast refineries, where the oil would be refined into petroleum products, most of which would be exported abroad.  The pipeline would not reduce the price Americans pay for gasoline; in fact, TransCanada has indicated that construction of the pipeline could actually result in higher gasoline prices in Midwestern states.  The House voted 252 to 161 to approve the measure.

Lawmakers Urge Restored Funding for the National Institutes of Health

In a letter to Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi, Rep. Levin and more than 100 other House members urged the House Leadership to prioritize the important role that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays by working to fully restore funding during the one-month “Lame Duck” session.  Over the past decade, the federal government’s investment in basic research at NIH has failed to keep pace with inflation, causing NIH’s purchasing power to diminish by more than 20 percent.  At a time of unprecedented scientific opportunity, it is critical that the United States make forward-thinking investments that promote medical breakthroughs as well as our international leadership in biomedical research.

Rep. Levin Cosponsors Bill to Reduce Unplanned Teen Pregnancies

The U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rate when compared to other developed nations.  Of those teens that get pregnant each year, almost a third said they did not believe that they would get pregnant. What’s more, many states – including Michigan – do not mandate sex education. Clearly, more must be done to reduce unplanned pregnancies.

Rep. Levin recently joined 66 other Members and cosponsored the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act [H.R. 725].  This bill would authorize grants for states, local school districts, hospitals, and non-profits to teach comprehensive, evidence-based, age- and developmentally-appropriate sex education programs.