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	Friday, October 12, 2007
	Congressman Clay’s Capitol Hill Report
By Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Member of Congress
	Congressman Clay’s Capitol Hill Report Friday, October 12, 2007 This week, Congress worked to protect American consumers from a stream of dangerous products and tainted foods that have recently been in the news.  We also passed legislation to expose corruption and war profiteering in Iraq. I’m also especially proud that one of my top priorities, the Affordable Housing Trust Act of 2007, gained final passage. And we continue to work with Republicans of good conscience to overturn President Bush’s cruel and cynical veto of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.  That critical override vote is set for next Thursday.  There are some programs that should be above the normal political debate, because they do so much good for so many people.  SCHIP is one of them.  I urge all of you to contact our Republican friends in Congress, to remind them that standing up for America’s children is more important than sustaining the President’s veto.  Thank you. - Lacy H.R. 2895, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 Will Expand Opportunities for Home Ownership for Low and Moderate Income Families The just-passed National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act will strengthen the housing market and stabilize the economy, expand affordable housing and mortgage loan opportunities for families at risk of foreclosure, and strengthen consumer protections against risky loans in the future. This bill complements companion legislation that I was proud to cosponsor, HR 1427, the Federal Housing Reform Act of 2007.  Building more affordable housing is essential to help families who have lost their homes in the subprime mortgage crisis as well as closing the home ownership gap that keep lower income Americans paying rent, instead of building wealth.The new Housing Trust Fund will build or preserve 1.5 million homes or apartments over the next 10 years, without increasing government spending or the federal deficit.  The bill is entirely funded through increased fees from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  It targets funds to support the construction of affordable housing for lower income families facing the greatest housing affordability challenges. SCHIP Is Bipartisan, Fiscally Responsible, Absolute Essential to the Health of Our Nation’s Children No child in Missouri, or anywhere else in our nation should ever go without medical care.   But unless we can override the President’s veto of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, over 100,000 children of working families right here in Missouri will be left without healthcare coverage. The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was created in 1997 to provide health care coverage for children in working families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. This bill gives states the resources and incentives necessary to reach millions of uninsured children who are currently eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP. This bipartisan House-Senate bill has been endorsed by more than 270 organizations, – ranging from the American Medical Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans to Families USA, the consumer advocacy group. SCHIP reauthorizes the Children’s Health Insurance program for five years and preserves the coverage for the 6 million children currently covered by SCHIP.  It also extends health care coverage to about 4 million additional low-income children, who are currently uninsured.  Plus, we can accomplish all that without increasing the deficit, because the expansion of SCHIP is paid for entirely by increased taxes on tobacco products. I’m asking all my Republican colleagues to put America’s children first and help us override this misguided veto. War Profiteering Act of 2007 Will Crack Down on Contractor Fraud & Abuse in Iraq This week, I was pleased to support the War Profiteering Act of 2007, which passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority.  The Act criminalizes war profiteering – bid-rigging, contract fraud or overcharging for goods and services during a time of war, military action or a reconstruction effort -- increases punishments for violations of the law, and ensures the alleged crimes are tried in United States Federal Court. Currently, anti-fraud laws that protect against the waste or theft of U.S. tax dollars in the United States do not apply to American companies overseas. In one case in Iraq, a contractor was found guilty of 37 counts of fraud, including false billing, and was ordered to pay more than $10-million in damages.  However, the decision was subsequently overturned because U.S. laws against fraud did not apply. The War Profiteering Act would correct this problem and ensure contractors are held accountable for their actions.  It is long overdue.House Unanimously Approves Four Bill Package to Protect Children, Consumers, From Unsafe Products With reports of new recalls of toys, medications, food and consumer products coming in almost every week, I was pleased to support a bipartisan package of four bills to improve product safety. On Tuesday, the House unanimously approved four bills to protect children. The bills include: The Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act, which will improve the safety of gasoline containers to protect children from death or serious injury. (2) The Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, which requires consumers to be notified directly when unsafe cribs, high chairs and other durable infant and toddler products are recalled.    (3) The Product Safety Civil Penalties Improvement Act which encourages companies to report safety problems with their products. (4) The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act which protects children from drowning by requiring the use of proper anti-entrapment drain covers in pools and spas and by creating a swimming pool safety grant program to encourage states to adopt comprehensive safety laws. In the coming weeks, the House will also consider a comprehensive bill to provide greater resources for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, ban lead in children’s jewelry and products, and make third-party testing of toys and children’s products for compliance with safety standards mandatory. Currently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is severely understaffed – having lost 15 percent of its workforce since 2004 and employing only one full-time toy tester. Media contact is Steven Engelhardt @ 314.383.5240(office), 314.504.4029 (cell) or at steven.engelhardt@mail.house.gov