Congressman Bob Filner

Helping Grow Our Economy to Help Struggling Americans

Last month, I voted to invest in improvements in the education, housing and health care of the American people. The Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Act, H.R. 3293, builds on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide short-term relief to struggling American families by shoring up our social safety net programs, and long-term solutions to help grow our economy and build up the workforce of the future.
This legislation is an important part of our broader economic strategy. It allows us to provide short-term help to those who need it most, while making long-term investments in building up our workforce and helping our youth get the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of the future. We continue to pass our appropriations bills on time and under budget in a fiscally responsible manner by eliminating programs that aren’t working.

The legislation shores up programs that serve as crucial social safety nets for many Americans struggling to make ends meet in this recession. It includes funding to provide jobs, meals and other support services to impoverished seniors, as well as critical energy assistance programs that help heat and cool low income homes. The bill also funds grants that allow states to provide health care to more of their uninsured residents.

To build and train the next generation of workers, this bill includes funding to recruit and train health professionals in underserved areas and encourages our brightest doctors and scientists to develop the latest medical discoveries that will keep Americans healthy and reduce health care costs. The legislation also provides funds for programs such as the Teacher Incentive Fund, which encourages teachers to innovate and find new ways to engage students and help them learn, while boosting funding for literacy programs and college preparation programs for disadvantaged students.

This bill gives our workers the tools they need to thrive in a new clean energy economy and provides aid to veterans and those workers that were recently affected by mass layoffs. At the same time, we fund new and existing programs to improve education for our young people and help them succeed in college and beyond. As the workforce of the future, we must ensure that they are ready for the challenges of a 21st century global economy.

Announcing New Program to Make College More Affordable

Last month, new benefits will take effect that will make student loans more affordable to repay by allowing borrowers to cap their monthly loan payments at a reasonable percentage of their income. Certain eligible low- and moderate-income students taking out new federal student loans will also see lower interest rates and higher Pell Grant scholarships.

An affordable college education is essential to the American dream. This new program gives our students the help they need to get a quality college education that will propel them to future success. It’s is a remarkable opportunity for our young people.

The benefits are all kicking in as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which I helped enact in 2007 under the new Democratic Congress. The legislation invested $20 billion in college aid for families, at no additional cost to taxpayers – the single largest investment to help Americans pay for college since the GI Bill.

Beginning July 1, for the first time, borrowers are able to participate in a new Income-Based Repayment program that caps their monthly loan payments at just 15 percent of their discretionary income (defined as 15 percent of what a borrower earns above 150 percent of the poverty level for their family size).

Any current or future borrowers whose loan payments exceed 15 percent of their discretionary income will be eligible. After 25 years in the program, borrowers’ remaining loan balances, including interest, will be completely forgiven.
Other benefits that go into effect today include:

Cheaper interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans. On July 1, interest rates on these loans continued to drop, from 6 percent to 5.6 percent. This was the second of four annual cuts in this interest rate; it will continue to drop until it reaches 3.4 percent in 2011. Nationwide, about 5.5 million students take out subsidized student loans each year.

Higher Pell Grant scholarships for low- and moderate-income students. Due to funding boosts provided by both the College Cost Reduction and Access Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the maximum Pell Grant scholarship for the 2009-2010 school year will be $5,350 – more than $600 above last year’s award. About 6 million students receive this scholarship each year.

In addition, Americans will continue to be able to enter into a new public service loan forgiveness created under the law. College graduates – or workers of any age – who enter public service professions will have their federal college loans completely forgiven after ten consecutive years of service and loan repayments. Eligible public servants include firefighters, public defenders and prosecutors, first responders, law enforcement officers, early childhood educators and men and women serving in the military, and more. This program can be used in conjunction with Income-Based Repayment.

Recent data shows that Americans’ interest in public service is surging. This year’s applications for programs like Teach for America and AmeriCorps have skyrocketed by 42 percent and 200 percent, respectively.

For more information on these benefits, click here or visit http://edlabor.house.gov/.

Paralympians Insire Others to Be Better and Do More

Last month, I conducted a hearing focused on the U.S. Military Paralympics Program. Twice a year, the U.S. Paralympics host Military Sports Camps, which are multi-day events for veterans with physical disabilities. During each camp, participants attend sports clinics conducted by paralympic athletes and coaches and participate in light competition. Paralympians provided testimony detailing rehabilitation, resilience, and regaining their inherent competitive spirit as a result of their participation.

For many service members and veterans who have been severely-injured, their rehabilitation can be a disheartening experience. The U.S. Military Paralympics Program allows injured service members and veterans to heal and grow, while providing an environment of athletic competition and sport. For so many wounded warriors, this program provides a valuable opportunity to explore new limits, dream new dreams, and continue their active lifestyle.

The hearing specifically focused on the VA’s Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events that was authorized upon the enactment of Public Law 110-389 on October 10, 2008. This law authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants to the U.S. Olympic Committee to provide paralympic instruction, competition activities, and training program development activities for service members and veterans with physical disabilities.

Paralympian Carlos Leon testified: “This money will go a long way toward reaching out to disabled veterans and involving them in this great program. This money can also be used toward ‘recruiting, supporting, [and] equipping,’ a new generation of paralympians…With this money we can build more centers for veterans to train and more resources to train them with. I was lucky – I found out about the Military Paralympic program soon after my injury. I was able to start training quickly, before the physical and emotional strains set-in. Not all handicapped veterans are that lucky. I know this new VA grant program will make it easier to reach out to vets soon after their injury, introduce them to veterans like me, start their training, and give them hope.”

Paralympians shared their experiences of healing from the wounds of war and credited their participation in the U.S. Military Paralympics Program with regaining their inherent competitive spirit and recovering their drive to be the best. They discussed the critical need to stay active in sports, maintain lifelong fitness, and interact with other disabled athletes.

Captain Nathan Waldon offered the following description of Disabled Sports USA ski trip: “I came away from this weekend with a sense of purpose. I had a taste of what I could do. No it was not going to be the same, hence the phrase adaptive sports. The way I view that term is perhaps different than others; it should be adaptive just from an equipment standpoint. I require a certain device to perform, but given the resources and training, I should be as good as anyone on the mountain. This one event gave me my life back. I was able to accept who I was, and with this acceptance came a sense of grounding to me life. I was no longer fighting it by focusing on the negative aspects of what had occurred. This was just another challenge to undertake.

Charlie Huebner, Chief of Paralympics for the United States Olympic Committee, testified that in 2009 the Paralympic Military program had created new programs in 99 communities to support injured service members and veterans, distributed grant funding to more than 45 organizations, and provided training to more than 1,200 community, military and veterans leaders.

Last month’s witnesses remind us to work to be better and do more in the face of adversity. It is not often that we, as Members of Congress, see the actual results of debating and allocating resources. I would like to thank the paralympians that shared their personal stories and inspired us with their courage, resilience, and strength.

Recovery Act Funding for Border Security Efforts

I am pleased to announce the release of $7,864,601 in Recovery Act funds from the U.S. Justice Department’s Southwest Border Strategy program. The City of Chula Vista will receive $2,864,605 to support task force efforts to gather intelligence related to cross-border violence; San Diego County will receive $4,999,996 to create a team of uniformed officers to patrol the border for drug smuggling and criminal activity.

This funding will help our law enforcement officials investigate and prosecute the southbound smuggling of guns and cash that fuel the violence of the cartels. Collaboration with security teams in Mexico is also a critical piece of the solution to this bi-national crisis.

The Southwest Border Strategy program is part of more than $4 billion in Department of Justice Recovery Act funds available to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement to improve the criminal justice system in the United States while creating good, local jobs.

Imperial Valley College Nursing Scholarships Get Funding

Last month, $103,852 has been awarded to Imperial Valley College by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program. Federal funds totaling nearly $53 million will support an estimated 17,089 financially disadvantaged students nation-wide in order to create a more diverse nursing workforce.

This scholarship program helps students with the greatest financial need and gives them about $3000 dollars to help pay for tuition, uniforms, books, and other equipment. There is a growing need for qualified, local health professionals in the Imperial Valley. This assistance will make a big difference to many of our nursing students!

The Imperial Valley College Dean of Financial Aid makes a presentation each semester at the nursing student orientation explaining the grant application process to all new and returning students. All IVC nursing students are encouraged to apply.

Voting to Create Small Business Jobs, Spur Economic Growth

Last month, I voted to create new jobs and boost the economy by supporting small business innovation in research and technology. The Small Business Research and Innovation Act, HR 2965, is part of our long-term economic blueprint to spur job creation by encouraging America’s entrepreneurs to innovate toward breakthrough technological advancements.

Small businesses are the engines that drive innovation and pioneer new technologies in this country. Supporting small business research and development will create new products and millions of new American jobs for years to come.

The bill modernizes the government’s largest small business research and development programs, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, more than doubling the amount of the grants small businesses can apply for and helping them engage in cutting-edge research.

The Small Business Research and Innovation Act will broaden the pool of businesses that participate in the programs by reaching out to rural entrepreneurs, veterans, minorities and women. The bill will make it easier for small businesses to find financing, allowing them – not Washington bureaucrats – to decide how to raise capital. It also puts a greater emphasis on helping smaller firms bring their products to market.

Every year, these programs help about 1,500 new firms get off the ground. There’s simply no more effective way to boost our economy than to support the small business innovation that creates new jobs, new technologies and new American industries.

Since 1992, the SBIR and STTR programs have awarded 65,000 grants to small companies that are leading research efforts to cure diseases, strengthen national defense and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources. Without action by Congress, these programs would expire later this month.

Spurring Economic Recovery by Investing in Housing, Transportation Infrastructure

Last month, I voted to help spur our economic recovery and create jobs with targeted investments in a modern transportation system and housing assistance for all Americans. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, H.R. 3288, builds on the work of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and our long-term economic plan to provide short-term help in the form of housing and jobs for those hurt most by the economic downturn and long-term solutions like improved infrastructure to put our economy on sound footing for the future.
By passing this bill on time and under budget, the House continues to enact key pieces of President Obama’s long-term economic plan. We are committed to passing fiscally responsible appropriations legislation that invests in key priorities to grow our economy, while also cutting and eliminating programs that aren’t working.

The legislation will address the challenges of keeping our transportation system safe, secure and up-to-date. To increase Americans’ use of public transportation and help wean us off of our addiction to foreign oil, we invest in the next generation of high-speed passenger rail and new commuter rail and light rail systems. We also improve and repair our nation’s aging highway system and modernize our air traffic control system to make travel safer, easier and more efficient.

Rebuilding and modernizing our roads, public transit and railways is overdue and absolutely necessary to maintain our safety and security and help minimize our dependence on foreign oil. It’s also a key tenet of our long-term economic plan and will pave the way for a new clean energy economy.

To ensure that all Americans have access to housing and shelter during this economic crisis, the bill increases funding for rental vouchers and housing assistance for the neediest Americans – the disabled, elderly and homeless veterans. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act also invests in counseling to help families who are at risk of foreclosure stay in their homes and weather the mortgage crisis.

In order to spur economic development in vacant urban commercial and industrial sites, the bill invests in grant programs that revitalize neighborhoods and turn deserted areas into commercial destinations. The legislation also encourages economic development in rural communities by establishing a fund to drive rural innovation and entrepreneurship and support small businesses.

Americans are struggling right now. We must provide immediate relief to those who have lost their homes and their jobs in this tough economy. At the same time, we have to make fiscally responsible decisions that will propel and grow our economy in the long run.