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Washington Update Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District Week of January 28-February 1, 2008 |
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ü Voted against H.R. 5140, the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act. The bill would give back a one-time tax rebate ($600 to individuals, $1200 to married couples) to Americans, including those that did not pay taxes in 2007. Congressman Forbes opposed H.R. 5140 because it would cost $146 billion and was not fully debated in the House, nor were any hearings held on the legislation where economists could verify if the one-time rebate would stimulate the economy. Additionally, the bill provided $30 billion in tax rebates to people who did not pay taxes in 2007. Congressman Forbes supports long-term tax policies that will stimulate sustained growth for individuals and businesses, not one-time economic boosts that increase the federal debt with no proven results. Congressman Forbes does support the business provisions in H.R. 5140, including establishing a 50% bonus deduction on new equipment in the year it is placed in service and allowing companies to fully expense $250,000 in both new and used tangible property in the year that it is purchased up to an overall limit of $750,000.
ü Supported House passage of H.R. 5104, which would extend the Protect America Act of 2007 for 15 days after the initial February 1, 2008 expiration date. The Protect America Act amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 to clarify that a court order is not required to target foreign terrorists. FISA created the framework for foreign intelligence gathering using electronic surveillance. To protect the civil liberties of Americans, FISA required court orders for any signals that went through a wire, which is how most short-haul communications were conducted at the time the law was enacted. Technology, however, has progressed significantly in the six years since the Sept. 11 attacks, and dramatically in the three decades since the FISA laws were first crafted. The outdated FISA laws restricted our intelligence community from utilizing a key tool in fighting the war on terror and protecting our national security. Prior to the enactment of the Protect America Act in August 2007, wholly international communications transmitted over a wire required a FISA order. This requirement hindered our intelligence community’s ability to collect vital intelligence from terrorists communicating with other foreign intelligence targets located in a foreign country.
ü The President signed into law the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1585, which had previously passed the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill had been in continued negotiations over the addition of a controversial hate crimes provision to the defense bill. Included in the NDAA are funds Congressman Forbes helped to secure for Fort Lee, Virginia, and other critical defense programs in Virginia, including shipbuilding activities. Highlights of the bill impacting the Virginia Fourth Congressional District include: 1) Authorizes BRAC funding, which will impact Fort Lee, VA; 2) Authorizes funding for the first next generation aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, CVN-21, to be built in Newport News, Virginia; 3) Authorizes $5.9 million for construction of a chapel at Fort Lee; 4) Authorizes a multi-year ship procurement for Virginia-Class Submarine program, and boosts advanced procurement by $588 million for two Virginia Class Submarines rather than the one submarine planned in the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2010; and 5) Renames the Logistics Automation Facility at Fort Lee after General Richard H. Thompson. The bill also authorizes a pay raise of 3.5% for active duty service members and prevents any increase in TRICARE fees among military retirees. ü Sent letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates inquiring about the tuition rates faced by military dependents. The purpose of this letter is to assess the unmet needs and challenges of military dependents that graduate high school and are ineligible for in state tuition rates in the state in which they live, because they do not meet the residency requirements. Additionally, the letter inquired about military dependents who graduate overseas and the financial challenges they face returning to the States for college.
ü Supported House passage of H.R. 3992, the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2007. H.R. 3992 would reauthorize the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment program and increase the level of funding to $75 million per year. H.R. 3992 would authorize $10 million per year for grants to States and units of local government for 1) programs that offer law enforcement personnel specialized and comprehensive training in procedures to identify and respond appropriately to individuals with mental illnesses, and 2) provide for the development of specialized receiving centers to assess individuals in the custody of law enforcement personnel for mental health and substance abuse treatment needs. This legislation will expand capabilities and effectiveness of correctional agency identification and treatment plans for mentally ill offenders and authorize $10 million for grants to correctional facilities to improve the capacity to provide for inmates who have mental illnesses. Congressman Forbes is a cosponsor of H.R. 3992. ü Supported House passage of H.R. 3971, the Deaths In Custody Act. The Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 directed the Bureau of Justice Statistics within the Department of Justice to collect data on deaths that occur in two primary stages of the criminal justice system: first, deaths that occur “in the process of arrest” or during transfer after arrest; and second, deaths in jails and prisons. H.R. 3971 reauthorizes this data collection program and directs the Attorney General to commission a study of death in custody data to determine how to reduce deaths in custody and examine the relationship between deaths in custody and the management of jail and prison facilities. Congressman Forbes is a cosponsor of this legislation. ü Joined over 100 Members of Congress in supporting the Second Amendment by signing an amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court case in which several D.C. residents have challenged the District's laws that essentially prohibit armed self-defense in the home. This brief falls within a long tradition in which Congress has spoken on the Second Amendment in general, and the D.C. gun ban in particular. Members of Congress signing this brief are supporting the right of individual citizens to keep and bear arms.
ü Cosponsored H.R. 4464, the Commonsense English Language Act, which would ensure that it is not an unlawful employment practice for an employer to require an employee to speak English while engaged in work activities. The bill is designed to give freedom to employers to establish "English in the Workplace" policies.
ü Met with Admiral Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command to exchange observations on the U.S.-China relationship. Admiral Keating visited the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in January 2008 and Congressman Forbes, Chairman of the Congressional China Caucus, joined House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton on a Congressional Delegation trip to China in August 2007. Discussion centered on the sense of readiness in the Pacific, the denial of port calls to the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk and two minesweepers by the PRC in 2007, and the upcoming presidential election and referendum in Taiwan on March 22, 2008. To view a picture of the meeting, click here. ü Attended a classified briefing by the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the enforcement of federal espionage laws, with an emphasis on China. Following the briefing, Congressman Forbes served as the Ranking Member for an open hearing in the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security where witnesses addressed the scope of the espionage threat against the United States, key players in espionage, cyber-attacks on government computer networks, and the means by which espionage is conducted in the United States. The panelists concluded that the People’s Republic of China represents the number one espionage threat against the United States. To learn more about the hearing, visit the Subcommittee's website here. To read Congressman Forbes' press release before the hearing, visit here.
ü Cosponsored H.R. 5032, the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act. This legislation would require that a doctor perform an ultrasound and then share the results with a woman, as well as allow her to view the images before performing an abortion. The woman would not be compelled to view the images or hear the description, and the obligation to offer this information is placed entirely on the doctor. This bill will ensure that women are given the information they need and deserve in order to make a truly informed decision.
ü Supported House passage of H.Res. 908, a resolution in support of National Mentoring Month, which builds awareness for mentoring programs integral in providing rich environments that facilitate personal growth and academic achievement of young people. ü Supported House passage of H.Res. 932, which designates the week of February 4 through February 8, 2008 as National School Counseling Week to recognize the significant impact school counselors have in supporting the academic success and professional career planning of students.
ü Voted to uphold the President’s Veto of H.R. 3963, the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007. This reauthorization proposal would expand income levels to cover families making $62,000 a year in most states. This proposal would double the size of the SCHIP program at a cost estimated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to reach over $70 billion in new spending over a ten year period. The President has already signed into law an extension of the SCHIP program, which Congressman Forbes supported, and provides funding for SCHIP through Spring 2009. For more information about the Congressman’s position on SCHIP, click here.
ü Opposed H.R. 1528, the New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act, which would designate a New England National Scenic Trail from Southern Connecticut to the Northern Massachusetts border and expand an existing trail network to 220 miles from 190 miles. H.R. 1528 would allow the Secretary of the Interior to utilize condemnation proceedings without the consent of the owner to acquire public lands. Congressman Forbes voted in favor of a motion to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from acquiring any land for the New England National Scenic Trail through the use of eminent domain or accepting any land that was acquired through the use of eminent domain for the trail. This motion failed and H.R. 1528 passed the House of Representatives.
For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.
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