| January 25, 2008
Dear Friend,
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Sincerely,
Christopher Shays
Member of Congress
My Observations
and Recommendations Following My Most Recent Trip to Iraq
I recently returned from my 19th trip to Iraq. In a letter to Secretary
of Defense Robert Gates, others in the Bush Administration, and
congressional, military and Iraqi leaders, I outlined 14 observations
and 20 recommendations.
The surge is working and better than expected. Support of tribal
leaders has been a tremendous benefit to the ultimate success of
our effort.
I believe many Iraqis are actually beginning to feel optimistic
about their future, but a timeline for U.S. troop drawdown is important
to motivate the Iraq Government to take bolder efforts to stabilize
their country. I continue to believe a safe, seamless and responsible
drawdown is our best hope for success. Read
more
Securing
Federal Funds for Connecticut's Fourth District
As part of H.R.
2764, the Fiscal Year 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act,
the Fourth Congressional District will receive over $27 million
to fund key transportation, economic and social programs. Included
in this funding are important projects such as over $4
million to take down the dam and restore natural water flow to the
Mill River in Stamford, over $4
million for improvements for the Bridgeport Intermodal Center,
over $5
million for dredging in the Norwalk Harbor and over
$700,000 for the Georgetown (Redding, Ridgefield, Weston and Wilton)
regional Centralized Dispatch Center. Read
more
Prohibiting
Torture
I voted for H.R.
4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations
Act, which requires all U.S. personnel to follow current Army
rules prohibiting torture. I believe the use of torture during interrogation
is not only a deviation from what is right, but in the long run
it is an ineffective method of extracting intelligence. I have also
cosponsored H.R.
4114, the American Anti-Torture Act, and H.R.
1352, the Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act. Read
more
Expanding
Free Trade
Free trade is one of the best ways the United States can facilitate
social and economic reforms in other countries. I voted in favor
of H.R.
3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation
Act, which would eliminate duties on 80 percent of U.S. exports
of both consumer and industrial products to Peru. An additional
7 percent of U.S. exports would receive duty-free treatment within
five years of implementation. Because of the Andean
Trade Preference Act, which was signed into law earlier this
year, 98 percent of goods from Peru already enjoy duty-free access
to the U.S. market. Read
more
Reducing
Workplace Discrimination
Working men and women should be judged on the basis of their performance
at work. They should not have to fear being fired because of their
sexual orientation. I am one of the authors of H.R.
3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and voted
for the bill when it passed the House by a vote of 235 to 184. The
bill forbids employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
and is similar to the law adopted by the Connecticut General Assembly
nearly 17 years ago. Read
more
Restricting
States' Ability to Issue Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants
I oppose states providing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
and I have cosponsored multiple legislative proposals to prohibit
this practice. I believe a driver’s license should only be
issued to someone if they can prove they are in our country legally.
This is a serious concern as illegal immigrants can use a driver’s
license to access federal buildings, rent a vehicle, get on a plane
or for countless other activities which rely on verifiable identification.
Tightening access to state-issued identification cards is an important
and necessary improvement to our homeland security. Read
more
Blocking
the FAA Redesign
I am grateful for efforts by Governor Jodi Rell and Connecticut
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to join several towns in challenging
the proposed FAA Airspace Redesign plan. If we hope to succeed,
it is going to take everyone at the local, state and federal level
working together. I offered an amendment with Congressman Scott
Garrett to
H.R. 2881, the FAA Reauthorization Act, to require the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the possibility of utilizing
market-based strategies for air congestion reduction as an alternative
to the FAA Airspace Redesign plan. Read
more
Eliminating
the Crack and Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
The Supreme Court recently issued a ruling granting federal judges
the discretion to give reasonably shorter prison terms for crack-cocaine
crimes to reduce the disparity with crimes involving cocaine powder.
Current federal penalties for selling 5 grams of crack-cocaine can
warrant the same prison sentence as dealing 500 grams of the powdered
variety. I have joined Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee and the
Congressional Black Caucus to introduce H.R.
4545, the Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking
Act, which reforms the crack and cocaine sentencing disparity
in the United States. Read
more
Protecting
Children from Predators
Assaults on children are a parent's worst fear. I am a cosponsor
and voted for H.R.
3845, the PROTECT Our Children Act, which establishes an Office
of a Special Counsel for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction
in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department.
The measure, which passed the House by a vote of 415 to 2 on November
14, also requires the hiring of additional Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to ensure
we can track down and imprison child sex offenders. Read
more
Condemning
the Use of Nooses
I am a cosponsor of and voted for H.Res.
826, which expresses the sense of the House of Representatives
that the hanging of nooses is a horrible act when used for the purpose
of intimidation, and under certain circumstances can be a criminal
act. In Bridgeport, Police Sergeant Joanne Meekins found a noose
under her police car. Actions like this must never be tolerated.
Read
more
Creating
Alternative Sources of Energy
Our energy policy should reduce demand for oil by emphasizing
conservation and promoting the use of alternative and renewable
energy sources. I voted H.R.
6, the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency
Act, when it passed the House by a vote of 235 to 181. This
legislation incorporated several provisions, including increasing
CAFE standards, from the Energy
for Our Future Act, which I introduced to decrease U.S. dependence
on foreign oil, protect the environment, build a market for renewable
energy and promote energy conservation. Read
more
Passing
Mortgage Reform Legislation
Given recent problems in the subprime mortgage market, I voted
for H.R.
3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, to
establish a national standard for mortgage brokers to rein in the
abusive lending practices that contributed to the current mortgage
crisis. Under this bill, mortgage originators would be required
to provide borrowers with information on a variety of loan options
and comparative costs of loans and be prohibited from promoting
loans that are potentially disadvantageous to the consumer. The
bill also requires mortgage brokers to be licensed. Read
more
Homeowners who would like budgeting help, a written financial plan
and assistance contacting their lender should contact my office
for information on HUD-approved counselors to help you with your
needs. Read
more
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