Congresswoman Susan Davis's E-Newsletter

March 2009

Dear Friend,

As we begin the 111th session of Congress, I hope you share my excitement about addressing our nation’s critical priorities. 

I was so pleased to welcome many of you at my open house celebrating the Inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama.  Members of Congress had the honor of distributing a total of 240,000 tickets to the ceremony.  I wanted to make sure that you, my constituents, had the opportunity to share in the festivities and encouraged you to enter a lottery for those tickets.  Congratulations again to those who received tickets, and thank you to those who travelled to Washington, DC, for sharing in the excitement of the historic inauguration ceremonies and other events.

President Obama has already begun to facilitate the change we need by inspiring so many people to get involved in their democracy.  Our challenge is to work together and fulfill that mandate for change.

It is important to me to be actively engaged and connected with the residents of the 53rd District.  If you would like to share your thoughts and opinions with me about federal issues or other matters of concern to you, please feel free to email me here, or call my San Diego office at (619) 280-5353, or my Washington, DC office at (202) 225-2040.

If you would like to be unsubscribed from this newsletter for any reason, please click here.

It is an honor to continue to serve you in Congress! 

 

i. Special Feature: The Economic Recovery Package

The global economic crisis is affecting all of us.  We’re all worried about jobs, home values, retirement savings and credit.  Until recently, the focus of government assistance had been on saving the financial markets, but not enough attention had been given to average Americans and average San Diegans.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has both short-term stimulus elements and important long-term goals for sustained economic growth into the future.  But we also emphasized the future by investing in education, infrastructure, healthcare, and sustainable energy. 

Hopefully, it will provide the confidence people and companies need to rebound.  The legislation is not a comprehensive solution but is a tremendous shot in the arm and should help us turn a corner.  It is one part of a complex puzzle that should bring us back from the brink of multiple economic crises.

In addition to bettering our community by improving roads, schools and other infrastructure, the stimulus will help individual Americans get back on their feet.  Some of the available assistance may make a difference in your life.  I will be holding an economic forum in late March so you can learn more about this.  In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you would take a moment to let me know what information about the recovery package would be most useful to you by taking my survey so I can best serve you.

Because so many of you have asked me what this legislation will mean for you and your families, I’ve also put together some summary information about the package which I hope will be helpful.  To find out more about the legislation, you can also visit www.recovery.gov.  On that site, you can read the full text of the bill, see timelines and a full accounting of the how the money is being spent.

To find out more about why I supported the economic stimulus plan, please click here.  To get the details on the economic stimulus plan, please click here.  I also invite you to contact either of my offices if you have further questions.

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ii. My Trip to Iraq

I recently had the opportunity to travel with my colleagues to the Middle East; there we visited several countries, including Iraq.  I’ve been to Iraq several times, and most of the times we found ourselves sequestered in buildings due to security issues.  Obviously this time, security was of the utmost importance, but this time we were able to walk around, to engage with the community, and learn about the work being done. 

I was particularly touched by a small community in northwestern Baghdad.  A former retirement community, it had become extremely violent, and most residents fled from the area.  There are efforts now underway to repopulate that area and reinvigorate the community.  I was able to meet the families that had come back, walk through the market that had been reestablished, and learn of the success of local micro-lending programs and Provincial Reconstruction Teams.  This bottom-up, grassroots cooperation gave me great hope for the future of the community.  I was also impressed at the work of the Iraqi Army and police forces.  Though there is still room for improvement, the training being provided is effective.

Overall, the improvement I saw was very heartening.  We were there the day after the Iraqi elections, where more than 130,000 individuals, including 4,000 female candidates, ran for provincial offices.  This democratic participation also signals an increase in Iraqis’ confidence in their government.  When citizens have confidence that their government is going to take care of them, that makes a big difference.  Again, many problems remain and these successes have not spread throughout the entire country, but I felt hopeful after seeing the change in Iraq. 

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iii. Committee Assignments in the 111th Congress

In the 111th Congress, I decided to stay on the House Armed Services and Education & Labor Committees because I feel these committees are a great fit for the San Diego community.  I am honored to continue as Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel.  The subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes military health care, recruitment and retention, and military education.  As someone who represents many military families, I have made their quality of life issues one of my top priorities.

In addition, I will continue to serve on the House Administration Committee.  This Committee’s jurisdiction includes election and campaign finance law as well as the administrative operations of the House of Representatives.  I am eager to keep working on federal election reform to make sure future elections run smoothly.  I will also continue to work on efforts to “Green the Capitol” on this committee.

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iV. Legislation I Have Introduced

With the new congressional session and the Obama Administration, my staff and I are extremely busy, and that’s exactly how we like it. So far, we’ve introduced the following bills and one has already passed.

• Resolution on National Mentoring Month

  Without a solid role model, the consequences for children can be detrimental. A third of those entering high school do not graduate and face limited job prospects. This alarming statistic would be lower if each one of these students had a solid mentor to stress the importance of education.

  In recognition of National Mentoring Month, I introduced H. Res. 41, a resolution recognizing the efforts of mentoring and promoting the need for more people to become mentors. This bill “supports the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month and acknowledges the diligent efforts of individuals and groups who promote mentoring and who are observing National Mentoring Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities to further promote awareness of and volunteer involvement with youth mentoring.” The House unanimously passed the resolution, 411-0, on January 13.

  Our children need to know that somebody older cares – and that is what mentoring is really all about – showing our kids that we care.

• The Mentoring America’s Children Act and the Mentoring for All Act

  In addition to the National Mentoring Month resolution, I introduced two bills to improve and enhance youth mentoring in our country. The Mentoring America’s Children Act of 2009 (H.R. 913) will make improvements to school-based mentoring programs at the Department of Education by increasing authorization amounts and expanding the program to cover more children.

  The Mentoring for All Act of 2009 (H.R. 1165) will create a new national network to connect state and local mentoring programs. Organizations involved in youth mentoring will have the opportunity to share best practices for recruiting responsible mentors and for creating healthy, long-lasting relationships. As a Co-Chair of the House Mentoring Caucus, I look forward to continuing the effort to connect our young people with a positive role model.

• The Federal Election Integrity Act

  Recent elections have brought examples of leading state election officials with disturbing conflicts of interest. In recent cases in Florida and Ohio, chief state election officials have held official positions on the campaign committees of federal candidates, such as state committee chair. I am deeply concerned that this fundamental conflict of interest prevents such an official from ensuring a fair and accurate election and could undermine the integrity of federal elections.

  The Federal Election Integrity Act, H.R. 512, would take the long-overdue step of prohibiting chief state election officials from taking part in the political campaigns of federal candidates in elections over which the officials have supervisory authority. Election officials are entrusted with a crucial responsibility for our democracy. Their only allegiance must be to the will of the voters, not to partisan political agendas.

• The Equal Justice for Our Military Act

  The words on the United States Supreme Court building read “Equal Justice Under Law.” Yet some U.S. service members are denied access to the nation’s highest court. We all know that when American men and women decide to serve their nation in the Armed Forces, they make many sacrifices – from lost time with their families to irreplaceable loss of lives. However, service members also sacrifice one of the fundamental legal rights that all civilian Americans enjoy.

  Members of the military convicted of offenses under the military justice system do not have the automatic legal right to appeal their cases to the U.S. Supreme Court. After exhausting their appeals through the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, they have little to no recourse. In contrast, the government currently has the right to appeal for Supreme Court review in every one of these cases.

  It is for this reason that I reintroduced the Equal Justice for Our Military Act, H.R. 569, which in the last Congress was passed by the House. H.R. 569 would eliminate a troubling disparity in current law by allowing court-martialed service members whose cases involve extraordinary circumstances to appeal for Supreme Court review.

  The legislation is a simple matter of fairness. We ask our men and women in uniform to support and defend our Constitution, which guarantees due process, yet we deny some of them that process. The disparity with which defendants and the government are treated under the current law is an inequity that should be rectified.

• National Link Awareness Month Resolution

  I recently introduced H.Res.191, a resolution to designate May 2009 as National Link Awareness Month. This bill would highlight the need for more attention and resources to be focused on how violence toward animals is indicative of other violent tendencies. Research indicates that children who are exposed to dome

  stic violence are nearly three times more likely to mistreat animals than children who are not exposed to such violence.

  Tragically, this behavior is often symptomatic of future abuse toward other animals or human beings. As you may know, significant research documents a relationship between childhood histories of animal cruelty and patterns of chronic interpersonal aggression. By effectively and comprehensively addressing the link between violence toward animals and other forms of societal violence, we can learn information that will help stop violence in the home as well as the community at large.

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v. Hearings on Sexual Assault in the Military

Incidents of sexual assault in the military and the stories of the lack of support for the victims are unacceptable. Therefore, in the first House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel hearing in the 111th Congress, my colleagues and I questioned civilian and military experts and practitioners on the effectiveness of advocacy and support efforts for victims of sexual assault in the military. This was the first in a series of three hearings I will be convening to examine how the Department of Defense handles sexual assault cases.

There has been a lot of attention paid to this issue recently. The questions we need to ask are, ‘Has enough been done? What more can we do?’ These hearings will look closely at efforts of prevention of sexual assault in the military, support and advocacy for victims, and the prosecution of cases of sexual assault. No one can deny our responsibility to ensure that victims of a sexual assault receive all the support that can be provided following an attack. We must also make sure we are aggressively prosecuting these cases.

Getting servicemembers to report such incidents is still a challenge, sometimes due to apprehensions about what follows an assault. In 2006, the Government Accountability Office found that factors that discourage servicemembers from reporting a sexual assault included the belief that nothing would be done; fear of ostracism, harassment, or ridicule; and concern that peers would gossip. These issues, among others, will be discussed during future hearings

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VI. Funding

Federal funding for the National Institutes for Health (NIH) has led to many important medical breakthroughs. Americans are living longer and more productive lives. Death rates for heart disease, for example, dropped 40 percent between 1975 and 2000. AIDS-related deaths dropped by 75 percent between 1995 and 2001. With the biotechnology industry and campus-based research facilities in San Diego, our region plays an instrumental role in supporting and carrying out the NIH’s mission to improve human health.

Because advancing human health is so vital, I was pleased for the opportunity to advocate for NIH funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1) with Congressman Brian Bilbray, my colleague from the north. He and I sent a letter to President Obama and House leadership outlining the great benefits of investing in medical research. In addition to improving health, the grants made by the NIH bring high-paying jobs for Americans and spurs billions of dollars in economic activity. Congressman Bilbray and I took a tour of the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland to see firsthand the advances taking place. I was happy to see economic recovery package included over $10 billion for the NIH’s crucial research of the life sciences.

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VII. New Senior Community Representative

I am pleased to welcome Bill Cegelka, my new Senior Community Representative, to the San Diego district office.  Bill is from San Diego and a graduate of Granite Hills High School.  He has a B.A. from UCSB and a law degree from the University of Kentucky, where he also served as a city council member for 4 years.  Before attending law school, Bill worked for me following my election to the California State Assembly.  In addition to community outreach, Bill will focus on public safety, the budget, the economy, military and national security issues.       

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viii. Congressional Art Competition

My San Diego office is currently accepting submissions for the 2009 Congressional Art Competition.  Each year, Members of Congress hold contests within their districts to choose winning pieces of art by high school students to be displayed in the Cannon Tunnel under the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC.  This impressive art exhibit showcases the talent of our nation’s young people.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating Unity Among Diversity,” and the deadline for students to submit entries to my San Diego office is Monday, May 4, 2009.  The winning student will receive airfare to Washington, DC for the ribbon cutting ceremony in June and scholarship opportunities.  For more information and the guidelines for this year’s competition, please visit the Congressional Art Competition page of my website at http://www.house.gov/susandavis/.

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iX. Tax Season Help

As tax season is upon us, I want you to be aware of free resources to assist you in filling out your tax returns and getting your tax questions answered before the April 15 filing deadline.  San Diego has over 80 volunteer income tax assistance (VITA) sites set up throughout the county at which low-income individuals and families, seniors, and those with limited English proficiency can receive help.  In addition, San Diego has an IRS Field Office in Downtown at 880 Front Street available for walk-in assistance Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

The most comprehensive source for answers to your income tax questions can be found in “1040 Central” on the Internal Revenue Service website, IRS.gov.  During these tough economic times, it’s important for everyone to know what assistance is available and how to receive your maximum tax benefits under the law when filing your 1040.  For information on local VITA sites or where to find further help with your tax questions, please do not hesitate to call my San Diego office at (619) 280-5353.

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X. Internship Announcement

Both of my offices are currently accepting internship applications for summer 2009.  Congressional internships are an excellent opportunity to learn about public service and gain valuable work experience.  Interns field constituent inquiries, record caller comments, conduct research, draft correspondence, and assist staff members with a variety of special projects and public events.  These positions are unpaid but may fulfill college credits.  We give priority to students who live in the 53rd District, but all are welcome to apply. 

Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and a list of three references to the appropriate intern coordinator: Sary Stefanki in Washington, DC, or Nick Norvell in San Diego.  Please contact Sary at (202) 225-2040 or Nick at (619) 280-5353 if you are interested in learning about internships in either of my offices.

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DISCLAIMER: I cannot guarantee the integrity of the text of this letter unless it was sent to you directly from my Congressional e-mail account: Susan.Davis@mail.house.gov. Please note that this account is unattended. If you would like to be removed from my e-mail update list, please click here. If you would like to subscribe to the update list or send me a message for any other purpose, please do so through my website, www.house.gov/susandavis. Thank you.

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