Updating Terrorist Surveillance Law

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is the law that allows our intelligence community to conduct surveillance and gather information on future threats. This ‘real time’ intelligence capability has helped prevent terrorist attacks in the United States since September 11, 2001. The bill was originally passed three decades ago and needed to be updated to account for the significant advances in technology that exist today.

House Democrats let the law expire in February, which permitted terrorists to talk to each other undetected through our own telecommunications infrastructure for close to 21 weeks. In July, Congress finally passed a compromise bill that the president signed into law in July. We now have an agreement on FISA that strengthens America’s surveillance laws and allows our intelligence community to intercept terrorist communications, while continuing to protect the privacy rights of American citizens.

Preserving our Nation’s History

History comes alive with the words and memories of people who have witnessed first hand the important events of our nation. It is important to honor these individuals, record the historic events and preserve their stories for future generations. The House approved legislation that I supported to authorize the Preserve America and Save America’s Treasures programs, which provide grant funding to historic preservation, tourism and education projects of national significance. The City of Oak Ridge and Lincoln Memorial University have been recipients of grants from these vital programs to help preserve historical events in our area.

Transitioning to Digital Television

On February 17, 2009, television broadcasters will transition from analog TV signals to an all-digital system, and in doing so, will begin a new chapter of advanced viewing experience. The Low Power Digital Television (DTV) Transition Assistance Act was approved by the Congress to aid rural access to DTV. The bill focuses on the small translators and low-power stations that provide content to rural areas, giving them more time to transition, along with grants to ease the cost.

Homes for Heroes

Our veterans have answered the nation’s call and made sacrifices to defend us, and it is our duty to make sure the nation gives back. That is why I supported the passage of Homes for Heroes Act, which was approved by the House. This legislation provides rental housing assistance for homeless veterans and enhances the network for services that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Veterans Affairs Administration provide to our most disadvantaged veterans.

Creating Dysphagia Awareness

Dysphagia is a medical condition incorporating any difficulty with swallowing and affects as many as 15 million Americans. It can be caused by any condition weakening or damaging the muscles and nerves used for swallowing, including strokes, nervous system complications and head injuries. Dysphagia awareness is particularly important to Tennessee, where stroke incident rates are relatively high, as it can cause additional life-threatening complications for stroke survivors, such as pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration and airway obstruction. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that 60,000 Americans die annually from complications associated with the condition.

Unfortunately, dysphagia is vastly underreported and not widely understood by the general public. That’s why I introduced a resolution to establish a National Dysphagia Awareness Month to raise public awareness about dysphagia and the need for early detection and treatment. My measure had bipartisan support and the backing of the Dysphagia Awareness Society, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association, and was passed by the House of Representatives.

New Identification Technology at Airports

Each person has unique physical features that can be used to confirm their identity. Biometric identification systems use fingerprint, retina and iris scanning technologies that provide a higher level of security by using these distinctive physical characteristics in identification. The identification system is linked to an ID card that is exclusive to the individual carrying it. This provides an unparalleled level of security as the cards can neither be copied nor shared. That is why I supported the Biometric Enhancement for Airport-Risk Reduction Act, a bill that passed the House of Representatives and requires the Transportation Security Administration to study ways in which airports can adopt such technology to help better protect the traveling public and airline workers.

Fighting Childhood Cancer

Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no social, economic or ethnic groups. More than 12,000 young people are diagnosed with cancer each year. In the United States, the incidence of cancer is increasing among adolescents and young adults at a greater rate than in any other age group, except those older than 65 years. The cause of most childhood cancers is unknown. Because of increased awareness and advocacy, a diagnosis of pediatric cancer is no longer the death sentence it once was, and survivors of childhood cancer can grow up to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

To build on improvements in pediatric cancer research and treatments, the House of Representatives approved legislation to create new programs and grant initiatives at the National Institutes of Health to support and fund pediatric cancer research and awareness. In addition, this legislation will require the National Institutes of Health to award a grant for the operation of a national childhood cancer database to help researchers analyze trends of childhood cancers and aid in prevention and treatment approaches. The bill also provides educational and informational services to patients and families to make sure they have access to appropriate clinical treatment and the array of vital support services.

Honoring Our Nation’s Disabled Veterans

Freedom is not free and the price of freedom is borne by our brave men and women serving our nation in uniform. No one knows this better than our disabled veterans. I was honored to support legislation that recognizes the sacrifices and contributions made by disabled veterans and their families. It calls on the people of the United States to honor all disabled American veterans; encourages local, state and national organizations to participate in the effort to honor the sacrifices of America’s disabled veterans and supports the goals and ideals of a Disabled American Veterans’ Week.

Expanding Health Care Services to Underserved Communities

The House of Representatives approved bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and expand the Health Centers Program, which provides access to preventive and primary health care to underserved communities, including millions of Americans without health insurance. The bill would allow Health Centers to serve 23 million patients across the country in the next five years and expand access to services such as mental health and dental care. More than 273,000 Tennesseans receive quality primary care services through 24 federally-funded Community Health Centers around the state. These centers employ more than 1,300 full-time employees, such as physicians, dentists, clinicians and administrative staff.

Promoting Science and Technology

Nanotechnology is a relatively new area of science where scientists learn about the basic components of matter and put them to use in beneficial ways. Researchers are able to discover new behaviors and properties of materials at a miniscule scale, which behave quite differently from those at a larger scale. A nanometer is so small, that the thickness of a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers. The House of Representatives passed a bill to ensure that our nation capitalizes on the commercial developments that flow out of new discoveries resulting from our substantial investment in research. The bill incorporates provisions that address science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce needs, and builds on the National Science Foundation (NSF) Math and Science Partnership program to use nanotechnology education activities as a vehicle to raise the interest of secondary school students in possible STEM careers.

Recognizing Foster Parents

Mothers play a crucial role in families around the world. Taking the first step in a longer road toward new policies and more resources from the U.S. government to reduce maternal mortality and pregnancy-related injuries in the United States and throughout the world, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to reduce maternal mortality at home and abroad. This resolution recognizes maternal health as a human right and states that the House of Representatives will make a stronger commitment and greater financial investment and participation in global initiatives.

Reducing Maternal Mortality

Foster parents unselfishly open their homes and family lives to children in need. The House of Representatives passed a resolution to recognize American foster parents, and signaled its commitment to provide critical assistance to children and families involved in the foster care system. By implementing family friendly policies designed to help children reunite with their parents or find a loving and permanent home when they cannot return to their biological parents, Congress can emphasize the importance of strengthening families and reducing the need of foster care placement for children.

Preserving Access to Student Loans

Congress recently approved the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act, which is bipartisan legislation to both maintain stability in the student loan market and provide students and families with greater access to student loans. The bill would expand loan availability through higher unsubsidized loan limits and authorize the Department of Education to purchase student loans to provide a temporary backstop in the student loan market. I supported this legislation to help preserve the availability of student loans, particularly during this time of economic uncertainty. The President signed this bill into law in May 2008.

Providing Cost-of-Living Adjustment for Veterans

The House continues to work on meeting the needs of our nation’s veterans and their families. Each year, Congress considers an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for veterans, which is based on changes to the Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation. The House recently passed a bill to provide a much-needed COLA for disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and for dependency compensation for survivors. This increase would be effective December 1, 2008.

Genetic Discrimination Ban

Congress recently passed a bill to keep employers and group health care plans from discriminating against employees with certain genetic conditions. And the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act was recently signed into law by the President.

I co-sponsored this legislation, and was an early supporter of similar bills since 2003. The law prohibits employers from requiring genetic testing or using genetic information, such as data about cancer or heart disease, in employment decisions. The bill also bars group health plans from adjusting premiums or contribution amounts or establishing enrollment restrictions based on information from genetic tests. The bill includes a provision that records containing genetic information will be maintained according to the standards provided under the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA).

This genetic discrimination ban will protect workers with a predisposition to certain illnesses without adding cumbersome mandates that could discourage employers from offering health care to their employees.  

Small Business Assistance

America’s 25 million small businesses drive our economy and, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA), create 60 to 80 percent of the net new jobs in our economy. Because of the innovation and job creation that small businesses provide, the U.S. House of Representatives approved initiatives that I supported to help these economic drivers continue their key role in the growth of our nation.

The SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs Act would expand the role of Small Business Development Centers to target the most pressing economic challenges facing entrepreneurs today, from the rising costs of health care and energy to regulatory burdens and compliance costs. To increase small business access to capital, the Small Business Investment Improvements Act would reform the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company and the New Markets Venture Capital programs designed to aid small enterprises, particularly those owned by women, minorities and residents of low-income areas. The Small Business Lending Improvements Act would lower the cost of financing for small businesses by modernizing SBA lending initiatives, allowing entrepreneurs to invest further in their ventures and create jobs.

Three additional initiatives would increase business development and opportunities for women, Native Americans and veterans. The SBA Women’s Business Programs Act would dedicate resources to strengthen centers and increase their services in underserved communities, the Native American Small Business Development Act would provide technical and educational assistance to Native American entrepreneurs and the SBA Veterans’ Programs Act would in turn create additional Veterans Business Outreach Centers and offer business development services targeted to veterans.

Addressing Rising College Costs

College education costs have continued to increase across the board over the past five years, which has placed the dream of a college degree further out of reach for many students. To address the soaring costs of higher education, the House of Representatives approved the College Opportunity and Affordability Act to reform and strengthen the nation’s higher education programs to make sure they are operating in the best interests of students and families.

The bill would address these rising prices by encouraging colleges to rein in price increases and ensure that states maintain higher education funding, strengthening the Pell Grant and Perkins Student Loan programs, simplifying the federal student aid application process, increasing college aid and support for veterans and military families, making textbook costs more manageable, boosting campus safety and disaster readiness plans and creating programs to bolster students’ interest in science and technology.

These measures and other provisions in the bill would help open the doors of higher education for students all across the country. Keeping college affordable is an important part of strengthening our workforce and our country’s future competitiveness.

Internet Tax Moratorium Extended

The Internet helps drive economic prosperity in America today. Technologies for faster Internet access need to be deployed everywhere quickly and fairly. The Internet should be as free as possible from government regulation and litigation to help Americans prosper.

Congress passed the Internet Tax Freedom Act of 2007, and the federal moratorium on Internet taxes for the next seven years has now become law. The law extends the moratorium on state and local taxation of providers of Internet access through November 1, 2014, giving individuals the ability to access the Internet without the burden of taxes. In addition, the law clarifies that certain types of services, including paid e-mail, instant messaging and electronic storage, are covered by the tax ban.

Do-Not-Call List

For millions of Americans, the national Do-Not-Call list offers shelter from constant and annoying telephone calls. It is an effective measure protecting consumers from unwanted telephone solicitations. With my support, a bill passed the House of Representatives to extend the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to administer and enforce the ‘Do-Not-Call’ through 2012.

On the same day, a second bill passed the House that will eliminate the automatic removal of telephone numbers from the do-not-call list after five years. The Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007 would allow Americans to avoid the hassle of re-registry by automatically keeping their numbers on the registry once they’ve signed up on the list.

Injured Soldiers Deserve Enlistment Bonuses

One of the most important responsibilities I have as a Member of the United States Congress is to ensure adequate support for and recognition of our nation's troops and veterans. Our brave members of the Armed Forces and their families make tremendous sacrifices to serve our country, and should not have to worry about losing their enlistment bonuses if they are injured and unable to continue military service.

To keep the military from reneging on these bonuses, I became a co-sponsor of the Veterans Guaranteed Bonus Act of 2007. This legislation, which passed the House unanimously, will require the Department of Defense to pay the full enlistment bonus to soldiers that are injured in combat and are unable to continue their military service.

Missing and Exploited Children

In an age of advanced technologies, there are many new ways for predators and pedophiles to exploit and abuse children in America. Child pornography on the Internet is rampant, and it is just one of many forms of exploitation threatening our youth.

As a parent, I recognize the importance of keeping our children safe from predators in their neighborhoods and on the Internet. I voted for the Protecting Our Children Comes First Act to give the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) the tools it needs to continue keeping children safe.

The program was first created in 1984 under the Missing Children’s Assistance Act to provide federal coordination of the local and state law enforcement agencies, which recover missing and exploited children. The NCMEC has handled 120,000 missing child cases successfully since its creation. This new legislation, which passed the House with bipartisan support, will extend the work of the NCMEC through 2013.

Federal Housing Assistance Limited to Citizens Only

The high cost of living in many areas around the country can mean that many hard working American citizens are in need of federal funding to provide a house for their families that they can call home. Because federal aid is a limited resource, it should be used to benefit legal citizens of the United States of America.

The 2008 fiscal year Transportation and House and Urban Development Appropriations bill, which passed the House, included a provision which prevents illegal aliens from obtaining federally-funded housing assistance. Our country is built on laws and we must enforce those them. Those who break our laws by crossing the border illegally should not be rewarded with federal aid that ought to be reserved for our citizens.