 Moving Forward
By Rep. George Miller (CA)
(July 22, 2010)
(Note by Carol: George Miller was my
representative for over 20 years until the Bush Administration
did their redistricting voodoo. There are not a lot of politicians
I trust and admire -- George Miller is definitely one of the good
guys!)
America is a country that always moves forward, never back. Democrats
in Congress are working hard to create jobs at home and stop large
corporations from sending jobs overseas.
We're shifting control from insurance companies to Americans
and from Wall Street to Main Street, creating jobs, closing tax
loopholes that send jobs overseas and helping small businesses—while
Congressional Republicans continue to side with the special interests.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
AMERICAN RECOVERY & REINVESTMENT ACT, enacted in
the first month of President Obama’s term, to jumpstart our economy, create
and save 3.5 million jobs, give a tax cut to small business and 95%
of American workers, begin to rebuild America’s road, rail,
and water infrastructure, and make a historic commitment to education,
clean energy, and science and technology, with unprecedented accountability.
(Signed into Law)
STUDENT AID & FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT, making
the largest investment in college aid in history – increasing Pell Grants, making college
loans more affordable, and strengthening community colleges – while
reducing the federal deficit by ending wasteful student loan subsidies
to banks. (Signed into Law)
HIRE ACT, creating 300,000 jobs with tax incentives
for businesses that hire unemployed Americans, unleashing billions
of dollars to rebuild highways and infrastructure, strengthening small
businesses with tax credits and accelerated write-offs, and cracking
down on offshore accounts for the wealthy. (Signed into Law)
CASH FOR CLUNKERS, jump-starting the U.S. auto industry,
providing consumers with up to $4,500 to trade in an old vehicle for
one with higher fuel efficiency—spurring the sale of 700,000
vehicles. (Signed into Law)
AMERICAN JOBS & CLOSING TAX LOOPHOLES ACT, to prevent
corporations from shipping jobs overseas at U.S. taxpayer expense,
make Wall Street billionaires pay their fair share of taxes, and promote
American jobs by restoring credit to small businesses, extending tax
incentives for American R&D and tax relief for middle class American
families, rebuilding American infrastructure, and expanding summer
jobs for young people. (Passed by House and Senate)
WORKER, HOMEOWNERSHIP & BUSINESS ASSISTANCE ACT, boosting
the economy and creating jobs with more unemployment benefits for
Americans hit by the recession, an expanded 1st-time homebuyer tax
credit, and enhanced small business tax relief—expanded to all
struggling U.S. businesses. (Signed into Law)
HOME STAR JOBS, to provide incentives for consumers
to make their homes energy-efficient -- creating 168,000 jobs, cutting
energy bills for 3 million families, and reducing our dangerous dependence
on foreign oil and dirty fuels. (Passed by House)
AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION, to invest in modernizing
manufacturing; basic R&D; high risk/high reward clean energy research;
and teaching science, technology, engineering and math. (Passed by
House)
JOBS FOR MAIN STREET ACT, to boost small business,
rebuild highways, and hire and retain teachers, police, and firefighters;
paid for by redirecting TARP funds from Wall Street to Main Street.
(Passed by House)
SMALL BUSINESS & INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS ACT, to extend
Build America Bonds to help finance the rebuilding of schools, hospitals,
roads and bridges; and target tax incentives to spur investment
in small businesses and help entrepreneurs looking to start a
new business. (Passed by House)
HELPING FAMILIES SAVE THEIR HOMES ACT, building on
the President’s
initiative to stem the foreclosure crisis, with significant incentives
to lenders, servicers, and homeowners to modify loans. (Signed into
Law)
EDWARD M. KENNEDY SERVE AMERICA ACT, tripling volunteerism
opportunities to 250,000 for national service for students to retirees;
increased college financial awards. (Signed into Law)
PERMANENT ESTATE TAX RELIEF at the 2009 level to ensure
that 99.8 percent of estates never pay a dime of taxes and offer certainty
and stability for farmers and small businesses. (Passed by House)
INNOVATION AGENDA, investing $31 billion in science,
technology, innovation, math education, cutting-edge research, advanced
manufacturing technologies, and workforce training. (Signed into Law)
LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS, providing targeted
increases for health, education and worker training, including NIH
research, Pell Grants, Head Start and clean energy jobs. (Signed into
Law)
AFFORDABLE QUALITY HEALTH CARE
HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM, landmark legislation putting
American families and small business owners—not the insurance companies—in
control of their own health care; lowering costs for middle class
and small business; holding insurance companies accountable to
prevent denials of care and coverage, including for pre-existing
conditions; strengthening Medicare and lowering prescription
drug costs; creating up to 4 million jobs; and reducing deficit
by largest amount in almost two decades. (Signed into law)
HEALTH CARE FOR 11 MILLION CHILDREN, to finally provide
cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children and preserve
coverage for 7 million children already enrolled. (Signed into Law)
FDA REGULATION OF TOBACCO, granting the Food and Drug
Administration authority to regulate advertising, marketing, and manufacturing
of tobacco products, the #1 cause of preventable U.S. deaths, and
to stop tobacco companies from targeting our children. (Signed into
Law)
ENSURING SENIORS’ ACCESS TO THEIR DOCTORS, by
blocking scheduled 21% cut in Medicare physician payments through
2011 and updating payments by 2.2% in 2010 and 1.0% more in 2011.
(Passed by House)
FOOD SAFETY, to fundamentally change the way we protect
our food supply; close gaps exposed by recent food-borne illness outbreaks;
give the FDA new authorities. (Passed by House)
RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS TREATMENT EXTENSION ACT, guaranteeing
access to lifesaving medical services, primary care, and medications
for low-income patients with AIDS and HIV. (Signed into Law)
CLEAN ENERGY JOBS & CONSERVATION
AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT, historic legislation
to create 1.7 million jobs (with the Recovery Act); help free us from
funding terrorism with our dependence on foreign oil; reduce the carbon
pollution causing climate change; keep costs low for Americans;
will not increase the deficit. (Passed by House)
OMNIBUS PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT ACT, the most significant
conservation bill in 15 years, strengthening tourism and rural economies
with more than 2 million new acres of wilderness and parks. (Signed
into Law)
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
BUDGET BLUEPRINT, creating jobs with investments in
health care, clean energy and education; cutting taxes for most Americans
by $1.5 trillion; cutting Bush deficit by more than half by 2013.
(Action Completed)
STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO, to restore 1990s law that
turned record deficits into surpluses, by forcing tough choices; Congress
must offset new policies that reduce revenues or expand entitlements.
(Signed into Law)
PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND TAXPAYERS
WALL STREET REFORM & CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, common-sense
financial regulatory reform to help prevent a crisis from happening
again; to end taxpayer-funded bailouts and ‘too big to fail’ financial
institutions; protect consumers from predatory lending and life savings
from unnecessary risks; inject transparency and accountability into
the financial system; and give shareholders a say on executive pay.
(Signed into Law)
CREDIT CARDHOLDERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS, providing
tough new protections already saving consumers money—like banning unfair rate hikes,
abusive fees, and penalties—and strengthening enforcement. (Signed
into Law)
FRAUD ENFORCEMENT & RECOVERY ACT, providing tools
to prosecute mortgage scams and corporate fraud that contributed to
financial crisis; creating an outside commission to examine its causes.
(Signed into Law)
DEFENSE PROCUREMENT REFORM, cracking down on Pentagon
waste and cost overruns, which GAO says total $296 billion just for
96 largest weapons systems, increasing oversight and competition.
(Signed into Law)
LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT, restoring the rights
of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay—to help close
the wage gap where women earn 78 cents for every $1 a man earns
in America. (Signed into Law)
MORTGAGE REFORM & ANTI-PREDATORY LENDING ACT, to
stop irresponsible loan practices behind the financial meltdown --
ensuring mortgage industry follows sound lending principles. (Passed
by House)
AIRLINE PASSENGER CONSUMER PROTECTIONS & SAFETY, to
require plans for long tarmac and flight delays, modernize air traffic
control, and strengthen commercial pilot training requirements.
(Passed by House)
VETERANS
REPEAL OF DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL, to provide
for the repeal of this outdated policy, contingent on the President,
Defense Secretary, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
certifying that the military review has been completed and that
repeal would not impact military readiness. (Passed by House)
VETERANS HEALTH CARE BUDGET REFORM & TRANSPARENCY ACT, ensuring
reliable and timely veterans health care funding by authorizing Congress
to approve VA medical care a year in advance. (Signed into Law)
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION-VA APPROPRIATIONS, strengthening
quality health care for 5 million veterans by investing 11% more for
medical care, benefits claims processors, and facility improvements.
(Signed into Law)
CAREGIVERS AND VETERANS OMNIBUS HEALTH SERVICES, landmark
legislation providing help to family members and other caregivers
of disabled, ill or injured veterans, while expanding and improving
VA health care services for the nation’s 1.8 million women veterans.
(Signed into Law)
SECURITY FOR AMERICA’S COMMUNITIES
HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS, strengthening security
at our ports and borders and on commercial airlines, giving first
responders tools to respond to terrorism. (Signed into Law)
HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT, giving law enforcement
resources to prevent and prosecute hate crimes against Americans based
on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. (Signed
into Law)
PUTTING 50,000 COPS ON THE BEAT, to authorize $1.8
billion in COPS grants to put an additional 50,000 police officers
on the street over the next five years. (Passed by House)
ENHANCING TRANSPORTATION SECURITY, to improve security
for over 10 billion American mass transit trips each year – tripling
resources for transit security. (Passed by House)
CHEMICAL & WATER SECURITY ACT, to increase security
and safety of the nation’s chemical plants and water facilities
vulnerable to terrorist attacks and the millions of Americans that
live nearby. (Passed by House) |
