Issues & Legislation

CRIME

  • Appropriated approximately $450,000 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (enacted) for Mobile Data Terminal technology improvements for facilitated communications between law enforcement and civil service officers in the City of East Point, the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, improving their performance to equal or surpass federal Homeland Security standards
  • Introduced SAFETY (Securing American Families by Educating and Training Youth) through Nonviolence Act of 2008 (referred to Senate Committee on Education and Labor), which provides funding for community outreach programming educating youth about alternative dispute resolution practices and building more positive relationships between local law enforcement and community residents within local, state and tribal governments
  • Actively endorses and pursues funding for community development and youth outreach programs, such as YouthBuild, which addresses issues including crime prevention in low-income communities, and the needs of at-risk teen and young adult inhabitants; and National Parents Corps, a national organization with local roots in Atlanta that builds partnerships between parents and school officials to create a safer, drug and violence-free environment for middle and high school students

ECONOMY

  • Cosponsored Taxpayer Assistance Act (referred to Senate Committee on Finance) as Oversight Subcommittee Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee to ensure greater transparency in Internal Revenue Service practices and to protect elderly and low-income citizens from the predatory practices of approved private debt collection companies
  • Originally opposed Iraq invasion and has been working tirelessly since 2005 to exit Iraq as a founding member of the Out of Iraq congressional caucus to end the occupation
  • Passed Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (passed both chambers, pending enactment) , which amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and raises minimum wage over 40% on an incremental schedule to $7.25 an hour
  • Cosponsored Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008 (before Senate) extending unemployment benefits by up to 100% for recession victims

EDUCATION

  • Cosponsored College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (enacted) , which makes undergraduate education more affordable and more accessible to more Georgia students. The elimination of excess taxpayer subsidies to student loan lenders provided for by the Act makes possible:
    • An incremental reduction of 50% in interest rates on subsidized student loans between now and July, 2011
    • An 25% increase of the maximum available Pell Grant scholarship in 2012, from $4050 to $5400
    • Guaranteed tuition assistance in the form of "TEACH" grants to talented college students committed to teaching in impoverished communities and/or in curriculum areas with high demand
    • Loan forgiveness programs for civil servants, educators and military servicemen and women
    • The promotion of grant support for first-generation and low-income undergraduate students by all levels of government and charitable organizations
    • A commitment of the Secretary of Education to invest over $500 million into the nation's academic institutions serving minorities and underrepresented groups over a period of five years

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

  • Cosponsored the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 (before Senate) , which authorizes extensions for:
    • A manufacturing deduction for commercial activities in the territory of Puerto Rico, a provision under which the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Bottling Company is able to enjoy higher profits due to a 3% reduction in their taxes
    • The new markets tax credit through the end of 2009 for up to $3.5 billion in qualified equity investments in new markets, a provision under which Atlanta received $60 million
    • Green Bonds, for an additional three years through the end of 2012, for eligible green and sustainable development projects, a provision under which Atlantic Station was financed
  • Appropriated approximately $9.8 million for projects under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (enacted) including, but not limited to:
    • $300,000 for the largest water and sewer renovation project in the history of the City of Atlanta, which will ensure Atlanta's compliance with federal standards
    • $300,000 to aid District 5's 16 local governments in the mandatory implementation of three water resource plans to meet the requirements of watershed management
    • $300,000 to finance the environmental impact assessment and initial preliminary engineering for the Atlanta Beltline project
    • $500,000 to finance the environmental reviews and preliminary engineering of a plan designed to relieve Atlanta traffic congestion via the construction of a transit project running parallel to I-285
    • $750,000 to relieve traffic congestion around Emory University and Emory Hospital via the construction of direct access to public transit (MARTA Clifton Corridor)
    • $1.5 million for an environmental infrastructure overhaul to provide flood relief and water quality in the City of Atlanta and surrounding metropolitan areas
    • $3 million for MARTA's acquisition of 55 new clean fuel buses in order to decrease traffic congestion and comply with Clean Air Act standards

HEALTHCARE

  • Secured Grady Memorial Hospital's 501(c)(3) status as Oversight Subcommittee Chairman six days after receiving an urgent request from the hospitals leadership. As a result, Grady is able to receive a $200 million grant from Atlanta's Robert W. Woodruff foundation as a charitable organization and continue to serve the people of Atlanta and the State of Georgia as one of the largest public hospitals in the nation, and the only level 1 trauma center within a 100-mile radius.
  • Introduced and passed legislation preventing $41 million in funding cuts to Georgia's hospitals by limiting the use of funds in regards to particular Medicare regulations.

HOUSING

  • Pushed for a broad housing legislation package under the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act (before Senate) , including, but not limited to:
    • FHA (Federal Housing Authority) Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act of 2008 (on Union calendar) , which provides for $300 billion in refinanced mortgages for families deemed at risk of foreclosure, and places the burden of repayment on lenders and borrowers instead of taxpayers to prevent the authorization of government bailouts of mortgage lenders
    • Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 (referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs) , authorizing the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to disburse $15 billion in loans to states to rehabilitate foreclosed properties and neighborhoods devastated by numerous foreclosures
    • Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 (on Union calendar) authorizing an additional $10 billion to states to provide loans to first-time homebuyers and refinance sub-prime loans; the Act also includes reforms to push for the development of low-income housing and gives a tax credit to first-time homebuyers, which functions as an interest-free loan and housing market stimulant

NATIONAL DEFENSE AND HOMELAND SECURITY

  • Originally opposed Iraq invasion and, working tirelessly since 2005 to exit Iraq as a founding member of the Out of Iraq congressional caucus to end the occupation
  • Appropriated approximately $450,000 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (enacted) for Mobile Data Terminal technology improvements for facilitated communications between law enforcement and civil service officers in the City of East Point, the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, improving their performance to equal or surpass federal Homeland Security standards

SENIOR CITIZENS AND SOCIAL SECURITY

  • Appropriated $160,000 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (enacted) to fund Piedmont Hospital's Sixty-Plus Senior Care Transition Grant Program, which assists seniors in maintaining a sense of independence with consistent care by partnering inexpensive Atlanta-area senior housing developments with hospital nursing staff
  • Cosponsored the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008 (before Senate) , which provides for citizens aged 70 and over to rollover up to $100,000 from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) directly to an eligible charity without it counting as taxable income
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