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

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,

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 colle

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 th

Achieved Grady Memorial Hospital's 501(c)(3) status single-handedly as Oversight subcommittee chairman within one week, as opposed to the prior month-long attempts to do so by the hospital itself. Grady is now able to receive a $200 million grant from Atlanta's Robert W.

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 (re

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
Passed the National Defense Auth

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 co