Opposed H.R. 5876, which would establish a new $805 million federal bureaucracy for the regulation of residential youth programs (privately-run boot camps), which are currently overseen by state agencies.  H.R. 5876 requires programs to meet minimum federal mandates and authorizes citizens to seek relief in a U.S. district court for harm for any violation of the established standards.

Supported House passage of H.R. 5687, the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008.  This legislation would require that appointments to advisory committees be made without regard to political affiliation. However, the bill would also require that appointees complete a conflict of interest form, and requires that agency heads ensure no one is appointed to an advisory committee who has a relevant conflict of interest.    

Supported passage of H.Res. 1283, a resolution expressing sympathy for the victims of the tornado that hit Little Sioux, Iowa, on June 11, 2008.  The tornado took the lives of four young Boy Scouts and injured 43 others when it struck the Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch.  The resolution also expresses gratitude to the officials, first responders, and medical teams for their efforts to respond quickly and treat the victims. 

Supported House Passage of H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008, which would provide four weeks of paid paternity/maternity leave following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child for government employees.  Current law allows for 12 weeks of unpaid paternity/maternity leave.  In a recent study by the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, nearly 75% of Fortune 100 companies were identified as offering an average of 6-8 weeks of paid maternity leave following the birth or adoption of a child, with 25% offering this same benefit to fathers.  In contrast, the only current way for federal employees to have paid parental leave is to use accrued sick and vacation days. 

Voted to amend H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008, so that deadbeat dads could not receive paid parental leave.  The provision would prohibit fathers who are not compliant with court ordered child support from receiving the paid parental leave benefits.  The motion failed by a vote of 206-220.   

Supported H.Res. 1219, a resolution celebrating the American flag and supporting National Flag Day.  Flag Day is celebrated annually on the anniversary of the official adoption of the flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, to honor the flag which stands as a symbol of our great nation and its ideals.    

Supported H.Res. 1237, a resolution recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day, which commemorates the official ending of slavery in the United States on June 19.  While the Emancipation Proclamation officially barred slavery in the U.S. on January 1, 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865 that news of freedom spread to all states, particularly in the Southwest.   

Voted in favor of H.R. 752, the Federal Electronic Equipment Donation Act of 2007.  H.R. 752 would direct all federal agencies to identify surplus electronic equipment and donate that equipment to our nation’s schools, libraries and towns in need. 

Supported H.R. 5787, the Federal Real Property Disposal Enhancement Act of 2008.  H.R. 5787 would identify excess federal property and prepares it for sale.  Prior to sale, the excess property would be made available to state and local governments and certain nonprofit institutions. 

Supported H.Res. 1132, a resolution supporting Peace Officers Memorial Day to honor federal, state, and local peace officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.

Supported House passage of H.R. 3033, the Contractors and Federal Spending Accountability Act, which would require the General Services Administration to create a database that includes any final convictions against government contractors and grant recipients that resulted in a penalty of more than $5,000.  The database would be public and also would contain a listing of all federal grants or contract recipients along with the amount of federal funds each has received.  In addition, the database created by H.R. 3033 would include information regarding current civil, criminal and administrative proceedings against federal contractors or grant recipients, giving the federal government the necessary tools to assess responsibility and risk in the contract award process. 

Supported House passage of H.R. 5712, the Close the Contractor Fraud Loophole Act, which would require federal contractors to notify the Office of Inspector General when they believe they have violated criminal law or received overpayment for awarded contracts.  The bill would apply to all federal contracts over $5 million that are more than 120 days in duration.  H.R. 5712 would also apply to contracts both inside and outside the U.S., changing a provision published last year in Federal Acquisition Regulations, which exempted overseas contracts from fraud reporting requirements. 

Supported House passage of H.R. 3928, the Government Funding Transparency Act of 2008, which would require contractors receiving more than $25 million annually from federal contracts, totaling more than 80 percent of their income, to disclose the names and salaries of the contractor’s executive officer, financial officer, the three other most highly compensated officers, and the directors.  H.R. 3928 will provide the American taxpayer and Congress the necessary oversight and transparency to assess the federal contracting award process.

Supported House passage of H.R. 5489, the “Congresswoman Jo Ann S. Davis Post Office” Designation Act.  This legislation would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6892 Main Street in Gloucester, Virginia, the “Congresswoman Jo Ann S. Davis Post Office” after the late Congresswoman Davis.  Rep. Forbes, a cosponsor of the legislation, said, "Jo Ann Davis to me represented the best of what America has to offer.  She was a friend of mine. I still miss her to this day. I think the district continues to miss her, and I think the country continues to miss her.”

Voted against H.Res. 895, which established an independent Office of Congressional Ethics within the House of Representatives.  The panel has the authority to open investigations that could ultimately be referred to the current Ethics committee, known as the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Congressman Forbes opposed the bill because the independent panel would bring more partisanship to the ethics process without doing anything to impose punishment on law-breakers. A vote to even consider creating the panel became contentious, and House leadership decided to extend the time for the vote when they realized that a majority of members had concerns about whether the measure should be considered at all.  Ultimately, the vote passed after several members switched their initial vote.

Cosponsored H.Con.Res. 286, to honor and recognize, Earl Lloyd, who broke the color-barrier in basketball by becoming the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association League in 1950.

Supported H.R. 928, the Improving Government Accountability Act, which would overhaul the inspector general system within the executive branch by limiting the allowable reasons for dismissing an inspector general, allow inspector generals to directly submit budget requests to Congress, and establish a Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Cosponsored legislation that would modify the House Rules in order to provide greater access and more transparency to legislative proposals. This legislation would require the Clerk post an electronic “red line” edition of all bills introduced, showing how the bill proposes to modify current U.S. Code. Such a tool would provide more transparency to legislative proposals by providing a format illustrating how the proposed legislation modifies current law. The proposed rule change would require that the proposed language changes be shown so that anyone can see how the bill proposes to change the code section.

Supported H.R. 2630, the Campaign Expenditure Transparency Act, which prohibits the spouse of an individual holding federal office or the spouse of a candidate for federal office from receiving payments for services provided to a campaign committee or a leadership Political Action Committee (PAC). In addition, H.R. 2630 establishes a penalty for candidates and officeholders who violate this Act.

Supported H.R. 1239, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2007. H.R. 1239 authorizes additional funding to carry out the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998. This program, administered by the National Park Service, coordinates preservation and education efforts nationwide, and works to integrate local historical sites, museums, and interpretive programs associated with the Underground Railroad into a community, regional, and national network.

Voted in favor of H.R. 2316, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. This legislation, the "lobbying reform" bill, would require registered lobbyists to file quarterly disclosure reports on all lobbying activities and federal election-related political contributions. These reports would be maintained in an electronic database available to the public free of charge and searchable over the Internet. In addition, this legislation would increase penalties for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements.

• Read Congressman Forbes' official statement here.
• Listen to the podcast with Bearing Drift Blogger Jim Hoeft.