Congressman Randy Forbes | Washington Update
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Week of November 29 - December 2, 2011 Twitter Facebook YouTube Digg RSS

Standing Up to Big Government on Behalf of Small Businesses
 

Congressman Forbes supported two bills that address the adverse effects of new regulations imposed by the federal government on small businesses across America.  Specifically, Congressman Forbes voted for the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, H.R. 527, to expand the scope of review that agencies must take when issuing new regulations, including an examination of the indirect impact on small businesses.  The bill also grants authority to the Small Business Association to intervene in agency rulemaking to provide advice on how particular rules and decisions would affect small businesses. Congressman Forbes also supported the Regulatory Accountability Act, H.R. 3010 , to modify the rule-making process by requiring federal agencies to consider alternatives and the potential costs and benefits prior to issuing new rules and regulations. 
H.R. 527 passed the House by a vote of 263-159 and H.R. 3010 passed the House by a vote of 253-167.

Abolishing Child Tax Credits for Illegal Immigrants
 

Congressman Forbes cosponsored legislation, the Child Tax Credit Integrity Preservation Act of 2011, H.R. 3444, which would require tax filers to provide a valid Social Security number to claim tax credits, such as child tax credits, when filing their tax returns.  This bill would effectively prevent illegal immigrants from claiming tax credits intended for law-abiding American taxpayers.  Under current law, the Internal Revenue Service allows individuals filing with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to access the child tax credit and the additional child tax credit, allowing those in the country illegally to receive the credits.  A similar requirement is already in place for the earned income credit.

Eliminating the Wasteful Spending of Taxpayer Money
 

Congressman Forbes supported a bill, H.R. 3463, to terminate the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and the Election Assistance Commission and use those funds to pay down the deficit.  Current law allows taxpayers to designate $3 on their federal tax return to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which provides matching funds to candidates. However, since 2000, major party candidates have chosen to forgo public financing during the primary and general campaign cycles, making the fund unnecessary.  The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established to update and modernize the voting process. The House Administration Committee, in its report on an earlier bill to eliminate EAC, indicated that it has fulfilled its mission of administrating funds and conducting research as mandated by current law. The Committee also stated that the EAC has overhead costs exceeding its budget and that it has a history of "poor financial and managerial decisions," including claims of employment discrimination based on military service and political affiliation.  It is estimated that terminating the EAC would save $14 million a year. 
This bill passed the House by a vote of 235-190.
Judiciary

Supported bankruptcy relief for National Guard and Reservists. Congressman Forbes supported the National Guard and Reservist Debt Relief Act, H.R. 2192, to allow qualifying members of the National Guard and Reserves to obtain Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief without having to go through particular requirements; Congressman Forbes was also the lead Republican cosponsor of the bipartisan legislation.  The National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008 created an exception to an abuse of process test in bankruptcy law for members of the National Guard and Reserve who, after September 11, 2001, served on active duty or in a homeland defense activity for at least 90 days.  This bill extends this exemption until December 2015. Congressman Forbes' statement on the bill is available here.
This bill passed the House by a vote of 407-1; the bill also passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
Health Care

Declared the Administration's controversial health care law unconstitutional.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored a resolution, H.Res. 475, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.  In November, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear a case challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate provision at the heart of the health care law.  Earlier this year, Congressman Forbes introduced a resolution, H.Res.74, calling for an expedited resolution to lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The resolution, recognizes the national importance of prompt resolution in order to provide certainty for employers, individuals, healthcare providers, and state and local governments.

Armed Services

Led congressional Modeling, Simulation and Training Caucus panel.  Congressman Forbes led a congressional panel before an audience that included members of industry and the Armed Services during the 2011 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).  I/ITSEC is hosted by the National Training and Simulation Association every year; while touring the various exhibits of the conference, Congressman Forbes also met with military officials and representatives from various modeling and simulation companies.

Spoke at the annual Defense Logistics Conference.  Congressman Forbes addressed the Defense Logistics Conference in Crystal City, VA, and urged the audience members to be proactive in maintaining their supportive role of America’s Armed Forces. He discussed the far-reaching effects of recent defense cuts on America's long-term defense posture and reviewed the risks the country faces on the horizon.

Addressed the 2nd Annual Virginia Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit. Congressman Forbes delivered a speech entitled “The Future of U.S. Defense Spending” at the 2nd Annual Virginia Economic Summit, a gathering of over 500 business and government leaders.  The summit’s focus this year was on the role the federal government plays in Virginia’s economic prosperity.  Congressman Forbes has also released a video discussing the economic impact of drastic defense cuts, which can be viewed here.

Provided expedited security screening for members of the Armed Forces at airports.  Congressman Forbes supported the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act, H.R. 1801.  This bill requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop and implement a plan to provide expedited security screening services for members of the U.S. armed forces, and any accompanying family members, when the servicemember is traveling on official orders while in uniform. At present, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses the same screening procedures for all passengers at airport checkpoints, including members of the U.S. armed forces. Although TSA has plans to move to a more risk-based method of screening passengers at airport checkpoints in the future, servicemembers continue to be screened in the same way as everyone else.

Examined the Joint AirSea Battle concept.  Congressman Forbes attended a classified briefing by Pentagon officials on the recently established AirSea Battle concept, designed to use air and naval capabilities in areas where China, Iran, or other actors seeking to limit U.S. regional access. The briefing focused on the implementation of the AirSea Battle concept and discussed Congress' role in supporting the military in this process. Congressman Forbes' also recently sent a letter to Secretary Panetta expressing his support for the development of the AirSea Battle strategy; the letter is available here.
Labor

Supported fairness in unionization elections.  Congressman Forbes supported the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act, H.R. 3094.  The bill would pre-empt National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposed rulemakings that will significantly change procedures that govern union elections by providing employers just seven days to find legal counsel and prepare their entire case to be presented at a NLRB pre-election hearing.  The bill addresses these misguided rulemakings by amending the National Labor Relations Act to require specified waiting periods before unionization hearings and elections can occur. The bill would also provide minimum and maximum time frames in which action should be taken in response to the filing of election petitions. 
This bill passed the House by a vote of 235-188.

Increased fair and efficient treatment of injured federal employees.  Congressman Forbes supported H.R. 2465, the Federal Workers’ Compensation Modernization and Improvement Act to make important changes to the system that provides compensation to federal employees that have suffered disabilities or death due to their duties.  Specifically, this bill ensures that federal employees and their families receive their due compensation if they are injured in a zone of armed conflicts or killed as a result of a terrorist attack.  Making sure that federal employees have access to these critical benefits is balanced with new standards that make the process more efficient and save taxpayer money. 
This bill passed the House by voice vote.

Foreign Affairs

Urged the Administration to include the Western Hemisphere in the 2012 National Strategy for Counterterrorism.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored H. Res. 429 to urge the Administration to ensure that appropriate focus is given to the Western Hemisphere in the formation of the 2012 National Strategy for Counterterrorism’s “Area of Focus.”  Due to the significant cause for concern of evolving terrorism threats from Iran’s growing influence in the Western hemisphere, it is vital that the Administration utilize our nation’s existing counterterrorism resources to examine and protect against Iran’s presence and activities in the Western Hemisphere. 

Immigration

Increased global economic competitiveness.  Congressman Forbes supported the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, H.R. 3012, a bill that would eliminate the per-country caps on employment-based green cards. Our current immigration system dictates that nationals from a single country cannot annually comprise more than 7% of the total number of employment-based immigrant visas. There is a growing consensus in the business community that there must be changes to our immigration system that allow U.S. based employers to attract and retain the world’s best and highly educated employees so that we can continue to compete in a global marketplace. Removing the antiquated per-country limits on employer-based visas is an important step in maintaining our competitiveness as a nation; H.R. 3012 could help alleviate the backlog of highly skilled workers who wish to work in the U.S. and engender growth in our economy. 

Family Values

Worked to prevent sex-selection abortions in the United States. Congressman Forbes cosponsored the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), H.R. 3541, which prohibits abortions that are performed because of the sex, gender, or race of the unborn child or of the parent of that child.  The bill also creates a private right cause of action to be raised on behalf of the unborn by the mother, father, or maternal grandparents (if the mother is younger than 18) against anyone who performs or coerces such an abortion.  Although the United States regularly condemns other countries for practicing sex-selection abortions, we do not have a law in place in our own country that prohibits this behavior.  In fact, the House of Representatives passed a resolution this summer to condemn China for these practices, while failing to protect against the practice here at home.  H.R. 3541 would ensure that the United States prohibits this tragic discriminatory practice.

Supported investigating documented and alleged cases of fraud and misuse by Planned Parenthood. Congressman Forbes joined 91 members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to Representative Cliff Stearns, thanking him for leading a House Energy and Commerce Committee investigation of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates.  As Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Rep. Stearns recently sent a letter to the President of PPFA requesting information to examine the policies and actions of PPFA and its affiliates relating to its use of federal funding and its compliance with federal restrictions on the funding of abortion.  There have been both documented and alleged cases of fraud and abuse within PPFA, including the misuse of federal funding, failure to comply with mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse, and willingness to assist those allegedly engaged in sex-trafficking of girls as young at 14 years of age.  Rep. Stearns’ investigation is aimed at ensuring accountability for the use of taxpayers’ dollars.  A copy of the letter is available here.

About Washington Update

Washington Update serves as a resource to the constituents of the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia on the work of Congressman Forbes. It is published weekly while Congress is in session. Hyperlinks to bill information are provided if the information disseminated by the House of Representatives is available at the time of distribution.

As always, Congressman Forbes welcomes your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://randyforbes.house.gov to send an e-mail or call any of Congressman Forbes' three district offices.

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