Averted government shutdown.  Congressman Forbes supported a short-term continuing resolution, H.R.1363, funding the federal government through April 15th.  The legislation was enacted to provide the House and Senate with time to consider the bipartisan spending compromise that will fund the government through the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year (September 2011).
This bill passed the House by a vote of 348-70.

Opposed taxes on online businesses.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored a resolution, H.Res.95, encouraging Congress to refrain from enacting any legislation that would grant state governments the authority to impose any new burdensome tax collecting requirements on small online businesses.

Protected Small Businesses from Overreaching EPA.  Congressman Forbes voted to protect jobs and small businesses by supporting legislation, H.R.910, to stop the EPA from instituting additional burdensome regulations and restrictions under the guise of the Clean Air Act.  This legislation would amend the Clean Air Act to prevent the EPA from regulating emissions beyond its original mandate.  The EPA will be able to continue to enforce the Clean Air Act to protect the public health, but the House voted to stop any effort by the EPA to raise costs on businesses with additional regulation.
This bill passed in the House by a vote of 255-172.

Made it easier for businesses to reinvest.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored H.R.158, the Expensing Property Expands our Nation's Strong Economy (EXPENSE) Act.  This legislation will spur overall economic and job growth by creating incentives for American enterprise to reinvest in their businesses, new equipment, and people to run that equipment.   The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the limitations on the expensing of depreciable business assets; and (2) allows taxpayers to elect a two-year recovery period for depreciable property.

Joined Reclaim American Jobs Caucus. Congressman Forbes joined the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus.  The purpose of this Caucus is to raise public awareness of the connection between illegal immigration and unemployment; exert pressure on the Administration to vigorously enforce the laws against the employment of illegal immigrants; work to implement legislation that will protect American jobs from the impact of illegal immigration, especially to make E-Verify mandatory; and work to defeat legislation that will put American jobs at risk from the impact of illegal immigration, especially to defeat amnesty.

Ended inefficient Department of Defense practices.  Congressman Forbes supported legislation, H.R.1246, to reduce funds appropriated for the printing and reproduction of Department of Defense (DoD) reports by 10%.  In FY2012, the DoD proposed spending $357 million on the printing and reproduction of reports while failing to fully utilize modern technologies to drive down costs.  The legislation would generate $35.7 million in savings in FY2012 alone, allowing the funds to be reinvested in higher priorities.
This bill passed the House by a vote of 393-0.

Joined the Defense Energy Security Caucus.  Congressman Forbes signed up for the Defense Energy Security caucus, which is dedicated to advancing energy concepts within the Department of Defense that will save money and enhance the capabilities of our Armed Forces.  The caucus will educate members of Congress on the challenges and opportunities faced by the Department of Defense and how Congress can help our Armed Forces achieve greater energy security through smart energy initiatives. Recently, Congressman Forbes wrote about energy security in The Hill.  Read the article here.

Questioned DoD Officials on U.S. capabilities in the Pacific.  Congressman Forbes participated in a hearing on the budget requests for U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea.  During the hearing, Congressman Forbes asked Admiral Robert Willard, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, if U.S. forces in the Pacific were adequately postured to prevail in a sustained conflict in the Western Pacific.  Watch the full exchange here.

Joined Congressional Missile Defense Caucus.  Congressman Forbes joined the Congressional Missile Defense Caucus, which is dedicated to educating Members of Congress on the ballistic missile threats to our nation and our allies as well as the technologies and opportunities that exist to better protect the United States from these threats.

Supported increased transparency in federal agencies.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored legislation, H.R.1061, that would require federal agencies to publish receipts and expenditures on their websites every two weeks.  This legislation would require a level of federal transparency that American taxpayers deserve.

Increased scrutiny for congressional mandates and regulations.  Congressman Forbes signed on as a supporter for legislation, H.R.373, requiring Congress and the Executive Branch to disclose the cost—to the government and private sector—of any new regulation or proposed legislative mandates.

Ended ‘Monuments to Me.’ Congressman Forbes worked to prevent federal funds from being used for projects or programs named after a Member of Congress or U.S. Senator by cosponsoring H.R.951.  Although there is currently a House rule that prohibits naming federal buildings after current Members of Congress, this rule had not extended to other entities that receive federal funds.

Ensured security of college savings for families.  Congressman Forbes helped to protect the money set aside by hardworking families for their children’s college education by cosponsoring H.R.529, the Deposit Restricted Qualified Tuition Programs Act.  Under current law, families can invest money in Section 529 plans, named for the relevant section of tax law, which allow tax-free contributions as savings for higher education.  Because 529 plans are considered securities, they are not insured by the FDIC.  This bill creates a new option for education savings plans that would be designated as bank products — not securities — which would require the FDIC to insure savings placed in the new plans.

Cut funding for ineffective motorcycle-only checkpoints.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored H.R.904, a bill that would prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from providing grants to state and local governments for the purpose of creating motorcycle-only checkpoints.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provides grants to states to check for motorcycle modifications and compliance with helmet regulations.  However, these checkpoints do not prevent motorcycle crashes. In order to prevent motorcycle crashes, the first step needs to be rider education and increased awareness. This is the most effective way to save lives. Motorcycle-only checkpoints do nothing to address these proven crash prevention methods.

Mitigated adverse effects of health care law. Congressman Forbes cosponsored H.R.1206, the Access to Professional Health Insurance Advisors Act, which would exclude independent agent commissions from the medical loss ratio (MLR) calculation. The new health care law requires health insurers offering individual and small group policies to spend 80 cents of every premium dollar on claims, with the remaining 20 cents going to administrative costs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a regulation in November 2010 that included agent commissions in the calculation of overhead. As a result, insurance companies have slashed agent commissions, in many cases by 50%.  Agent commissions will be added to the administrative-cost category, making it harder to sell individual policies. H.R.1206 would allow states to apply to the Department of Health and Human Services for waivers in the small group market if the MLR calculation would destabilize the small group market in a particular state.

Supported human rights and religious freedom in Pakistan.  Congressman Forbes cosponsored a resolution, H.Res.164, to honor Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minister for Minorities, who was recently assassinated for advocating for religious freedom.  The resolution also urges Pakistan to address abuses of its religious minorities.  In the predominantly Muslim country, Christians and members of other religious minorities often face heightened persecution.

Called on the Department of Justice to enforce obscenity laws.  Congressman Forbes was joined by 74 Members of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to Attorney General Holder urging the Justice Department to vigorously enforce federal obscenity laws against major commercial distributors of hardcore adult pornography.

Worked to preserve the conscience rights of healthcare providers.  Congressman Forbes worked to amend the recent healthcare overhaul to protect the conscience rights and religious beliefs of healthcare providers and purchasers by cosponsoring  H.R.1179.  The legislation would ensure that the healthcare law does not discriminate against healthcare providers or purchasers who have religious or conscience objections to certain procedures and services.