June 2008
Bayh Seeks Tax Relief for Indiana Flood
and Tornado Victims
Severe weather in Indiana has forced families out of
their homes, damaged businesses and infrastructure and created hardships for
many Hoosiers. To help the rebuilding process move forward, Senator Bayh has
proposed legislation to give tax breaks to victims of the storms and
flooding. The Midwestern Disaster Tax Relief bill would provide tax relief to
families, businesses and local governments to ease the burden of rebuilding
after the storm. "Time is not our ally in getting resources to ravaged
communities," Bayh said. "Congress must move quickly to pass this legislation,
and then we must act to appropriate additional funds, to deliver critical aid to
storm victims so they can rebuild their homes, their businesses and their
lives."
[read
more ] [resources
for Hoosiers impacted by flooding]
Post Office Renamed to Honor Julia
Carson
Senator Bayh joined community leaders for the dedication of the
Julia M. Carson Post Office Building in Indianapolis on June 16 to honor the
late congresswoman. Senator Bayh authored legislation to rename the Mapleton
Post Office in her honor. Carson was instrumental in advocating for the post
office's construction.
"When our children pass this building and look up
and see her name, I hope they'll remember her. I hope they'll ask who this woman
was and learn about her kindness, her devotion to public service, her humility
and her friendship," Senator Bayh said at the ceremony. Carson succumbed
to lung cancer on Dec. 15, 2007, at the age of 69 after a remarkable career in
public service that began in 1972 in the Indiana House of Representatives. She
also served in the state Senate and as the Center Township trustee before being
elected to the first of six terms in Congress in
1996. [ read
more ]
Bayh Praises Trade
Commission Decision to Defend U.S. Steel Industry
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has accepted the
recommendation of Senator Bayh and formally condemned China's illegal subsidies
of circular welded steel pipes. Indiana manufacturers of hot-rolled steel pipe
and tube have been undercut by Chinese imports priced at as much as
85 percent below fair market value because of the subsidies. "Indiana's
workers can compete and succeed against anyone and everyone in making the best
quality products in the world," Bayh said. "But these illegal government
subsidies give Chinese producers an unfair advantage in the world market and
undercut the hardworking Americans employed by our steel
industry."
[read
more ]
Bayh Urges VA to Make Careful Analysis of
Ft. Wayne Facility
As the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reviews
the status of the VA's Northern Indiana Health Care Systems campus in Fort
Wayne, Senator Bayh is calling on VA Secretary James Peake to make a careful
analysis of the inpatient and outpatient services at the facility before any
decision to discontinue acute care services are made. The Fort Wayne facility
serves 36,000 veterans in the region."I would strongly urge you to
complete an analysis of the outpatient and inpatient care services before
drawing any conclusions and justified recommendations for the Fort Wayne campus
hospital that devotedly serves our nation's veterans," Bayh wrote in a letter to
Peake.
[ read
more ] [read
letter]
Bayh: Too Many Children Don't Know a
Father's Love
This Father's Day, in an op-ed in the Gary
Post-Tribune, Senator Bayh discussed the important and essential role
fathers play in their children's lives. Children growing up in households
without a father are more likely to drop out of school, commit a crime or become
teenage parents than those raised in households with a father
present. "We cannot be proud of the fact that our nation leads the world
in the percentage of fatherless homes. In our nation's capital, half of our
children live in homes without a father present," Senator Bayh wrote. "My
Father's Day wish is that more of our sons and daughters can know the love of a
father and be given every chance to grow into mature, responsible and caring
adults." Senator Bayh, with Senator Barack Obama, has proposed the
Responsible Fatherhood Act to encourage fathers to be an active, positive
influence in their children's lives. Their plan would fund
programs that promote financial literacy, support domestic violence prevention
efforts, remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down
on men avoiding child support payments, and ensure that support payments go to
families instead of state bureaucracies.
[
read
more ]
Bayh Visits with Ft. Wayne Transplant
Recipient to Discuss Children's Health, Organ Transplants
On June 19, Senator Bayh met with Fort Wayne native Leah
Smith in his Washington, D.C., office to learn about his constituent's
courageous life story. Leah, now 17, was born with a heart
disorder called hypoplastic left heart syndrome and underwent a heart transplant
when she was only 11 months old at Riley Hospital for Children in
Indianapolis. Leah was in Washington for Family Advocacy
Day, an event for children who have been treated at children's hospitals to
visit with their Congressional representatives and share their stories. Leah is
an active volunteer with the Indiana Organ Procurement
Organization. Senator Bayh is a longtime advocate of children's health
initiatives. He wrote a provision in the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) legislation to provide $45 million over five years to invest in
the development and testing of measures to improve the quality of children's
health care.
[ read
more ]
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