Dear Friends: At the beginning of March, the Senate spent significant time debating the 2009 Budget Resolution including a record breaking 44 Roll Call votes over the course of 15 hours. The last of these votes for final passage of the Senate’s 2009 Budget Resolution was held at 1:40 in the morning on March 14. Amendments were offered on a wide variety of issues including increased funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), adjustment of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and other tax provisions, full funding for the President’s requested foreign affairs budget that includes important global health and nuclear non-proliferation initiatives, and strengthening of the Department of Justice’s efforts to enforce laws protecting children. Also in March, as part of its constituent outreach, the Lugar Northeast Indiana Community Service Center offered an identity theft workshop in recognition of National Consumer Protection Week. The News for Hoosiers section includes important information on how to prevent identity theft that was shared at the workshop. In addition, this month’s Legislative Update includes information on S. 22, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, to provide educational benefits for military service since September 11, 2001, and the U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act which was passed by the Foreign Relations Committee. In the coming weeks, I look forward to returning to Indianapolis to swear-in Judge John Tinder and recognize this year’s Fund for Hoosier Excellence scholarship recipients. Thank you as always for reading the Lugar Letter. I wish you every continuing success. Sincerely,
Lugar Seeks Expansion of Summer Feeding Program in Indiana
To recruit sponsors, Senator Lugar hosted an information session on the SFSP in his Northeast Indiana Community Service Center in Fort Wayne. In addition, Celina Weatherwax, director of Senator Lugar’s Valparaiso, Indiana, office visited the Hammond Boys & Girls Club on March 19 to observe their food program, which is sponsored by the Gary-based community organization Back to God Movement. For more information on the program, read Senator Lugar’s press release or contact Julie Sutton at the Indiana Department of Education at (317) 232-0872 or jsutton@doe.in.gov.
|
Reminder: The last day to register as a 2008 sponsor for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is Monday, April 28, 2008. The SFSP feeds low-income children in the summer months when school is not in session, and Senator Lugar is asking for sponsors in the 41 Indiana Counties where it does not currently operate. 