Members of Congress were sworn into office on Tuesday, Jan. 6 to mark the start of the 111th Congress. The new session also begins Neil's tenth full term in the U.S. House. He'll continue as Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces-- a leadership post that has boosted economic activity, in a variety of ways, across Hawaii and the nation.

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In the 2006 Election, the public demanded an entirely new direction for the country.  The two years since then have been far from tranquil in Washington, DC, but with a Democratically-led Congress, there’s been notable progress on major issues.  Here are just some of things Neil Abercrombie has accomplished for Hawaii First in the previous session, the 110th Congress:


Bringing Billions in Federal Investment to Hawaii
Neil Abercrombie has brought home hundreds of millions of dollars to Hawaii to improve military facilities, including family housing and fund critical defense research projects; to continue upgrades to the HPD Crime Lab, provide funding for flood control and water quality projects and continue Hawaii’s leading role in alternative energy fuels and renewable technologies.  

Driving Economic Growth
He sponsored legislation to enable creation of public-private partnerships that boost Hawaii’s economy and help address the shortage of affordable rental housing.  The long-term public-private partnerships employ thousands of construction workers, subcontractors, local small businesses to build, renovate, and manage thousands of rental housing units on military bases around Hawaii, reducing competition for rental housing in nearby communities.

Striving for Energy Independence & Paying for Alternative Energy R&D
When Democratic and Republican leaders wouldn’t budge on energy legislation to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, Neil formed a group of Republican and Democratic colleagues to draft a forward-looking, comprehensive legislation that would greatly reduce our dependence on imported oil and pay for the full development of alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies.  The bill (H.R. 6709) became the basis for the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act. [H.R. 6899 passed the House on 9/16/08].

Ultimately, Congress passed a scaled down energy bill that renewed and expanded tax incentives critical to the continuation of the renewable energy industries in Hawaii.  These will allow homeowners to deduct the full cost of solar energy equipment and support renewable energy projects well suited for Hawaii, such as the wave energy buoy off Kaneohe Bay. [Public Law 110-343].  Neil also established a Sun Grant Subcenter at the University of Hawaii to research the most effective bio-based energy for the Pacific region. [Congress overrode Presidential veto, Public Law 110-246]

Making Higher Education More Affordable for Everyone
Rep. Abercrombie supported the largest investment in college financial aid in decades, helping approximately 14,250 Hawaii students through more Pell Grants and lower interest rates on federal student loans.  The bill also provides tuition assistance and loan forgiveness to students who agree to work in the public sector. [Public Law 110-84 on 9/27/2007].  He also cosponsored sweeping new GI Bill to provide free college education to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. [Public Law 110-252]

Preserving Medicare and Ensuring Quality Healthcare
He fought Bush Administration cuts to Medicare benefits and preserved Medicare for 44 million seniors and people with disabilities, assuring access to doctors they know and trust. [Congress overrode Presidential veto, Public Law 110-275].  Supported mental health parity to end coverage discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental illness. [Public Law 110-343]

Preserving Hawaii’s Heritage
Neil sponsored and passed in the House the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act (the Akaka Bill) to allow Native Hawaiians to decide on a government entity to represent their interests in relations with the federal government and to administer the Hawaiian Homelands. [H.R.505 passed the House on 10/24/07]  Also Introduced and passed legislation to reauthorize funding for home development and mortgage assistance on Hawaiian Home Lands.  The expansion of both of these programs means more housing opportunities for low-income families throughout the state. [H.R. 835 passed the House on 3/28/07, passed Senate Banking Committee on 9/26/2007]

Protecting Hawaii’s Natural Resources
He was able to obtain funding in the 2007 and 2008 National Defense Acts to begin sonar mapping, water quality analysis, monitoring and clean-up of unexploded chemical munitions dumped in Hawaiian waters by the military following WWII, and for continued research at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology into the effects of U.S. Navy sonar on marine mammals.

Creating a More Livable Hawaii
Rep. Abercrombie obtained $10 million for the Honolulu Rapid Transit Project. One of the few New Starts projects to receive funding. [H.R. 3074 passed the House on 7/24/07]  This can be the hub of transit-oriented development, a way to create real communities and increase affordable housing by mixing residents and commerce around the rail stations.  Hawaii is now in the Preliminary Engineering phase, where the route, rights of way and environmental studies are being done; it is our prime opportunity to shape the future of Oahu.

Protecting American Taxpayers
Neil authored the War Profiteering Prevention Act to crack down on hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud by U.S. contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.  H.R. 400 applies criminal penalties— for the first time— to unscrupulous companies and individuals convicted of contract fraud, bid rigging or gross overcharging for goods or services for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. [H.R.400 passed the House 375-3 on 10/9/07]

Protecting American Troops
As Chairman of the House Armed Services Air-Land Forces Subcommittee, he was able to cut billions of dollars from non war-related Pentagon spending to buy more life-saving armored vehicles to protect our troops from roadside bombs in Iraq, and, after years of constant combat, to re-equip and rebuild our Army and Marine Corps, including the Army Reserve and National Guard.  [H.R.1585 passed the House on 5/17/07]

Moving to End the War in Iraq
Neil co-authored bipartisan legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress every 90 days on the progress of plans for the withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq.  [H.R.3087 passed the House 377- 46 on 10/2/07]

Beginning a New Era
Expectations have never been higher for an incoming President and new Congress.  Rep. Neil Abercrombie and the rest of Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation are well prepared and ideally positioned to work closely with the Obama Administration in a cooperative, more-respectful spirit. 

Staying Current on Issues that Affect You
One of the best ways to stay current on issues that confront Congress is to receive regular Eneil messages from the Abercrombie office. To subscribe, simply go to our home page, scroll down and click on the red box.  You’ll be linked to a page on which you can select from among a number of issues to let us know what you’re most interested in. That’s it. And remember: you can unsubscribe any time you wish.

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