Major Accomplishments Of The 111th Congress
In 2006, the American people demanded a New Direction: to make America safer, to help restore the American dream, and to restore accountability and fiscal responsibility to the people's government. Six years of indifference had left the American people wondering who would take their side. The 110th Congress brought new faces and new energy, and the first woman Speaker of the House who gaveled open the Congress on behalf of America’s children. The 110th Congress enacted key legislation into law to rebuild our economy, strengthen our national security, care for America’s children and families, protect our planet, and restore accountability—with significant bipartisan support more than 70 percent of the time. More progress was prevented by the failed ideology and the continued obstruction of the Bush Administration and his Republican allies in Congress.
In 2008, the American people demanded change. Eight years of inaction had led our country into a serious economic crisis, leaving families facing unemployment, foreclosures, and rising costs. Now, the 111th Congress is working with President Obama to take America in a New Direction, to turn our economy around and create good jobs, with common sense reforms and targeted investments in: affordable health care, clean energy jobs, educational excellence, fiscal responsibility, and tax fairness.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 111TH CONGRESS INCLUDE:
ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND CREATING JOBS
AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT, enacted in the first month of President Obama’s term, to jumpstart our economy, create and save 3.5 million jobs, give 95% of American workers a tax cut, and begin to rebuild America’s road, rail, and water infrastructure, with unprecedented accountability. (Signed into Law)
HELPING FAMILIES SAVE THEIR HOMES ACT, building on the President’s initiative to stem the foreclosure crisis, with significant incentives to lenders, servicers, and homeowners to modify loans. (Signed into Law)
JOB CREATION THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACT, to give established small businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups the needed tools and resources to thrive, create jobs and drive economic growth. (Passed by House)
FUNDING INNOVATION AGENDA, investing $31 billion in science, technology, innovation, and science education – including cutting-edge scientific research, cutting-edge technologies for U.S. manufacturers, and preparing the innovation workforce to compete globally. (Passed by House)
WATER QUALITY INVESTMENT ACT, to create an estimated 680,000 jobs over the next five years by launching clean water projects for families and communities across America. (Passed by House)
AFFORDABLE QUALITY HEALTH CARE
HEALTH CARE REFORM, to lower costs to consumers, preserve and provide choice of doctors and health plans, ensure stability and peace of mind that coverage can’t be delayed or denied, and ensure quality patient-centered care. Three House committees have jointly produced draft legislation. (Draft Legislation Released)
HEALTH CARE FOR 11 MILLION CHILDREN, to finally provide cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children whose parents earn too little to provide their own insurance, but too much to qualify for Medicaid, and preserve coverage for 7 million children already enrolled. (Signed into Law)
FDA REGULATION OF TOBACCO, granting the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products, the number-one cause of preventable death in America, with 1,000 children each day becoming new, regular smokers. (Signed into Law)
CLEAN ENERGY JOBS
AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT, to create millions of jobs; reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil; reduce the carbon pollution causing climate change; keep costs low for Americans, with lower income Americans seeing no cost; with no increase to the deficit. (Passed by House)
CASH FOR CLUNKERS, providing consumers with $3,500 to $4,500 vouchers to trade in an old vehicle for one with higher fuel efficiency – spurring the sale of up to 250,000 more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, creating jobs, and shoring up struggling car dealerships (included in the FY 2009 Supplemental). (Signed into Law)
GREEN SCHOOL MODERNIZATION, to create nearly 140,000 jobs by providing investments to modernize, renovate, and repair school facilities, encouraging energy efficiency. (Passed by House)
PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND TAXPAYERS
CREDIT CARDHOLDERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS, providing tough new protections for consumers—including banning unfair rate increases, abusive fees, and penalties—and strengthening enforcement. (Signed into Law)
FRAUD ENFORCEMENT AND RECOVERY ACT, providing tools to prosecute mortgage scams and corporate fraud that contributed to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression; creating an outside commission to examine its causes. (Signed into Law)
MILITARY PROCUREMENT REFORM, to crack down on Pentagon waste and cost overruns, which GAO says amount to $296 billion just for the 96 largest weapons systems, dramatically beefing up oversight of weapons acquisition, promoting greater use of competition, and curbing conflicts of interest. (Signed into Law)
STRENGTHENING OVERSIGHT OF TARP, to expand the authority of the TARP Special Inspector General, to help ensure taxpayers’ funds are effectively used to get credit flowing to businesses and families. (Signed into Law)
MORTGAGE REFORM AND ANTI-PREDATORY LENDING ACT, to stop the predatory and irresponsible mortgage loan practices that played a major role in the current financial meltdown and to help ensure that the mortgage industry follows basic principles of sound lending and consumer protection. (Passed by House)
LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT, to restore the rights of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay—to help close the wage gap where women earn 78 cents for every $1 a man earns in America. (Signed into Law)
PAY FOR PERFORMANCE ACT, to prohibit unreasonable or excessive compensation and non-performance-based bonuses for executives at companies receiving TARP funds. (Passed by House)
AIRLINE PASSENGER CONSUMER PROTECTIONS & SAFETY, to require contingency plans for long tarmac and flight delays, improve safety, and modernize air traffic control systems and infrastructure. (Passed by House)
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
BUDGET BLUEPRINT, reflecting the President’s plan to get the economy moving again, cutting taxes for most Americans by $1.5 trillion and creating jobs with targeted investments in health care, clean energy and education – cutting the Bush deficit by nearly 2/3 by 2013. (Passed by House and Senate; Action Completed)
NATIONAL SECURITY/TROOPS AND VETERANS
FY 2009 SUPPLEMENTAL, for rest of FY 2009, providing our troops with everything they need to wind down the Iraq war, change strategy in Afghanistan; requiring a progress report; and making retroactive payments to 185,000+ service members whose enlistments were involuntarily extended since 9/11. (Signed into Law)
TRANSFER OF NEW GI BILL BENEFITS TO CHILDREN OF FALLEN TROOPS, expanding New GI Bill benefits to cover the full cost of a college education for all children of fallen U.S. service members. (Signed into Law)
BOLSTERING U.S. DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES, to strengthen national security by bolstering State Department resources to prevent conflict and failed states around the world. (Passed by House)
DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION, authorizing a 3.4% pay raise for our troops, strengthening military readiness, expanding support for military families such as health care and housing, focusing on our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan and redeployment from Iraq, and military procurement reform. (Passed by House)
TIMELY AND RELIABLE VETERANS FUNDING, authorizing Congress to approve VA medical care appropriations one year in advance to enhance planning for the best care for an increasing number of veterans with increasingly complex medical conditions. (Passed by House)
BOOSTING COMPENSATION FOR DISABLED MILITARY RETIREES, permitting veterans medically retired from active service to receive both military retirement and Veterans Disability Compensation. (Passed by House)
SECURITY FOR AMERICA’S COMMUNITIES
PUTTING 50,000 COPS ON THE BEAT, authorizing $1.8 billion a year for COPS grants over the next five years, to put an additional 50,000 police officers on the street. (Passed by House)
ENHANCING TRANSPORTATION SECURITY, to improve security for over 10 billion American mass transit trips each year – tripling resources for transit security. (Passed by House)
HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT, to give law enforcement resources to prevent and prosecute hate crimes against Americans based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. (Passed by House)
OTHER
EDWARD M. KENNEDY SERVE AMERICA ACT, tripling volunteerism opportunities to 250,000 for national service for students to retirees; creating new service corps for education, health care, energy and veterans; a Summer of Service for middle/high school students; increased college financial awards. (Signed into Law)
OMNIBUS PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT ACT, the most significant conservation bill in 15 years, boosting the economy and tourism at 160 mostly rural sites; with 2 million new acres of wilderness; 3 national park units; 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers; 1 National Monument; 3 National Conservation Areas. (Signed into Law)