A Weekly e-Newsletter from
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

May 16, 2008

Dear Friends,

This week, after many months, the Senate passed a new five-year Farm Bill that continues to provide a safety net for farmers, increases conservation programs, provides incentives for renewable energy production and establishes a permanent disaster program.  This Farm Bill is a win for rural America and for farmers in Georgia, where agriculture remains the number one industry in the state.  I commend Senator Saxby Chambliss for his strong work in crafting this legislation and for making sure that we continue to meet the needs of farmers in Georgia and the Southeast. The conference report for the Farm Bill passed the Senate by a vote of 81 to 15. The conference report passed the House on Wednesday by a vote of 318 to 106.

Energy Supply and Pricing
On Tuesday, I voted in favor of two amendments aimed at combating the significant increases in gas and oil prices and their effects on the American economy and on the family budget.  The first amendment, which passed 97 to 1, would require the U.S. Department of Energy to halt deposits of domestic crude oil into the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve as long as the price of crude oil remains above $75 per barrel.  Temporarily halting deposits to the reserve sends the signal to the global market that the United States will take measures to address excessive oil prices.

The second amendment aimed to lower the cost of energy and enhance U.S. energy security by increasing our nation’s domestic supply, and it failed by a vote of 42 to 56.  Given our dependence on foreign energy in this country, it is critical for us to consider the development of our untapped domestic energy supplies.  With skyrocketing gas prices, we must seek every way possible to increase the domestic production of energy, and I will continue to work toward this in Congress. Specifically, it would have amended the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act by extending state boundaries seaward to the outer margin of the Outer Continental Shelf for the purpose of pre-leasing and leasing activities in new producing areas.  The amendment would have established a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Coastal Plain under the Mineral Leasing Act. It would also have amended the “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007” to strike the definition of renewable biomass and replace it with Senate-passed definition. This is critically important to ensuring that the emerging cellulosic ethanol industry is able to take advantage of all sources of cellulosic biomass.  The amendments were offered as part of a flood insurance bill that passed by a vote of 92 to 6.

Bill to Help Injured Veterans Keep Their Homes
On May 7, Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa., and I introduced a bipartisan bill to help prevent injured veterans from losing their homes while awaiting adjudication on their disability claims.  The Disabled Veterans Homeownership Preservation Act would help disabled veterans who are caught up in the extensive backlog of claims pending in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  I have always said that the most important responsibility we have as a Congress is to see to it that the treatment and services we give our veterans are the very best our country can offer.  It is incomprehensible that our injured veterans and their families, who have sacrificed tremendously for this nation, could be losing their homes due to bureaucratic delays.  As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I am pleased to introduce this legislation with Senator Casey to help prevent this problem.  

The Casey-Isakson bill would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act in two major ways.  First, the foreclosure grace period would be extended from 90 days to one year for any servicemember who incurs a serious illness or injury during their military service.  Injured veterans deserve time to recover from their wounds and transition back into a normal life. Second, the bill would protect disabled injured veterans from foreclosure while their claim is under review by the Veterans Administration.  The deadline to apply is one year after leaving the service and the protections begins when the claim is filed.  Disabled veterans with legitimate claims to benefits should not suffer because of a bureaucratic backlog.  For more information on what the legislation includes, click here.

Legislation to Help Prevent Minority Diabetes
Last week, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., and I, introduced a bill to help prevent diabetes from affecting children and families in minority communities.  African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian and Pacific Islanders, American Indians and Alaskan Natives have higher rates of diabetes and are often less able to obtain the care they need to manage their disease.  The Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act would coordinate prevention, research, treatment and education efforts across several government agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Of the 20 million Americans affected by diabetes, nearly 6 million are minorities.  It is important to provide the education necessary to keep these individuals healthy through proper management of their disease.  The bill also would require the Indian Health Service to identify ethnically and culturally appropriate diabetes prevention and treatment services for the American Indian population.

New Interns
This week, my offices in Georgia and Washington, D.C. welcomed a new group of interns for part of the summer.  Our interns get a firsthand look at how a Congressional office is run as well as providing valuable services to our staff and constituents.  It is our goal that by the end of the internship, students selected for the program will have developed a broader understanding of the role of the federal government both locally and nationally and will have worked with the state and Washington staff members to address a variety of issues that concern the residents of Georgia.  In Washington, our interns are Henry McAlpin, Leslie Anderson, Justin Arrington, Jordan Bartolomeo, Elizabeth Ezzell, Jason Gilliland, Brooke Heinz, Lawton Jordon, Brian Mascarenhas, Kathleen Robinson, Laci Texter, and Barrett Wills.  In Atlanta, our interns for the first session are Joel O’Neal and Amy Turner.  If you visit one of my offices or call about an issue in the next few weeks, please help us welcome our new interns.  They are off to a great start!

What’s on Tap for Next Week?

The Senate is expected to debate legislation on supplemental spending for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson