Appropriations requests to meet the needs of Central Texans are available here.
Putting Our Children First
Release of "Trouble in Toyland" Report on Toy Safety Congressman Doggett Questions Fed Chairman Bernanke on Bailout
Congressman Doggett's Climate MATTERS Bill a Focus of Ways and Means Hearing
House Passes Congressman Doggett’s Silver Alert Bill
Congressman Doggett Introduces Climate MATTERS Act to Address Global Warming
Congressman Doggett
Amendment Passes to Streamline Student Aid Applications
Congressman
Doggett Seeks to Unite Taxpayers with Lost Refunds
Congressman
Doggett Delivers Texas State University Commencement Address
House Passes Historic Energy Legislation
Congressman Doggett Releases Appropriations Requests
News from Congressman Doggett
With my strong support, the House passed the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act. You can
view my floor speech in support of this legislation by clicking
here.
I was pleased to be invited once again join TexPIRG at the release of its annual
"Trouble in Toyland" Report. Safeguarding against the dangers posed by unsafe toys and the need for oversight to
ensure the safety of our children's toys has long been
and continues to be one of my legislative priorities in Congress.
On October 20, I returned to Washington to question Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other witnesses at a House Budget Committee hearing about
the bailout's implementation. I stated that "Congress has a duty to ensure that the last $700 billion bailout it approved is being used responsibly.
Americans would be better served by more accountability, more transparency, and a better return on their substantial investment."
Click here to view the video.
Earlier, on September 24, I questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke about the Administration's sudden demand for a taxpayer bailout of Wall Street.
Click here to view the video.
CAPTION: Congressman Lloyd Doggett questions witnesses during a hearing on his Climate MATTERS bill.
My Climate MATTERS bill, which I introduced last year and will
reintroduce, was a focus of a Ways and Means Committee hearing. My bill,
H.R. 6316, will create a cap-and-trade system to cut greenhouse gas
pollution. Instead of massive public giveaways of "pollute free" cards,
Climate MATTERS would auction allowances and apply the resulting
revenues to offset the impacts of climate change, including the creation
of a "Healthy Families Fund" to address the health care challenges that
plague so many American families and American businesses. My
cap-and-trade bill is also a cap and invest bill, investing auction
revenue in America - in our infrastructure, in our industry and universities with efficient, clean energy research and development, and in our workforce. Click
here for my opening remarks. Later on, I had the privilege of chairing this hearing and asked about how our inaction on climate change is sending high-tech, clean energy jobs overseas. Click
here for this additional video.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed my bill, the National Silver Alert Act (H.R. 6064), to help law enforcement
quickly locate missing seniors. Silver Alert is a public notification system similar to Amber Alert that is triggered by
the report of a missing senior with Alzheimer's or other mental impairments. Our seniors, who have worked a lifetime and raised
a family, need our special help when they can no longer help themselves.
Click here for video of my remarks on the House floor about Silver Alert.
In June, I was joined by Central Texas leaders from the business, technology, environmental, and religious communities at a press conference I held to announce the
introduction of my bill to combat global warming -- the Climate Market Auction Trust & Trade Emissions Reduction System (MATTERS) Act. The Climate MATTERS Act
institutes a cap-and-trade system to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and invests the revenue to create green, high-wage jobs, assist consumers to transition to a low-carbon economy, and provide affordable healthcare to working families.
Click here for the text of my remarks.
As part of the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, the House
passed an amendment I offered to make it easier to file for financial
aid. The Doggett amendment gives students and parents the power to
instruct the Internal Revenue Service to provide their income
information directly to the Department of Education. This will simplify
the filing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Click here for my remarks on the amendment.
Click here for a list of more than 400 undeliverable tax refund
checks belonging to Central Texas taxpayers who filed their 2006 federal
income tax returns. Taxpayers who locate their name on the IRS Refund
List can call the IRS Refund Hotline at 1-800-TAX-1954 (1-800-829-1954)
for further assistance.
Click here for the text of my remarks at the Fall Commencement
Exercises of Texas State University at San Marcos. In that speech, I
urged graduates: “As you transition from the dorm room to the board
room, from your leadership on campus to becoming leaders in your
community, or perhaps from this hilly campus to Capitol Hill, know that
it is not about being somebody, but it is about doing something.”
Click here to view my floor speech about increasing fuel economy standards. The Energy Independence and Security Act
also creates tax incentives for the purchase of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and restores the original intent of the renewable diesel tax credit.
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