February 2012 E-Newsletter

In this Issue

• Calling for San Diego to be Selected for Satellite U.S. Patent Office
• Response to the President’s State of the Union
• Bill to Help Veteran-Owned Businesses
• Grant Award for San Ysidro Health Center
• Constituent Mail Bag
• Useful Website: The Smithsonian Presents Black History Month

Calling for San Diego to be Selected for Satellite U.S. Patent Office

Last month, I joined my San Diego Congressional colleagues in urging the U.S. Commerce Department to establish a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Satellite Office in San Diego.

San Diego is home to leaders in science, technology and cutting edge research institutes. Having a satellite patent office in San Diego would support our innovators, create new jobs and help our economic recovery.

In the joint request from the San Diego Congressional Delegation, we wrote “The proposal also enjoys broad-based support from San Diego’s community leaders and embodies the true spirit of collaboration that has catapulted San Diego to the forefront of America’s innovation ecosystem” 

The USPTO is in the process of implementing the Nationwide Workforce Program, an effort to hire more patent examiners and seek out additional resources and technical expertise in locations across the country. The USPTO has begun expanding the program, which would provide the patent applicant community and our nation’s innovators greater access to the USPTO and the services it offers.

Response to the President’s State of the Union

The President is right, Americans deserve an economy that rewards those that work hard and play by the rules. We need to ensure it is not just those at the top that benefit in our economy, but all Americans who fight each day to make ends meet.  

Our veterans made great sacrifices for our country and are coming back to find high unemployment, especially those who returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  We must redouble our efforts to make sure our veterans not only have the services they need to transition to the civilian workforce, but jobs that can take advantage of the skills they gained while serving our country.

I agree with the President, we cannot go back to an economy based on outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits.  Moving forward, we must join together to build our economy.

Bill to Help Veteran-Owned Businesses

I recently introduced legislation to ensure that the Department of Defense meets its obligation to contract with small businesses owned and controlled by service-connected disabled veterans.

As a nation, we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the men and women who serve in our armed forces. In that spirit, we must do all we can to ensure that disabled veterans’ businesses have every opportunity to succeed.

Federal agencies have a government-wide goal that three percent of all federal contracts should be filled by service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs).  Unfortunately this contracting goal often goes unmet at many agencies. 

My bill, H.R. 3438, will ensure that the Department of Defense meets its obligation to America’s veterans by requiring the agency to award three percent of its contracts to SDVOSBs. 

It is unthinkable that an agency like the Department of Defense would not always fill its quota of hiring businesses owned and controlled by disabled veterans.  This bill will ensure that disabled veterans’ businesses are not an afterthought in the government contracting process.

The current state of affairs is unacceptable!

Grant Award for San Ysidro Health Center

I announced recently that San Ysidro Health Center, also known as Centro de Salud de la Comunidad de San Ysidro, has been awarded $485,861 for school-based healthcare by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This grant will allow more children to have access to healthcare that will help keep them well and in school. Not only do these centers provide preventative care, such as screenings, but they also allow many students with chronic illnesses to stay in school.

The Affordable Care Act provided a total of $200 million in funding from 2010 – 2013 for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program to address significant and pressing capital needs and to improve delivery and support expansion of services at school-based health centers.

This grant is part of a series of awards that will be made available to school-based health centers under the Affordable Care Act.  The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees the School-Based Health Center Capital Program.

Constituent Mail Bag

From San Diego:

I am writing to urge you to reject any proposal to enact options offered by the Congressional Budget Office that would seek to drive military retirees away from using their earned health care benefits by raising military TRICARE fees by thousands of dollars a year.

I am fully aware of the budget crisis the nation faces and that no segment of the population will be exempt.

But it would be a terrible exploit to change the rules and raise TRICARE fees by thousands a year after career servicemembers already have borne all the sacrifices demanded of them.

This population already has been made to bear 100% of the nation's wartime sacrifice (600,000 of today's retirees served since 9/11/01).

Military retirees also have been made to forfeit thousands a year in retired pay, having retired under pay table depressed by annual budget-driven capping of military pay raises for years.

I urge you to reject any efforts to push them out of using their earned military health care by imposing thousands a year in TRICARE fee increases.

Congressman Filner replies:

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about proposals to overhaul current military retirement benefits.

As the Ranking Member on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I wholeheartedly agree! Our country owes a sacred debt to the men and women of our armed forces who render honorable military service. Be assured that I will fight any proposal to diminish the retirement benefits our veterans have earned and deserve.

I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue!

Useful Website: The Smithsonian Presents Black History Month

February is Black History Month! The Smithsonian Museums are hosting a series of online exhibits displaying the achievements of the African American community. Poetry, Science, Music, and Art are only a few of the categories displayed online at:

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/