November 2011 E-Newsletter

Nov 1, 2011

 

$2 Million for San Diego International Airport Green Program

Last month, I applauded the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) award of $2 million to San Diego International Airport to reduce the use of conventional fuels to improve air quality.

We have a unique airport situated right on San Diego Bay near commercial and residential areas. This grant will go a long way to improving air quality for our airport employees and the surrounding communities.

The grant, through the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) program, is part of a major airport improvement project at San Diego International Airport’s called “The Green Build.”  The grant will enable the airport to install 10 centralized, pre-conditioned air units at 10 new aircraft gates.  The units will allow aircraft arriving at the gates to shut off their auxiliary power units and connect to a cleaner central heating and cooling system, saving fuel and reducing aircraft emissions on the ground.

For information about the program, including a list of eligible airports and projects, go to the VALE web site:  http://www.faa.gov/airports/environmental/vale/

 

 

Calling on President Obama to Act on Housing

I joined members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation to urge President Obama to act immediately to address our country’s troubled housing market.

We must do more to help people keep their homes. Many of the financial institutions that helped get us into this mess have turned their backs on homeowners. Now, homeowners seeking a loan modification encounter obstacle after obstacle. All we are saying is streamline the process and make it easier for people to stay in their homes.

Specifically, we called on President Obama to:

•           Urge the Federal Housing Finance Agency to establish a plan to refinance all mortgages owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

•           Push for a major principal reduction plan for underwater homeowners, such as modifications in coordination with Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

•           Institute a “Homeowner’s Bill Of Rights” that would apply to HAMP, FHFA, HUD, VA and private servicer modification programs and include the following:

-          Make the process homeowner-friendly: Ensure a single point of contact; require servicers to review documents within a timely fashion and disclose information; and ban “advanced fees.”

-          Eliminate needless obstacles to effective modifications: Allow for flexibility in the debt to income ratio; end the requirement that homeowners be delinquent in order to be eligible for a loan modification; end dual tracking; and require that servicers not report adverse credit information while trial or permanent modification is underway.

-          Ensure accountability and establish an appeals process: Create an Office of Consumer Advocate; conduct random audits of modifications; and establish an independent appeals process for homeowners who believe their modification has been improperly rejected or handled in violation of program rules.

Veterans’ Cost-of-Living Adjustment Bill Passes Congress

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed S. 894, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011.  S. 894 passed the Senate on October 19, 2011.  This measure will be sent to the White House, and the President is expected to sign it into law.

I am relieved that veterans will finally be seeing a cost-of-living increase. Veterans are in need of real help in this economy, and the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011 will provide some measure of assistance to our veterans.

The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which takes effect on December 1, 2011, would increase the rates of disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for survivors.  These increases match the increases granted to Social Security recipients, which are expected to be 3.6 percent. This marks the first increase in two years.

The House passed its version of the COLA bill, H.R. 1407, on May 23, 2011.  This version included a section extending the VA’s authority to provide specially adapted housing assistance to individuals residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member.  This authority was extended to December 2012 in P.L. 112-37, the Veterans Health Care Facilities Capital Improvement Act of 2011, enacted on October 5, 2011.

 

 

 

 

HOPE Leadership Institute members visit Washington, D.C.

I recently met in my Washington, D.C. office with members of the HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality) Leadership Institute. From left are Danitza Villanueva, Publisher of Giving Back; Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Vice Mayor of National City; and Aracely Rodriguez, Bi-National Affairs Manager of Planned Parenthood.

 

Constituent Mail Bag

From Chula Vista:

I am a constituent of yours and I am very concerned about the safety of Medicaid.

When considering how best to bring our budget in balance, I urge you to protect health care coverage for Americas most vulnerable families,especially those who depend on the Medicaid program for their lifeline.

Cutting federal Medicaid funding merely shifts costs to states and families. With less federal dollars, states will have to cut benefits or eligibility or reduce provider payments all of which hurt beneficiaries access to care and pass costs onto families. Shifting costs to families will do nothing to bring down costs in the health system overall.

 

The American people want deficit reduction solutions that are balanced. According to a poll conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in May, fully 60 percent of Americans want to keep the Medicaid program as is and only 13 percent would support large cuts to Medicaid. I therefore urge you to protect the Medicaid program from harmful cutbacks.

 

Congressman Filner replies:

Thank you for contacting me regarding cuts to Medicaid. 

I wholeheartedly agree! We must ensure Medicaid continues to provide health coverage for low-income Americans and children. Rest assured, I will continue to work with my colleagues to provide affordable, accessible and comprehensive healthcare for all Americans!

I appreciate your advocacy on this issue!

 

 

Useful Website: Veterans History Project

The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center at the  Library of Congress collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out how you can participate by going to the Veterans History Project  website: http://www.loc.gov/vets/kit.html