Position Papers
Transportation
It's clear to anyone who commutes to, from or within southwestern Connecticut that we are suffering a transportation crisis. There are too many vehicles on I-95 slowing our daily rush hour to a crawl. Because of frequent breakdowns and delays, Metro-North commuter rail has failed to present an attractive or convenient alternative to the highway.
We can begin to lighten the traffic load on I-95 by getting trucks off the highway and encouraging the movement of freight by rail and barge. Working with members of Congress from both parties across the metropolitan region, we've initiated a major study of a rail-freight tunnel under New York Harbor, a plan that would remove one million trucks from highways around the metropolitan New York area. The Bridgeport feeder barge project will remove trucks from the roads as well, and we've worked hard to appropriate money for the dredging Bridgeport Harbor needs in order to facilitate that project.
We need a major investment to make public transit an easier and more efficient commuting option. Establishing passenger ferry service into New York City is one way to help ease the burden on our roads. This Congress has allocated more than $15 million to research and plan for high-speed ferry service between southwestern Connecticut and Manhattan.
Significant improvements to our transit hubs in the cities are ongoing, smoothing the transition between bus and rail and other modes of public transport. Working with my Connecticut colleagues to obtain federal funding, I have helped support these efforts.
Our Connecticut delegation has secured $62 million in federal funding for the Stamford Urban Transitway project, including $15 million in FY 06 to provide an additional lane for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) and direct access to a new 1200-car parking garage at Stamford train station.
We have obtained $51.5 million for the Bridgeport Intermodal Center, including $6 million in FY 06. The Bridgeport Intermodal Center is designed to consolidate access between various modes of transportation including Metro-North, Amtrak passenger service, intercity buses, bus and van service to New York airports, passenger ferries from Long Island, and taxis.
Our Connecticut delegation has also obtained $6 million for the City of Norwalk to make improvements to the South Norwalk Intermodal Facility, and $4 million for a new Fairfield train station, which will provide another 1,200 parking spaces for commuters.
I have worked with the Governor, State Legislature, and the Transportation Strategy Board over the past five years to make replacing Connecticut's Metro North rail cars a top priority for the state. I am pleased that in 2005 they responded by passing a $1.3 billion, 10 year transportation plan that will replace these outdated cars and make our trains an attractive alternative for commuters.
In July 2005, Congress passed a large transportation bill that will have far reaching benefits for Connecticut. Between the years 1998 and 2003, the state of Connecticut received $1.48 from the federal highway trust fund for every $1.00 we sent to Washington. With the passage of this new legislation, the federal government will continue to send back over $1.30 for every $1 we send to Washington over the next six years. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Connecticut delegation to appropriate federal money to address Connecticut's transportation needs.
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Taxes and Spending
I am a budget hawk and have been throughout my 19 years in Congress. I am working to strengthen our economy by limiting the growth of government, cutting wasteful federal spending, reducing taxes for families, creating jobs, and moving power, money and influence out of Washington and back to local communities.
That is why I support tax relief and voted to extend the capital gains and dividends tax cut until 2010. This legislation also protected millions of middle-class Americans from a tax increase by extending the exemption for paying the alternative minimum tax.
Over the past few years, I have voted to eliminate the marriage penalty, reduce the estate tax, double the child tax credit while making it refundable for low-income workers, cut income taxes across-the-board, increased small business write-offs, increased the contribution limits for individual retirements accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) pension plans, and made college tuition payments tax-deductible.
Our economy has experienced strong growth since the capital gains and dividend taxes were reduced to 15%. Over the past 13 quarters, our economy has averaged 3.7 percent growth. Our unemployment rate has fallen from 6.3 percent in June 2003 - the month immediately following the passage of the capital gains and dividends tax cut - to 4.8 percent as of July 2006. During that same period, our economy has added 5.5 million jobs.
Due to this substantial economic growth, the federal government will collect more revenue than ever. The fact is, we don't have a revenue problem in Washington. We have a spending problem.
I support the Balanced Budget Amendment because it is one way to ensure we do not pass our spending excesses on to the next generation. This amendment will require Congress to balance its budget each year just like our state and local governments. The only exception would be if the United States is at war, as declared by Congress.
I am also an original cosponsor of the Legislative Line Item Veto Act which would give the President authority to strike discretionary spending from any appropriations bill upon his signing it into law. The line item veto will hold the President and Congress accountable for what they spend and how they spend it.
My vote for the conference report to the Deficit Reduction Act is helping to control spending by reducing the growth of entitlements by $39 billion over five years. This bill was signed into law in February.
In addition, I am a senior member of the Financial Services Committee. In this capacity I am working to restore faith in our market economy by helping to pass corporate accounting, disclosure and bankruptcy reforms. I supported the Corporate Auditing Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency Act, which protects investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures.
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Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound gives life and identity to Fairfield County. It provides families all over the Fourth District with recreation all along our coastline, and a connection to the wonders of nature under the sea.
For others, it is a source of livelihood, as fishermen and lobstermen harvest the Sound for nourishment all over Connecticut and elsewhere. Increasingly, it provides an important mode of transportation, as efforts are being made at harbors across the Fourth District coastline to enhance shipping capabilities, and research is being conducted into the establishment of high-speed ferry through the Sound into Manhattan.
Long Island Sound is as vital a resource as any we have, and it needs our protection. It is a critical priority of mine to work hard to keep the Sound healthy and clean.
The Sound contributes over $5 billion annually to our regional economy. Approximately 10 percent of the American population lives within the Long Island Sound watershed, making it one of the most densely populated, most frequently visited and most heavily traveled areas of the country.
As an active member and past co-chairman of the Long Island Sound Caucus, I will continue to work with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to protect the Sound.
Through the Caucus, and in concert with the entire Connecticut delegation, my office is working to achieve federal funding for efforts to clean and protect Long Island Sound. In Fiscal Year 2007, the Long Island Sound office is scheduled to receive $1.8 million to help fight pollution and improve the Sound's water quality.
I have also worked consistently to ensure federal funds are provided to the towns of Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk and Fairfield so they can continue or complete essential dredging projects that will ultimately ensure the Sound remains a viable and vital resource for commerce and recreation. Those efforts have brought back $2.85 million to help dredge Norwalk Harbor, $1.15 million to help dredge Southport Harbor, and another $3.1 million to help dredge Bridgeport Harbor.
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Iraq
As Chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, I have chaired more than 90 hearings on counterterrorism issues, including 22 before September 11. Fifteen of our hearings focused specifically on the war in Iraq and I have made 14 trips to see first hand what conditions are like on the ground.
These trips allow me to make independent assessments about our U.S. operations, Iraq reconstruction, political and governmental developments, and training of Iraqi Security Forces. Following each trip, I report my observations and recommendations to the White House, Pentagon and State Department in an effort to improve our operations.
We need to continue to be engaged with Iraq economically, militarily and politically. This is a war the free world can not afford to lose. If we leave prematurely, either now or in the future, the results could be catastrophic. Fuel prices will spiral, Iraq will be in a civil war, Islamist terrorists will have won a huge victory and Iran will become the dominant player in the region. We simply can not allow this to happen.
Mistakes were made early in this war as I reported following my trips in 2003 and early 2004: The Department of Defense (DoD) initially failed to procure enough of the proper protective gear and armored vehicles our soldiers needed; we permitted the looting of government buildings; failed to secure munitions depots; and totally disbanded Iraqi security forces, leaving just 150,000 coalition soldiers to defend 26 million Iraqis in a country the size of California.
We started to see progress when we transferred power to the Iraqis in June of 2004 and began the process of training their police, military and border patrol. Significant progress continued for the next 18 months. Deadlines were established and time after time they met them. The Iraqis held three successful elections, wrote and ratified a new constitution, and swore in a new democratic government. Meanwhile, Iraqi forces continued to assume more and more of the daily security responsibilities.
Unfortunately, progress has abated. Little has happened since the Iraqi government assumed power in January, putting everything we have worked for at risk.
I was concerned about the apparent lack of political will and slowed progress when I visited Iraq in July. At the time, however, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government had been in office only six weeks and had given our congressional delegation assurances that progress would be made. In August, I returned to Iraq to find that the tough decisions had not been made.
It is my conclusion, after my two most recent visits, that we need to force the issue, and the best way to do that is to set firm timelines for Iraqi security forces to replace our troops who are doing police work. We need to motivate the Iraqis to set firm deadlines for provincial elections, reconciliation and amnesty, and a final drafting of its constitution. This is absolutely essential if progress is to be made.
U.S. and coalition forces will still be needed in Iraq to provide military support for logistics, particularly fixed wing and helicopter air support, and such important services as medical care. We will also need to maintain a presence to assist the Iraqis in traditional military operations against insurgents and to discourage Iraq's neighbors from entering the country.
I believe in our mission in Iraq and want to do everything I can to help it succeed.
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Immigration
The first responsibility of a nation is to protect its borders. As a nation of laws, we must defend our borders and also enforce all our immigration, employment and tax laws.
An underground economy corrupts our society and places additional burdens on those who play by the rules, so we must ensure businesses hire legal residents and pay all required taxes. To assist employers, we should establish a tamper proof Social Security card to be used by all Americans and legal immigrants.
At the same time, one of America's strengths is the continual flow of new immigrants who take jobs others don't want and see opportunities others ignore. I believe we should open our doors to more legal immigrants and allow them guest worker privileges and the opportunity to study here. We should also expand the number of permanent work visas.
Unfortunately there are millions who have come here illegally. I believe they should register and learn English. While they should be allowed to stay and work legally, they should not be put on a path to citizenship unless they go home, apply for legal entry, and wait in line like everyone else who plays by the rules.
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Health Care
There are two areas of fundamental concern within the current health care system: increasing access to health insurance and ensuring quality, affordable care for those who have health insurance.
I believe the best way to make health insurance universally accessible is to make health care more affordable. That is why I support the Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) created under the Medicare Modernization Act.
HSAs are tax-free savings accounts that can be used to pay for qualified medical expenditures including health insurance deductibles, co-payments for physician visits and prescriptions, health insurance if you become unemployed, and long-term care insurance.
Individuals under 65 can contribute up to $2,600 per year, or $5,150 for families. There is no lifetime limit on how much an individual can accumulate in an HSA, and savings travel with the individual when he or she changes jobs. By encouraging individuals to purchase catastrophic health insurance and pay their everyday health costs with tax free dollars, HSAs help control the exorbitant costs of health insurance.
Another way I am working to control the cost of health care is by supporting the Community Health Center (CHC) Program. There are more than 3,000 community health centers in rural and urban areas, providing quality cost-effective primary and preventive care for low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients. By preventing costly hospitalizations and unnecessary emergency room visits, these centers save the health care delivery system more than $6 billion annually.
I have voted for legislation to increase spending on community health centers and to add 1,200 new and expanded facilities. Our goal is for the CHC Program to serve 20 million patients, 10 million of whom are uninsured.
We can substantially improve the quality and affordability of our health care by making a commitment to medical malpractice reform. Too many unnecessary lawsuits and outrageous court awards have driven the cost of insuring doctors through the roof. As a result, too many doctors have been forced to stop practicing because they cannot bear the costs of their malpractice insurance premiums. Those who remain are often compelled to practice "defensive medicine," ordering redundant, expensive tests and procedures because they fear malpractice liability. This drives costs even higher.
By reasonably limiting rewards, we will reduce overall health care costs and ensure doctors are there when you need them. That is why I cosponsored and voted for the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act aimed at preventing frivolous malpractice litigation. The HEALTH Act places a $250,000 cap on non-economic (pain and suffering) damages, but places no limit on economic damages a plaintiff can recover.
I am also increasing access to health care by helping small businesses provide affordable health insurance for their employees. I am an original cosponsor of, and voted for, the Small Business Health Fairness Act which passed the House in 2005 establishing Association Health Plans (AHPs) that allow individuals and small businesses to band together in purchasing alliances to save 15% to 30% on health insurance compared to the cost of purchasing coverage directly from an insurance company.
To further reduce your health care costs, I cosponsored the Securing Access, Value, and Equality in Health Care Act, which provides a $1,000 refundable tax credit to all Americans for the purchase of health insurance. The tax credit can be extended to $2,000 for a married couple and up to $3,000 for a family.
I am also working to make prescription drugs more affordable by supporting reimportation and encouraging seniors to enroll in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program. My office kept late hours and held more than sixty briefings to educate seniors about this cost saving program. The average enrollee will save $1,100 this year.
I also support expanding Medicare to individuals between 55 and 65, as long as it is fully paid for by the beneficiaries and does not jeopardize the program's long-term solvency. Before expanding the program, however, we need to reform Medicare so it will remain solvent for present and future participants.
Finally, I believe it is critical we maintain our scientists' ability to perform critical research. I support stem cell research and its potential to prevent, treat and even cure debilitating diseases that affect so many ailing Americans.
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Global War on Terrorism
September 11 demonstrated the threat of Islamist terrorism is real and the Cold War doctrine of containment, reaction and mutually assured destruction will not work against this new enemy. Terrorism must be addressed before it manifests itself in a smallpox epidemic or a mushroom cloud. That means American policy must be to detect terrorist actions and prevent attacks from happening. At times, the U.S. will need to take preemptive action and maybe even act unilaterally.
As Vice Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, Chairman of its National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations Subcommittee, and a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am working to improve counterterrorism efforts and strengthen national preparedness.
I have chaired more than 90 hearings on the terrorist threat. Twenty-two of these were before September 11. These hearings documented the need to take the terrorist threat more seriously, develop a strategy to combat it, and reorganize our government to more effectively respond to an attack.
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, I was a stalwart advocate for the creation of the 9/11 Commission. I helped establish the Department of Homeland Security and the position of Director of National Intelligence to coordinate and oversee all 16 intelligence agencies. Today I continue to lead the bipartisan effort to implement all of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, including risk-based funding for Homeland Security.
Terrorists don't attack just any target. They choose to attack high-impact centers and our disbursement of homeland security funding should reflect that. Seventy Fourth District residents working in New York died on September 11. By ensuring risk-based funding, I am helping to protect the many thousands of commuters who live in the Fourth District and work in Manhattan.
As the recently thwarted terrorist plot in London proved, intelligence is our most valuable weapon in the war on terror. That is why I support the PATRIOT Act.
The PATRIOT Act improves our antiterrorism capabilities by focusing intelligence gathering on immigration, criminal justice and the financial infrastructure, enabling our intelligence and law enforcement communities to stop terrorists before an attack.
Although there are concerns about the effect this legislation will have on our civil liberties, please know I will continue to perform aggressive oversight to assure both the effectiveness of the PATRIOT Act and the protection of our personal rights.
When giving the federal government more powers during a time of national emergency, it is imperative we have more congressional oversight, not less; a strong civil liberties board to oversee the work of our 16 intelligence agencies; and a whistleblower statute that encourages employees to speak out and expose any abuses.
In addition to expanding our intelligence capabilities, it is imperative we secure our ports and chemical plants, improve the safety of air and rail transportation, and protect our borders. That is why I support legislation requiring the inspection of all aircraft cargo and improved screening of all checked baggage for explosive devices. I am also an original cosponsor of legislation that will establish procedures for restoring port operations in the event of a terrorist attack and authorize more than $7.4 billion over six years to defend ports and cargo.
In May, I voted to increase rail security funding to add more police officers, K-9 teams, security cameras, fences and chemical detection systems at train and subway stations across the country.
I have also introduced legislation to establish greater security standards for our most vulnerable chemical facilities. The bill gives the Department of Homeland Security authority to shut down facilities that have not adequately addressed their risks.
Working with my Connecticut colleagues, I have successfully secured several key grants to improve homeland security in the Fourth District. The largest includes a $6 million federal grant to build a state-of-the-art Combined Dispatch and Emergency Operations Center to be based in Bridgeport and service 11 towns in Fairfield County, and $1.4 million to help arm the Bridgeport Port Authority with cutting edge technologies, equipped sonar systems and underwater cameras to detect explosive devices.
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Environment
Protecting and preserving our environment is one of the most important duties for members of Congress. We simply won't have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways.
It is imperative we preserve open space, keep our air free of pollution, and ensure our water is free from industrial waste. I have been constant and unwavering in my support for these goals, and I have consistently opposed regulatory changes that weaken our environmental laws.
My work has been recognized by the League of Conservation Voters
Land Preservation
Our wild lands and open spaces are national treasures, which must be protected. In Connecticut, I have been working for several years to help acquire land to preserve within the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, named in memory of the much-admired Congressman I succeeded.
My efforts, with support from my Connecticut colleagues, helped secure funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund to add both the Stratford Great Meadows Salt Marsh and Calves Island in Greenwich to the Wildlife Refuge to forever preserve the beauty and precious resources of these places.
I am an advocate for protecting wilderness areas nationally as well. I am committed to protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from oil and gas exploration and development. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is a quick fix, not a sustainable solution.
It is unconscionable we would consider desecrating one of North America's last great wilderness areas when we are unwilling to take even the smallest steps towards slowing the growth in demand for energy resources.
Drilling in ANWR could reap the United States a supply of oil that might last us only six months. But if, as I proposed in the Energy for our Future Act , SUV's and light trucks are held to the same fuel efficiency as cars, in three years we will save as much gasoline as is recoverable from ANWR.
I am a sponsor of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA), which would increase protection of approximately 20 million acres of public land in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon. According to experts, NREPA could save at least $245 million in taxpayer money and create at least 2,300 new jobs in habitat restoration.
I will continue fighting to protect our public lands by opposing any attempts to change rules that prohibit logging and building roads in our national forests.
Clean Air
Clean and healthy air in Connecticut must be a priority. Our state has done much to improve our air quality, from instituting a new auto emissions testing program to establishing tougher anti-pollution standards on the "Sooty Six" pollution-emitting power plants, including sites in Norwalk and Bridgeport.
But the greatest threat to our air quality in Connecticut comes from older power plants in Midwestern states - some plants that have been in use for 80 years are still in operation. Current law exempts these facilities from complying with emissions standards for all new power plants in the Clean Air Act. Pollution emitted by these outdated facilities drifts downwind to Northeastern states along the Atlantic seaboard and dramatically affects our air quality.
That is why I am a supporter and original cosponsor of the Clean Smokestacks Act, which would require all power plants, regardless of their age, to comply with current emissions requirements. This bipartisan legislation would also set new, more stringent standards for all power plants' emission of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and mercury.
I also helped create the Brownfields cleanup program, which provides grants to clean up contaminated industrial sites and turn them into usable land. To strengthen this program, I am a cosponsor of the Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act and America's Brownfield Cleanup Act.
Clean Water
I will continue to advocate for the protection of our nation's waterways and wetlands, and oppose any attempts to weaken regulations that safeguard the water we drink.
Unfortunately, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers under the past two Administrations have made a series of decisions that allow the dumping of waste in rivers and streams, and limit the federal government's ability to protect wetlands and isolated waters.
This is why I lead the fight against the practice of mountaintop removal mining and have joined colleagues from both parties to introduce the Clean Water Protection Act, which would prohibit the dumping of industrial waste into rivers and streams. Furthermore, I am a cosponsor and supporter of legislation to help ensure strong federal protection for our nation's water resources. I will continue to fight to help guarantee that people and wildlife will continue to enjoy the benefits of safe, clean water long into the future.
I also am the lead Republican cosponsor of the Clean Cruise Ships Act, which will prevent cruise ships from emptying the ships' sewage or bilge within 12 miles of shore. This will help ensure our ocean water stays clean, as cruise ships' discharges damage the marine ecosystems on our coastlines.
I am also working to preserve one of our region's most precious natural resources, Long Island Sound
Climate Change
The threat from global warming is very real. With or without a binding international agreement, it is clear that it is time for the United States to take a leadership role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating potentially catastrophic climate change.
I am an original cosponsor of bipartisan legislation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a way that is timely, meaningful and cost-effective. The Climate Stewardship Act targets the worst greenhouse gas offenders: electricity generators, petroleum refiners, and other large industrial facilities, which account for 85 percent of overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
It would provide the international leadership needed on this issue by reducing greenhouse gases in the U.S. via a market-driven system of tradeable emissions allowances. A similar approach under the Clean Air Act of 1990 has been extremely successful in reducing the emissions of acid-rain causing pollutants.
To track our progress in achieving emissions reductions, I am supporting legislation to allow the federal government to track greenhouse gas emissions and make the emission levels for those companies participating available to the public via the EPA's web site.
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Energy
I believe in a balanced, forward-looking energy policy that provides incentives to make renewable energy more affordable and widely available.
I strongly oppose the President's energy policy because it fails to take any meaningful steps towards encouraging Americans to conserve energy. Providing oil and gas companies more incentive to increase our energy supply at a time of record profits for these industries is not a forward-looking solution.
This is why I introduced the Energy for Our Future Act in November 2005. My proposal, which I introduced with Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), would significantly increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards and account for SUVs and light trucks in the calculation. It would also require a more accurate test of the mileage standards to reflect the varying degrees of speed Americans use on our roadways. To make hybrid vehicles more cost competitive, we also double the tax credit for individuals who purchase one of these vehicles and make it permanent.
We also provide incentives to encourage consumers to save more energy in their homes. We offer grants for homeowners to weatherize their homes, tax credits for the purchase of energy-efficient appliances, and create renewable energy standards which will help save taxpayers money. Finally, we eliminate many of the extraneous tax breaks that were included in the President's Energy Bill for oil and gas companies.
The legislation was endorsed by many of leading environmental organizations including the League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists and others.
With 3 percent of the world's oil but 25 percent of its use, we can never drill our way to energy security, which is one reason I actively oppose drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Opening ANWR for drilling would spoil one of our last precious and pristine wildlife habitats, and would provide no more than a quick fix. If, as I've proposed, SUV's and light trucks are held to the same fuel efficiency as cars, we would save as much gasoline as is recoverable from ANWR. Our focus should be on renewable, sustainable solutions.
I also oppose rolling back our nation's environmental laws to ease regulations for oil refineries and other types of energy. We simply won't have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways.
I will continue to oppose the permanent activation of the Cross Sound Cable. Activated in the wake of last year's blackouts, the effort to keep the cable in use permanently has subverted the regulatory process and ignored sound environmental policy regarding the depth at which the cable should be buried. I've joined with my Connecticut colleagues to ask the President to reject legislative efforts to encode the permanent activation into law.
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Education
Education is the key to self-sufficiency and growth, enabling our youth to become successful and productive members of society.
As your Representative in Washington, I am working to ensure a quality education for all Americans and will continue to support federal funding for distressed urban regions, college loans, Early and Head Start programs, student access to technology, literacy initiatives and new SMART grants for math and science.
I favor a federal government role that supports state and local efforts to reform and improve public schools with programs such as school choice initiatives, charter schools and merit pay for teachers. The federal government should continue to set national academic standards. It should provide innovative leadership in mathematics, sciences and higher education, and address the specific educational needs of distressed rural and urban regions.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a significant step forward for American public education and it is helping Fourth District cities meet their academic challenges by promoting high academic standards, accountability for results, and increased parental involvement.
I support fully funding NCLB and I am working to make improvements to the law by advocating common-sense changes. I support a measure that will allow students who don't speak English one year to learn the language before being tested for it, and I have proposed that students with special mental and physical challenges be judged in ways that reflect a fair assessment of their individual progress. I am also an original cosponsor of the No Child Left Behind Reform Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), aimed at giving states additional flexibility in implementing the law.
NCLB was designed to foster and employ high standards, accountability for results, and increased parental involvement in improving the education of every child. If we remain committed to those goals, we will succeed.
While I do believe NCLB should be funded at its authorized levels, I am pleased that overall funding for Education has dramatically increased since the passage and implementation of NCLB. From Fiscal Year 2002 (FY 02) to FY 06, Congress has increased funding for education $42.2 billion to $63.5 billion a 50% increase.
Congress has committed to support NCLB reforms as well. From FY 01 to FY 06, funds for the program have risen from $17.38 billion to $23.57 billion, an increase of 35%. When funding for NCLB was reduced in FY 06, I worked in the FY 07 Budget Resolution to secure a commitment to increase health and education spending $7 billion over the President's request.
The No Child Left Behind Act empowers parents by compelling school districts to issue detailed report cards on individual schools. This allows parents to see which schools are succeeding and why. NCLB also helps provide choices for parents and children by providing significant resources for charter schools.
I am a proponent of school choice and voucher programs. By promoting a competitive model all schools will be forced to improve academically, provide better quality services, and create an administrative structure that operates more efficiently.
I oppose directly spending federal tax dollars on private schools, but just as I support providing Pell Grants to college students for use at the universities of their choice, I support school choice programs that provide parents with similar options for their elementary and secondary school children.
In June, I voted for the FY 07 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act which passed the House by a vote of 406-22 and included $14.8 million for school vouchers. I also voted for legislation that included $14 million for school vouchers in each of the previous two years.
The federal government also has an obligation to fund education programs for students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides funding for early intervention and special education for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. I cosponsored legislation to bring the federal government's share of IDEA funding to the full 40 percent by FY 11.
Under IDEA, the federal government set out to assist states and local school districts with 40% of the added costs of educating children with disabilities. Unfortunately, annual appropriations have never provided more than 16 percent.
This means states and local school districts are forced to spend billions of extra dollars to meet the unfunded mandate imposed by IDEA. This is money local school districts should be able to spend for new schools, more teachers, new computers, books for students, and other important programs. Our failure to meet our commitment under IDEA is unacceptable. That is why I have voted several times to increase IDEA spending.
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Animal Welfare
As Co-Chairman of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, I am committed to improving animal welfare. I believe animals are vital to our livelihood, and have been throughout history. Humankind absolutely has an obligation to the animal kingdom. Some species provide us with companionship; some play crucial roles in sensitive ecosystems; yet others are raised for food. We have a responsibility to treat all of these animals with respect.
Pet Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act
One of the most heartbreaking images from Hurricane Katrina was seeing animals who had been left behind. In reviewing what went wrong in the Gulf Coast, we learned up to 600,000 animals lost their lives or were left without shelter. During the evacuation, there was no plan in place to allow people to bring their pets, and many pet owners chose to risk their lives to remain with their pets. This makes this issue not only an animal welfare issue, but a public safety issue as well.
For this reason, I joined Congressman Tom Lantos to introduce the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act. This common-sense bill requires state and local preparedness groups to include plans for evacuation of pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster. I was successful in getting this legislation to the House floor, where it passed the by a vote of 349 to 24. Now, I am working to urge the Senate to pass the bill and have it signed into law.
Farm Animal Protection
The way a society treats its animals speaks to its core values. I have been a long-time opponent of the inhumane treatment of farm animals. In this Congress, I introduced the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act, which will require all animals purchased for consumption by the federal government to be raised in a humane manner. My bipartisan legislation would ensure these animals have adequate shelter and space, daily access to food and water, and adequate veterinary care.
While the guidelines set forth in the bill are very modest, if passed, those seeking to sell animal products to the federal government would not be permitted to starve or force-feed animals, leave sick or injured animals to languish without treatment or humane euthanasia, or confine animals so restrictively that they are unable to turn around and extend their limbs.
I also held a hearing bringing major animal protection and welfare organizations together to discuss the treatment of farm animals. This was the first time all of these organizations were together, united behind the cause of bettering the lives of farm animals. We heard legislative proposals from several of the participants, and I hope to introduce additional legislation in the near future.
Endangered Species
I support the preservation and protection of endangered species, and voted against the Threatened and Endangered Species Reform Act, which would severely undermine many of the protections in place for endangered species.
I will continue to oppose efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which is credited with preventing the immediate disappearance of more than 1,000 wildlife species, including the bald eagle, grizzly bear and Pacific salmon.
I am a cosponsor of the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act, which will protect America's last herd of free-roaming buffalo.
Fighting for Ethical Treatment of all Animals
I will continue to oppose the inhumane treatment of all animals. Commercial breeding facilities are a particular problem.
So-called puppy mills, where purebred puppies are mass-produced, force females to breed every heat cycle, and they warehouse dogs and their puppies in wire cages stacked one on top of the other.
I joined with 36 of my colleagues to introduce legislation that would make these puppy mills illegal, and institute swift and strong penalties against repeat offenders. I've asked that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) be given the resources to put teeth into their enforcement efforts.
Another issue we are addressing is cruel and senseless slaughter of horses in America for human consumption. Horses are not just companions and recreational animals; they are a vital part of our nation's culture and history. Americans do not eat horse meat, but because horses do not contract "mad cow" disease, demand for their meat is growing in foreign markets. I've cosponsored legislation to outlaw the slaughter and sale of horses for human consumption.
The traffic and improper keeping of captive wildlife is another issue troubling to all friends of the animal kingdom. That is why I cosponsored legislation to ban the unlicensed interstate and international trade and transport of exotic cats, specifically of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, and cougars.
Exotic big cats should not be kept as pets. These animals are meant to live in the wild. It is ridiculous and inhumane to imprison a jaguar in a high-rise apartment, or keep a pack of lions on a private estate without special provision for their care. What's more, it is potentially dangerous for those who are not trained in these great animals' proper supervision.
My efforts on behalf of humane treatment for our animal friends have been recognized by Animal Advocacy Connecticut (