Issue Position: Accomplishments of the 111th Congress

Issue Position

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, enacted in the first month of President Obama's term, to jumpstart our economy, create and save 3.5 million jobs, give a tax cut to small business and 95% of American workers, begin to rebuild America's road, rail, and water infrastructure, and make a historic commitment to education, clean energy, and science and technology, with unprecedented accountability. (Signed into Law)

Student AID & Fiscal Responsibility Act, making the largest investment in college aid in history - increasing Pell Grants, making college loans more affordable, and strengthening community colleges - while reducing the federal deficit by ending wasteful student loan subsidies to banks. (On the President's desk)

HIRE Act, bipartisan bill to create 300,000 jobs with tax incentives for businesses that hire unemployed Americans, unleash billions of dollars to rebuild highways and other infrastructure, and strengthen small businesses with tax credits and accelerated write-offs. (Signed into Law)

CASH FOR CLUNKERS, jump-starting the U.S. auto industry, providing consumers with up to $4,500 to trade in an old vehicle for one with higher fuel efficiency-spurring the sale of 700,000 vehicles. (Signed into Law)

Worker, Homeownership & Business ASSISTANCE Act, boosting the economy and creating jobs with more unemployment benefits for Americans hit by the recession, an expanded 1st-time homebuyer tax credit, and enhanced small business tax relief-expanded to all struggling U.S. businesses. (Signed into Law)

Jobs FOR Main Street Act, to create and save jobs with targeted investments to boost small business, to rebuild highways and transit, and to hire and retain teachers, police, and firefighters; paid for by redirecting TARP funds from Wall Street to Main Street; with emergency aid for the unemployed. (Passed by House)

SMALL BUSINESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS ACT, to extend the successful Build America Bonds to help finance the rebuilding of schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, and rail lines; target tax incentives to spur investment in small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to start a new business; and extend aid to states to provide subsidies to employers who hire unemployed workers. (Passed by House)

DISASTER RELIEF AND SUMMER JOBS ACT, to provide disaster-stricken communities with aid to rebuild their homes, infrastructure and local economies, add approximately 300,000 summer jobs opportunities for young people, and extend Recovery Act provisions to make small business loans more available. (Passed by House)

Helping Families Save Their Homes ACT, building on the President's initiative to stem the foreclosure crisis, with significant incentives to lenders, servicers, and homeowners to modify loans. (Signed into Law)

Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, tripling volunteerism opportunities to 250,000 for national service for students to retirees; increased college financial awards. (Signed into Law)

JOB CREATION THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACT, to give established small businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups the needed tools and resources to thrive, create jobs and drive economic growth. (Passed by House)

Small Business Financing & Investment Act, to reform federal small business lending to help save or create 1.3 million jobs annually--making it easier and more affordable to get loans and access capital, and providing tools for veterans, women, and rural families. (Passed by House)

Permanent Estate Tax Relief at the 2009 level to ensure that 99.8 percent of estates never pay a dime of taxes and offer certainty and stability for farmers and small businesses. (Passed by House)

TAX CUT EXTENDERS ACT, to extend the R&D tax credit for American companies that invest in innovative jobs and deductions for millions of parents, teachers, and families for college tuition, classroom expenses, and state and local sales and property taxes. (Passed by House)

INNOVATION AGENDA, investing $31 billion in science, technology, innovation, math education, cutting-edge research, advanced manufacturing technologies, and workforce training. (Signed into Law)

LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS, providing targeted increases for health, education and worker training, including NIH research, Pell Grants, Head Start and clean energy jobs. (Signed into Law)

AFFORDABLE QUALITY HEALTH CARE

HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM, landmark legislation putting American families and small business owners-not the insurance companies-in control of their own health care; lowering costs for middle class and small business; increasing access to affordable insurance choices; holding insurance companies accountable to prevent denials of care and coverage, including for pre-existing conditions; strengthening Medicare and lowering prescription drug costs; creating up to 4 million jobs; and reducing deficit by largest amount in almost two decades. (Signed into law)

Health Care for 11 Million Children, to finally provide cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children and preserve coverage for 7 million children already enrolled. (Signed into Law)

FDA Regulation of Tobacco, granting the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products, the #1 cause of preventable U.S. deaths, and to stop tobacco companies from targeting our children. (Signed into Law)

Medicare Physician Payment Reform, to protect Medicare beneficiaries' access to doctors by replacing the Medicare physician payment system and repealing scheduled 21% percent fee reduction. (Passed House)

FOOD SAFETY, to fundamentally change the way we protect our food supply; close gaps exposed by recent food-borne illness outbreaks; give the FDA new authorities. (Passed by House)

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, guaranteeing access to lifesaving medical services, primary care, and medications for low-income patients with AIDS and HIV. (Signed into Law)

CLEAN ENERGY JOBS & CONSERVATION

AMERICAN CLEAN ENERGY AND SECURITY ACT, historic legislation to create 1.7 million jobs (with the Recovery Act); help free us from funding terrorism with our dependence on foreign oil; reduce the carbon pollution causing climate change; keep costs low for Americans; will not increase the deficit. (Passed by House)

Omnibus Public Land Management Act, the most significant conservation bill in 15 years, strengthening tourism and rural economies with more than 2 million new acres of wilderness and parks. (Signed into Law)

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Budget Blueprint, creating jobs with investments in health care, clean energy and education; cutting taxes for most Americans by $1.5 trillion; cutting Bush deficit by more than half by 2013. (Action Completed)

Statutory Pay-As-You-Go, to restore 1990s law that turned record deficits into surpluses, by forcing tough choices; Congress must offset new policies that reduce revenues or expand entitlements. (Signed into Law)

PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND TAXPAYERS

Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act, common-sense financial regulatory reform to help prevent a crisis from ever happening again; to end taxpayer-funded bailouts and `too big to fail' financial institutions; protect consumers from predatory lending and life savings from unnecessary risks; inject transparency and accountability into the financial system; and give shareholders a say on executive pay. (Passed by House)

Credit cardholders' bill of rights, providing tough new protections for consumers-including banning unfair rate increases, abusive fees, and penalties-and strengthening enforcement. (Signed into Law)

FRAUD ENFORCEMENT & RECOVERY ACT, providing tools to prosecute mortgage scams and corporate fraud that contributed to financial crisis; creating an outside commission to examine its causes. (Signed into Law)

DEFENSE procurement reform, cracking down on Pentagon waste and cost overruns, which GAO says total $296 billion just for 96 largest weapons systems, increasing oversight and competition. (Signed into Law)

STRONGER TARP OVERSIGHT, expanding authority of TARP Special IG. (Signed into Law)

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring the rights of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay-to help close the wage gap where women earn 78 cents for every $1 a man earns in America. (Signed into Law)

Mortgage reform & anti-predatory lending act, to stop irresponsible mortgage loan practices behind the financial meltdown -- ensuring mortgage industry follows principles of sound lending and consumer protection. (Passed by House)

PAY FOR PERFORMANCE ACT, to prohibit unreasonable or excessive compensation and non-performance-based bonuses for executives at companies receiving TARP funds. (Passed by House)

FINANCIAL SERVICES APPROPRIATIONS, investing in strengthening and enforcing rules governing Wall Street, protecting consumers, and strengthening America's small businesses. (Signed into Law)

AIRLINE PASSENGER CONSUMER PROTECTIONS & SAFETY, to require plans for long tarmac and flight delays, modernize air traffic control, and strengthen commercial pilot training requirements. (Passed by House)

NATIONAL SECURITY/TROOPS AND VETERANS

FY 2009 supplemental, meeting our troops' needs to wind down the Iraq war, change strategy in Afghanistan; make retroactive stop loss payments to 185,000+ service members. (Signed into Law)

TRANSFER OF NEW GI BILL BENEFITS TO CHILDREN OF FALLEN TROOPS, expanding New GI Bill benefits to cover the full cost of a college education for all children of fallen U.S. service members. (Signed into Law)

DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION, authorizing a 3.4% troop pay raise, strengthening military readiness, expanding support for military families, focusing our strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan and redeployment from Iraq, and military procurement reform. (Signed into Law)

Veterans Health Care Budget Reform & Transparency Act, ensuring reliable and timely veterans health care funding by authorizing Congress to approve VA medical care a year in advance. (Signed into Law)

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION-VA APPROPRIATIONS, strengthening quality health care for 5 million veterans by investing 11% more for medical care, benefits claims processors, and facility improvements. (Signed into Law)

SECURITY FOR AMERICA'S COMMUNITIES

HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT, giving law enforcement resources to prevent and prosecute hate crimes against Americans based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. (Signed into Law)

PUTTING 50,000 COPS ON THE BEAT, to authorize $1.8 billion in COPS grants to put an additional 50,000 police officers on the street over the next five years. (Passed by House)

ENHANCING TRANSPORTATION SECURITY, to improve security for over 10 billion American mass transit trips each year - tripling resources for transit security. (Passed by House)

HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS, strengthening security at our ports and borders and on commercial airlines, giving first responders tools to respond to terrorism. (Signed into Law)

CHEMICAL & WATER SECURITY ACT, to increase security and safety of the nation's chemical plants and water facilities vulnerable to terrorist attacks and the millions of Americans that live nearby. (Passed by House)

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