2014 End of the Year Report
Dear Friend,
Now that we are about to start a new session of Congress, I wanted to share a few thoughts with you on 2014, some of our successes and some of the new initiatives that I plan to work on this year.
While 2014 was often characterized by excessive partisan bickering on a range of issues, the year also brought some positive news with jobs rebounding and the economy getting better. And while too many families in the middle class have yet to feel the benefits of an improving economy and are still struggling, there has been marked improvement. Thankfully, Congress avoided a repeat of the prior year's government shutdown and "fiscal cliff" crisis.
It's my hope that we can make continued progress in 2015 by working together to solve some of our most pressing national needs -- from repairing, replacing and modernizing our nation's crumbling infrastructure to bringing manufacturing back to America and reforming our tax code.
I hope you will let me know what your priorities are for the new year. Many of my best ideas have come from you and other constituents. Certainly, most of my most satisfying moments have come during the interactions that I have had with you -- whether it was in a meeting in Washington, DC, or at one of the many events that I have held or attended in the district. I welcome hearing from you on any matters you wish to discuss, and hope that you will stay in touch.
Below is a recap of some of the issues I worked on in 2014, and some fun news too!
All my best,
Adam
P.S. You can always keep up to date with what I'm working on through liking our page on Facebook or following me on Twitter.
Securing Major Funding for West Coast Earthquake Early Warning System
This year, Rep. Adam Schiff and Senator Dianne Feinstein helped secure $5 million in the annual funding bill for a West Coast Earthquake Early Warning System, the first time Congress has ever provided funding specifically for the system. Developed by Caltech, UC-Berkeley and University of Washington, in conjunction with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a limited system has already been deployed and has proven that the early warning technology is sound. This $5 million in funding will allow those developing the statewide system to begin purchasing and installing additional sensors, build new stations, speed up the ShakeAlert system, and come closer to deploying comprehensive early earthquake warning coverage throughout earthquake prone regions of the West Coast.
"It's absolutely critical that the West Coast implement and build out an earthquake early warning system to give us a heads up before the "big one' hits, so we can save lives and protect infrastructure," said Schiff. "This funding will help build out additional stations, speed up the ShakeAlert system, and make it more reliable in our highest priority areas -- including Los Angeles and the Bay Area -- and those critical few seconds or a minute of warning will allow people to seek cover, automatically slow or stop trains, and pause surgeries. This first phase of funding will allow the work to begin expanding the system, and we will continue to work to secure future funding along with our other federal, state and local partners."
Watch coverage of the announcement below:
Read more:
Los Angeles Times -- California receives U.S. funding for earthquake early-warning system
KPCC -- California gets $5 million in funding for quake warning system
Pasadena Star-News -- Earthquake Early Warning System gets $5 million from federal government
Working to Reform the NSA and Our Nation's Surveillance
Rep. Adam Schiff continued his push to reform our nation's surveillance capabilities, something he began behind closed doors before the programs were made public. Schiff led the charge in the House to reform the NSA and other programs, and introduced a package of bills to make key changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) -- also known as the FISA Court -- including bills to declassify significant court opinions, improve the process for nomination and confirmation of FISA Court judges, and create an adversarial progress in the Court. Schiff also introduced legislation to end the bulk collection of phone metadata, which eventually was included in the USA Freedom Act.
While the USA Freedom Act proposed and voted on in the Senate contained many of these reforms that Schiff championed, it unfortunately was blocked and did not pass. Schiff will continue to use his position on the House Intelligence Committee to push for needed reforms in the upcoming year.
?
Read more:
National Journal -- Democrat to NSA: Forget Congress, Stop Mass Spying Now
Los Angeles Times -- Obama's NSA compromise plan wins initial praise
The Hill -- Schiff unveils NSA metadata reform bill
The Guardian -- NSA reform advocates vow to fight on after Senate rejects USA Freedom Act
Washington Post -- NSA reform legislation blocked in Senate amid renewed fears of terrorist attacks
Schiff Rides in AIDS Life/Cycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles
Rep. Adam Schiff has the privilege of representing a large LGBT community, including West Hollywood, and at the encouragement of his constituents participated in the 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to benefit the Los Angeles LGBT Center. After being invited to speak the previous year at the closing ceremony of ALC, dedicated to the riderless bicycle (a deeply moving and potent symbol for those that we've lost to AIDS, who can no longer take the ride), Schiff said that if the legislative calendar ever allowed him to participate, he would. Little did he know that it would happen the very next year in 2014.
Throughout the journey, Schiff live-blogged the experience on his Facebook and Instagram accounts, describing the tents, pitstops, riders he met along the way, and why so many were riding for different reasons, the people they'd lost, and the experience of it all. Afterwards Schiff summed up his ride: "At the top of one of the last big hills of the ride, a simple sign said, 'Your pain is tribute to their suffering.' To me, that said it all -- let's put an end to HIV and AIDS. Ride on."
Read more:
The Advocate Op-ed -- Ride On in the Fight Against HIV and AIDS
WehoVille -- Rep. Schiff Pedaling from SF to LA with HIV/AIDS Ride
WeHo News -- Schiff first congress member to attempt AIDS/LifeCycle Ride
Roll Call -- Adam Schiff Embraces Rigors of AIDS/LifeCycle Ride
Pushing for Debate and Vote on War Authorization Against ISIS in Iraq and Syria
Since the war against the terrorist group ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, began in Iraq and Syria this past year, Rep. Adam Schiff has been pushing for Congress to fulfill it's constitutional obligation to debate and vote on a war authorization. To accomplish this, Schiff put forward what he felt was a narrow and tailored authorization that would give the President enough authority to target ISIS, but also preclude the use of American ground troops and place a time limit on the war, requiring the President to come back to Congress within 18 months for further approval and funding.
In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Schiff wrote: "As we prepare to close the book on what is regarded as the most unproductive Congress in the history of unproductive Congresses, the House and Senate can take an important step in demonstrating not only a capacity to act, but also a commitment to our constitutional duty."
?
?
Read more:
Los Angeles Times Op-ed -- Congress must exercise its war powers
New York Times Editorial -- Congress Must Act on War Authority
BuzzFeed -- Democratic Congressman Will Introduce Bill Authorizing Use Of Force Against ISIS
TIME Magazine Op-ed -- Congress Must Vote on War
Slate -- The Forever War
Armenian Orphan Rug Displayed at the White House Visitors Center
This past month, the Armenian Orphan Rug -- also known as the Ghazir Rug -- a work of art that was woven by orphan survivors of the Armenian Genocide and gifted to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance following Turkey's mass murder of over 1.5 million Armenians and other Christians during World War I, was displayed at the White House Visitors Center. For the past year, Rep. Schiff has been working with members of the Armenian American community, as well as several of his colleagues, to convince the White House to reverse a 2013 decision to not allow the rug to be displayed. Display of the Armenian Orphan Rug is especially sensitive to the Turkish government, which objects to any official U.S. commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Ankara has been able to block its exhibition for decades.
At the White House Visitors Center, Schiff met with many descendants of those lost in the Genocide, and said: "I want to thank the Administration for working with me and with the community on this issue. It has been a long road from last year's "no' to this year's "yes.' The Ghazir Rug is not just a carpet; it is a tangible connection to the first genocide of the Twentieth Century -- a silent, beautiful rebuttal to those who deny the murder of 1.5 million men, woman and children in a campaign of mass murder, forced marches, rape and looting that befell the Armenian people from 1915-23. As the world prepares to commemorate the centennial of the genocide, the Ghazir Rug is a poignant reminder of the shattered families and the mass inhumanity that was visited upon the Armenian people. I hope that it can serve to educate a new generation of Americans about one of the great tragedies of history and leads to a redoubling of efforts in 2015 to finally and forever, honor the genocide of the Armenians without equivocation. The Armenian people should not have to wait any longer."
Read more:
Los Angeles Daily News -- Armenian orphan rug gets brief display at White House Visitor's CenterLos Angeles Times -- Historic rug woven by Armenian orphans goes on display at White House
McClatchy -- Armenian Orphan Rug, symbol of tragic past, is briefly on view
2014 EVENTS AND FORUMS
Every year, Rep. Adam Schiff hosts a number of events to engage constituents, solicit feedback and provide information that is useful.
Astronaut Visits to Local Schools
?
Each year, Rep. Adam Schiff brings astronauts to local elementary schools as a way to encourage young students to study and pursue science and math educations. This year, Schiff brought Los Angeles-native Dr. Tracy Caldwell Dyson, visiting La Crescenta Elementary School in La Crescenta and Logan Street Elementary School in Echo Park. Dr. Dyson was born in Arcadia, Calif. and received her B.S. in chemistry from the California State University at Fullerton and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Davis before venturing into space multiple times.
"As Members of Congress, we must do our part to advance scientific knowledge and exploration as core values of our society," said Schiff. "One important way we can engender a sense of excitement about math and science is by bringing America's astronauts into the classroom. I hope that the students we visited will seriously consider careers in math and science, especially at NASA-affiliated institutions like JPL and Caltech, right in our backyard."
Watch coverage of one of the visits here.
Forum on Identity Theft
This August, Rep. Adam Schiff and his staff hosted an Identity Theft Forum to help constituents learn more about identity theft and ways to protect themselves from data breaches, scams involving persons posing as federal agencies, and even pick-pocketing or dumpster-diving, there are more threats facing our personal information than ever before.
Schiff brought representatives from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Post Office (USPS), FBI, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Social Security Administration to take questions and help constituents learn how to avoid being the target or victim of identity theft, saying that "only by being vigilant, alerting authorities quickly, and learning the tools to protect against identity theft, can we combat this very widespread and destructive crime."
Women of the Year Awards
?
Each year, Rep. Adam Schiff honors inspiring women from communities in the 28th Congressional District -- Hollywood, West Hollywood, Burbank, Pasadena, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Elysian Valley, Los Feliz, Sunland--Tujunga, Glendale, Atwater Village, La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta -- at a luncheon, this year in Hollywood. This recognition is made each year during Women's History Month. These women come from all walks of life and represent the thousands of women who make a positive impact in our region. While there are no specific criteria for nomination, Rep. Schiff looks for women who -- through their work or volunteerism -- have improved the quality of life for our community.
Below is a full list of all the honorees this year: Alexandra Helfrich (Burbank), Alice Steere Coulombe (Pasadena), Barbara Ferris (Los Feliz), Blaire Lennane (Elysian Valley), Cheryl Davis (La Crescenta), Christy Schilling (Glendale), Drian Juarez (Hollywood), Martha Burns (La Cañada Flintridge), Nadine Trujillo (Silver Lake), Elizabeth Garo (Echo Park), Ruth Williams (West Hollywood), Shelli-Anne Couch (Atwater Village), and Sonia Tatulian (Tujunga).
"It was an honor and a pleasure to meet with the 2014 "Women of the Year' awardees, and to recognize their outstanding work and community leadership," said Rep. Schiff. "Each woman honored today has demonstrated an ability to help others, to work tirelessly for a cause important to us all, and to make our communities a better place. They serve as a shining example of service throughout the 28th Congressional District, and it was wonderful to recognize their extraordinary work and capabilities."
Congressional Art and STEM Competitions
Each year, Rep. Adam Schiff and all Members of Congress host competitions to engage high school students. The Congressional Art Competition this year was hosted at Van De Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens. During the exhibit, attended by more than 200 students, teachers and parents, Schiff announced that Immaculate Heart High School student Celynne Hebron's piece "This Too Shall Pass" had won first place and will be included in the nationwide Congressional Arts Competition: An Artistic Discovery in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Schiff announced that Grace Poole, a student from La Crescenta attending Crescenta Valley High School, and Madisen Hunt, a student from Glendale attending Crescenta Valley High School, had won second and third place, respectively. Schiff also awarded the "People's Choice" award to Gigi Manukyan, a student from Burbank attending Burbank High School. Almost 2,000 constituents voted in the "People's Choice" online voting contest this year.
"Every year, I get the opportunity to see some absolutely amazing artwork submitted by high school students from across our community," said Schiff. "All of the students involved deserve recognition for their hard work and exceptional talent, and I hope that they will all continue to enrich us with their artwork. I particularly want to congratulate Celynne, Grace, Madisen and Gigi on being named the winners, and look forward to enjoying their artwork in the Capitol and my offices throughout the coming year."
?
The Congressional STEM Competition, in its first year, will challenge high school students in a STEM-related activity -- this year it was building an "app" for a tablet or phone. The award ceremony was attended by more than eighty students, parents and teachers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. 1st place went to a team from Hollywood High School for their app #MYOOTD, allowing users to generate, save and try out new outfits on their phones before buying or wearing them. A student from Crescenta Valley High School won 2nd place for his app "Mission Multiplication," combining learning multiplication tables with a space adventure -- encouraging young students to learn their multiplication tables by traversing an asteroid field in a ship, shooting asteroids out of the way, and guiding the spaceship through the correct answer. Students from Clark Magnet High School, Hollywood High School, Crescenta Valley High School, John Marshall High School, La Cañada High, and University High School participated in the first annual contest.
"This challenge was an extraordinary opportunity for students to put their technical skills to the test and try something different," said Schiff. "In the next decade, the U.S. economy is expected to add over 8 million new STEM jobs, but faces a shortage of graduates trained in those fields. If this contest is any example, we'll have some amazing talent coming out of our community who can come up with new and innovative ideas that will help shape our economy. If these talented students keep it up, I wouldn't be surprised to find the next Steve Jobs among them."
2014 -- BY THE NUMBERS!
9: Number of Bills Introduced in 2014
Highlights: This year, Rep. Adam Schiff introduced nine total bills, while co-sponsoring over forty other pieces of legislation.
FISA Court and NSA Reform: One bill would end the bulk collection of metadata by the government, another introduced by Schiff would require the Attorney General to declassify significant court opinions where the Court has interpreted the legal authorities created under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. His third bill would require that the judges on the Court be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Finally, Schiff introduced legislation to introduce adversarial process to the FISA Court by creating a pool of attorneys and technologists to argue on behalf of privacy and civil liberties in certain cases the court hears.
War Authorization Against ISIS: As part of his push to get Congress to debate and vote on an authorization for war against ISIS, Schiff introduced a narrow and tailored authorization for use of military force against ISIL, meeting Congress' constitutional imperative in declaring war. First, the authorization would give temporary, tailored authority for the combat ongoing against ISIL in Iraq, and for strikes against ISIL targets in Syria. And second, the measure would harmonize the legal authorities under which the President is authorized to take offensive action by sunsetting the 2002 Iraq AUMF immediately and then sunsetting both the new authorities and the 2001 AUMF eighteen months after the enactment of the joint resolution. Third, the resolution does not authorize the use of ground combat forces in Iraq or Syria.
Improving Veterans Healthcare: Schiff introduced the Improving Clinical Care for Our Vets Act, which would improve the delivery of veteran health care by ensuring full collective bargaining rights to all VA frontline clinicians. Enacting these important workplace rights is essential to the VA's ability to remain a competitive health care employer that can retain and attract the best clinicians to care for our returning service members.
Drones Transparency: Schiff introduced bipartisan legislation -- the Targeted Lethal Force Transparency Act -- to require an annual report on the number of combatants and civilians killed or injured annually by strikes from remotely piloted aircraft, also known as drones. The requirement is retroactive for five years so that trends can be assessed. It also requires that the report include the definitions of combatants and civilian noncombatants used.
Protections for Children through Background Checks: Schiff introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a permanent, nationally-accessible background check system for youth-serving organizations. The bill, the Child Protection Improvements Act, would make background checks for volunteers working with children reliable, affordable, and comprehensive.
1,110: Number of Constituents Helped by December 30, 2014 by the office of Congressman Schiff.
Highlights: Every year, Congressman Schiff's dedicated staff members work tirelessly to help constituents access the federal benefits they deserve and ensure that they are treated fairly. While not successful in every case, Schiff's office helps constituents navigate the complicated immigration and visas system, get back benefits for veterans or medals they have earned while serving, help with the IRS or Social Security, and many, many more. For help, please call his district office in Burbank at (818) 450-2900.
Source