House of Representatives

Bill to Go to President Obama for Final Signature

16 November 2009 -- Washington, DC – In an effort led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), the House today passed a bill that would designate the U.S. Postal Service located at 630 Northeast Killingsworth Ave. in Northeast Portland as the “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Post Office.” The bill was supported by every member of the Oregon delegation in both the House and the Senate.

The bill is the result of a community effort led by local letter carriers Jamie Partridge and Isham Harris. In 2007, Mr. Partridge and Mr. Harris collected employee signatures supporting the renaming, as well as letters of support from the Piedmont and Concordia Neighborhood Associations, and the Sabin Community Association.    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- (Louisville, KY) Today, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) was joined by Louisville Realtors, representatives from the Home Builders Association of Louisville, and local homeowners and recent homebuyers to announce that more Louisvillians than ever are eligible for a homebuyer’s tax credit.

“The first-time homebuyer credit included in the Recovery Act has already helped hundreds of Louisville families fulfill the dream of homeownership and given a much-needed boost to the local housing market,” said Congressman Yarmuth. “Congress extended the credit last week, making it easier for sellers to find a buyer and for buyers to afford the home they want.”    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY-28) joined members of the community to explain that they would receive better health care, more choices and lowered costs thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act passed by the House last Saturday.

Slaughter was joined by members of the labor and faith communities, health care professionals, seniors and students as she emphasized the benefits for all Americans in the historic health care legislation.    » read more »

11/12/09 -- U.S. Representative Nick J. Rahall (W.Va.- 03) issued the following statement regarding the healthcare reform bill, The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), which was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 220 to 215 on November 7th, 2009.

“I have been a pro-life Member of Congress since I was first elected in 1976. I believe in the sanctity of life for those of all ages -- young and old, and I believe that every life deserves to be saved, which is why I voted in favor of H.R., 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.”    » read more »

12 November 2009 -- CHICAGO -- Today, Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Federal Reserve announced it will prohibit banks from charging overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions without a customer’s permission.

“The financial misfortune of the past year has taught Washington a valuable lesson, that we must do a better job protecting consumers. As we continue to recover from the irresponsibility, greed and opaque practices of Wall Street, reforming overdraft fees further shifts the balance of power away from banks and back to Main Street.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Representative of Ground Zero and Lower Manhattan as well as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, issued the following statement on the announcement today by the Department of Justice regarding certain Guantanamo detainees:    » read more »

FDA to Study Consequences of Proposal

November 13, 2009 -- WASHINGTON— U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon (LA-03) announced today that the Food and Drug Administration has halted movement on a proposed ban of the sale of fresh Gulf oysters during warm weather months, pending the results of a feasibility study.

After Congressman Melancon and U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu organized a meeting earlier this week with Gulf Coast members of Congress and senior officials at the FDA, the agency decided to study the possible effects of the ban before moving forward.    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – In response to today's news that the Federal Reserve will take the initial step of instituting new rules restricting overdraft fees on debit cards, U.S. Representative Kendrick B. Meek today called for a full curb on excessive and unfair bank overdraft fees.

"This is a great first step to ensure consumer protection, but Congress can move further on this pocketbook issue," said Congressman Meek.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-Sacramento) addressed a large crowd of students, faculty and community members at the Sacramento State Alumni Center, covering a variety of federal issues and outlining her priorities of the last year. Rep. Matsui also gave an update on the local impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is making the largest alternative energy investments in our nation’s history, and helping to propel Sacramento as a clean-tech capital. Matsui’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:    » read more »

November 12, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) today offered this statement on changes to debit-card overdraft rules announced by the Federal Reserve today:

“I'm glad that the Federal Reserve has recognized the need to address outrageous overdraft policies by requiring a strong affirmative opt-in to debit-card overdraft plans, and I commend Chairman Bernanke for taking the regulators in this direction. The Fed’s rule is an endorsement of the need for more overdraft protection for consumers.    » read more »

12 November 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the nine months since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law, rural communities across the country have found the federal bureaucracy is a serious obstacle to their receiving funding. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick is fighting to address this challenge and ensure the Recovery Act works as effectively as possible for our small towns. She is leading a national group of Members of Congress in sending a letter to Vice-President Joe Biden today, asking him to explain what is being done to assist rural America.    » read more »

November 13 -- A new law provides extra incentive for Northern Ohio families who are looking for their first home—or who might be in the market for a different principal residence.

The Worker, Homeowners and Business Assistance Act of 2009, which Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur supported, extends the deadline for purchasing and closing on a home and raises the income limitations for homeowners claiming the credit. The new legislation, which President Obama has signed into law, extends and expands the provisions of the popular homebuyer tax credit program that was implemented earlier this year as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the economic stimulus bill).    » read more »

Supports Tough New Rules on Banks

November 13, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Congressman Paul Hodes today announced his support for new rules that would ban banks from charging many overdraft fees to customers without first getting the customer’s consent. The Federal Reserve announced the new rules aimed at protecting consumers from banks who earned $37 billion in overdraft fees alone last year. However, Congressman Hodes supports stricter rules to provide even more support to consumers who have fallen victim to Wall Street banks’ practices.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Congressman Paul Hodes announced today that the Open Enrollment period for Medicare beneficiaries begins Sunday, November 15th and ends on December 31st. Seniors can use this time to make sure they have the best health care coverage to meet their needs. The Open Enrollment period is the one time each year when Medicare beneficiaries can review their coverage and make any necessary changes to ensure that their coverage meets their needs.    » read more »

November 11, 2009 -- Johnson City, NY - As part of his ongoing effort to strengthen the housing market and the overall economy in the Southern Tier, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today held a roundtable discussion with members of the Greater Binghamton Association of Realtors to discuss legislation he recently helped the House pass that extends the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers through April 30, 2009 and creates a new $6,500 federal tax credit for non-first-time homebuyers who have been in their current residence at least five years.    » read more »