News from Congressman Joe Sestak

E-Newsletter - April 2008

Congressman Sestak recently voted in Washington on important pieces of legislation that provide for the healthcare needs of millions of Americans, simplify the tax process and protect and train our firefighters. While at home in Pennsylvania, the Congressman hosted a roundtable on small business opportunities for women and another on the mortgage crisis, announced his Veterans Summit, and visited the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry. Here, read more about these and other events and initiatives undertaken by Congressman Sestak.

*For the most complete and up-to-date information on Congressman Sestak’s work in Washington and in the 7th Congressional District, please visit http://sestak.house.gov

Around the 7th

  • Veterans Summit: Congressman Joe Sestak announced that he will hold the second annual 7th Congressional District Veterans Summit on Monday, May 12.  The event, which will be held at Ridley High School, will run from 6 pm - 9 pm, with registration beginning at 5:30. The summit will feature special guests including Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. In addition, the summit will consist of two panels comprised of senior representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs and other experts to address issues concerning Veterans. The first panel will concentrate on health care and benefits; the second on business and educational opportunities. To address individual concerns or needs, outside the auditorium there will be tables staffed by caseworkers from Department of Veterans Affairs and other Veteran Service Organizations. To register for this event, please visit the http://sestak.house.gov/vets_signup.shtml


  • Women in Small Business Roundtable: In honor of Women’s History Month and Women in Small Business Day, Congressman Sestak hosted a Women in Small Business Roundtable at his District Office in Media. Representatives from seven local businesses, in addition to officials from the Greater Philly Women’s Small Business Development Center, Chester Microenterprise and the federal Small Business Administration, joined the Congressman to discuss numerous issues confronting women in business. The group noted that they often face challenges of networking, in that they feel a lack of access to resources that aid women business owners to a dearth of contact with other entrepreneurs that may be able to provide personal and business support. To that end, the Congressman and the group planned to join together again to create a networking summit for women in small business to begin to address the challenges raised.


  • Center for Family Safety: Recently, at the Upper Darby Welcome Center, Congressman Sestak presented a check in the amount of $352,500—which he secured from the federal government during the FY 2008 appropriations process—to the Upper Darby to launch its Center for Family Safety (CFS). The CFS is designed to provide education and support services for families—in particular women and children—who find their safety at risk due to domestic violence. Services would include temporary shelter, language assistance and access to legal services. The Congressman began work on this important project last year when he met privately with a local minister as well as a group of women who had been in abusive domestic situations. These women asked the Congressman for help, as they were concerned that there was not sufficient, safe local shelter space for families who had suffered abuse. While the Congressman worked locally by speaking with the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County to increase shelter space, he simultaneously fought to secure an appropriation through the federal government for this shelter space. To that end, the Congressman secured these dollars during the appropriations process and is continuing to work with the Domestic Abuse Project in an effort to secure assistance for similar shelters.


  • Roundtable on Mortgage Crisis: The Congressman recently hosted a roundtable in his District Office to discuss the current mortgage crisis, its effects on his constituents and the national economy, and the way forward in addressing it. On hand to address issues related to this crisis were local credit union representatives, housing officials, a representative of local realtors, and constituents who have been affected by the crisis. Congressman Sestak, through his constituent office, has seen a spike in the number of individuals facing mortgage foreclosures, lending issues, and other related problems. "As members of the Senate and the House discuss various options to address this growing problem, I wanted to continue hear from those locally who are affected," said the Congressman. "It is important that we take quick and appropriate action to address this issue on a local and national level. This roundtable will continue the multi-faceted discussion among the government, the private sector, and those individuals who are facing a mortgage crisis, and continue to help resolve an issue that is seeping into all aspects of our economy and is threatening our national security."


  • Boeing Contracting Meeting:  Over the past six years, Delaware County has suffered a net loss of 762 small businesses, including 22 percent of its manufacturing companies. As a major supplier of jobs to this district, Boeing has the capacity to play an integral role in the sustaining of this region’s small manufacturing businesses. In late March, some 100 companies gathered with Boeing at the Springfield Country Club for a meeting on contracts and procurement. Joining them was Congressman Sestak, who facilitated the meeting and who met on numerous occasions with Boeing to request that they allow manufacturers in the district to bid on jobs first, before contracting them to companies outside of our region.  The process leading to the meeting began months ago, when the Congressman first met with officials at Boeing to discuss their bidding process. Boeing must initially allow the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America union (UAW) to bid on contracts to build their rotorcraft. If UAW does not win the contract, however, Boeing may take the job to outside contractors. The Congressman noted that those jobs were often being given to companies in the American South and other regions far from our own, when the 7th District has many companies that are more than qualified for the job. He asked the Boeing first allow local companies to bid on these important jobs. The meeting today was a result of these talks.


  • Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry:  On Monday, April 14, Congressman Sestak spoke to the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry’s Eye on Congress Forum. In addition to a legislative update, the Congressman gave the Chamber an overview of the economic situation in Chester County, and he noted that 2007 was a "year of mixed results." The unemployment rate fell from an average of 3.5% in 2006 to 3.1% last year, a trend that remains stronger than comparable data for the Commonwealth of PA and the entire US.  Despite these advances, however, longer-term indicators suggest that Chester County incomes have not kept pace with inflation.  In terms of today’s buying power, median household income is about $280 less than it was in 2001.  In addition, manufacturing employment fell by about 5% in the first half of the year. These are challenges that can be addresses, and to that end the Congressman noted that he has successfully passed several pieces of legislation that support small businesses and their owners. For instance, one of his amendments addresses the fact that in our district, small businesses have historically received only 6.7 percent of federal contracts that come into the district, despite a federal goal of 23 percent. This legislation stops the government from unfairly "bundling" small contracts into “mega-contracts,” a practice that makes it harder for small business to compete.

In Legislation

  • Protecting and Training our Firefighters:: Congressman Sestak voted in support of the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization bill (H.R. 4847), which authorizes $292 million over four years to fund FEMA’s Fire Administration’s programs to assist fire prevention and control, firefighter training and education, and emergency medical services. The bill also expands the authority of the National Fire Academy in order to allow it to train fire personnel to respond to large-scale fires across multiple jurisdictions, fires involving hazardous materials, and wildfires, in addition to forest fires and fires caused by terrorist attacks. Furthermore, each fiscal year, 3.6 percent of the funds authorized are to be used to carry out fire technology research and related activities. "Our nation’s firefighters have chosen a career that truly epitomizes the 'dignity of danger.' Daily they put their lives on the line for their fellow citizens, and our nation owes them a debt of gratitude," said Congressman Sestak. “This funding provides firefighters with the training, education and services they need to help their neighbors while protecting themselves as they provide this most critical of services.” http://www.sestak.house.gov/list/press/pa07_sestak/080402_fire.shtml


  • Combating Global Health Epidemics: Congressman Sestak joined a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives in support of landmark legislation that will extend and expand a key initiative to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria around the globe.  The Lantos-Hyde U.S. Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization was approved by a vote of 308-116. This carefully crafted bipartisan compromise—worked out between House Democrats, House Republicans and the Bush Administration—reauthorizes and expands the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act over the next five years, authorizing $10 billion a year through FY 2013 for a total of $50 billion. The bill’s goals include, preventing 12 million new HIV infections by 2013; providing life-saving drugs for 3 million AIDS patients; providing medical and non-medical care for 12 million people (including 5 million orphans); and training 140,000 new health care workers. http://www.sestak.house.gov/list/press/pa07_sestak/080402_lantoshyde.shtml


  • Advocating Public Health: Congressman Sestak voted in early April in favor of seven public health bills as part of National Public Health Week. Those bills deal with myriad issues, ranging from emergency medical services for children to traumatic brain injuries. All seven of the bills passed.  The Wakefield Act, for example reauthorizes through FY 2011 and makes improvements in the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, which is designed to improve emergency medical services for children needing trauma or critical care.  For example, it extends the length of time for which a grant may be awarded to four years, from three.  There are over 30 million child and teen visits annually to our nation’s emergency rooms.  And yet many emergency services are still designed for adults.  Since the EMSC program was created 20 years ago, major improvements in emergency care for children have been realized.  Injury-related deaths have dropped by 40 percent over that period of time. To learn more about the other bills that passed, visit: http://www.sestak.house.gov/list/press/pa07_sestak/080409_Health.shtml


  • Simplifying the Process for Taxpayers: Congressman Sestak voted for the Taxpayer Assistance & Simplification Act (HR 5719),  which repeals the authority of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to enter into contracts with private collection agencies to collect outstanding taxes. The bill also eliminates a requirement that individuals maintain cell phone records in order to claim deductions and ensures that the recipients of government-funded home care services are not responsible for paying employment taxes. Furthermore, the measure takes steps to prevent "phishing" and other scams; expands outreach for the Earned Income Tax Credit; authorizes funding for low-income tax assistance programs; requires the IRS to notify taxpayers if it believes they have been the victims of identity theft; and bars the IRS from providing certain information to companies offering advance refund loans determined to be predatory. To learn more, visit: http://sestak.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa07_sestak/080416_TaxSimplification.shtml


  • Ensuring Access to Student Loans: Congressman Sestak voted for the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 (HR 5715), which provides new protections, in addition to those in current law, to ensure that families can continue to access the loans they need to pay for college. Congressman Sestak placed an amendment in the legislation that clarifies that a loan purchased by the Secretary of Education may continue to be serviced by the current lender. This reduces costs and provides better assurance that the transition will not impact students or educational institutions. Specifically, the legislation will: reduce borrowers’ reliance on costlier private college loans and encourage responsible borrowing; give parent borrowers more time to begin paying off their federal PLUS college loans; provide the U.S. Secretary of Education additional tools to safeguard access to student loans. To learn more, visit: http://sestak.house.gov/apps/list/press/pa07_sestak/080417_StudentLoans.shtml