This week, the House passed H.R. 5013, the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006, by a vote of 322 to 99. It prohibits federal officials from seizing firearms otherwise allowed by state or federal law from civilians during major disaster relief efforts.

H.R. 5534 also passed 355 to 9. It establishes a grant program whereby monies collected from violations of the corporate average fuel economy program are used to expand infrastructure necessary to increase the availability of alternative fuels.

By a vote of 414 to 2, the House also approved the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act of 2006 which establishes an Office of Emergency Communications within the Department of Homeland Security.

Stopping Voter Fraud

In this day and age, it is shocking that we still do not verify U.S. citizenship when people register to vote. Motor-voter laws have allowed driver’s license applicants to simply check a box to register to vote regardless of whether or not they are a U.S. citizen. This loophole is allowing thousands of illegal immigrants to take advantage of our election system. By casting an illegal vote, illegal immigrants are canceling out legal votes cast by U.S. citizens and robbing Americans of their constitutional right to be heard in an election. At the very least, we should require voters to present valid photo identification when voting, thus ensuring that casting a legitimate ballot is provided the same safeguards as buying cigarettes.

The only way to stop this outrageous and illegal activity is to amend our current voter registration laws to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering and a valid photo ID before allowing anyone to vote. That is why I have co-sponsored legislation to do just that. H.R. 4844 would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require individuals who register to vote in a federal election to provide proof that they actually are U.S. citizens. This bill also requires that citizens show a valid photo ID before casting their ballot. These common sense reforms will help protect the legitimacy of our electoral system.

Cleaner Air

It is safe to say that everyone wants cleaner air, thereby improving human health and environmental conditions. By listening to the protests of self-appointed guardians of the environment, one would think that air quality has worsened during the Bush Administration. However, just the opposite is true. As the editors of National Review Online pointed out on July 25th, every category of air pollution has been reduced since President Bush arrived at the White House. In fact, the measurements from 2003, 2004, and 2005 show the lowest levels of ozone and particulates in the air since the monitoring of air pollution began in the 1960s.

Nevertheless, as air quality has improved, disingenuous zealots have ratcheted up their condemnations of the president’s approach to reducing pollution. Why? They do so because President Bush has implemented a market-based system that rewards those members of industry that achieve the greatest efficiency, rather than encumbering all utilities equally with layers of classic make-work, red-tape regulations as President Clinton did in the 1990s. Interestingly, a new report from the National Academy of Science determines that President Bush’s system will likely prove just as effective in lowering air pollution as Clinton’s approach of heavy regulation and litigation, but at a much lower cost to the American economy. This is a win-win that deserves praise, not condemnation.

Quote of the Week

“Your loss on that day [9/11/01] was a loss for all mankind and our loss today is a loss for all free people. And wherever humankind suffers a loss at the hands of terrorists, it is a loss for all humanity. It is your duty and our duty to defeat terror. Iraq is the front line in this struggle and history will prove that the sacrifices of Iraqis for freedom will not be in vain. Iraqis are your allies in the war on terror.” – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, addressing a joint session of Congress, July 26, 2006.