The House is currently in recess for the August District Work Period and will reconvene on September 5, 2006.

Terror Thwarted

The grandiose terrorist plot foiled in Great Britain last week provided free people everywhere with cause for celebration and rededication. Good intelligence work and cooperation prevented acts of violence comparable to what occurred on that dark day in 2001. As we near the fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, it is appropriate to assess how the United States is responding to the threat of terrorism.

I am glad to report that the 109th Congress has passed significant legislation to help America stay ahead of our enemies. The USA PATRIOT Improvement & Reauthorization Act gives law enforcement the tools necessary to detect, disrupt, and dismantle terrorist plots and protect the American people. The Fiscal Year 2007 Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 5020) supports U.S. intelligence activities to help detect terrorist activity, prevent terrorist attacks, and disrupt terrorist networks. Importantly, it reverses the devastating Clinton-era cuts in human intelligence funding which is critical to winning the Global War on Terror. Additionally, the 21st Century Emergency Communications Act (H.R. 5852) helps to ensure that America’s first responders are able to communicate in case an emergency does occur.

Pension Protection

While we remain focused on national security, Congress has also taken steps to enhance retirement security for American workers. On Thursday, President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act, H.R. 4, into law. This reform will help ensure workers’ pension savings will be available to them when they retire. It provides the most comprehensive reforms to America’s pension system in over 30 years – preserving retirement benefits for those relying on traditional pension plans and also helping workers save and invest more wisely in 401(k) retirement savings plans.

Through this legislation, Congress closed loopholes that have allowed employers to shortchange their pension plans and put their employees at risk. It requires employers to avoid default by ensuring adequate funding of their pension obligations to employees, encourages greater participation by employees in 401(k) plans, and allows people to make charitable contributions directly from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) without having to pay tax on the IRA disbursement. These reforms are important so that men and women who spend a lifetime working and planning for their future will not find that it has slipped away from them.

Sustained Economic Growth

The 113,000 jobs created in July provided further evidence that the economic growth policies enacted in 2003 are working. In fact, July marks the 35th consecutive month of sustained economic growth and job creation. Our booming economy has created a remarkable 5.5 million jobs since August 2003, nearly 2 million of those in the last 12 months alone. At the same time, unemployment registered at 4.8 percent – remaining below the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Quote of the Week

“The fiscal drain on the taxpayers by those who are here illegally is catastrophic. In public safety, healthcare, social services and education, illegals cost Los Angeles County taxpayers nearly $1 billion per year. Twenty-five percent of inmates in our county jail system are illegals. The cost to our county’s justice system is $150 million a year which includes incarceration, prosecution, defense and probation. Our health care delivery system has become the HMO for the world. Within our health care delivery system, approximately 30 percent are illegals who are being treated annually at a cost of roughly $360 million. Our county’s department of health services estimates that nearly 26 percent of the ambulatory care visits were made by illegal immigrants.” – Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in San Diego on August 02, 2006.