Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Congressman David Scott (D-GA) released a statement regarding the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) updated estimates of the costs of the Goodlatte/Scott Amendment to the Dairy Security Act. Congressmen Goodlatte and Scott offered this amendment during markup of the House Farm Bill. “Last year, we offered an alternative dairy policy that would provide dairy producers with voluntary margin insurance protection that did not include administrative fees and was not tied to a new supply management program that manipulates dairy prices and penalizes consumers,”... Read More »
Home foreclosures are declining and property values are increasing in Georgia. Yet, many neighborhoods around metro Atlanta are still working to return to full strength. Congressman Scott has been promoting programs to help individual homeowners and communities deal with the financial epidemic of foreclosures and falling home values. Just this past January, a major housing assistance event was held in Cobb County with the assistance of the US Departments of Treasury, HUD and the Making Home Affordable Coalition. This is the third major housing event held in the 13th Congressional District in t... Read More »
The previous blog post described what sequestration is. This post considers how the cuts will affect Georgia. I believe that Congress must continue to work on a long-term budget situation that brings down the debt and creates opportunities for the economy to grow. What good does it to our future if we drastically slash investments in education, job training and research if we do not have a flourishing economy? Job losses: According to the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, Georgia would lose 27,609 defense related jobs and 26,903 civilian jobs for a total of 54,512 jobs. Tea... Read More »
What is sequestration? You have heard this term in the news, often with examples of an impact on government services. So, what is sequestration? Basically, it means severe, automatic, across-the-board spending cuts to government programs. It does not mean thoughtful decisions to cut programs based on their merits. About half of the current sequestration cuts will hit the Department of Defense, and the rest are to non-defense programs. Many entitlement programs are protected from the sequester and will not be cut. Therefore, the cuts will fall heavier on the parts of the budget that has not bee... Read More »
Congressman David Scott (GA-13) will host a special ceremony on Saturday, February 16, 2013 to honor and announce 22 student nominees for appointment to the nation’s esteemed military academies. The ceremony, which will take place at the National Archives Museum in Morrow, will feature the Stockbridge High School Color Guard and guest speakers from the U.S. Air Force and Military (West Point) Academies. This year’s students will receive nominations to attend the U.S. Naval, Military (West Point), and Air Force academies. Communities represented by this year’s students include Clayton, Cobb, De... Read More »
There has been a strong interest from constituents in the 13th Congressional District in attending the Presidential Inauguration and tickets to the event have been allocated. There are some Inaugural Day activities that do not require a ticket. The viewing areas of the National Mall closest to the U.S. Capitol will require a ticket, but the rest of the National Mall will be open to the public, with large viewing screens placed in several locations. You also do not need a ticket to stand along the Inaugural parade route. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Be aware that it will be cold ... Read More »
Has anyone attempted to block you from voting or from legally registering to vote? Please share your experiences below. Voter intimidation and elections tampering should not be tolerated. It is up to a vigilant electorate to watch out for illegal activity. This year, Georgia residents will be required to show ID before they vote in person. Six forms of ID are acceptable: Georgia Driver's License, even if expired; Valid US government employee photo ID; Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state; Valid U.S. passport ID; Valid U.S. military photo ID; or V... Read More »
The House passed H.R. 4348, Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012. This bill, also known as MAP-21, will create or save more than 2 million jobs, authorize highway and transit programs for more than two years at current levels, make key reforms consolidating transportation programs and cut red tape, and leverage federal resources to expand public-private partnerships in transportation. MAP-21 consolidates federal surface transportation programs by two-thirds by taking approximately 60 programs and consolidating them into four “core” formula programs: National Highway Performance Program... Read More »
On Friday, the House passed H.R. 4348*, which included an extension of the current 3.4 percent loan rate on need-based student loans through July 1, 2013. Under current law, the rate would have doubled to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2012. Young Americans have the highest unemployment rate of any other group. Two-thirds of the Class of 2010 graduated with student loan debt which averages about $25,000. Congressman Scott is committed to ensuring that young people can start a career and pay their obligations without worrying about a large spike in their interest rates. For more information about savin... Read More »
Last week, in College Park, 1,478 homeowners attended the “Help for Homeowners Event” at the Georgia International Convention Center. It was the fourth time the Obama Administration has sponsored an event for struggling homeowners in the Atlanta area. In total, 8,065 homeowners have been helped at events in Metropolitan Atlanta, and more than 275,000 families in the area have received assistance through government and mortgage servicer programs. I attended this event to hear directly from homeowners about their experiences and to talk with community leaders about ways to help federal programs ... Read More »
