13th District Update| June 27 , 2013
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Congressman David Scott, Representing Georgia's 13th District
Farm Bill and SNAP Politics
 
Last week, the House failed to pass a Farm Bill (H.R. 1947) by a vote of 195-234. This action was unusual given that past reauthorizations of agriculture laws and food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), have been bipartisan affairs. The Senate has passed a version of the Farm Bill (S. 954) by a bipartisan vote of 66-27.

During the debate on the Farm Bill, Congressman Scott spoke in opposition to an amendment which would require the government to review all Americans food purchases in order to review SNAP items purchased. The Marino amendment (#26) failed by a vote of 79-346.

Congressman Scott also authored a bipartisan dairy reform amendment along with Rep. Bob Goodlatte. You can learn about the benefits of their amendment in an editorial the sponsors wrote. The dairy reform measure passed by a vote of 291-135.

The House bill cuts over $20 billion from the SNAP program compared to the Senate bill which cuts SNAP by about $4 billion. These large cuts to nutrition programs and additional unfunded mandates to the program led to the majority of House Democrat voting against the bill, including Congressman Scott. However, the hardline members of the Republican Caucus also voted against the bill despite making massive cuts in food programs. The Republican Majority still may bring the bill back for future action.


Voting Rights Act

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) is a landmark measure that outlaws discriminatory voting practices. Congress has reauthorized the law several times with large bi-partisan majorities. Section 5 of the VRA requires specific jurisdictions, like Georgia, to submit any proposed changes in voting procedures to the U.S. Department of Justice or a federal district court in D.C. to ensure the changes are not discriminatory. This process is known as “preclearance.”

On June 25, the Supreme Court ruled that Section 4 of the VRA, which sets out the formula that is used to determine which state and local governments must comply with Section 5’s preapproval requirement, is unconstitutional and can no longer be used. However, it did not invalidate preclearance itself. Section 5 will now have no actual effect unless and until Congress can enact a new statute to determine who should be covered by it. Congressman Scott is disappointed with the decision and will work in Congress to find a new standard to ensure that every American has equal access to the ballot.


New Health Insurance Law

HealthCare.gov is the destination for the Health Insurance Marketplace which opens for enrollment On October 1.  The new tools available will help Americans understand their choices and select the private health coverage that best suits their needs.

Customer service representatives are available for assistance via a toll-free number at 1-800-318-2596 and hearing impaired callers using TTY/TDD technology can dial 1-855-889-4325 for assistance.

If you are a professional learning about the Marketplace and helping people apply, you can view the latest resources at:  Marktplace.CMS.gov


New TARP Funding Tracker

Are you interested in seeing how funds have been spent under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)?  The new TARP Tracker enables users to view the flow of funds for a specific period or over the lifetime of a TARP program. It also allows users to view each investment area separately to get a clearer sense of what has occurred in a particular program. In addition, the new tool includes a scroll of events that may be sorted by date or program to make it even easier to understand how major transactions under TARP and events, such as legislative actions, have impacted the program.


Congressman Honored as Friend of National Parks

Congressman Scott was recognized by the National Parks Conservation Association’s (NPCA) “Friend of the National Parks” award for his support of legislation that upheld the standards and integrity of the National Park System in the 112th Congress (2011-2012).

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Thank you for taking time to read my newsletter.  If I can be of assistance, please contact me through one of the addresses located at the end of this message. We can also connect via Facebook, YouTubeTwitter or LinkedIn




Sincerely,

David Scott
Member of Congress 



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