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Titus Applauds Extension of Unemployment Benefits
Bill Also Prevents 21% Medicare Cut to Doctors and Extends COBRA Subsidies
April 15, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District applauded the passage of legislation this evening that extends unemployment benefits for Nevadans who are struggling to find work on the heels of the deepest recession since the Great Depression. The bill also prevents a 21 percent cut to doctors who treat Medicare patients and extends COBRA subsidies that unemployed Nevadans rely on for health care.
“The extension of these key provisions is good news for many folks in Southern Nevada who are struggling during these tough economic times,” Congresswoman Titus said. “As we work to create jobs in Nevada that will put people back to work, extending unemployment benefits and health care assistance through COBRA is critical as people fight every day just to keep body and soul together. Extending these benefits for some families may be the difference between making or missing the next mortgage payment, and preventing drastic cuts to Medicare payments will ensure that seniors will continue to have access to the doctor they trust.”
The bill extends these benefits for two months and makes unemployment benefits retroactive to the beginning of the month after Senate Republicans stood in the way of its speedy passage last month.
Titus Highlights $23 Million in Recovery Act Funding to Help Turn Around Nevada’s Lowest Achieving Schools
April 15, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District highlighted $23.4 million in Recovery Act funding announced today to help improve Nevada’s lowest achieving schools. The money is part of $3.5 billion allocated for the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program.
“In order for Nevada’s children to grow up to become the next generation of leaders, they must have a strong foundation and a good education,” Congresswoman Titus said. “At a time when the state is facing serious budget challenges, this important Recovery Act money will help us improve schools in Nevada that are not making the grade. Nevada’s students deserve an opportunity to meet their god given potential, and only with a quality education can they achieve future success in the global society.”
Nevada is receiving $23,440,456 based on formulas and then will distribute money to school districts on a competitive basis. In order for a school district to apply, it must have a state-identified “persistently lowest achieving” or a Tier III school that has failed to meet annual yearly progress for two years.
School districts that apply to the state for funds this spring must indicate that they will implement one of the following four models in an effort to improve achievement in the school:
Turnaround Model: Replace the principal, screen existing school staff, and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.
Restart Model: Convert a school or close it and re-open it as a charter school or under an education management organization.
School Closure: Close the school and send the students to higher-achieving schools in the district.
Transformation Model: Replace the principal and improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.
Titus: 98% of Nevada’s Working Families Received a Tax Cut in 2009
April 14, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District spoke on the House floor today on her efforts to lower taxes for Nevada’s families. Below are her remarks as delivered. Click here to watch Titus’ speech.
“Mr. Speaker, since coming to Congress I have kept my promise to provide tax relief to middle-class families and small businesses in my district. And I’m proud to report that on Tax Day, millions of Americans will pay less in taxes and keep more of their hard-earned money in their own pockets where it belongs.
“In the past year, Congress has enacted over $800 billion in tax cuts, including the largest package of tax cuts in history in the Recovery Act, leading Reagan advisor Bruce Bartlett to say that ‘federal taxes are very considerably lower by every measure since Obama became president.’
“A recent report by Citizens for Tax Justice has found that for 2009, 98 percent of working families and individuals in Nevada benefitted from at least one of the tax cuts in the Recovery Act, saving an average of $841. For folks in my district struggling to make ends meet, $841 could be a mortgage payment that helps them avoid foreclosure, and could make a real difference in their lives.”
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For more information on Citizens for Tax Justice’s report, “President Obama Cut Taxes for 98% of Working Families in Nevada in 2009,” click here. Below is a list of some of the tax credits in the Recovery Act that many Nevadans are eligible for:
Making Work Pay Tax Credit of up to $400 per year for individuals and up to $800 per year for married couples. In District Three, 375,000 families are benefiting from this tax credit.
American Opportunity Credit of up to $2,500 for college tuition and other education expenses. In Nevada, an additional 32,000 students are now benefiting from federal college tax credits due to the American Opportunity Credit.
First-Time Homebuyer Credit of up to $8,000 for Nevadans who bought their first home or up to $6,500 for Nevadans who bought a new home after living in their current residence for five years or more. In Nevada, more than 25,000 households have already taken advantage of the tax credit.
Residential Energy Credits of up to $1,500 for Nevadans who made energy efficient upgrades around the home.
Unemployment Benefits Exemption of up to $2,400 makes these critical benefits tax free for 2009.
Child Tax Credit of up to $1,000 per child.
Earned Income Tax Credit of up to $5,657 for households with income below $43,279
Titus Introduces Weekends Without Hunger Act
*** Program Gives Food to School Children Over Weekends and Breaks ***
April 13, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District announced today that she introduced the Weekends Without Hunger Act, legislation to help prevent children from going hungry when they are not in school. Yesterday, Titus visited Three Square in Las Vegas to highlight the importance of the bill. She was joined by Julie Murray, President of Three Square, Chef Rick Moonen of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, and Clark County Superintendent Walt Rulffes.
“Across the country, 16.7 million children, almost one out of every four, are at risk of going hungry,” Congresswoman Titus said. “With 45 percent of Clark County school children relying on the free and reduced price lunch program, more than 140,000 students in Southern Nevada are facing hunger at home, and many depend on school meals as their main source of food throughout the week. With many non-profit and charity organization struggling to meet the high demand for food during this tough economic time, my legislation would help provide our children with food during weekends and holidays.”
The Weekends Without Hunger Act will establish a five-year pilot program that provides commodities to eligible institutions, such as schools and food banks, to carry out projects that provide nutritious food to at-risk school children over the weekend and school holidays during the school year. Organizations such as Three Square, which currently provides approximately 5,200 weekend backpacks in 178 Clark County schools through their Backpack for Kids Program, would be eligible for funding. Each year, $10 million would be distributed for the purchase of commodities, enough funding for approximately 3 million weekend food backpacks. To ensure the federal funds are well spent, the bill would also require an interim and final evaluation of the program by the Secretary of Agriculture.
Titus Letter to Obama on the Housing Crisis in Southern Nevada
April 13, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District sent the following letter to President Obama yesterday on the housing crisis in Southern Nevada. Titus has been writing to the President on a monthly basis to update him on the challenges facing people in District Three.
Below is the text of the letter.
April 12, 2010
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama,
Thank you for the work that your administration is doing to help Americans across the country stay in their homes. While it appears that many communities have stabilized, Southern Nevada remains “ground zero” of our national housing crisis and my congressional district is the worst of the worst. In January of this year, the national 90+ day delinquency rate was 8.66%; in Nevada, however, it was 19% and in the third congressional district it was 20.66%. In the fourth quarter of 2008, seven of the 50 worst zip codes in the country for foreclosures were in my Congressional District. We truly have the perfect storm of record unemployment coupled with a burst housing bubble.
Since beginning my term in Congress last January, I have been fighting to restore economic stability to Southern Nevada and help my constituents stay in their homes. The economic recession, which was created in part by the reckless economic policies of your predecessor, has severely hurt Southern Nevada. While other areas of the country have seen signs of economic recovery, Southern Nevada is likely to trail behind. My office was one of the first in the country to work directly with homeowners and lenders to negotiate a mortgage modification which would allow them to avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. I have been focusing on helping families who want to stay in their homes and were responsible in the debt they took on; and I believe assistance programs should be directed toward helping these types of homeowners.
As you know, the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit is scheduled to expire at the end of this month. I have been very supportive of this credit for a number of reasons. It was estimated that last year, 46,624 first-time homebuyers took advantage of the credit in Nevada and purchased their first home. These families and individuals are taking important steps for long-term financial stability. It was also estimated that the multiplier effect of each home sale boosts the economy by $34,276. I remain very supportive of the tax credit because it allows real families to move into homes in Southern Nevada and hope it can be extended.
In the next few weeks the five states that qualified for the additional funding for the hardest hit housing markets will submit their proposals to the Department of the Treasury for implementation of these funds. As you know, Nevada has a maximum allocation of $102.8 million. If used effectively, these funds can provide much needed assistance to struggling homeowners in Southern Nevada. The most effective use of these funds would be for a principal reduction program to help homeowners who are underwater. I hope that are working with Secretary Timothy Geithner to implement program guidelines focused on principal reduction which will not only help homeowners but will also be quickly and effectively implemented by banks.
It is also imperative that your administration work with lenders to modify second liens. Many of my constituents who have second liens on their mortgages are finding it virtually impossible to modify their first loans due to the second lien. Some constituents have informed me that lenders refuse to even begin the modification process due to their second lien. While I understand that the “Making Home Affordable” program now includes incentives for servicers that modify second liens, I am concerned that similar to the modification element of HAMP, servicers will not participate unless the anticipated outcome will greatly benefit their bottom lines. I hope that we can find ways to work with these lenders to help more homeowners with second liens.
I look forward to working with you on these important issues.
Sincerely,
Dina Titus
Member of Congress
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