July '10 Nevada Government—U.S. Congresswoman Dina Titus Column

Titus Applauds Senate Passage of Wall Street Reform That Will End Taxpayer Bailouts

July 15, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District released the following statement today after the Senate passed the conference report for the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

“Almost two years after the unbridled greed of Wall Street banks led to the near collapse of the country’s financial system, Congress is sending sweeping commonsense reforms to the President’s desk. Nevadans have paid a steep price for the lack of oversight of Wall Street banks, and with this legislation we will end taxpayer bailouts while reining in the big banks that helped create this economic mess. Nevadans will be empowered to make the best decisions about their financial future as we put an end to the predatory lending that took advantage of too many Nevadans. Thanks to a provision I fought to include, seniors will be protected from unfair and deceptive practices surrounding reverse mortgages, ensuring that in their golden years they do not lose their home and equity they built up through a lifetime of work.”

Titus’ Weekends Without Hunger Bill Included in Child Nutrition Act

July 15, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District spoke yesterday at the Education and Labor Committee markup of the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act. This legislation includes Titus’ Weekends Without Hunger Act. Titus’ comments on the manager’s amendment, which includes mandatory funding for the Weekends Without Hunger provisions and passed this morning, are below. Click here to watch her remarks.

“Mr. Chairman, thank you for your leadership on this. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill.

“Across the country, almost one out of every four children is at risk of going hungry. In the school district I represent in Southern Nevada, over 45 percent of children rely on the free and reduced price lunch program. That means more that 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.

“While school meals help keep children healthy and ready to learn during the days that school is in session, there is currently no targeted federal nutrition program that is available to provide these children with food during the weekend or during holidays. A vacation from school should not mean hunger for children.

“Food banks around the country, including Three Square food bank in Las Vegas, have stepped up to meet the challenge of hunger on the weekends for children through programs like Backpack for Kids. In Clark County, Backpack for Kids operates in 178 schools, assembling and distributing approximately 5,200 weekend backpacks each week that are filled with nutritional, non-perishable food for children.

“I believe at the federal level we can and should be doing more to support these kinds of programs. That is why I am so pleased this bill includes provisions of a bill I introduced earlier this year, the Weekends Without Hunger Act. This would prevent children from going hungry when they are not in school over the weekends and holidays. And I am especially pleased that the manager’s amendment strengthens the provisions in the underlying bill by providing mandatory funding for the Weekends Without Hunger provisions.

“With this manager’s amendment, H.R. 5504 will establish a five-year pilot program that provides commodities to eligible institutions, like non-profits, schools, and food banks, to carry out projects that provide these nutritious foods to at-risk school children over the weekend and holidays. Each year $10 million will be distributed for the purchase of commodities – enough funding for approximately 3 million weekend food backpacks. To ensure that the federal funds are well spent, the bill also requires an interim and final report on the program evaluating the effectiveness by the Secretary of Agriculture.

“Mr. Chairman, thank you again for your leadership in this matter and for including the funding for the Weekends Without Hunger provisions in this manager’s amendment. And I would urge my colleagues to support it.”

Titus Joins Unemployed Workers to Call on Republicans to Stop Blocking an Extension of Unemployment Benefits

July 14, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District joined unemployed workers and Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee today to call on Republicans to stop blocking the extension of unemployment benefits. Below are her remarks as delivered.

“Extending these benefits is critical to the people of Southern Nevada. Our economy has been especially hard hit during these bad economic times in the area of tourism and construction – 14 percent unemployment. You look at the construction industry and it’s at least twice that. So we have got to give these people some help moving forward. 38,000 people are scheduled to lose unemployment benefits in just a few days if we don’t pass this legislation.

“You know, when I see Republicans stand in the way of passing this legislation and hear them say things like unemployment makes people ‘spoiled’ or people don’t want to look for a job, it just makes me angry. Nothing could be further from the truth and it is such an insult to the American people, the hardest working people on the planet. These are the people who build America, who run America, who serve America, who keep us going forward. And then to say to them they are spoiled; it is a disgrace.

“I hear the stories too. We get calls all the time. Some may not be as eloquent as our guests today who spoke so beautifully from the heart, but they tell us equally sad and tragic stories. I just got one from a person named Matt, a young man with a young family who lost his job. We are trying to help him stay in his home by getting him a modification on his mortgage. Now he says, ‘if I lose those unemployment benefits I’m not going to be able to pay a mortgage payment. I won’t be able to save my home. What am I going to do?’ Those are the kind of people we are trying to help every single day.

“So it’s bad enough that the Republican economic policies got us into this economic mess in the first place, but now when they stand in the way of passing this, passing this bridge for people to get by until they can get back to work, I say to them, have you no shame? Have you no shame?”

Titus Cosponsors Wind and Solar Leasing Bill to Create Clean Energy Jobs in Nevada

July 14, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District cosponsored legislation today that will help create clean energy jobs in Nevada and across the country. The Clean Energy, Community Investments, and Wildlife Conservation Act was introduced by Congressman Dean Heller in the House and Senator Harry Reid in the Senate.

“As we continue our efforts to diversify Nevada’s economy and make our state a leader in clean energy, this legislation will help ensure that we receive our fair share of the revenue generated from wind and solar projects and reinvest those resources in future renewable projects that will create good jobs,” Congresswoman Titus said.

The Clean Energy, Community Investment, and Wildlife Conservation Act creates a competitive leasing program for solar and wind energy projects on public lands and directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish royalties for solar and wind electricity generation on public lands. Counties and states will receive a fair share of revenues collected by the federal government for these projects while setting aside the federal share for fish and wildlife conservation and to support renewable energy permitting and leasing.

Titus Applauds Move by VA to Increase Care for Veterans with PTSD

July 13, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District applauded today new regulations for the Department of Veterans Affairs that will make it easier for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to get the treatment they deserve.

“The brave men and women who have served our nation proudly have sacrificed to protect the values that we hold dear,” Congresswoman Titus said. “It is our solemn responsibility to provide them with the care they have earned when they return home. Unfortunately, too many returning servicemembers suffer from PTSD and struggle to get the treatment they need. With nearly one in five veterans suffering from PTSD or depression, veterans in Nevada have been suffering silently for too long. I have worked hard to ensure that as a nation we are living up to our responsibility to care for our veterans, and this step the VA is taking represents our latest effort to fulfill that promise.”

Previously, veterans had to undergo lengthy investigations in order to apply for disability benefits for PTSD. The VA required extensive documentation of the specific cause of the disorder in addition to a doctor’s diagnosis, and ultimately denied benefits to thousands of veterans who were unable to document their experiences. The new reforms will simplify and streamline the process, requiring a VA doctor’s diagnosis for veterans who served in a combat zone. The VA expects this to decrease the time it takes to decide disability claims and increase access to health care.

Titus Honors Sergeant Hennigan of Southern Nevada Who Was Killed in Afghanistan

July 14, 2010 – Washington, DC – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District spoke on the House floor today in honor of the life of Army Sergeant Matthew Hennigan, who was killed in Afghanistan. Below are her remarks as delivered. Click here to watch Titus’ speech.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Army Sergeant Matthew R. Hennigan, a resident of Southern Nevada who was killed in action serving in Afghanistan.

“Sergeant Hennigan was a strong willed and brave soldier, who never shied away from a challenge or turned down an opportunity to serve. With a contagious smile and a warm personality, Sergeant Hennigan was a strong and fearless soldier and a friend to many.

“He is remembered by his fellow soldiers as a model citizen, a strong warrior, and a respected leader. He was an inspirational captain of the Silverado High School wrestling team in his senior year, and upon graduation he answered the call to serve his nation at the young age of 17. He did so with valor and dignity. Matthew Hennigan is a true American hero. He epitomizes the best this country has to offer. Let us always honor his memory, never forget his sacrifice, and promise to be there for his family in this sad time.

“God bless our troops.”

Titus Helping Homeowners Get the Assistance They Need During Wells Fargo Housing Workshop

July 9, 2010 – Henderson, NV – Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District continued her efforts to help homeowners in Southern Nevada today at Wells Fargo’s housing workshop that is going on Friday through Sunday in Las Vegas. Titus’ office delivered detailed information on 59 Wells Fargo cases that her staff has been working on in an attempt to speed up action on these cases and prevent foreclosures. Some of these cases have been open for up to a year waiting for a resolution from Wells Fargo.

“As ground zero, District Three has seen too many families lose their home to foreclosure during this housing crisis,” Congresswoman Titus said. “That is why I have made it a top priority to fight on behalf of homeowners who are at risk of losing their home. By fighting on their side, my staff and I have helped hundreds of families stay in their home and receive mortgage modifications. Due to the number of cases we have seen with Wells Fargo, I am taking this opportunity to ramp up our efforts and get these constituents help this weekend. I am hopeful that we will resolve many of these cases and give those families the help they need to stay in their homes. I hope that this Wells Fargo housing workshop is not the last as we work to put an end to the foreclosure crisis.”

Titus has focused the resources of her office on fighting the foreclosure crisis, assigning a number of staffers to handle housing casework. She has also hosted six housing workshops, putting homeowners directly in touch with lenders, mortgage servicers, and housing counselors. As a result of her efforts, Titus has saved her constituents more than $6.4 million in mortgage modifications that have kept them in their homes.