The Close of an Extremely Productive 111th Congress

Statement

Dear Friends,

We are at the end of a very successful 111th Congress, one that Norman Ornstein, Congressional Scholar at American Enterprise Institute, said last week is "going to go down as one of the most productive in terms of its legislative accomplishments, their sweep and scope and breadth, certainly in our lifetimes and probably within the 20th century."

Throughout this Democratic-led Congress we've passed laws in the interest of American consumers, continued to support the middle class, passed stimulus spending during this still-painful economy, and furthered the American value of equal rights.

Below are some of the highlights.

Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Wednesday was a landmark day for the United States -- a day that brought us closer to living up to our ideal of a free and equal society. President Obama signed legislation that will repeal the misguided military policy, Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I cosponsored this legislation because the policy was wrong 17 years ago when it was put in place and it is wrong today. With the undoing of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, America becomes a more just country and I am incredibly proud to have cast an historic vote to make it so. Along with the Illinois legislature voting to recognize civil unions in December, we have made great strides in strengthening gay rights this year.

Food Safety

In 1993, Nancy Donley, now a friend of mine, lost her 6 year old son Alex, who died because he ate hamburger tainted with E. coli bacteria. She turned her tragedy into a crusade and created S.T.O.P., "Safe Tables Our Priority," a non-profit dedicated to preventing illness and death from food borne pathogens. It is for Nancy and the many individuals sickened or killed as a result of contaminated foods that we passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. It is a sweeping overhaul of our food safety system and it will put the focus where it should be -- on preventing these outbreaks, not just reacting to them. It increases the number of food inspectors, strengthens requirements on those who export foods to the U.S. and gives the FDA authority to initiate recalls -- not just request voluntary recalls from food manufacturers as they currently do.

Child Safety

I am especially gratified to have seen two of the children's protection provisions that I authored in the last Congress come to fruition this month in the respective agencies with jurisdiction. Both had been included in Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008:

Car safety: Tragic rear backovers, in which children have been killed because the driver could not see them, often in their own driveways, can finally be prevented. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a rule to require rear visibility in all new vehicles, a provision of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, a bill that I authored. Brave parents from around the country told their heartbreaking stories over and over again and now, hopefully, can take some comfort that other children will be spared.

Dangerous drop-side cribs, which have been linked to more than 30 infant deaths, were officially prohibited by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Since 2001, I have worked to require pre-market testing and safety standards for durable children's products, including cribs, playpens and high chairs. The provision I wrote was finally included in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. My interest was prompted by the death of Danny Keysar, who died in his crib at a daycare center, and the heroic work of his mother, Linda Ginzel, who created Kids in Danger to change the law. Now several other products besides cribs will get the same scrutiny and more injuries and deaths will be prevented.

Strengthened Contractor Oversight

The United States has more than 100,000 private for-profit contractors working in Afghanistan, some performing important functions, but all without adequate oversight. In the past, reckless behavior by private contractors, like Blackwater (now called Xe), has endangered our mission and our troops, damaged our relationship with allies and cost taxpayers billions of dollars. This week, Congress passed the Defense Authorization bill, which included my amendment requiring the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to report to Congress on existing contractor oversight and on contractors' involvement in civilian deaths. The amendment requires that recommendations be made for improving oversight and reducing reliance on contractors responsible for civilian deaths.

Wall Street Reform, Creation of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Earlier this year, we passed comprehensive Wall Street Reform, which, among other critical provisions, created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau--an independent watchdog to look out for consumers' financial interests. The bureau is tasked with protecting Americans from hidden fees, abusive terms, and unfair or deceptive practices regarding credit cards, student loans, mortgages and other financial products. Wall Street Reform also includes my amendment requiring the new bureau to enact any needed regulation to protect seniors from unscrupulous lenders that pedal reverse mortgages with financially abusive terms.

Health Care Reform

In March, President Obama signed the landmark Affordable Care Act into law, banning insurance companies from denying people with pre-existing conditions or dropping individuals when they get sick and also ensuring that 32 million more Americans will have coverage. There are many new benefits for American health care consumers. The law strengthens Medicare, makes seniors' medications more affordable, ends co-payments for preventive care, and will close the gap in Medicare prescription coverage known as the doughnut hole. I was very involved in crafting and seeing this legislation through to passage and authored provisions in the law to require the review of insurance company premiums, nursing home quality protections, and initiatives to increase the number of well-trained health care providers. Visit healthcare.gov to learn more about what's in it for you and how health care reform is being implemented in Illinois.

Stimulus and Job Creation

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was enacted in the first month of President Obama's term to jumpstart our economy. Since then, the ARRA investments have created or saved 3.5 million jobs, and ARRA provided a tax cut to small business and 95% of all Americans. This stimulus spending has also begun to rebuild America's road, rail, and water infrastructure, and has made an historic commitment to education, clean energy, and science and technology, with unprecedented accountability. In August, I traveled throughout the district on a small business listening tour to better understand the challenges still facing our small business community and to provide information on available programs that can help.

Unemployment Insurance, Tax Breaks for the Middle Class

Last week, we ensured that unemployment insurance, often the only lifeline for out-of-work Americans, will continue to be funded for another year. Not only will these benefits help the individuals and families who receive them, economists agree that unemployment insurance is one of the most stimulative actions we can take to get our economy back on track. Also in the package are essential tax credits for working families and parents, middle- and low-income Americans, and families sending kids to college, as well as a payroll tax cut. While these critical provisions came with a bitter pill -- temporary tax breaks for wealthy Americans and estate tax terms favoring the wealthiest -- I could not vote against the benefits for the middle class. Read my statement on why I voted yes.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

The very first bill that President Obama signed into law was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- a huge victory for every woman in America. Under Lily Ledbetter, companies can no longer run out the clock or suppress information to avoid paying women equally. This law will help us close the gender wages gap, one that has women earning only 78 cents on every dollar earned by men. As a longtime equal rights advocate and Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I am extremely proud to have helped pass this legislation, particularly under the leadership of the first woman Speaker, my friend and leader, Nancy Pelosi.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of representing you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Have a very happy and healthy New Year.

Sincerely,

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress

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