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Rep Anna Eshoo

The New Decade

January 11, 2010
e-Newsletters

January 8, 2010

Dear Constituents,

As we begin a new decade, we look with hope and optimism tothe future and over our shoulder to measure the past. We face many more challenges at the beginningof this decade than we did at the start of the last. In 2000, our country was at peace and enjoyeda financial surplus and a flourishing economy. Ten years later, our country is embroiled in two wars and has sufferedthe worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, costing too many their jobs,their homes, their savings, and trillions of dollars in hard-earnedincome. The economic downturn hasrippled through our Congressional District and across the country. As if this isn't enough, we face theextraordinary challenges of the ongoing threat of terrorism, and the effects ofclimate change.

Throughout the last year, the first in 14 years without aRepublican majority, I've been working hard to repair the damage done in the lastdecade to our economy, our international reputation, our security and ourplanet, and to equip our nation to better address these critical issues in thedecade ahead. While we have a great dealof work to do, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished in the House ofRepresentatives in 2009. In many ways,it was a year of sweeping changes and landmark legislation that re-set thecourse of the nation.

Last January, we passed legislation that averted anotherDepression. In June, the House passed wide-ranging climate change legislation. InSeptember, we approved the largest single increase to student aid in history. In November, we passed healthcare reform, legislationthat has been delayed, blocked and thwarted for decades. In December, weinstituted financial reforms to bring accountability to Wall Street. And in the final vote of 2009, we passed ajobs creation bill that will reallocate $75 billion in TARP funds for smallbusiness lending, infrastructure projects, and jobs in education.

Ouractions saved an American economy on the brink of total collapse, set thecourse for recovery and laid a foundation for the next generation of economicgrowth and health.

Below are 20 bills thatrepresent some of last year's achievements. The President has signed many of these bills into law, and some stillawait a vote in the Senate. I hope theywill act expeditiously to pass these measures for the betterment of our country.

Economic Recovery and Job Creation

AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act, enacted in the first month of President Obama's term to jumpstartour economy, created and saved 3.5 million jobs, gave 95% of American workers atax cut, and began to rebuild America's road, rail, and waterinfrastructure. (Signed into Law)

Cash for Clunkers, gave a desperately needed boost to theU.S.auto industry, and the men and women who work in this critical sector,providing consumers with up to $4,500 for trading in an old vehicle, for onewith higher fuel efficiency. This billspurred the sale of 700,000 vehicles and netted the economy $25 billion. (Signedinto Law)

Worker, Homeownership & BusinessAssistance Act,created jobs with unemployment benefits for Americans hit by the recession,expanded the first- time homebuyer tax credit, and provided tax relief forstruggling small businesses. (Signed intoLaw)

Jobs on Main Street Act, a reinvestment of unspent TARP fundsfrom Wall Street to Main Street to provide emergency aid for the unemployed, tocreate and save jobs with targeted investments to boost small business, torebuild highways and transit, and to hire and retain teachers, police, andfirefighters. (Passed by House)

Student Aid & Fiscal ResponsibilityAct, the largestinvestment in college aid in history, increases Pell Grants and keeps student-loaninterest rates low while reducing the federal deficit. (Passedby House)

HelpingFamilies Save Their Homes Act, built on the President's initiative to stem the foreclosure crisis,provides significant incentives to lenders, servicers, and homeowners to modifyloans. (Signed into Law)

Affordable, Quality Healthcare

Health Insurance Reform, lowers costs to consumers, preservesand provides choice of doctors and health plans including a public option,ensures peace of mind that coverage cannot be delayed or denied, and expandsaccess to affordable health coverage for millions of Americans. (Passedby House - Senate Passed Separate Version)

Health Carefor 11 Million Children,provides cost-effective health coverage for 4 million children and preserves coveragefor 7 million children already enrolled. (Signed into Law)

FoodSafety, fundamentally changes the way we protect our food supply, closes gapsexposed by recent food-borne illness outbreaks, and gives the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) new regulatory authorities.(Passedby House)

FDARegulation of Tobacco, grantsthe FDA authority to regulate advertising, marketing, and manufacturing oftobacco products, the leading cause of preventable U.S. death. (Signedinto Law)

Veterans Health Care Budget Reform& Transparency Act, authorizesCongress to approve VA medical care appropriations one year in advance toensure reliable and timely funding. (Signed into Law)

Clean Energy Jobs and Conservation

American Clean Energy and Security Act, another landmark achievement sets thecourse for American energy innovation and independence, spurring the creationof millions of jobs in new, clean technology industries, reduces dependence onforeign oil, reduces climate change pollution, and keeps costs low forAmericans. (Passed by House)

OmnibusPublic Land Management Act,the most significant conservation bill in 15 years strengthens tourism andrural economies with more than 2 million new acres of wilderness andparks. (Signed into Law)

Fiscal Responsibility

BudgetBlueprint, createsjobs with investments in health care, clean energy and education; cuts taxesfor most Americans by $1.5 trillion; cuts the Bush deficit by more than half by2013. (Action Completed)

Statutory Pay-As-You-Go, restores the 1990s law that turnedrecord deficits into surpluses, by forcing tough choices. Under this law, Congress must pay for any newexpenditures by cutting other spending. (Passedby House)

Protecting Consumers and Taxpayers

Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act, means long-overdue reform on WallStreet to end taxpayer-funded bailouts, requires new levels of accountabilityand responsibility on 'too big to fail' financial institutions, and protectsconsumers from predatory lending.(Passed by House)

CreditCardholders' Bill of Rights, provides tough new protections for consumers, including banningunfair rate increases, abusive fees and penalties, and strengthensenforcement. (Signed into Law)

FraudEnforcement & Recovery Act, provides tools to prosecute mortgage scams and corporate fraud thatcontributed to the financial crisis and created an outside commission toexamine the causes of the crisis. (Signed into Law)

DefenseProcurement Reform, cracksdown on Pentagon waste and cost overruns. (Signed into Law)

LillyLedbetter Fair Pay Act,restores the rights of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay-to helpclose the wage gap where a woman earns 78 cents for every $1 a man earns in America. (Signedinto Law)

StrongerTARP Oversight, expands the authority of TARP's Special Inspector General to increase the oversightfor this program. (Signed into Law)

It was a tough decade culminating in a hard year ofextraordinary challenges. During thattime, you have been on my mind every day, as has my responsibility to work hardfor you to provide economic health and stability, meaningful healthcare reform,a cleaner planet and a safer nation.

Thequantity and scope of legislation we undertook this past year is unparalleledin the last half-century. Some of theresults are already tangible-the stabilization of the financial sector and theeffects of the stimulus have mitigated the recession and slowed job losses from700,000 during the last year of the Bush Administration to a trickle in thefinal months of 2009. Other measures,including the conservation of two million new acres of wilderness and parks,will be a boon for future generations.

Despite last year's legislative achievements, far more isrequired. Unemployment remains at anunacceptable level and our economy still needs serious improvement. We also must focus on the challenges of thisdecade, while continuing to contend with issues from the last. I fully expect to sustain the same fast pacethis year as we did in the last, and to exceed our level of achievement. Ensuring a successful decade will require noless.

Still, at the dawn of a new decade and as befits our extraordinaryCongressional District, I look forward to these continuing challenges and thenew opportunities to represent the most innovative and creative constituentsanywhere in this nation.

With my respect and gratitude,

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Anna G. Eshoo

Member of Congress