Facebook

Budget Deal: A Tepid Step Away from Government by Crisis but not for the Unemployed

Last Thursday, House passage of a bipartisan budget deal finally broke the no-compromise Tea Party House Republicans and could prevent another federal government shutdown for the next two years.  Luckily, no matter what happens with the deal, D.C. will not shut down in fiscal year 2014 because of my negotiations with the House, Senate and administration that got the D.C. budget approved for the full year.  The major benefits of the deal are two years of sequester relief by raising spending caps, relief for current beleaguered federal employees and the programs they administer, and the elimination of the possibility of a federal government shutdown until 2016.  Its major short-term drawback is the shameful failure to extend unemployment benefits, leaving the long-term unemployed out in the cold during Christmas.

To South Africa to Remember Nelson Mandela

I traveled to South Africa as a member of the Congressional Delegation to the Nelson Mandela funeral, last week.  I wanted to be in South Africa for the man I first honored as a member of the Free South Africa movement, when four of us went into the South African Embassy and began the serial protests and arrests of people from throughout the country fighting to eliminate apartheid and free Mandela. 

Equality for Mass Transit Commuters

Last Thursday, I introduced a bill to extend federal tax benefits for mass transit commuters nationwide for one year.   I am also a cosponsor of a current bill for a permanent extension, but it has gone nowhere.  The mass transit benefit amount was raised to $245 monthly during the recession, but will fall by nearly 50% on December 21, 2013.  The increase equalized transit and parking incentives, but the reduction of the temporary increase for mass transit would make driving more attractive than taking the Metro.  My bill would also benefit the environment.  A sudden and significant change that incentivizes driving over mass transit will almost surely foster increased driving, congestion and environmental degradation.

Taking on a New Attack on D.C.’s Gun Safety Laws

Last Thursday, I called out Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH) and John Barrow (D-GA) for introducing a dangerous National Rifle Association (NRA)-backed bill to wipe out D.C.’s gun laws.  It was bad enough that the bill would usurp the local autonomy of the District of Columbia, but it’s timing – during the week when the nation remembered the Newtown, Connecticut shooting on its one-year anniversary – was an act of insensitive disrespect.  I have kept this bill from going to the floor before, and I am ready to do so again.

D.C. Federal Employees Can Now Run for Office

Last Monday, my bill that allows federal employees who live in D.C. to run for partisan political office in local elections as independents took effect.  Except for D.C. residents, federal employees in the region have had this right since the 1940s.  Thus, this must be considered a triple victory – for the federal employees who now have the opportunity to participate in our representative democracy, for the District, which will also benefit from the participation of federal employees in our local political life, and, of course, for equality for our city.

Gratifying Bipartisan Support for My Bill Restoring Federal Employee Due Process Rights

I am very pleased that last Thursday, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a companion bill to a bill I introduced in November to overturn an unprecedented federal court decision that strips many federal employees of due process rights to independent review of a unilateral agency decision removing them from a job on national security grounds.  Now, with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, our bill has a real chance of passage.

A Bill to Help the Long-Term Unemployed and Boost the Economy

Last Thursday, as it became clear that there was no unemployment extension in the House budget deal, I introduced a bill to give employers a $5,000 tax credit against their payroll tax liability for each new net person hired who has been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer.  If we are unable to get an extension of the unemployment program by the Senate in the final budget deal, this bill will signal that at least some of us will not hang the long-term unemployed out to dry.

Seeking a Congressional Hearing on the CSX Virginia Avenue Tunnel Project

On December 5, I requested a hearing on the CSX Virginia Avenue Tunnel Project in the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, of which I am the Ranking Member.  Though my constituents are particularly concerned about the proposed project, there are also federal issues involved.  The Federal Highway Administration is the lead agency for the project.   

Calling on the President to Step in for Fair Wages for Low-Wage Workers of Federal Contractors

On December 5, at a rally with workers at the McDonald’s at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, I called on President Obama to act on a major speech he had just delivered in Ward 8 by issuing an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay a livable wage.  The executive order I requested would make a fair wage a factor in the competition for federal contracts like the one McDonald’s won at the Air and Space Museum. 

My Message at the National Newtown Vigil: Persistence

Last Thursday, I spoke at the National Cathedral Vigil in remembrance of the Newtown, Connecticut shooting one year ago, and for all victims of gun violence throughout the country.  The examples of the lost Newtown children, their families and their teachers, as well as the leadership of Newtown residents, teach us that persistence is necessary if we are to pass gun safety laws and expand access to mental health treatment.  

Celebrating Development at the Yards

Last Friday, I spoke at an event sponsored by Forest City to celebrate its extraordinary progress as the master developer of the Yards on the Southeast Waterfront.  The hip, mixed-use Capitol Riverfront neighborhood that has resulted from my 2000 bill is well deserved and the Yards, which already has many amenities and residents, is generating lots of revenue for D.C.  

Calling on City Leaders to Reach a Home-Rule Decision on the Height Act

At a congressional hearing on December 2, when it was revealed that the Gray Administration and the D.C. Council differed on the Height Act – a federal law that regulates the height of buildings throughout the District – I called on Mayor Gray and the Council to reach an agreement on whether there should be changes in the law, and if so, how they should be accomplished.  On December 4, I sent a letter to the Mayor and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson further explaining the necessity for a consensus position. 

A New Member of my Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission

On December 4, I appointed Shirley Ann Higuchi, a former president of the District of Columbia Bar, to my Federal Law Enforcement Nominating Commission, which screens and recommends candidates from whom I choose and then send to the President as my recommendation for important federal law enforcement positions in the District.  Ms. Higuchi not only has superior legal qualifications and long-standing experience with judicial nominations and oversight, but also an exemplary track record of working to improve hometown D.C.

Upcoming Events:

Annual Tax and Financial Services Fair – Saturday, February 15

Residents will soon get their W-2 tax forms from the IRS.  Our Tax Fair, for D.C. residents only, will follow, with assistance from IRS-certified tax preparers.  The event will also feature financial services, including information on the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program, college savings plans, and credit unions.  Stay tuned to my website and upcoming e-newsletters for more information on the Tax Fair.

Government to Go – Tuesday, December 17- 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Columbia Heights Safeway (1747 Columbia Rd NW)

“Government to Go” brings my caseworkers to neighborhoods in every ward.  This is a convenience for residents who cannot come to one of our offices or who simply want assistance or advice on a range of federal benefits and issues, from Social Security and veterans’ benefits, to Norton’s D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program. 

Community organizations or commercial sites can invite Norton’s “Government to Go” caseworkers to their sites.  To do so, call Norton’s District Office at (202) 408-9041.