Dear Friends:

First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives during the Imperial Sugar Company plant explosion last week. This morning Senator Isakson and I visited with the family members of the victims and toured the damage to the facility in Port Wentworth. Additionally, Senator Isakson and I have called on the U.S. Department of Labor to begin a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of this accident so that these types of tragedies can be prevented in the future.  

The U.S. Senate is currently debating the Indian Health Bill (S. 1200). Congress will recess this coming week in observance of the President’s Day federal holiday. On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act. On Wednesday, President Bush signed into law the Economic Stimulus Bill (H.R. 5140). Please take a moment to review highlights from the last two weeks.    

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act (S.2248).  Unfortunately, the U.S. House did not consider the FISA bill this week. I believe this is extremely irresponsible and puts our nation at risk because the temporary fix to FISA, which Congress passed in August of last year, will expire tomorrow, February 16. Our nation will be without vital tools to detect and defend against attacks targeted at Americans until Congress passes this legislation.

As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have been a strong advocate for improving our intelligence capabilities in order to keep our nation safe.  The FISA law was first implemented in 1978 and allows our intelligence operators to detect and disrupt terrorist attacks not just here at home, but on our troops in the field and on our allies abroad as well.  However, as technology changed and advanced over the years, particularly in the area of telecommunications, the original FISA law became outdated and left our intelligence community with acollection gap, while at the same time, terrorists were adapting and staying ahead of the curve.  We must ensure that our intelligence community has the ability to conduct surveillance against terrorists, and Congress needs to make these changes to the FISA law permanent.

To read my entire statement on this issue click here.

Economic Stimulus Package

I am pleased the economic stimulus legislation signed into law this week includes an amendment I supported that prevents illegal immigrants from obtaining rebate checks by requiring a valid Social Security number to claim the rebate and the per-child bonus. The amendment also ensures that senior citizens, disabled veterans and widows of disabled veterans receive rebate checks. While the overall economic stimulus package is not perfect, I am pleased my Senate colleagues were able to reach a bipartisan agreement to move this legislation forward.  

For more information on this legislation, please click here.

Changes to Temporary Agriculture Worker Program

Agriculture is Georgia’s number one industry, and we need to ensure that our farmers have access to a legal pool of workers when there are not enough American workers to do the necessary jobs on our farms.  Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced plans to modernize the existing H-2A Temporary Agriculture Worker Program. 

I’ve been working on H-2A reform since I was first elected to Congress. Georgia’s farmers are among the heaviest users of this program, and their experience with it has made it clear to me that the current program is cumbersome and difficult to use for farmers and ranchers trying to do the right thing.  I look forward to working with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security, as well as members of Georgia’s agriculture community, on a final product.  Most importantly, regardless of whatever reforms are implemented, we must continue to have a strong emphasis on border security. 

Army Corps of Engineers to Update ACF Basin

On January 30, I was pleased to hear personally from the Secretary of the Army that the Corps of Engineers will begin updating the water control manuals for the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint River (ACF) Basin. Georgia continues to experience an unprecedented drought, and over the last year, Senator Isakson and I have repeatedly urged the Corps to update the water control manuals for the ACF as well as the Alabama/Coosa/Tallapoosa (ACT) River Basin.   

The Corps is required by federal statute and its own regulations to operate the reservoirs with up to date water control manuals. However, for the ACF, the only approved master manual was prepared in 1958 and does not even include the federal facilities at West Point Lake, Lake Walter F. George, or Lake George W. Andrews. We believe updating the water control manuals will allow the Corps to make smarter decisions in its management of these river systems and will go a long way toward alleviating some of our water problems for the long term.

To read the story in the LaGrange News [a non-Senate website], click here.

Law Enforcement Grant Funding

Throughout my service in the U.S. Senate, I have been proud to lead the bipartisan effort to restore funding to the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. I have heard firsthand from Georgians that this funding is critical to their efforts, because it helps pay for drug task forces, courts and treatment programs, police salaries, innovative technologies and gang prevention strategies.

If law enforcement doesn’t receive this funding, task forces in Georgia cannot continue to exist. If we’re serious about protecting our communities, keeping drugs off our streets, and preventing future crime, then we have to give our local law enforcement personnel the resources they need to carry out their duties. This is just common sense.

Members of the National Sheriffs’ Association traveled to Washington last week, including Sheriff John Cary Bittick of Monroe County, and I joined a bipartisan group of senators in calling attention to this issue. 

Chambliss urges Congress to restore law enforcement funds at news conference.

To read the press release about this effort, and to read about my action on this issue, click here.  

You can also watch Sheriff Bittick and me discussing this issue in my office by clicking here.

To read the story in the Valdosta Daily Times [a non-Senate website],click here.

Wounded Warrior Care

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, I asked the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel to elaborate on how Georgia’s Augusta area can be further enhanced as a center of excellence for wounded warrior care.  Many people in Augusta are working hard to establish their city as a center of excellence for wounded warrior care and to enhance collaboration between the Eisenhower Medical Center at Fort Gordon, the Medical College of Georgia, and the Charlie Norwood VA. We have a great opportunity to further the already outstanding reputation the Augusta area has established in caring for our military personnel.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will continue to work on behalf of our wounded warriors. I am pleased that several of my wounded warrior care proposals were signed into law as part of the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.

To read the story and watch a video on Augusta’s WRDW News 12 website [a non-Senate website], click here.
 

Isakson Introduces Measure to Stimulate the Housing Market

Last week, I co-sponsored legislation authored by my colleague, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., that would help our housing market by providing a $15,000 tax credit over a period of three years on single-family homes purchased between March 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009. Owning a home is part of the American dream, and when a family or an individual owns a home, they are not only investing in their own financial security but in their community as well. Senator Isakson is a veteran of the real estate industry, and I’m pleased that he has come forward with this legislation that will help stimulate the housing market and give folks a chance to invest in their future.

To read the details of this legislation, please click here.

Georgians Visit Washington

I always enjoy this time of year when numerous organizations from Georgia travel to Washington to highlight their community needs. Last week members of the Dooly County Chamber of Commerce visited my office, and I look forward to welcoming our many other local Chambers of Commerce to my office in the coming months. 

Additionally it is always a pleasure when school groups come to visit my office. Below is a photo of students from Tiftarea Academy on the steps of the Russell Senate Office Building, where my office is located.

Tiftarea Academy visits with Chambliss (top right) on the Russell Steps.

Hospital Visits

On January 28^th, I had the privilege of meeting with various health care professionals at Piedmont Hospital and the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. These facilities do an outstanding job of caring for their patients. I have heard from countless Georgians that access to health care is their number one concern, and there is no question our overall health care situation is critical. I believe we must protect the rights of patients to choose their own doctors and the hospitals they prefer, and I believe we’ve got to have in the ultimate health care solution some type of tax credit for individuals. Congress must not fail, and we must get it right to maintain the best health care system in the world.

How Can I Help You?

It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to a continued dialogue with you. If you are planning a visit to Washington and would like information on the various tours and attractions, or should you ever need assistance in contacting a federal agency, please do not hesitate to contact me toll free at 1-800-234-4208. 

Also, you can email me with your thoughts on legislative issues at Saxby_Chambliss@chambliss.senate.gov.