Politics

The massive flooding inflicted on New Orleans last year sent a clear message to Northern California: neglecting levee maintenance can have dire consequences.

Public agencies have begun to respond. Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers and federal agencies agreed to expedite environmental review procedures for levee repair at sites on or around the Sacramento River. The Corps has assured the public that the construction will be completed by November 2006, in time for the next rainy season. This is an important and positive step.

However, the plan failed to include much-needed repair plans for the levees just south of the Sacramento River that protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta region from flooding. Let's be clear: If the Bay-Delta levees fail, human lives will be threatened and the freshwater that supports the California economy will be ruined.

The federal and state governments should stop studying and start rebuilding these levees.The Delta communities deserve real results, not just endless talk. It's time for shovels to hit the dirt.

The Heroes Earned Retirement Opportunities (H.E.R.O.) Act will amend the IRS Code of 1986 to allow members of the Armed Forces earning hazard pay to make IRA contributions. If anyone has earned the opportunity to save for their retirement, it is our heroes who risk their lives daily to protect our freedoms. Our men and women in uniform should not be excluded from saving for their retirements because of a glitch in the tax code.

The reason we are here today is because FEMA is broken and needs to be restored as a smooth functioning agency. Putting FEMA, which was once a nimble 2,500 person agency, into a massive bureaucracy of 190,000 workers was a major mistake. The bipartisan legislation introduced by myself and other members of the House will remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restore it as an independent agency.

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Gasoline prices are at record heights and American families are wondering what sacrifice they will have to make when a gallon of gasoline costs $4.00. Instead of taking responsibility for passing an energy bill which the Energy Information Administration predicted would raise gasoline prices, Republicans are again perpetuating myths about refining capacity.

They contend that environmental regulations are preventing oil and gas companies from opening refineries. In fact, it is the oil companies who have limited refining capacity to keep prices up.

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The completion of the new pumping plant in 2008 will provide a secure, permanent, and reliable supply of water for Northern California residents, farms, and businesses. The passage of H.R. 4204 will enable the local water agency, the Placer County Water Agency, to own and operate this vital facility. I anxiously await the Senate's concurrence and President Bush's signature making the transfer law.

As a physician, I know if our seniors can't afford their medication, they can't take it - to the detriment of their health. I've traveled my district extensively talking to seniors about this benefit, and everywhere I go, I'm hearing success stories from seniors who are saving money. One lady in Cedartown, Georgia is saving $900 a month, and a couple from Cobb County, Georgia saved enough on their first prescription to pay for two months of premiums.

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Gambling on the Internet has become an extremely lucrative business. Numerous studies have charted the explosive growth of this industry, both by the increases in gambling websites available, and via industry revenues. Internet gambling is now estimated to be a $12 billion industry, with approximately $6 billion coming from bettors based in the U.S. It has been reported that there are as many as 2,300 gambling sites.

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I was disappointed last week when Chairman Hunter renewed his attempts to kick the public off of Santa Rosa Island (part of the Channel Islands National Park which is a part of my Congressional District) in order to continue indefinitely the trophy hunting of non-native deer and elk. This is a terrible idea that was thoroughly rejected twice last year. After the Chairman withdrew his proposal last year, I said I was willing to talk with him about how we might accomplish his rather unclear goals. Unfortunately, the Chairman did not contact me or my staff before putting the latest Santa Rosa language in the Department of Defense bill last week.

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The current 54 cents per gallon tariff on imported ethanol serves as nothing more than a barrier to lower-cost fuel for consumers and deserves to be eliminated. Right now, we subsidize ethanol production, we mandate ethanol use, and we construct barriers to importing ethanol. If the government is going to mandate the use of ethanol, then it should not add insult to injury by forcing drivers to pay a premium price for it. We should let the free market decide what the cost of this product should be, and if we can get it cheaper elsewhere, it will ultimately help our economy

It defies logic that our Republican leaders would penalize seniors with a 7% tax just because they are hesitant to register for a confusing and deceptive prescription drug scheme. Instead of forcing this benefit on Americans, we need to give them time to make an education decision. This will not only take pressure off of confused seniors, but give our elected leaders a chance to rethink meaningful prescription drug reform.