Dear Friends,
 Last week, I stood up for Medicare and jobs by supporting the Congressional Black Caucus and Progressive Caucus budgets. We do have a fiscal crisis but dismantling Medicare is not a solution. We must first look at ending tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, and even consider cutting defense spending. To see where I stand on the budget, click HERE.
Photo above: Hank speaks at a Capitol Hill news conference with colleagues from the Progressive Caucus on April 13, 2011, where the Caucus unveiled "The People's Budget" challenging Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal that cuts Medicare, while leaving the Bush tax cuts for the rich intact.
VETERANS, MILITARY AND THEIR FAMILIES EXPO: To ensure our veterans receive their full benefits, I’m holding a Veterans and Armed Forces Expo on Friday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DeKalb Technical College Conference Center in Clarkston. Veterans, military personnel and their families will receive free information about available services and on-site assistance with benefits, including employment opportunities, housing, health care, education and filing VA claims. Participating veterans can register,receive more information and see a map at our Veterans Home page; Registration is encouraged. Read about it in this week's "On Common Ground News."
PREVENTING FORECLOSURES: Whether you’re in foreclosure now, worried about it in the future or know someone who is facing foreclosure, there’s help. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is holding a foreclosure prevention workshop on Monday, April 25 at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center at 61 Forsyth Street. Registration is required – go to www.hud.gov/georgia to sign up.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs is partnering with Georgia Housing Finance Authority (GHFA) Affordable Housing Inc. to deliver a statewide mortgage payment assistance program to prevent foreclosures as well. HomeSafe Georgia will help by providing “bridge” mortgage assistance to many Georgians who are unemployed or have seen a dramatic decrease in their income due to the economy. Funding for HomeSafe Georgia comes from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund. For more info, click HERE.
PCA MAKING A DIFFERENCE: On May 14, Partnership for Community Action Inc. (PCA)  is supplying food for families in need in Decatur, Conyers and Norcross. For more information in Decatur, call 404-929-2440; in Conyers, call 404-922-3431; and in Norcross, call 678-291-0860.
PCA is also holding a “Community Yard Sale with No Price Tags” on May 14 at 3597 Covington Highway in Decatur. Eligible participants must have a referral form. For more information, call 404-929-2440 or e-mail cheryl.moon@pcaction.org.
Energy bill assistance
Remember, the PCA helps low-income residents pay energy bills, too. In DeKalb, call 404-537-4300; in Rockdale, call 770-922-3431; and in Gwinnett, call 678-291-0860. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also helps low-income homeowners and renters with their Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). For more information or to apply, click HERE.
Jobs
In an effort to help unemployed residents get back to work, the PCA offers 1-week training sessions for job seekers, including résumé development, interview techniques, and effective job searching. Each training session is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. After completing the class, participants receive a $50 gas or MARTA card and a $50 Ross card to assist with job search and clothes for interviews. For more, click HERE.
 ARTS COMPETITION, AN ARTISITC DISCOVERY: We received more than 35 entries for our 2011 Congressional Arts Competition this year. Come out to the Lou Walker Senior Center on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to see student art from throughout the Fourth District and help celebrate the winners. Last year, Ms. Sally Beck of Tucker High School won for her “Post Earthquake: A Day in Haiti” drawing, which is still hanging in the Capitol. Ms. Beck earned a $1,500 a year scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.
SUMMER INTERNSHIPS: This summer, the Washington Center’s Competitive Government Programs is providing 10-week internship opportunities for college and graduate students at: U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Department of the Treasury; U.S. Coast Guard; Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies. To learn about qualifications and apply, click HERE. Financial assistance and housing are included.
BOLLINGER FOUNDATION GRANTS: The Bollinger Foundation is now accepting nominations for its 2011 grant awards. The scholarship grants are presented to families who have lost a parent or guardian, with the deceased or surviving parent having worked or continuing to work in the field of public housing, community development, or economic development. Please visit their Web site to make a nomination of an eligible family before the May 18th, 2011, deadline.
 PREPARE FOR DANGEROUS WEATHER: With news of the devastating storms that swept across the South last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urges the public to take the important steps necessary to protect themselves before severe weather strikes. Being informed, having emergency plans, and practicing how and where to take shelter when severe weather or a tornado approaches, can save lives during an emergency. For more information, click HERE.
50,000 PAIRS OF SHOES: Sometimes we forget or don’t appreciate how good we have it in America. After reading “50,000 Pairs of Shoes Needed” in CrossRoadsNews this week, it made me even more proud of our community and our children. Stone Mountain’s Martin Kumi is on a mission to provide shoes to as many Ghanaian children as possible. To donate or for more information on this worthwhile causes, call Martin at 678-518-0777 or click HERE.
As always, I appreciate your time and comments. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent you in Congress. Please share this e-letter with friends and family who live in the Fourth District and encourage them to sign up to receive these free online newsletters. Also, follow me on Twitter and Facebook. And please let friends, neighbors and family know about the Arts Competition, the Health Fair and the Veterans Expo events later this month.
Thanks,
 | April 21, 2011 
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About This E-Newsletter
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My Staff Arthur D. Sidney, Chief of Staff
Kathy Register, District Director
District
Shy Armstrong
Peter Butts
Katie Dailey
Betty Dixon
Eric C. Hubbard
Ray Khalfani
Andy Phelan
Carole Mumford
Dori Scales
Paulette Suggs Washington, D.C.
Scott Goldstein
Jocelyn Griffin
Jonathan Ossoff
Mark Perkins
Ebony Simpson
Oliver Spurgeon, III
Elisabeth Stein
Sascha Thompson
Marybeth Williams |
Last week, I stood up for Medicare and jobs by supporting the Congressional Black Caucus and Progressive Caucus budgets. We do have a fiscal crisis but dismantling Medicare is not a solution. We must first look at ending tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, and even consider cutting defense spending. To see where I stand on the budget, click 
is supplying food for families in need in Decatur, Conyers and Norcross. For more information in Decatur, call 404-929-2440; in Conyers, call 404-922-3431; and in Norcross, call 678-291-0860. 
ARTS COMPETITION, AN ARTISITC DISCOVERY: We received more than 35 entries for our 2011 Congressional Arts Competition this year. Come out to the Lou Walker Senior Center on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to see student art from throughout the Fourth District and help celebrate the winners. Last year, Ms. Sally Beck of Tucker High School won for her “Post Earthquake: A Day in Haiti” drawing, which is still hanging in the Capitol. Ms. Beck earned a $1,500 a year scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.
