Rep. Hank Johnson's E-Newsletter for December 21, 2012

Dear friends,

In the spirit of peace and goodwill toward all men and women, I want to wish you and your family, friends and loved ones a Happy Holiday season and a joyous Happy New Year!

I remain hopeful that Democrats and Republicans can come together before the end of the year to prevent the U.S. economy from going over the fiscal cliff by extending tax cuts for the middle class and making smart cuts to spending that will not send our economy back into recession.

Unless Congress acts, taxes will go up on the middle class by $2,200 a year starting in January. As time is wasted, tax cuts for 98% of Americans are held hostage to give more tax breaks to the wealthy. It doesn’t make sense to hold the whole nation hostage to protect the top 2% of Americans.

I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to extend the middle class tax cuts, sending the American people a hopeful message of compromise this holiday season.

INSPIRING STORY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: I want to commend my Special Assistant and immigration specialist Ms. Sascha Thompson, who helped a little girl from Kenya come to America to receive open heart surgery at the Children’s Medical Center in Decatur last month. Little Rahma Hillow, 9, who doctors said “came here with little energy, very lethargic” received life-saving surgery. She and her mother returned to Kenya on Dec. 6. It’s stories like these and many others that make me so proud to be able to help as a Congressman and gives me great pride as an American. Good luck Rahma, your whole life is ahead of you!

GUN VIOLENCE: In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., tragedy, the difficult problem of reducing gun violence should bring Americans together, not tear us apart. I agree with President Obama that we must take serious, concrete steps to address gun violence. I support the effort by my House colleagues to create a task force to study legislation in the wake of the shootings, including examining changes to gun laws, how we treat mental illness and deal with youth violence. One thing we can do right now is close the gun-show loophole that allows people to sell weapons with no background checks. We can’t legislate our way out of this predicament, but I think we all agree that taking no action is to be complicit to future tragic shootings. To read my comments in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click HERE.

HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS: I want to thank all the volunteers, D&E housing counselors, Mike Beatty of the Department of Community Affairs, Pastor Jasper Williams and my staff for holding a successful foreclosure prevention event Dec. 8 at Salem Bible Church. We helped more than 300 homeowners. For more, read about the event in CrossRoadsNews, On Common Ground News and The Champion.

For anyone who missed our event, there’s another Help for Homeowners event on Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, from 1 to 8 p.m. at the Cobb Galleria sponsored by the U.S. Treasury. For more information, call 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) or visit MakingHomeAffordable.gov.

SOLDIER SUICIDES: As of June, suicides among members of our military were up 18% over the same period last year – that’s a frightening figure but more importantly it’s a wakeup call. That’s why I’m proud that language I offered to help prevent tragic cases of suicide among members of the military will be included in the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill (NDAA). My provision allows commanding officers and mental health professionals to talk to at-risk service members about the firearms they own personally and encourage them to safely store those weapons in a military facility or secure them with the use of a gunlock. Retired U.S. generals and Sen. John Kerry support the provisions. For more, click HERE.

VETERANS: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced this week it is cutting red tape for veterans by eliminating the need to complete an annual Eligibility Verification Report (EVR). The VA will implement a new process for confirming eligibility for benefits, and staff that had been responsible for processing the old form will instead focus on eliminating the compensation claims backlog. For more, click HERE.

ONLINE CENSUS SURVEYS: For the first time, the Census Bureau is giving households a chance to respond to government surveys over the Internet, part of an effort to save money and improve response rates. The online option will supplement the census mail-out operation. Beginning this week, more than 3.5 million households that are randomly selected each year to participate in the American Community Survey online.

GWINNETT ENTREPRENEURS: Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development, in partnership with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Jackson Electric Membership Corp., announced the launch of the third annual Amazing Entrepreneur Contest. For more, visit www.amazingentrepreneurcontest.com.

NATIONAL PARK GRANTS: The National Park Foundation has announced its latest grant opportunities. Now entering its fifth year, “America’s Best Idea” has become an NPF signature program that provides a springboard from which national parks can initiate projects that reach out to new partners, strengthen existing relationships, and/or engage new audiences. For more about the grant programs and to download the applications, visit: https://www.nationalparks.org/our-work/grant-applications. For a complete list of available federal grants, go to the Grant Funding Opportunity page on my website.

As always, I appreciate your time and feedback. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to represent you in Congress. Please have a safe and enjoyable holiday season.