Rep. Hank Johnson's E-Newsletter for Oct. 31, 2013

Dear Friends,

October has been a busy month here in the Fourth District and in Washington. My district office held three important community events in the past month – two to help prevent foreclosures and one to provide information about the new health care law – all during the government shutdown that finally ended Oct. 17. I want to thank both my Washington, D.C. and District staffs for continuing to serve the people of the Fourth District with distinction despite the difficult shutdown.Members of my district staff continue to go out into the community to help people understand what the health care law means for them and to raise awareness about the constituents services we provide. If you, your church or your neighborhood association would like us to come out to your meeting, please call my District Director Kathy Register at 770-987-2291.

For more on our Affordable Care Act event, click HERE. For more photos from this event, click HERE.

LITHONIA CHAMBER CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY: I am honored to be the keynote speaker at the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce’s 20th anniversary celebration on Nov. 6. After 20 years of committed service to businesses, large and small, this milestone is one that should make the Chamber and the city of Lithonia justifiably proud.The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce can take great pride in the outstanding services and advocacy it has provided for the small business community and its members through the years. Strong, healthy communities need thriving businesses, and I commend the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce for fostering success and opportunity.

SOCIAL SECURITY INCREASE: Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 63 million Americans will increase 1.5 percent in 2014, the Social Security Administration announced this week. The 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that more than 57 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2014. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 31, 2013. For more, click HERE.

SATURDAY FALL FESTIVALS: It was great to be home last weekend. My wife Mereda and I visited the Conyers Olde Town Fall Festival, Covington’s The Enclave at Gross Lake Festival and at the 4th Annual Harvest Festival in DeKalb. To see photos of our great day, visit my Facebook page HERE.

TAX SEASON PUSHED BACK: Early tax filers will have to wait an extra week or two to get tax refunds in 2014. The Internal Revenue Service said this month that it will delay the start of next year’s filing season by up to two weeks to give programmers time to finish updating the agency’s computers. The 16-day government shutdown this month prevented the IRS from working to update more than 50 systems used to process returns. The IRS is working to shorten the delay and will announce the exact start date in December. The April 15 deadline for filing individual tax returns, which is set by law, remains unchanged.

For more, click HERE.

CONSUMER PRIVACY ON MOBILE DEVICES: This week, I sent a letter to President Obama encouraging the president to consider my bipartisan APPS Act (H.R. 1913) as the basis for comprehensive privacy legislation. Politico reports that the White House is coordinating with the Department of Commerce to draft legislation that will “boost online privacy safeguards for consumers” by building upon the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, the blueprint for privacy protection that the White House released last year. The Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights a watershed moment in consumer privacy, and I plan on working with the White House to strike the right balance between innovation and responsibility when it comes to consumers' privacy on mobile devices. The APPS Act answers this call. For more, click HERE.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: The Asian American Legal Advocacy (AALAC) is holding a public safety event: Know Your Rights When Stopped by Police on Tuesday, November 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center, 10 College Street, Norcross, Georgia 30072. Law enforcement officers are there to protect and serve our communities. Often times community members fear law enforcement officers because community members do not know their rights. The event is also being sponsored by Latin American Association, the Vietnamese American Community of Georgia and the Norcross Police Department. Dinner will be provided to guests who RSVP to Alice Kim at alice@aalegal.org or 404.585.8446 by Nov. 4.

NEA GRANTS: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has recently posted guidelines and application materials for Our Town, the agency’s program that supports communities that are using the arts to revitalize neighborhoods and reignite local economies. Pending availability of funding, grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000. The application deadline is January 13, 2014. For more. Click HERE.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the United States, resulting in almost 40,000 deaths in this country annually. Typically, the cancer produces no symptoms during its initial stages when it is most easily and least invasively treatable. Therefore, one of the key aspects to fighting and surviving breast cancer is early detection. Many of us have a wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, or another loved one who has been diagnosed, suffered, and fought breast cancer. Unfortunately, too many of us have lost a loved one because of the disease. I join with my staff to raise awareness and support legislation that would make regular mammography screenings a reality for millions of underserved women.

SNAP CUTS: As mandated by federal law, the 2009 Recovery Act’s temporary boost to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is scheduled to end Nov. 1. This will result in a benefit cut for every household that receives food stamps. Benefit cuts will range depending upon household size and income. For example, the cut could be approximately $29 per month or depending on household size and income (around an average of 5% of the total allotment). Customers will experience this reduction starting with their food stamp benefits issued next month. For more, click HERE.

DISASTER RELIEF: Every year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA must provide annual notification of the maximum amount of assistance provided to individuals and businesses that are affected by a natural disaster. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act prescribes that FEMA must adjust these limits annually. FEMA’s adjustment is based on an increase in the Consumer Price Index of 1.5 percent for the 12-month period, which ended in August 2013. For more, click HERE.

HONORING A TRUE HERO: This week from the House floor, I honored Lithonia teen Mary-Pat Hector as one of 10 winners nationwide of the inaugural Peace First Prize for her campaign to combat gun violence. Miss Hector launched the “Think Twice” campaign in April 2013 after the senseless shooting deaths of a 14-year-old Grayson High School student in Loganville and a 15-year-old student in Chicago. She’s an everyday hero, a young constituent who has set an example we would all do well to follow. To watch to floor speech, click HERE.

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 Halloween 2013!