Chambliss, Isakson Cast Votes, Cosponsor Legislation to Block ACORN from Receiving Any Taxpayer Dollars

Also Call On Democratic Leader to Hold Hearings to ‘Determine Extent of ACORN’s Wrongdoing’

U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today cast votes and cosponsored legislation to block the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, from receiving any federal funding. The senators also signed a letter to the Senate Democratic Leader calling on him to hold hearings “to determine the extent of ACORN's wrongdoing.”

ACORN, which has received an estimated $53 million in federal money since 1994, was accused of fraudulent voter registration in several states during the 2008 presidential election. Now, the group is under fire for hidden-camera videos in which ACORN employees in several cities are seen advising two people posing as a prostitute and pimp on how to break the law.

“After repeated revelations of fraud, it's clear that we must move forward to ensure that ACORN is not receiving any federal funding,” said Chambliss. “Organizations that break our laws and undermine our democratic process should not be eligible for taxpayer dollars.”

“It is indefensible that ACORN is eligible for taxpayers funds when it has repeatedly worked to undermine our electoral process and to advance partisan political activities,” said Isakson. “The recent revelations only offer further proof that this organization should be prohibited from receiving federal funding.”

Chambliss and Isakson cosponsored a bill today to block ACORN from receiving any federal funds from any source. The legislation was introduced by Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., and has 16 cosponsors.

In addition, Chambliss and Isakson voted for an amendment on the floor to block ACORN from receiving federal funding through the Interior Appropriations bills. This amendment passed by a vote of 85-11.

Chambliss and Isakson also joined 26 other senators in calling on Democratic Leader Harry Reid to hold public hearings on ACORN and to end all federal funding for the group.
The letter to Reid says in part: “American taxpayers must be able to trust that their money is being spent responsibly and is not being used to fund criminal enterprises. As Senate Majority Leader, we hope that you will deploy all of the resources at your disposal to restore that trust.”
Earlier this week Chambliss and Isakson also cosponsored and voted for an amendment to block ACORN from receiving federal funding through the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. The amendment passed by a vote of 83-7.
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Isakson Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Financial Disclosure Rules

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., has introduced legislation to increase transparency and strengthen mortgage disclosure requirements for Members of Congress.

The bill by Isakson and Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., would require Members of Congress to make a “full and complete” disclosure of residential mortgages, which includes, the date that the mortgage was entered, the range of the amount, the interest rate, the term, and the name and address of the creditor.

Isakson and Boxer serve as Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, respectively.

Senator Isakson said, “Since my first year in Congress, I have always disclosed my home ownership and the mortgages against my home. It’s the right thing to do and I believe it should be required of all members of Congress.”

Senator Boxer said, “Transparency is the key to accountability in government. We must continually revisit ethics in government, and strengthening our disclosure rules takes an important step forward.”
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Isakson Criticizes Senate’s Refusal to Stimulate Housing Market by Expanding Tax Credit for Homebuyers

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today criticized the Senate’s rejection of his amendment to stimulate housing demand and boost the economy by expanding the first-time homebuyer tax credit to a $15,000 tax credit for any buyer of any home. The Senate rejected Isakson’s amendment, which he sought to attach to the “cash for clunkers” bill, by a vote of 47 to 50.

Isakson then voted against final passage of the “cash for clunkers” bill.

“I’m disappointed in this vote on the homebuyer tax credit, because every American is suffering in this economy. Every American deserves for Congress to look for positive incentives to bring the housing market back, restore their equity, improve their values and return us back to a vibrant economy,” Isakson said. “The ‘cash for clunkers’ program demonstrates what I’ve known all my life, which is positive incentives cause positive results. The problem we have, though, is it was not the automobile market that disappeared first in America. It was the collapse of housing market.”

Specifically, Isakson’s amendment would have increased the maximum amount of the credit from $8,000 to $15,000 and expanded the current tax credit so that it applies to any buyer of any home, not just first-time buyers. The amendment also would have eliminated the income caps of $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a couple under the current tax credit so that there is no income limit for eligibility. The amendment would have extended the tax credit for one year from date of enactment and would have still allowed homebuyers to claim the credit on their 2009 tax return for purchases made in 2010. Finally, the amendment would have required the expansion of the tax credit ultimately to be paid for by stimulus funds.

Isakson’s amendment was endorsed by the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors.

Isakson has pushed hard for a tax credit for homebuyers since January 2008 because he knows that it will work. In the mid-1970s, America faced a similar housing crisis when a period of easy credit and loose underwriting flooded the market with new construction. Interest rates rose, the economy slowed and America was left with a three-year supply of vacant homes. Congress responded by passing a $2,000 tax credit for anyone purchasing a new home for their principal residence. Isakson, who was in the real estate industry in Atlanta at the time, says the results were clear and swift as home values stabilized, housing inventory dropped and the market recovered.

Isakson spent more than three decades in the real estate business, beginning his business career in 1967 when he opened the first Cobb County, Ga., office of a small, family-owned real estate business, Northside Realty. Isakson later served as president of Northside for 20 years, presiding over the company’s growth into the largest independent residential real estate brokerage company in the Southeast and one of the largest in America.
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Isakson Criticizes Elimination of Expanded Tax Credit for Homebuyers

Votes Against $3.56 Trillion Budget Resolution

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today criticized House-Senate conference negotiators for the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Resolution for removing language authored by Isakson that would have provided for a $15,000 tax credit to individuals who purchase a home in the next year. Isakson voted against final passage of the $3.56 trillion Budget Resolution, which passed by a vote of 53 to 43.

It was the second time this year that a House-Senate conference committee has deleted Isakson’s expanded $15,000 homebuyer tax credit after it had won overwhelming approval by the Senate.

“I would like to thank the Senate for its wisdom in adopting the $15,000 credit, express my deep disappointment in the conference committee for dropping it and encourage our president and the leadership of our country to give a second thought to what this credit could do,” Isakson said. “The greatest stimulus in the world is not a gift of money. It is an incentive for American families to invest and restore confidence in the United States economy.”

On April 1, the Senate unanimously passed Isakson’s amendment to the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Resolution that would have created a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide for a $15,000 nonrefundable federal income tax credit for the purchase of a principal residence during a one-year period. It would also have ensured that there was room available in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for a homebuyer tax credit to be passed at a later date.

On Feb. 4, 2009, the Senate unanimously approved an amendment by Isakson to the economic stimulus bill would have provided a direct tax credit to any homebuyer who purchases any home. The amount of the tax credit would be $15,000 or 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less. During conference negotiations between the House and Senate on the final version of that bill, Isakson’s $15,000 tax credit for all purchasers of any home was removed. Instead, House and Senate negotiators made only small modifications to the first-time homebuyer tax credit that was enacted in 2008 as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

Isakson has pushed hard for a non-repayable tax credit for homebuyers because he knows that it will work. In the mid-1970s, America faced a similar housing crisis when a period of easy credit and loose underwriting flooded the market with new construction. Interest rates rose, the economy slowed and America was left with a three-year supply of vacant homes. Congress responded by passing a $2,000 tax credit for anyone purchasing a new home for their principal residence. Isakson, who was in the real estate industry in Atlanta at the time, says the results were clear and swift as home values stabilized, housing inventory dropped and the market recovered.

Isakson Co-Sponsors Legislation to Force SEC to Reinstate Uptick Rule

Says Bill Will Impose Discipline, Allow Stock Market to Restore Itself

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today announced that he is co-sponsoring legislation by Senator Ted Kaufman, D-Del., to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to reinstate the “uptick rule” in order to stabilize the financial markets and protect the American consumer from traders forcing down the price of a stock. Isakson has been calling for the SEC to reinstate the rule since last fall.

“Senator Kaufman has introduced a piece of legislation that is right for America, it is right for America's investors, and it is right for our stock market as it still languishes today somewhere down near what we hope is the bottom,” Isakson said during a speech on the Senate floor. “One way to ensure that bottom exists is to stop rewarding those who would feed off of it and instead reinstate good discipline that ensures good practices and allows the market to restore itself back to a good equilibrium.”

In his remarks, Isakson argued that the market deterioration was impacted by short sellers rushing to the market, shorting financial stocks and accelerating the decline of those values. Isakson believes the uptick rule should be reinstated to ensure that traders are not coming into the market to take advantage of these difficult economic times.

Last fall, Isakson contacted Chris Cox, then-chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, urging him to reinstate the uptick rule. Isakson has since spoken on the floor of the Senate calling for the SEC to reinstate the rule. On March 13, 2009, the SEC announced it will meet on April 8 to consider whether to propose short sale price test rules.

The legislation Isakson is co-sponsoring directs the SEC to write regulations within 60 days to end abusive short selling. These regulations must reinstate the substance of the uptick rule that prohibited short sales that are not made on an increase in the price of the stock as well as require exchanges and other trading venues to execute the trades of long sellers ahead of short sellers, all other things being equal.

With the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the bill also directs the SEC to prohibit short sales of the securities of any financial institution unless that trade is affected at a price (in minimum lots specified by the Commission) at least 5 cents higher than the immediately preceding transaction in such securities.

Additionally, the legislation directs the SEC to prohibit any person from selling securities short unless that person has at the time of the short sale a demonstrable legally enforceable right to deliver the securities at the required delivery date and require that all short sales settle on the same time frame employed for long sales of the same securities.
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Patients, Senate, House Members Identify Significant Medicare Savings While Increasing Quality of Patient Care

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patients on Medicare and Senators Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Representative Eliot L. Engel (D-NY-17) today urged Congress to fix a flaw in the Medicare program which forces patients to undergo treatments in institutional settings when it is often unnecessary. The immediate legislative actions that can be taken to achieve Medicare savings while providing high-quality, life-saving home infusion therapy to older and disabled Americans, was the focus of an educational forum hosted by the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA).

The Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009 was introduced earlier this year to close a gap that currently exists in coverage where the medicines used in infusions to treat serious diseases are covered, but not the medical services, supplies and equipment needed to deliver the home therapy.

"Many Arkansans on Medicare who need home infusion therapy are simply unable to afford it. As a result, they often have to enter a hospital or nursing home for the infusion treatment to be fully covered by Medicare. Not only is this an extreme hardship for the patient, it actually results in a higher cost to Medicare. This legislation would provide for full Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy, ultimately lowering costs and improving patient outcomes," said Senator Lincoln.

"Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy is a prime example of immediate action we can take to deliver high-quality patient care at a lesser cost," said Senator Isakson. "I witnessed firsthand the world of difference treatment at home makes to patients and their caregivers when my son needed to be treated with intravenous medicines a few years ago. I believe he was able to heal faster because he underwent treatment at home. Everyone should be afforded this opportunity."

"Medicare is the only major payor that does not reimburse for home infusion therapy. We cannot continue to support a healthcare system of 'have' and 'have nots'. All patients, including older and disabled Americans needing intravenous medications, should be allowed to undergo treatment in the comfort of their own homes," said Representative Engel.

Infusion therapy involves the administration of medication through a needle or catheter, and is prescribed for infections unresponsive to oral antibiotics and serious diseases including cancer, congestive heart failure, and rheumatoid arthritis, among others.

Patients at the forum shared personal stories of the health and financial challenges they have experienced due to the lack of Medicare coverage, and advocated for enactment of new legislation that will eliminate unnecessary hospital stays when physicians and patients agree that treatment at home is preferable.

"Our country can no longer afford unnecessary healthcare expenses when high-quality, low-cost options are available and preferred by physicians and patients alike," said Russell Bodoff, President, NHIA.

The "Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2009" introduced in the Senate (S.254) and in the House (H.R. 574) is sponsored by Senators Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Representatives Eliot L. Engel (D-NY-17), Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA-18), Tammy Baldwin, (D-WI), and Kay Granger (R-TX).

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Isakson: Congress Must Put Aside Partisanship, Work Together to Address High Energy Prices

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today (July 15, 2008) urged members of Congress to work together to develop a comprehensive plan to address high energy prices during a speech on the Senate floor. Isakson said solutions that embrace all ideas – from conservation to increased domestic exploration – are at our fingertips if only members of Congress would put aside their partisan differences.

“The Congress of the United States is sitting on a ham sandwich starving to death,” Isakson said. “America has within its reach every resource necessary to be self-sufficient when it comes to energy. All we have to do is have the political will and the common sense to make it happen.”

In his remarks, Isakson outlined a number of initiatives he believes will provide a balanced approach to America’s long-term energy needs, including oil and natural gas exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf, nuclear energy, conservation and renewable resources such as solar and wind energy.

“I call on my colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike, to put their elephants and donkeys in the barn and look at the needs of the American people,” Isakson said. “If we leave this year without a comprehensive policy for energy independence, we have done a disservice to the people of the United States and we will not have fulfilled our Constitutional responsibility.”

Isakson praised the administration for its announcement on Monday that it is lifting the ban on offshore exploration, saying that we cannot decrease our dependence on foreign oil if we fail to explore our potential domestic supply.

“That is absolutely something that we ought to do,” Isakson said of the offshore exploration. “We should be exploring every resource that we have.”

Isakson is a part of a bipartisan group of senators led by Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., that are committed to working together on legislation to address the nation’s energy crisis.

Isakson Praises Passage of Legislation to Stimulate Housing Market

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised the Senate’s passage of legislation to stimulate the nation’s declining housing market. The legislation passed by a vote of 63 to 5.

“One thing we must do is improve the plight of the American people economically, and there are two things overwhelming average Americans today. One is the price of gas at the pump. The second is the declining value of equity in their homes,” Isakson said. “This legislation incentivizes buyers to come back to the marketplace. It provides liquidity to refinance loans that are under water. It motivates, inspires and provides liquidity in the marketplace through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that does not exist right now.”

The comprehensive legislation is designed to stimulate the nation’s declining housing market as well as strengthen the regulation of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. It also modernizes the Federal Housing Administration and expands the FHA’s loan insurance programs aimed at helping borrowers avoid foreclosure.

The legislation will now return to the House of Representatives for consideration. Isakson urged the House to immediately pass the bill.

“We cannot afford to delay this legislation, which will help bring back a prosperous, healthy housing market and a disciplined, well capitalized and liquid mortgage market,” Isakson said. “Every day we wait is a protraction of the current economic difficulty in the housing market.”

Sens. Chambliss-Isakson Urge USDA to Stop Plans to Change Peanut Program Loans

U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Ranking Republican Member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Dr. Mark Keenum urging the Department to continue using the current peanut loan differential method for 2008 and 2009. The proposal made by USDA last month would result in a significantly lower marketing loan rate for the Runner variety, which makes up almost 100 percent of Georgia production. Georgia produces nearly 45 percent of all the peanuts produced in the United States, making it the number one peanut producing state.

Text of the letter is below:

July 10, 2008

Dr. Mark Keenum
Under Secretary
Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
Room 205 Whitten Building
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Dr. Keenum:

Now that the 2008 farm bill has finally been enacted into law the responsibility of implementing the legislation consistent with Congressional intent falls on the Department of Agriculture. This task can be as daunting as crafting the legislation and we are appreciative of the efforts you have taken to expedite the implementation process.

However, we are concerned about proposed changes to the peanut program. Shortly after the passage of the farm bill, a white paper was distributed at the direction of Deputy Under Secretary Floyd Gaibler highlighting proposed changes to the method of determining marketing loan differentials for peanuts. The proposal to move to a market-based loan differential for peanuts was met with little to no support within the peanut industry. We find it very disturbing that since Congress made minimal changes to the Peanut Title of the 2008 farm bill that USDA would make such a drastic proposal, which was never discussed during the many farm bill meetings attended by the Department.

Recently you held an industry wide meeting to discuss the peanut market-based loan differential proposal. You made it clear to the industry that the proposal would not be implemented for the 2008 crop of peanuts, but that a decision for the 2009 and subsequent crop years has not yet been made. We are appreciative of the fact there will be no changes for the 2008 crop and that you assured the industry there would be an open dialogue on the subject before a final decision is made for the 2009 and subsequent crop years.

After the industry wide meeting, we both received a letter from the American Peanut Council (APC). The APC is the trade association representing all segments of the U.S. peanut industry. The letter stated that APC members, at your request, reviewed the proposal again and still determined that if enacted the proposal, “…will harm the peanut industry and subject the federal government to the risk of increased financial losses.”

Dr. Keenum, we respectfully request that the peanut market-based loan differential proposal not be considered and that the Department continue to use the existing peanut loan differential method. The proposal is not supported by any segment of the industry and we are fearful that if the Department continues to pursue this proposal there will be a significant deterioration of USDA’s relationship with the peanut industry.

Please do not hesitate to contact us or our staff if you have any questions about our request.

Very truly yours,

Saxby Chambliss
Johnny Isakson

Isakson Praises Passage of Terrorist Surveillance Legislation

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised the Senate’s passage of legislation to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, also known as FISA, so that our nation can take advantage of the latest communication technologies in protecting our country.

“The intelligence gathered through foreign intelligence surveillance saves American lives,” Isakson said. “The absence of any catastrophic attacks in America since September 11, 2001, is the product of hard work by Americans in intelligence, law enforcement and the military.”

The bipartisan legislation makes needed changes to FISA so the government’s counter-terrorism intelligence-gathering can continue. It reiterates that FISA constitutes the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance and surveillance of domestic communications may be conducted.

Additionally, the legislation includes retroactive immunity for private telecommunications carriers who have assisted the United States in conducting intelligence surveillance post-9/11 if there was “substantial evidence” they received written assurances that the program was legal and authorized by the president.

“The assistance of private telecommunications carriers is essential to carrying out the intelligence-gathering contemplated in FISA,” Isakson said. “Those who assist the government in tracking terrorists should not be punished with lawsuits.”

The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 69 to 28. The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature.

Isakson Criticizes Climate Change Legislation for Failing to Address All Renewable Resources

Arguing that the legislation fails to address the development of all renewable energy resources, especially nuclear energy, as part of the solution, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today criticized legislation that would cap emissions of greenhouse gases during a speech on the Senate floor. Isakson also called for the expansion of nuclear energy, which he believes is a clean, efficient and economical alternative fuel.

“It is time to put our biases aside. If there is a known solution where we can reduce carbon, expand the energy availability and reduce costs, we ought to embrace it. Nothing should be off the table,” Isakson said. “We should act now and we should act boldly to see to it that while we work for the best interest of the environment, we work for the best interest of our citizens, who are paying more for gas and energy than ever before and there is no end in sight.”

Isakson believes it is in America’s environmental and geopolitical interest to reduce carbon emissions, and he believes it is important to address the carbon issue in the context of promoting all sources of renewable energy. He believes the United States cannot reduce carbon levels without reducing the burning of fossil fuels, and it cannot do that without expanding nuclear energy.

Isakson plans to introduce an amendment providing incentives for pursuing the development of nuclear energy in the United States. Specifically, it provides an investment tax credit for nuclear power facilities and creates incentives for domestic manufacturing of nuclear equipment. It also aligns accelerated depreciation for nuclear with other renewable fuels and clarifies the rules on loan guarantees for innovative technologies, including new nuclear capacity.

Additionally, the amendment requires the Department of Labor to implement training programs for nuclear workers and authorizes federal funds for use in implementing a program to provide workforce training to meet the high demand for workers skilled in the nuclear utility and nuclear energy products and services industries.

Isakson also plans to introduce an amendment promoting conservation easements that would provide tax credits for private landowners who agree to keep their land undeveloped.

“We need to be serious as members of the Senate and as members of the most deliberative body in the world to make sure that every option is on the table,” Isakson said. “For this senator, that means expanding conservation easements for better sequestering of carbon naturally and empowering the nuclear energy business to see to it that the one source of reliable, safe, carbonless energy that we know today in the United States of America is empowered for the 21st century.”

Isakson, Chambliss Praise Passage of Senate Resolution to Urge Federal Agencies to Conserve Fuel

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today(May 23, 2008) praised passage of a Sense-of-the-Senate resolution urging federal agencies to conserve fuel at a time when rising gas prices are significantly affecting the American economy and the family budget. Isakson and Chambliss were original co-sponsors of the resolution.

“There are no quick fixes in dealing with this issue, but there are things we can and must do,” Isakson said. “With skyrocketing gas prices, the federal government should be leading the way in conservation efforts and finding ways to cut consumption among all its federal agencies.”

“Given the current circumstances, all Americans are being required to make serious adjustments to their daily routines and their family budgets as energy costs continue to rise,” said Chambliss. “They are doing their part to conserve energy and the federal government must do the same.”

The resolution urges the President to require all federal departments and agencies to take initiatives to reduce daily consumption of gasoline and other fuels by the departments and agencies. The resolution states that an overall reduction of gasoline consumption by federal agencies by even a few percentage points would send a strong signal that, as a nation, the United States is joining to conserve energy.

Isakson, Chambliss Praise Passage of Iraq Spending Bill Without Timeline for Withdrawal of Troops

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today praised the Senate’s passage of legislation to provide funds for American troops without setting timelines for U.S. troop withdrawals in Iraq.

“It is absolutely wrong to tie the money to support our troops to arbitrary timetables that have nothing to do with success or failure on the ground,” Isakson said. “I’m pleased this bill supports our men and women in uniform, who are deployed in defense of freedom, and gives them everything they deserve and everything they need to accomplish their mission.”

“Our nation has an obligation to our servicemen and women who make tremendous sacrifices every day for freedom and democracy,” said Chambliss. “They deserve our fullest support and we must give them the resources they need to carry out their duties. Passing this bill with a surrender date would have simply emboldened the enemy and I’m pleased that the final version of the bill does not include restrictions that would have hampered our military’s ability to do their job.”

The legislation also included language to increase educational benefits to all members of the military who have served on active duty since September 11, 2001, including activated reservists and National Guard. To qualify, veterans must have served at least three to 36 months of qualified active duty, with at least 30 days being served after September 11, 2001.

“The Montgomery G.I. Bill can change lives. It has given countless members of our military access to the college education they otherwise would not have been able to afford,” said Isakson, a member of the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee. “Our nation’s military and their families have sacrificed tremendously so that our nation can live in freedom. It is important we modernize education benefits for our military to ensure that our servicemembers, veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserve receive the education benefits they deserve.”

“This legislation will greatly expand educational benefits available to servicemembers," said Chambliss. “Many servicemen and women would not be able to go to college without the G.I. bill and I’m pleased this legislation modernizes the bill to reflect today’s costs of education.”

Isakson Praises Senate Committee Approval of Legislation to Develop Recommendations for Comprehensive Water Strategy

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s approval of legislation to study and develop recommendations for a comprehensive water strategy.

“As Georgia experiences the worst drought in over 100 years, it has become clear to me that the United States would benefit greatly from a national strategy for drinking water,” said Isakson, who is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “The legislation will give states the tools they need to create water policies that reflect 21st century demand and usage.”

Isakson introduced the Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2008, S.2728, on March 6, 2008. The bill would establish the Twenty-First Century Water Commission, which seeks to develop strategies to increase water supplies and improve the availability, reliability and quality of freshwater resources.

The commission would study current water management programs of federal, interstate, state and local agencies and private-sector entities as well as consult with representatives of such agencies and entities to develop recommendations for a comprehensive national water strategy.

The strategy developed by the commission would be required to identify incentives intended to ensure an adequate and dependable water supply to meet U.S. needs for the next 50 years and suggest strategies that avoid increased mandates on state and local governments, considering all available technologies. The commission would also be required to suggest financing options.

U.S. Representative John Linder, R-Ga., has introduced similar legislation in the House. Linder’s legislation was approved by the House during the last two Congresses but this was the first time it has been considered by the Senate.

“I applaud my colleague, Senator Isakson, for taking up this measure in the Senate and helping to get it passed in today’s Committee markup,” Linder said. “We need to ensure a sufficient and dependable water supply for our nation for years to come. We need to begin to think in creative new ways in order to highlight our nation's future water supply needs. The Twenty First Century Water Commission will give the states the tools to do that.”

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Isakson, Chambliss Praise Senate’s Rejection of Amnesty Provision in Emergency War Supplemental Bill

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today praised the Senate’s refusal to include an amnesty provision in the emergency war supplemental bill. Language that would have granted legal status to over 1 million illegal agriculture workers and their families was stripped Tuesday night from the spending bill for troops.

Isakson and Chambliss earlier this week had urged the Democratic leader to remove the amnesty provision from the bill.

“There’s no greater domestic issue in this country than illegal immigration, and I am pleased the Senate rejected this attempt to grant amnesty on a bill designed to give our soldiers the resources they need in the War on Terror,” Isakson said. “The war supplemental was the wrong vehicle to deal with this issue and this was the absolutely wrong approach to handling illegal agricultural workers. Congress can make immigration reform a reality by first delivering common-sense solutions to secure our porous borders and stop the flow of illegal immigrants.”

“I’m pleased the Senate recognized that removing this bad provision was the right thing to do,” said Chambliss. “We need to ensure that funding for our troops is approved and delivered as quickly as possible without getting bogged down in an unrelated immigration debate.”

On May 15, the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to the emergency war supplemental spending bill that would give a five-year visa to 1.35 million workers plus their spouses and dependent children to live and work in the United States. For almost all legal purposes, the amendment requires that the illegal aliens who qualify for the proposed visa be treated as lawful permanent residents.

Adding the amendment to the appropriations bill violated Senate rules because it legislates on an appropriations bill. Last night, Democrats invoked Senate Rule 16 on the floor, which requires that provisions in amendments to appropriations bills be relevant to the underlying legislation. Among the provisions dropped was the proposal to grant visas allowing illegal aliens to hold agricultural jobs for up to five years.

On May 20, Isakson and Chambliss, along with eight other Republican senators, sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urging the removal of the language. The text of the letter to Senator Reid is below. The letter was also signed by Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., David Vitter, R-La., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., James Inhofe, R-Okla., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and Jim Bunning, R-Ky.

May 20, 2008

The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

We write to express disappointment that the Senate Appropriations Committee chose to include in the War Supplemental more than 100 pages of immigration language that would grant legal status to more than one million illegal alien agriculture workers and their families. We urge you to remove these controversial provisions from the bill so we can enact essential funding for our troops without delay. If these provisions remain in the bill, you can expect a vigorous debate on immigration policy.

Isakson, Chambliss Praise Plan to Add Federal Prosecutors Along Southwest Border

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today (April 25, 2008) praised an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that the agency will hire 64 additional federal prosecutors and 35 additional support staff for the southwestern border.

“This addition of manpower is absolutely essential in order to handle the growing number of immigration and drug trafficking cases along the border,” Isakson said. “There’s no greater domestic issue in this country than the problems on our southern border with Mexico, and it is time that we make a commitment to make border security a reality.”

“I’m pleased to see this additional support for those who are on the front lines of combating crimes committed by illegal immigrants,” said Chambliss. “Taking immediate action to secure the borders of this country is essential, because that is where the problem of illegal immigration begins and where it must be stopped.”

In 2006, Isakson introduced legislation to provide increased manpower, equipment and technology to secure the U.S. border. The legislation called for increases in the number of U.S. Department of Homeland Security personnel, including attorneys to handle cases involving illegal aliens or immigration issues, as well as attorneys participating in the Federal Defenders Program, attorneys in U.S. Attorneys' Offices and attorneys in the Office of Immigration Litigation.

Isakson and Chambliss are members of the Senate Border Security and Enforcement First Caucus. The Caucus is a platform to let Americans know that some members of the U.S. Senate are continuing to push for enforcement of immigration laws that are already on the books, to act as the voice of those concerned citizens who have expressed their opinions time and time again for better interior enforcement and border security, to push for stronger border security and interior enforcement legislation and to work together in the U.S. Senate to defeat possible future legislation that offers amnesty.

Isakson, Chambliss Co-Sponsor Legislation to End Reckless Spending, Reform Federal Budget Process

U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., today joined Senator Pete Domenici, R-N.M., in introducing bipartisan legislation to end reckless spending and reform the federal budget process by converting it to a two-year cycle, with one year for appropriating federal dollars and the other year devoted to oversight of federal programs.

“One of the problems we have in Congress with deficit spending is spending money on projects that shouldn’t be funded with tax dollars and programs that have outlasted their usefulness. So this is first and foremost about changing our budget process and setting priorities for spending,” Isakson said. “Also, under this legislation, if you appropriated during odd-numbered years and did oversight during even-numbered years, wouldn’t it be refreshing to have candidates seeking federal office in even-numbered years talking about the oversight of federal programs instead of how they want to spend more of the taxpayers’ dollars. Congress must become better stewards of the taxpayers’ money, and this legislation is a good step in that direction.”

“The people of Georgia expect their tax dollars to be used wisely, and they expect Congress to be more efficient and more productive,” said Chambliss. “I believe that improving our budget process is an important step in reigning in wasteful spending and ensuring fiscal responsibility, and I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting these much-needed reforms.”

Specifically, the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act, S.2627, would require the president to submit a two-year budget at the beginning of the first session of a Congress. Members of Congress would then need to adopt a two-year budget resolution, a reconciliation bill if necessary and two-year appropriations bills during that first session. The legislation ensures the enactment of two-year appropriations bills by providing a new majority point of order against consideration of an appropriations bill that fails to cover two years.

The second session of a Congress would then be devoted to the consideration of authorization bills and oversight of federal programs. Isakson and Chambliss believe the enhanced oversight will result in more accountability of government programs.
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