[StBernard] Washington Report from Congressman Richard H. Baker

[Westley Annis]

March 10, 2006

Thank you for signing up for Congressman Baker's newsletter. Below are issue
updates that you may find interesting. As always, please visit his website
at <http://www.baker.house.gov/>  for the most up-to-date news and
information on what Congressman Baker is working on in the Sixth
Congressional District of Louisiana.

Congressman Baker Challenges FEMA on High Administrative Costs in Recovery

In a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Thursday, March 9, Rep.
Baker challenged Mr. Don Powell, the Bush Administration's top hurricane
recovery official, to explain FEMA's unusually high administrative costs for
hurricane recovery.

FEMA has spent more than $6.9 billion out of $27.7 billion in recovery
efforts for hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma on administrative costs. This
means that FEMA has kept $1 out of every $4 to fund its own operations.

Appalled by these exceptionally high administrative costs, other members of
the committee, including Rep. Gresham Barrett of South Carolina, called on
Mr. Powell to have FEMA spend recovery money on the recovery, not on itself.
For more information on FEMA's unusually high administrative costs, click
here <http://baker.house.gov/files/FEMAAdminCosts.pdf> .

"Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005"

In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the residents of Louisiana
have worked together to help each other and rebuild our state. Congressman
Baker is proud of Louisiana and the people's perseverance. As you prepare
your 2005 federal taxes, Congressman Baker wanted to share some important
news with you. On September 23, 2005, President Bush signed H.Res. 454, the
"Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005." As a result, many Louisianans
are eligible for tax relief measures intended to aid affected individuals
and businesses. There are several changes to 2005 tax law that may affect
your family's or business's tax status, these changes to 2005 tax law
include:

                Removal of deduction limitations for uncompensated losses;

                Early distributions from qualified retirement plans;

                Suspension of charitable limits for certain contributions;
and,

                Exemption for housing displaced individuals.

Please click here <http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=108362,00.html>
for additional  information on how these provision can help you.

Dubai Corporation Will Relinquish American Port Operations

Click here <http://baker.house.gov/html/news_item.cfm?id=554>  to read
Congressman Baker's statement in response to the news that DP World, a
United Arab Emirates-owned company, has agreed to turn over all of its
operations at U.S. ports to an American entity.

Congressman Baker Supports True Immigration Enforcement

As Congress continues its discussion on methods to strengthen our borders,
efforts are underway in the Senate to consider H.R. 4437, the "Border
Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act," which was
approved in the House of Representatives on December 15, 2005. It has been
reported that the Senate will attempt to create an unlimited guest worker
amnesty program which invites the entire illegal alien population of
approximately13 million to remain in the country. Moreover, under the
Senate's plan neither the illegal aliens nor new guest workers will be
required to return to their countries of origin once the "guest" work period
ends, because the legislation gives the Secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security the authority to waive any required departure.

Please know that Congressman Baker will not support legislation that
contains any sort of guest worker initiative, also known as amnesty. Amnesty
is not the solution to America's illegal immigration problem, as it only
encourages more illegal immigration and is an insult to those who follow the
process to immigrate to America legally. Illegal immigrants deserve
deportation, not rewards of employment and benefits at the expense of
law-abiding Americans.

Securing the safety and well-being of America's citizens is the highest
priority in the House of Representatives, and Congressman Baker will remain
consistent in his advocacy of immigration legislation that shares this
priority. Accordingly, Congressman Baker encourages you to contact Senators
Landrieu and Vitter to express your views on the immigration legislation
currently underway in the U.S. Senate.

Veteran Affairs Hearing Discusses the Future of the New Orleans VA Medical
Center

Seeking to broaden access and enhance the efficiency with which health care
is provided to America's veterans, this week the House Veterans Affairs
Committee held a hearing on collaboration opportunities among the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) and state affiliated medical institutions. Among
others, testimony was provided by VA under Secretary of Health, Doctor
Jonathan Perlin as well as Executive Vice President of LSU Health Sciences
Center, Mr. Don Smithburg.

Recently, the VA and LSU signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further
study the idea of a new "shared"medical center, which VA and LSU would
operate together. As you may know, the VA Medical Center in New Orleans
remains closed due to damage from hurricane Katrina. In general, Congressman
Baker and the House Veterans Affairs Committee believe that opportunities
exists to form partnerships with other entities to provide veterans the
highest quality of care in the most up-to-date facilities, while retaining
the official VA identity that is important to veterans who are patients.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Congress must determine what type of
facility is needed to replace the New Orleans VA Medical Center. Congressman
Baker is committed to maintaining a Medical Center in south Louisiana and
will continue to work with Committee on rebuilding efforts.

The "Children's Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act" Passes the House of
Representatives

Congressman Baker voted in favor of H.R. 4472 this week, legislation aimed
at securing America's communities against violent crime. This legislation
includes three main components to help protect the safety of our children;
secure the safety of judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and
their family members; and combat and prevent gang violence to help secure
our nation's communities.

H.R. 4472 Strengthens Child Safety Protections

Today more than 500,000 convicted sex offenders live in the United States of
which approximately 150,000 are missing. Once released, sex offenders are
four times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime. H.R. 4472 includes
a number of provisions designed to protect children, including:

		Ensuring sex offenders register and keep current where they
reside, work and attend school;

		Improving verification systems for sex offender information;

		Ensuring states notify each other when sex offender moves to
another state;

		Protecting foster children from sexual abuse and
exploitation; and

		Giving states and local school districts more tools to
protect children from harm in schools. 

H.R. 4472 Protects Public Safety Officers

Attacks on courthouses and public safety officers have become all too common
in recent years, and this bill is designed to help prevent future attacks
and protect our judges, law enforcement personnel, first responders, court
personnel, and their families. Among a host of other provisions, the bill:

		Stiffens criminal penalties where the victim is a United
States judge, federal law enforcement officer, or a federally funded public
safety officer;

		Increases penalties for crimes against victims, witnesses,
jurors, and informants; and

		Helps protect immediate family members by enhancing criminal
penalties.

H.R. 4472 Combats Gang Violence

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 25,000 gangs and over
750,000 gang members are active across the United States. The bill
strengthens efforts to assist local law enforcement in targeting and
prosecuting violent criminals who are associated with street gangs. Among
other provisions, the measure:

		Authorizes the prosecution of criminal gang enterprises in a
similar fashion to the existing RICO statute used to prosecute federal
racketeering;

		Authorizes funds for joint federal, state, and local gang
investigation and prosecution; and

                    Creates mandatory minimum sentences for gang crimes and
violent crimes.