| WASHINGTON - In the 110th Congress, Democrats have built an impressive list of accomplishments for the American people.
2008
So far this year, Democrats have:
- Passed a fiscally responsible budget authored by Rep. John Spratt that reinvests in the American people’s priorities, strengthens our economy, and makes America safer.
- Established an historic new Office of Congressional Ethics that will help instill confidence in the ethics process with an independent review of alleged violations by a panel not comprised of current Members of Congress.
- Swiftly enacted a stimulus package to jumpstart the economy, that will help hardworking Americans when ‘recovery rebates’ start going out in May, and will help create 500,000 American jobs.
- Approved energy legislation that will reinvest taxpayer subsidies to oil companies earning record profits into clean renewable energy—creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, making America less dependent on foreign oil, and reducing global warming.
- Passed historic legislation to end discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental health issues.
2007
Some of the agenda items signed into law in 2007 include:
- Recommendations of the 9-11 Commission.
- The College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which cuts interest rates on need-based student loans from 6.8% to 3.4% over a five-year period. It is the largest expansion of college aid since the GI Bill and will save the average college student $4,400.
- The first minimum wage increase in a decade, which gives a pay raise to 13 million American workers.
- An “Innovation Agenda” to keep American workers competitive in the 21st century global economy.
- The Energy Independence and Security Act, to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reduce global warming, and lower energy costs.
- The most sweeping lobbying and ethics reform since Watergate.
- Reconstruction assistance to help rebuild the Gulf Coast.
- A bill improving and expanding Head Start.
- The largest increase in veterans’ funding in the 77-year history of the VA, targeted on ensuring that our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan receive the quality health care that they deserve.
Congress also took three major steps in 2007 to restore fiscal responsibility:
- Congress passed a Democratic budget resolution, crafted in part by John Spratt, that returns the budget to balance by 2012.
- The House passed a pay-as-you-go rule requiring new entitlement spending and new tax cuts to be fully offset, so as not to worsen the deficit.
- The House passed a rule prohibiting fast-track reconciliation procedures from being used for bills that make the deficit worse.
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