Washington, DC -- Last week, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter voted for a measure to strengthen protections for women in the military.  The measure addressing the crisis of sexual assaults in the military was a proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  While the NDAA included some provisions addressing the crisis of sexual assaults in the military, a majority of House Republicans voted against this bipartisan, stronger provision supported by Perlmutter, and the amendment failed. 

Perlmutter said, "Once again, House Republicans chose partisan political gamesmanship rather than standing up for our brave military service members.  This measure should have had more bipartisan support, to ensure victims of sexual violence receive the justice, dignity and care they earned and deserve. I am hopeful my Senate colleagues can include these important protections when they consider the overall Defense bill later this summer."

Some of the provisions included in the NDAA strengthening protections for victims of sexual assault in the military include, among other things:

• Strips commanding officers of the unilateral authority to dismiss a finding by a court martial.
• Prohibits commanding officers from reducing guilty findings by a court martial to guilty of a lesser offense.
• Requires that service members found guilty of sexual offenses, including rape or sexual assault, be dismissed or dishonorably discharged.
• Allows victims of sexual assault to apply for a permanent change of station or unit transfer so they no longer have to serve next to their offended
• Reaffirms commanding officers’ ability to remove or temporarily reassign service members who are the alleged perpetrators of sexual assault.

"...House Republicans continue playing partisan political games rather than advancing the best interest of the country and Colorado...It's an attack on our core values and pledge of "liberty and justice for all," and that's wrong." 

Washington, DC -- Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) withdrew his support from a strong, bipartisan public safety and homeland security funding bill because House Republicans attached several unrelated "poison pill" measures putting thousands of law abiding "DREAMers" at risk of deportation and criminal prosecution.

Perlmutter said, "It's unacceptable House Republicans continue playing partisan political games rather than advancing the best interest of the country and Colorado.  They included unnecessary, ideological and discriminatory policy provisions in a bill where they don't belong.  It's an attack on our core values and pledge of "liberty and justice for all," and that's wrong. 

I support efforts to protect our borders, strengthen our nation's preparedness and ability to respond to natural disasters like the wildfires in Colorado or tornadoes in Oklahoma, and protect our nation's cybersecurity infrastructure. 

But I had to oppose the public safety and homeland security appropriations bill today because last minute amendments dealing with immigration, abortion and other extraneous provisions were tacked on outside of the committee process.

I hope the Senate and subsequent conference committee will remove these extraneous "poison pill" policy riders so I can ultimately support final passage and we can get back to the business of securing the United States in a strong, responsible manner." 

After months of collaborative work, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2014 with strong bipartisan support.  However, at the last minute, House Republicans inserted the following "riders" to the bill before a vote in the full House:

• Amendment to prohibit resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to implement President Obama’s June 2012 executive order protecting the “DREAMers” from deportation—those estimated 800,000 young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives.
• Amendment to prevent prosecutorial discretion to ensure immigration enforcement resources are targeted at serious criminals, and not at innocent victims of domestic violence and other crimes victims who come forward to seek protection from their abusers.
• An amendment reaffirming existing law to prohibit federal funding for ICE to provide abortions. 

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Home sales are up and housing values are up, consumer spending is strong, jobs are being added, the debt is being paid and the stock market is surging," said Perlmutter.  "These are important measures which will boost confidence and certainty for consumers and businesses alike as the United States continues leading the world on a path toward more economic stability and security. 

There is work we still need to do to pass a budget prioritizing job growth and critical investments in infrastructure that fulfills our commitment to provide the resources necessary to serve the hardworking people in our neighborhoods and communities. 

I support a responsible, balanced approach to our budget. By closing tax loopholes and changing tax benefits that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest millionaires and billionaires, we can  balance our national budget and pay down the debt in order to invest in the priorities of our country.  I urge House Republican leadership to appoint budget conferees so we can work together to ensure we have a stable and secure economy built to last."

Examples of impacts of the arbitrary Sequester budget on Colorado: 

• Cuts are being felt by small biotech companies who are losing funding to support critical research jobs which would lead to faster FDA approval and more private venture capital.  The innovative work they are doing will save lives, reduce medical costs, and our investment and support is necessary to bring their product to market.

• Cuts are also being felt by our most vulnerable senior citizens, domestic violence victims, and children because they are losing resources like helping ensure they can access education services, get to doctor’s appointments, have safe places to live, and food on the table.  All of these are basic needs for us to live safe, healthy and dignified lives.

·     Colorado will lose approximately $8.4 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 120 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 12,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 40 fewer schools would receive funding.

·     Colorado could lose up to $109,000 in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 400 fewer victims being served.

·     Colorado would lose approximately $720,000 in funds that provide meals for seniors.

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Lakewood, CO -- In advance of Memorial Day, this week, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter introduced a resolution recognizing and commemorating the 70th Anniversaries of the major battles of WWII. Additionally, Perlmutter is co-sponsoring several proposals to resolve the backlog of claims at the VA and to strengthen benefits available to our veterans.

Perlmutter stated, "I am humbled and inspired by the men and women of the United States military whose service and great sacrifice work to preserve freedom and ensure our national security. We must honor their service by providing our soldiers the best care possible and secure their hard earned benefits upon returning home."

Perlmutter also announced his office is beginning to produce the third documentary for their Veterans Oral History Project through the Library of Congress.  This film will feature interviews with female veterans who participated in major military missions from WWII to the present.  Stay tuned for a sneak peak next week. 

Perlmutter continues to monitor the construction progress on the new VA hospital at the Fitzsimmons Medical Campus in Aurora.  When completed, this hospital will provide world-class medical care to veterans across the Rocky Mountain Region.

As of March, 2013 the VA had 885,068 claims pending, and 613,876 were pending over 125 days and considered backlogged.  This means over 69% of claims are waiting longer than 125 days to receive their decision.  Perlmutter is co-sponsoring the following measures to give the VA the resources they need to reduce the backlog and provide veterans the benefits they earned:

• H.R. 1729, the VA Claims, Operations, and Records Efficiency Act
• This bill requires DOD to provide certified, complete, and electronic records to the VA in 21 days for newly discharged veterans and 45 days for veterans discharged before enactment of the bill.  This will dramatically reduce the wait to complete a veteran's claim and allow the VA to adjudicate the claim more quickly.
• H.R. 2086, the VA Pay As You Rate Act
• This bill requires the VA to pay benefits as each individual medical condition is adjudicated. If there is enough medical evidence to prove one or two conditions, the veteran will receive payment for those conditions while the VA waits for additional documentation or medical evaluations for the remaining more complex conditions.  Currently veterans receive payment only when all medical conditions are adjudicated and finalized.  This bill will provide disability payments to veterans faster. 
• H.R. 1521, the Disabled Veterans Red Tape Reduction Act
• This bill extends authorization for the VA to use contract physicians for medical disability evaluations.  This alleviates pressure on the VA Healthcare system and allows veterans to be seen by doctors more quickly. 

Attached is the WWII Resolution introduced by Rep. Perlmutter. 

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Lakewood, CO -- Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter announced the students he nominated from the 7th Congressional District who received appointments to our nation's Military Service Academies.

The students are:

Air Force Academy

• Mary Cavanaugh, Heritage High School, Arvada, CO
• Mark Reese, Golden High School, Golden, CO

US Naval Academy

• George Coughlin, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, CO
• Jacob Hastings, Green Mountain High School, Lakewood, CO
• Evan Miller, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, CO

Merchant Marine Academy

• Spencer Blauw, Strasburg High School, Strasburg, CO
• Marja Martinovic, Overland High School, Aurora, CO

US Military Academy (Westpoint)

• Leilani Duran, D'Evelyn High School, Lakewood, CO

On Saturday, May 18, Perlmutter held a reception for the students and their families at his office.  

"It's an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to nominate students from the 7th Congressional District to the United States Military services Academies," said Perlmutter.  Our country needs the service of the best and the brightest.  We are fortunate to have so many accomplished and qualified students in our area.  I'm so proud of these young women and men, and I look forward to learning about their continued achievements and service."

For more information about Service Academy Nominations and upcoming deadlines for applications for nominations, please visit our website at:  http://perlmutter.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38:service-academy-nominations&catid=23:how-can-we-help&Itemid=63

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"I continue to support the responsible construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline"

Washington, DC -- Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter issued the following statement after voting "no" on H.R. 3 -- the Northern Route Approval Act:

"As I've stated before, building the Keystone XL pipeline will create good paying jobs and reduce our dependence on Middle East oil, and I continue to support the construction of the pipeline.

However, House Republicans continue playing political games with our national energy security and this bill unnecessarily goes too far in bypassing important environmental protections and reviews.  The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process needs to be properly completed for the newly proposed route.  

I anticipate the President will make his final decision soon, and I hope he approves the permit to build the pipeline."

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Perlmutter, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said during a hearing today, "Despite the recent tempest - I would ask the IRS to continue, in an impartial way to look at these exemptions... The IRS, in my opinion has a responsibility on behalf of taxpayers to look at these things -- impartially."

During the hearing, Perlmutter quoted from a recent Denver Post editorial by Curtis Hubbard, "So-called 501(c)(4) 'social welfare' groups have increasingly been putting money into political campaigns .... But the real boom came after the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling in 2010, as the groups' campaign spending soared beyond $300 million in 2012...Many 501(c)(4) nonprofit "social welfare" organizations are simply fronts for political operations that provide anonymity to donors. And with anonymity comes a lack of accountability.”

Perlmutter then noted, "Most Americans are paying their taxes, but certain groups are seeking exemptions under 501(c)(4) of the tax code just to avoid disclosing political donors - not because they are 'exclusively for operation of social welfare' or their 'net earnings are for charitable education or recreation purposes'.  The IRS needs to clearly define the amount of political activity allowed and set criteria and standards to responsibly and uniformly examine the request of those groups seeking exemptions so the decisions aren't at the subjective discretion of bureaucrats."

Perlmutter continued: "House Republicans continue trying to distract the American public from the issues of greatest importance to Coloradans like job creation and strengthening our economy.  The fact is, since Barack Obama became President, the stock market doubled, the housing market is recovering, unemployment is dropping, and we are paying down our debt. Instead of pointing fingers and playing partisan political games, we need to work together to ensure we have a secure and stable economy built to last."

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Washington, DC  -- Today, U.S. Reps. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) and Peter Welch (VT) will introduce legislation with bipartisan support to prevent employers from requiring current and prospective employees to hand over their personal website passwords as a condition of either keeping or getting a job. 

Perlmutter said, " No American should have to provide their confidential personal passwords as a condition of employment.  People have an expectation of privacy when using social media like Facebook and Twitter.  They have an expectation that their right to free speech and religion will be respected when they use social media outlets.  Both users of social media and those who correspond with the user share an expectation of privacy in their personal communications.  Without this protection, employers essentially can act as imposters and assume the identity of an employee and continually access, monitor and even manipulate an employee's personal social activities and opinions.  That's simply a step too far."

Welch commented: “Employees have a legitimate expectation of privacy when using Facebook or Twitter. This legislation will prevent fishing expeditions into employees’ private lives. While an employer may have a valid concern about the business impact of an employee’s online activity, demanding passwords and unfettered access to private accounts is an over-the-top solution.”

The "Password Protection Act of 2013" addresses recent news highlighting a disturbing increase in the number of employers asking prospective employees to hand over usernames and passwords to their personal accounts on sites like Facebook.  Some job applicants are even being asked–during interviews–to log into these websites and allow interviewers to browse the applicant’s profile, acquaintances, and other information.  Others are being asked as a condition of new or continued employment to provide passwords on job applications or to “friend” the employer so the employer can view the applicant’s private information. 

Perlmutter introduced similar measures earlier this year and last year, and he will continue to work with House members to safeguard individuals' personal privacy.  

The current list of co-sponsors include: 

Rep. Peter Welch (D)- Vermont; Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D)- Oregon; Rep. Cedric Richmond(D)- Louisiana; Rep. Raul Grijalva (D)- Arizona; Rep. Charles Rangel (D)- New York; Rep. Bill Keating (D)- Massachusetts; Rep. David Cicilline (D)- Rhode Island; Rep. Niki Tsongas (D)- Massachusetts;
Rep. Bobby Rush (D)- Illinois; Rep. John Dingell (D)- Michigan; Rep. Mike Coffman (R)- Colorado;
Rep. James McGovern (D)- Massachusetts; Rep. Rush Holt (D)- New Jersey;
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)- Washington DC; Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D)- Oregon;
Rep. Hank Johnson (D)- Georgia; Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D)- New Hampshire;
Rep. Jared Polis (D)- Colorado; Rep. Jackie Spier (D)- California; Rep. David Schweikert (R)- Arizona;
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D)- Oregon; Rep. Jerry McNerney (D)- California; Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D)- Maryland ; Rep. Bill Enyart (D)- Illinois ; Rep. Chellie Pingree (D)- Maine; Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D)- Missouri ;
Rep. Steve Cohen (D)- Tennessee ; Rep. John Lewis (D)- Georgia; Rep. Paul Tonko (D)- New York;
Rep. Lujan Grisham (D) - New Mexico; and Rep. Lois Capps (D) - California

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House Republicans Continue Wasting Taxpayer Money on Attempted Repeal of Health Law

Washington, DC -- This week House Republican leaders once again chose to waste the time and money of American taxpayers to satisfy a small minority of their caucus members rather than focusing on the important work needed to pass a budget and spur job creation and economic development.   

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) said, "For the 37^th time the House Republican majority forced a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Rather than creating jobs for Americans, the Patients’ Rights Repeal Act eliminates much-needed benefits millions of Americans already rely on such as supporting small businesses to help provide insurance for employees, providing free preventive services and covering children with pre-existing conditions."

"They know what we all know - not only has the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the ACA but this legislation has  zero chance of a vote in the Senate nor will the President sign it.   We need to work on responsible implementation of this law."  

In Colorado, repeal of the ACA means:

• Drug costs for over 38,000 seniors would be $60 million higher.
• 50,000 young adults would not have had coverage through their parents’ plans.
• 869,000 women and 296,000 seniors and people with disabilities would not have access to free preventive care.
• 208,000 people would not have received $27 million in rebates from their insurance companies.
• And next year, 656,000 people would not have access to quality, dependable health insurance coverage.

Here's how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is already working for Americans.

• Up to 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance;
• 105 million Americans – including 71 million with private plans and 34 million with Medicare – have access to free preventive care services;
• 360,000 small businesses are now taking advantage of the healthcare tax credit to provide insurance to 2 million workers;
• 105 million Americans no longer have lifetime limits on their coverage;
• 6.3 million seniors in the “donut hole” saved over $6.1 billion on their prescription drugs;
• Almost 13 million Americans received $1.1 billion in rebates from their insurance companies; and
• 2,800 employers are taking advantage of the retiree reinsurance program to help cover over 12 million retirees not yet eligible for Medicare;

The ACA will continue to strengthen Medicare while cutting wasteful spending and practices.  It will put patients in charge of their healthcare rather than insurance company bureaucrats, and it will reduce the long term deficit by $109 billion over the next 10 years and over $1 trillion over the following decade. 

For more independent, non-partisan information and statistics about the Affordable Care Act, you can visit the following websites:

http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43472                                                                                        

http://www.cms.gov/apps/files/Medicarereport2012.pdf

http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/1/87.abstract

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Congressman Perlmutter said that the US has always “treated all of its creditors equally. . . . We don’t treat it that China or Wall Street or Saudi Arabia, because they’ve loaned us money, get paid before the nurse working in one of our VA hospitals. That’s not America.”