3.17.09

Dear Friend,

Thank you for reading another edition of my e-newsletter, the Carson Courier.

In this week's Carson Courier:
Assisting Amtrak in Beech Grove
Supporting Homeless Children in America
Celebrating Women's History Month

ASSISTING AMTRAK IN BEECH GROVE
Just five months ago, eighty employees of the Beech Grove Amtrak repair facility were fighting to keep their jobs from being transferred out of Marion County.  Together, we fought to enact legislation that would protect those jobs, all the while knowing that more would need to be done to protect the facility in the future.

This afternoon I had the distinct honor of joining Vice President Joseph Biden in Washington, D.C. to announce that this repair facility will be receiving a significant portion of an $82 million rail repair grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The Beech Grove facility is one of only a few rail car repair facilities in the United States, responsible for maintaining the Amtrak system for much of the country.  With this grant, they will be equipped to create numerous jobs, increase their capacity, and begin expanding passenger rail services to millions of Americans.

Today's announcement demonstrates the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – to create American jobs and prepare our economy for the challenges of the future.  As unemployment in Indiana shoots past 9%, this grant will provide timely relief to families across the Seventh District.  In the coming years, I am confident that this grant will help the Beech Grove facility to remain operational as our nation places greater focus on passenger rail and its role in a new, modernized transportation system.

SUPPORTING HOMELESS CHILDREN IN AMERICA
Earlier this week, the National Center on Family Homelessness released a report detailing the plight of homeless children throughout our country.  This report highlighted the troubling new revelation that one in fifty American children experience homelessness each year. In Indiana alone, this equates to more than 13,000 children who will go to bed without a permanent home at some point in 2009.

This report further detailed what homeless youth advocates have been saying for years – homeless children struggle with health, emotional and educational obstacles at nearly twice the rate of children in stable housing environments.  As our recession deepens, it is becoming much more difficult for these children to reach a secure and prosperous future.

In an effort to reduce child homelessness across the United States, I have proudly worked with my colleagues in the House to introduce H.R. 29, the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2009.  This legislation will ensure that homeless children and their families have the access to the critical support services that many of them are currently ineligible for under HUD's rules.   I am also working tirelessly to increase the number of children who are covered under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a landmark piece of legislation that ensures homeless children are provided with the shelter and education necessary to live safe and supportive childhoods.

In the wake of this report, I intend to renew my commitment to homeless families in Indianapolis and across the United States.  In the coming months, I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to pass legislation that will help these families improve their financial standing and begin working towards more stable housing.

CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
Each March, America celebrates great women throughout our history whose contributions have shaped our national identity and propelled us towards a more open and accepting future.  Many of the women we recognize this month have challenged the status quo and fought to secure their most basic rights as American citizens – to vote, to succeed in business and politics, to receive equal health care and education.

Indianapolis shares in this rich history.  From Madam C.J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire, to May Wright Sewall, a foremost proponent for women's suffrage, our city has been home to some of the nation's most groundbreaking women.  Their struggle for gender equality persists today as a new generation of great women continues to fight for wage equity, reproductive rights and political representation.

Thank you for reading the Carson Courier.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns.  I value your views and your input which help me to better represent the people of Indiana's Seventh District in Congress.