Energy Legislation; Preventing Military Suicides; Reducing Recidivism - June 26, 2009
June 26, 2009
Dear Friend,
Thank you for reading another edition of my e-newsletter, the Carson Courier. For additional information on these and other topics, please visit my website at https://www.carson.house.gov.
In this week's Carson Courier:
Creating Jobs and Protecting the Environment
Preventing Military and Veterans Suicide
Protecting Local Residents by Reducing Recidivism
CREATING JOBS AND PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
For years, average Americans have been held hostage by powerful overseas energy cartels, which raise and lower prices without concern for struggling consumers who are only trying to heat their homes and drive to work. Currently, American consumers are exporting $400 billion each year to pay for foreign oil, a bill that is set to increase by an estimated $420 billion annually over the next five years. Meanwhile, global warming from greenhouse gas emissions is causing near irreversible changes to our environment that will be felt for many generations to come.
This afternoon, I was proud to join my House colleagues in passing of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which will return control of our energy future to the American public while creating much needed jobs, and combating the looming threat of climate change. This American Clean Energy and Security Act will cut our use of expensive foreign petroleum by 1.4 million barrels per day by 2030, by facilitating the creation of a green energy infrastructure that will allow us to transition away from foreign energy. This transition in turn will create 1.7 million new clean energy jobs, four times as many as we could expect with a similar investment in oil and gas.
I was reassured in my vote by a recent analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which showed that "households in the lowest income quintile would see an average net benefit of about $40 in 2020" under this legislation. The CBO also noted that this figure "does not include the economic benefits and other benefits of the reduction in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions and the associated slowing of climate change." In this difficult economic climate, these are the types of changes that I believe our nation clearly needs and I look forward to working with local residents and businesses to make Indianapolis in our nation's new green economy.
PREVENTING MILITARY AND VETERANS SUICIDE
Today, we know more about post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and depression than we have at any point in our history. Sadly, we also see that these disorders affect our military and veterans at much greater rates than previously predicted. To illustrate this point, the United States Army issued a report in January announcing that suicide rates among Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard troops reached a record high in 2008, surpassing nationwide civilian rates. I have been concerned with the shortage of mental health services for some time and following this report expressed my concern in a letter to Secretary of Defense Gates and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Shinseki. I asked that they further promote and fund initiatives that make mental health care an ongoing process for all military personnel, beginning at enlistment and continuing long after returning from combat.
This national tragedy touched close to home last Friday as we received news that Army Specialist Chancellor Keesling, a lifelong Indianapolis resident who suffered from PTSD, committed suicide shortly after returning to Iraq for his second tour of duty. I offer my deepest condolences to Mr. and Mrs. Keesling whose son was truly the victim of insufficient communication about mental illness in our nation's military. In light of this tragedy, I believe it is clear that this and other heartbreaking situations could have been prevented and that significant effort needs to be made to detect, treat, and communicate about mental illness in the military.
Chancellor Keesling's suicide, like so many others in our active military and among our veterans, could have been prevented with proper treatment, counseling and communication about mental illness. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the resources that are available to military personnel and veterans. That is why I was so pleased to see the VA begin a campaign this week, in which advertisements for VA mental health services will be prominently displayed in 150 of our city busses. This is a small but strong first step—one that I am certain will help numerous struggling military personnel and veterans and will begin facilitating the systemic changes necessary to prevent future suicides in our military.
For more information on this and other mental health programs at the VA, visit https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/.
PROTECTING LOCAL RESIDENTS BY REDUCING RECIDIVISM
Yesterday, I introduced the EXIT (EX-offender Improvement in Transition) Act, my second bill aimed at addressing the significant safety concerns raised by the constant cycle of recidivism. By repealing the lifetime ban on TANF benefits for ex-offenders with drug felony convictions this legislation will provide another resource that is critical to successful re-entry into society.
The ban on TANF, which only applies to drug felons, is an overwhelming—and dangerous—barrier for ex-offenders who wish to once again become productive members of society. As a former law enforcement officer, I witnessed firsthand crimes committed by ex-offenders who were desperate to provide for themselves and their families, but lacked access to TANF and other appropriate resources. They hope to obtain education and employment, but revert to crime when faced with economic difficulties that they are unable to overcome without federal benefits.
Earlier this month, I introduced my first bill to address this important issue, the Recidivism Reduction Act, which is a similar bill that will reinstate federal disability and health benefits to ex-offenders. Together, these bills will protect millions of Americans by removing some of the most imposing obstacles on the path to re-entry.
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 7th District in Congress.