| Congressman Bright Announces Grants for Local Schools |
| 7/2/09 | |
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Bobby Bright announced today that the Department of Education has awarded the Enterprise-Ozark Community College $353,517 to improve educational support services provided to their students. Additionally, the Dale County School System received $450,210 grant to improve physical education programs in their schools. |
| Congressman Bright Continues District Work Schedule |
| 7/2/09 | |
| MONTGOMERY, AL - Congressman Bobby Bright will continue his district work schedule during the Fourth of July District Work Period on Monday. Congressman Bright will meet with Individual Assistance recipients and tour the damage to homes caused by the flooding that occurred in Union Springs in early May. Congressman Bright will also host a Community Roundtable in Bakerhill to meet with citizens and local leaders. |
| Congressman Bright Announces Funding Opportunities for High Speed Broadband Service |
| 7/2/09 | |
| WASHINGTON, DC- Congressman Bobby Bright announced that the Department of Commerce will soon begin to accept applications for funds to expand high speed broadband internet service to underserved rural and inner city areas of the country. The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, along with the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service, will administer the program. States, municipalities, and organizations may apply for funds beginning on July 14th and lasting through August 14th. |
| Coming Soon! |
| Weekly Columns |
| 7/1/09 | |
Last Friday, I voted against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, better known as cap and trade. There are many reasons I opposed this bill, but in short I could not vote for any legislation that puts an additional economic burden on my constituents, especially during a recession. This bill will raise energy costs for consumers, small businesses, and farmers with no guarantee that it will achieve its goal of reducing the impact of global climate change. Frankly, that's a gamble I'm not willing to take. In May, I signed a bipartisan letter with the entire Alabama House delegation outlining our concerns about the Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) provision in the bill. We have an abundance of nuclear and hydroelectric power- both clean energy sources- in Alabama that cannot be counted towards the RES. Unfortunately, this omission will put us at a competitive disadvantage to other states. Though I appreciate the efforts of many rural Members of Congress to make improvements to this bill, these changes still do not go far enough to alleviate my concerns about the impact it will have on our country for decades to come. Judging from the calls and input from my constituents, most of you feel the same way. I hope that the Senate will slow down the process and, at the very least, make some improvements to this legislation. Protecting the Borders, Funding our First Responders Last week, I voted for the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. H.R. 2892 funds the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2010, which includes the Border Patrol, FEMA, air and port security agencies, and grants for first responders. The bipartisan bill passed by a 389 - 37 margin. In addition to funding important agencies, it also makes cuts or eliminates 57 wasteful programs at the department. Specifically, H.R. 2892 increases funding for border protection by $147 million, bringing the total funding for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to $10 billion. This includes funding over 20,000 Border Patrol agents, southwest border infrastructure and technology, and anti-drug initiatives. It also extends E-verify for two years. E-verify is the popular program used by employers to ensure their employees are legal workers. Additionally, the bill provides additional funding for first responders, including state Homeland Security grants, SAFER grants for hiring and training local fire fighters, Firefighter Assistance Grants for equipment, and interoperable communications for first responders to use during an emergency. H.R. 2892 also provides approximately $3 billion for FEMA to maintain its commitment to respond to natural disasters such as the ones Southeast Alabama has experienced over the last several months. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our offices in Montgomery at (334) 277-9113, Dothan at (334)794-9680, Opp at (334) 493-9253, or Ozark at (334) 445-4600. You can also visit the website at www.bright.house.gov to sign up for the e-newsletter. It is my great pleasure to serve you and the entire Second District of Alabama. Click on the the links below to view Congressman Bright's past Weekly Columns. |
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