The ability for workers to organize is an important American right

On Labor Day this year, I joined a group of workers from Northwest Indiana to show solidarity with workers from three companies that are engaged in ongoing first contract negotiations. In all three cases, the workers exercised their right to form a union through a democratic vote, but have been unable to come to terms with their employers on their first contracts.

The ability for workers to organize is an important American right that has helped many of us obtain a living wage, affordable healthcare, and a secure retirement—three things that I believe every American deserves. Sadly, under President Bush, many workers’ rights have deteriorated. People are working longer and harder for less.

In these tough economic times with wages down, costs up, and jobs being outsourced overseas, I believe it is important to continue to provide America’s workers with the opportunity to organize and bargain collectively.

On March 1, 2007, the House of Representatives passed the Employee Free Choice Act. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this important bill. The Employee Free Choice Act would allow employees to choose freely whether to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation, a method knows as “card check.” Further, the measure would provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes that last over 90 days, and would establish stronger penalties to discourage employers from illegally firing or discriminating against employees who attempt to form a union or negotiate a first contract. Unfortunately, the bill is stalled in the Senate and Northwest Indiana’s new unions that are negotiating their first contracts cannot go to mediation and arbitration.

America’s workers deserve the Employee Free Choice Act, just as they deserve a living wage, affordable healthcare, and a secure retirement, and I will continue to push for all those things.
Sincerely,

Pete Visclosky
Member of Congress

CONTACT INFORMATION
Washington Office
2256 Rayburn
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
phone: (202) 225-2461
fax: (202) 225-2493

Northwest Indiana Office
701 East 83rd Avenue, Suite 9
Merrillville, IN 46410
phone: (219) 795-1844
(888) 423-PETE (toll-free)
fax: (219) 795-1850


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Pete Visclosky new office address in Northwest, Indiana

A message from Pete Visclosky...

Next week I am moving my Northwest Indiana office from its current location at 701 East 834d Avenue, Suite 9, in Merrillville to a new location at 7895 Broadway, Suite A, in Merrillville. The telephone, fax, and email addresses for the Northwest Indiana office will remain unchanged. The contact information for my new office is as follows:

Northwest Indiana Office
7895 Broadway, Suite A
Merrillville, IN 46410

(219) 795-1844
Fax (219) 795-1850

Call Toll Free
(888) 423-PETE

In order to accommodate the move, my Northwest Indiana office will be closed on Monday, August 25, and Tuesday, August 26, and will reopen at noon on Wednesday, August 27. I hope the move does not inconvenience you, and I am confident that it will be worth it.

My Northwest Indiana office provides an array of services for the people of Indiana’s First Congressional District. My staff and I are here to help you cut through red tape and resolve issues you may encounter with federal agencies. While I cannot require a federal agency to decide matters in your favor, I can usually help ensure your request receives serious consideration. Here are some of the areas in which we can help:

- Social Security & Medicare Benefits - Veterans’ Benefits & Military Service Problems
- Federal Student Loans - FHA and VA Home Loan Applications
- Small Business Loan Information - Consumer Protection Referrals
- Disaster Assistance - Mail Delivery and Service
- IRS Problems - Federal Grants
- Immigration, Naturalization, and Citizenship - Regulatory Compliance

My Northwest Indiana office also offers American flags, nominates students for the U.S. service academies, and coordinates other constituent relations efforts such as visits to local organizations.

I am excited about the move and believe that my new office will allow me to provide even better services to the people of Northwest Indiana.

Sincerely,

Pete Visclosky
Member of Congress

Washington Office
2256 Rayburn
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
phone: (202) 225-2461
fax: (202) 225-2493

Northwest Indiana Office
701 East 83rd Avenue, Suite 9
Merrillville, IN 46410
phone: (219) 795-1844
(888) 423-PETE (toll-free)
fax: (219) 795-1850


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EJ&E Railroad updates and meeting with Pete Visclosky

Are you ready to get stopped at railroad crossings three times as often as you currently do, and then wait two and a half times longer for the train to pass? Would you like three times as many freight trains, like the one that badly injured three people in Griffith on July 25, barreling through your community every day? Do you want to breathe in more pollution because of extra trains chugging through and more idling cars stopped at railroad crossings? Would you compromise economic development initiatives like the South Shore Line expansion and the Gary/Chicago International Airport expansion for the interests of one corporation? For me, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding NO!

Unfortunately, all of those situations could become a reality if the Surface Transportation Board (STB) puts CN’s interest ahead of ours and allows CN to acquire the EJ&E Railroad. On July 25, the STB issued its Draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of the CN/EJ&E deal, which analyzes the environmental impacts on the surrounding communities and the natural environment that would occur if this acquisition takes place. It also sets forth the STB’s recommended mitigation measures, which I deem deficient. From the Draft EIS, it is clear that the impact of the acquisition on Northwest Indiana would be a severe change in our quality of life.

The EJ&E line running through the region would, on average, see a three-fold increase in the number of trains per day and an increase in train length from 2,590 feet to 6,321 feet. The result would bisect communities, impede the flow of automobile traffic, increase emissions, and add public safety hazards. The proposed acquisition also would create new obstacles to the expansion of the South Shore Line and would hinder the expansion of Gary/Chicago International Airport. None of that would be good for Northwest Indiana.

Beginning August 1, you will have 60 days to comment on the Draft EIS as the STB works toward a final ruling on the deal. Click here for more information on how to comment.

Additionally, the STB has scheduled an open house and public meeting to be held in Gary at IU Northwest, 3400 Broadway, on Wednesday, September 10, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Limiting the comment period to 60 days and holding only one meeting in Northwest Indiana is grossly inadequate and an affront to the region that I cannot stand for. I will appeal to the STB to extend the public comment period and hold additional meetings in Northwest Indiana. Together, we can make sure Northwest Indiana’s voice is heard.

Sincerely,

Pete Visclosky
Member of Congress

Washington Office
2256 Rayburn
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
phone: (202) 225-2461
fax: (202) 225-2493

Northwest Indiana Office
701 East 83rd Avenue, Suite 9
Merrillville, IN 46410
phone: (219) 795-1844
(888) 423-PETE (toll-free)
fax: (219) 795-1850


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Important Indiana Legislation: The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act

With gas prices going up by the day and families being forced to spend large amounts of their budgets on gas, the need for a new energy policy and measures to support the middle class is clear. Last Wednesday, May 21, I voted for an important bill to establish common sense energy policy and lend hard-working Americans a helping hand. H.R. 6049, the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act, which would expand the production and use of renewable energy, create jobs, and provide tax relief to Northwest Indiana’s middle class families, passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support by a vote of 263-160.

The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act would increase the production of renewable fuels and renewable electricity and encourage greater energy efficiency in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect the environment. It extends and expands tax incentives for renewable electricity, energy, and fuel from domestic sources, as well as for plug-in hybrid cars and energy efficient homes, buildings, and appliances. These provisions are an important component of diversifying our energy mix and solving the energy crisis. They will also help preserve and create many good-paying jobs in the renewable energy industry.

The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act also provides a much-needed economic stimulus by supporting businesses that invest in America’s future and providing tax relief to millions of American families. It extends the research and development tax credit to spur American innovation and business investment, and cuts taxes for many people in Northwest Indiana. The bill would expand eligibility for the $1,000 refundable child tax credit and provide tax relief to homeowners who do not itemize their deductions by permitting them to deduct up to $700 of property taxes in addition to their standard deduction. It is a fiscally responsible measure that offsets the tax breaks for hard-working people and businesses that invest in America by closing tax loopholes for corporations and executives such as outsourcing jobs and investing overseas.

The weak economy has left families across Northwest Indiana struggling to make ends meet. The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act will ease the pinch on families and will also create many much-needed jobs in Northwest Indiana. It is a common sense measure that we in Northwest Indiana need.

Sincerely,

Pete Visclosky
Member of Congress

CONTACT INFORMATION
Washington Office
2256 Rayburn
House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
phone: (202) 225-2461
fax: (202) 225-2493

Northwest Indiana Office
701 East 83rd Avenue, Suite 9
Merrillville, IN 46410
phone: (219) 795-1844
(888) 423-PETE (toll-free)
fax: (219) 795-1850

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Pete Visclosky on Indiana having the 10 highest rate of foreclosure

Problems in the subprime mortgage markets have pushed the housing market into its worst slump in 16 years. As many as 2 million Americans will see their mortgage rates increase in the next two years, with many of them losing their homes as a result of bad lending practices. In Indiana, we already have the 10th highest rate of foreclosure in the country. As a result of the overall housing slump, tens of millions of homeowners could see the value of their home—their primary investment—drop by large amounts.

There are those who argue that this housing crisis is a natural business cycle and the thing to do is to wait it out. However, I believe that, after a prolonged period of deceptive business practices, poor regulation, and misguided consumer behavior, the market is severely skewed and cannot be expected to naturally correct itself. Therefore, I contend that we must take action to set the housing industry, and the economy as a whole, back on track.

That is why I have been working closely with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to dampen the effects of the housing crisis and help people stay in their homes. I want to expand affordable mortgage loan opportunities for families at risk of foreclosure and strengthen consumer protections against risky loans.

I supported H.R. 1852, the Expanding American Homeownership Act. The measure would allow subprime borrowers to avoid foreclosure through government-backed refinancing, would authorize zero-down and lower-down payments on FHA loans for homebuyers who could not otherwise make the down payment required under FHA rules, and would direct the FHA to underwrite borrowers with higher credit risk than the FHA currently serves to keep people from being driven to the subprime loan market.

I also supported H.R. 1427, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act. The measure would create a Federal Housing Finance Agency to regulate Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, or Government Sponsored Entities (GSEs).

In November, 2007, I voted for H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which aims to reduce predatory mortgage lending practices by establishing minimum standards for mortgages such as ensuring that borrowers can repay loans and full disclosure of all terms by the lender. The bill also would require mortgage originators to be licensed and registered under state or federal law.

I voted for the Recovery Rebate and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act which, among other provisions to boost our economy, expands financing opportunities for Americans in danger of losing their homes because of the mortgage crisis, thereby increasing affordable refinancing opportunities and liquidity in the housing market.

At present, the Senate is considering its own comprehensive housing legislation. The Senate’s measure would increase Federal Housing Administration loan limits and establish tax breaks for the housing sector. While the Senate measure includes provisions from the measures already approved by the House, remaining differences will need to be reconciled in a House-Senate conference.

Although we have already taken significant steps to fix the housing crisis, more action is needed. Congressman Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is working on comprehensive legislation that would provide at least $10 billion in loans to states to address the foreclosure crisis and expand the FHA loan program to offer guarantees to refinance at-risk borrowers into viable mortgages.

Sincerely,

Pete Visclosky
Member of Congress

Do you think all this talk is going to solve the problems at hand? I don't

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