WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 17, 2008 - Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) was joined by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Department on Wednesday to officially unveil a Civilian Response Corps intended to help stabilize and rebuild parts of the world facing conflict and distress. The rapid-response team introduced Wednesday afternoon is the first of two groups included in a bill written by Rep. Farr.

Rep. Farr’s legislation to formally codify this capacity is stalled in the Senate, but the initiative received federal funding in June and is supported by the administration. Rep. Farr’s bill, the “Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act,” would authorize the president to provide assistance to support countries and regions facing conflict or civil strife.

“Our military has unfortunately been forced to take on many roles it is not suited for, from diplomat to nation-building. This Civilian Response Corps will shift the burden of stabilization and reconstruction to civilian experts, where it should have rested all along,” Rep. Farr said. “USAID and the State Department don’t have the resources they need, and this response corps will go a long way toward restoring their capabilities.”

The Civilian Response Corps launched Wednesday will be composed of a rapid-response team of civilian experts in diplomacy, health, finance, engineering and other vital fields necessary to stabilize countries at risk and help rebuild shattered nations. That team is the first step toward creating a two-tier effort, which will eventually include a reserve corps made up of state and local experts.

“Stabilization and reconstruction is a mission that civilians must lead,” Sec. Rice said Wednesday afternoon at the official rollout in Washington. “But for too long, our civilians have not had the capacity to lead, and investments were not made to prepare them to lead.”

The 2008 supplemental appropriations bill included up to $75 million to begin rolling out the active and standby components. The final composition of the groups is flexible, but the rapid-response team is expected to include 250 active members, the standby team another 2,000 members, and the reserve component another 2,000 volunteers from state and local governments.

Washington, DC, Dec 18, 2007 - Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) on Tuesday joined colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass the Energy Independence and Security Act. The bill includes provisions that will increase vehicle fuel efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy sources and cut U.S. oil consumption by boosting biofuel use.

The legislation was passed by a vote of 314-100 and will be sent to the president, who is expected to sign the bill into law on Wednesday.

“California has long been a leader in the push for energy responsibility, and it’s great to see the rest of the country working to catch up,” Rep. Farr said following the vote. “This legislation will be good for our country, and I’m proud to be living in the state where so much of this advocacy is centered.”

The bill will:

Increase vehicle fuel efficiency to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, the first congressional increase in 32 years.
Expand the use of American-grown biofuels to 36 billion gallons in 2022.
Slash U.S. oil consumption by more than 4 million barrels per day by 2030.
Cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 24 percent by 2030.
Increases the efficiency of buildings, homes, appliances and lighting.

“We’re paying too much for our gas, we’re too dependent on foreign oil and we’re not using our resources and knowledge to their potential,” Rep. Farr said. “This bill will help address those problems and is a good first step toward tackling our dependence on expensive, polluting energy sources.”

SACRAMENTO, Dec 17, 2007 – Assembly Budget Committee Chair John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) today released the following statement on the Assembly’s passage of AB 1x1:

“Today’s Assembly passage of health care reform is a major step forward for California.

The bill is historic because it demonstrates that through bi-partisan cooperation, we’ve found agreement on how to cover more than 5 million uninsured Californians, including all 800,000 currently uninsured kids. And with a very difficult budget year ahead, I’m pleased the bill is self-funded and actually reduces pressure on the state’s general fund.

As the author of AB 1, the universal children’s health insurance bill that passed both houses this year, I’m especially pleased with AB 1x1’s provision to cover all kids. The bill achieves this by covering all children up to 300% of the federal poverty level ($51,500 for a family of three), regardless of their immigration status. Children with health insurance are healthier, are more likely to succeed in school, and their parents miss fewer work days.”