The Serrano Report, Volume XI, #14

On Capitol Hill

Serrano: No to Military Intervention in Iraq

After spending much of the decade urging an exit from Iraq, Congressman Serrano on Wednesday said he is deeply skeptical and concerned about growing calls from hawks to re-involve ourselves in the fighting there.

"While I agree that the situation in Iraq is quite troubling, and seems to be spiraling out of control, I do not favor American involvement in the conflict," said Congressman José E. Serrano. "We had an election in 2008 that revolved around disentangling ourselves from the mess we had created there, and the candidate who promised to get us out won. President Obama stayed true to his word, and our forces are out. The idea that we would reenter the fighting there is an idea that has very little merit.

“Throughout our time in Iraq, I claimed that our presence there would have very little lasting effect on the longstanding conflict between the various groups in that country. Our withdrawal and the current state of affairs, bears out that sentiment, and leads to the logical conclusion that we cannot now fix their affairs by renewing our military involvement. We certainly cannot fix it with bombs.

“I urge President Obama to resist the predictable and irresponsible calls for our nation to re-involve itself militarily in the Iraqi situation. Only political solutions will end the bloodshed. Violence will only beget more violence.

President Obama must remember that our nation has repeatedly signaled its desire to disentangle from Iraq’s ongoing violence. Now is not the time to override those wishes and reengage militarily.”

Serrano, Clarke Lead Congressional Letter on Africa Immigration Issues

This week, Representatives Serrano and Yvette Clarke sent a letter to the White House along with 35 of their fellow Members of Congress urging the President to add immigration topics to the agenda of the upcoming U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit. The full text of the letter and a link to the list of the signatories is below:

June 16, 2014

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

We would like to applaud you for taking the step to host the U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. on August 5 and 6, 2014. Strengthening the partnership between Africa and the United States is of the utmost importance to the future prosperity and security of our peoples. The proactive steps your Administration continues to take in the name of cooperation and mutual development deserves the full support of Americans and their elected officials in Congress.

This summit is an important opportunity to bring diverse constituencies together to discuss policy issues and to better develop ties between the United States and the 47 African nations invited to the conference. Unfortunately, we have been saddened to learn that the summit does not intend to spend significant time focusing on an issue that we believe is vital to our policies in Africa: immigration reform. We believe that inclusion of this topic for discussion at the summit will strengthen the ties between all the parties involved, and will help bring to light the need for comprehensive immigration reform across a wide number of constituencies.

According to the most recent census, foreign-born African immigrants represent over 1.6 million individuals residing in the United States. Throughout our history, immigrants from Africa have played an important role in revitalizing neighborhoods, starting small businesses, and improving local economies. The African community is an indispensable element of American culture and society, and continues to contribute to the prosperity of our nation.

However, our current immigration policies have had a negative effect on immigrants from African nations. Family immigrant visa backlogs, problems in asylum and refugee processes, student visa issues, and our ongoing deportation policies have created great difficulties for African immigrant communities. These concerns have serious financial and familial consequences for all involved— whether here in the United States or in the countries invited to the conference.

Many of your previous meetings with leaders of other nations have included a discussion of the need for comprehensive immigration reform. We believe that such a discussion at the U.S. - Africa Leaders Summit will help better coordinate policies and improve relationships between all of the parties involved. We urge you to include and prioritize the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the upcoming summit.

We appreciate your consideration of our request, and sincerely hope that your administration will allow for a sincere conversation regarding immigration reform during the upcoming summit.

Sincerely,

The full list of signers can be found here.

Serrano Speaks at FCC Conference on Smartphone Theft

On Thursday morning, Congressman Serrano joined Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler and Senator Amy Klobuchar to speak at a conference about the epidemic of smartphone theft. Smartphone theft is one of the nation’s fastest growing crimes, and companies are not doing enough to help protect consumers. Congressman Serrano spoke about his bill, the Smartphone Theft Prevention Act, which would require cell phone manufacturers and service providers to include a ‘kill-switch’ on all smartphones. This feature would allow consumers to render their device useless if it is taken from them, and prevent anyone but the phone’s owner from turning the phone back on.  Installing and use of kill-switches will create a huge disincentive to steal smartphones in the first place, and will help consumers protect themselves and their personal information.

Serrano Speaks at the Smartphone Theft Conference

In the Bronx

Serrano Announces $4.4 million for Starlight Park Storm Resiliency Project

On Monday, Congressman Serrano announced that $4.4 million in federal funds would be directed to Starlight Park in the Bronx for shoreline restoration and storm protection. The Interior Department project would “re-naturalize armored waterfront, improve habitat and flood storage, create new wetland, remove contaminated soils, and enhance stormwater management along eleven acres.”

"I am gratified to see a worthy Bronx environmental project receiving substantial federal funding, which will both strengthen our community against future storms and continue the environmental restoration we have carried out over the years," said Congressman José E. Serrano, who sits on the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees Department of Interior funding. "We have long argued that our restoration of the Bronx River was more than just a project to reclaim our waterway, but also a project to enhance our community. This project shows that the federal government recognizes that our environmental restoration also protects against storms and flooding.”

The funding came from the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program, which “supports projects that reduce communities’ vulnerability to the growing risks from coastal storms, sea level rise, flooding, erosion and associated threats through strengthening natural ecosystems that also benefit fish and wildlife.”

“I applaud the Department of Interior for being forward-thinking and looking for innovative projects to ensure that the Hurricane Sandy restoration funding that we provided is used to build our communities back safer and better. I’m gratified that they believe that environmental restoration is a key part of the equation.

“The Bronx River restoration has provided so many benefits to our community—both tangible and intangible. This new project will do both as we see the new wetlands and wildlife, and also feel safer with the knowledge that in the event of the next flood or storm, we will be better protected from intense damage.”

Serrano Presents Award to Arbor House Developers

On Wednesday June 11th, Congressman Serrano presented Blue Sea Development with the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition’s Green Housing Award for their work in developing Arbor House.  Arbor House is a 124-unit, energy efficient, LEED platinum-certified affordable housing development in the Bronx.  Arbor House is home to a hydroponic farm, which sends 40% of its crops to local schools and hospitals and features artworks by both local children and accomplished local artists.  Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) provided $12.8 million of the total property development cost.  Congressman Serrano has been a long-time supporter of the LIHTC, which is a federal subsidy used to finance the development of affordable rental housing for low-income households.  

Serrano with Blue Sea Development

Grant Announcement

Promoting Preventative Health Services for Women 

Deadline: July 21, 2014. 

The Department of Health and Human Services has made funding available for groups to develop and promote strategies that focus on the importance of preventative health services among women. The DHHS hopes to fund organizations who work to to enhance the number of insured women and to augment existing preventative clinical services available, among other things. Public and private entities, including community-based organizations and faith-based groups, are all encouraged to apply.

Please follow this link for the full grant announcement: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=258077.  For more information about other federal grants please visit http://www.grants.gov.