109th Congress

Number: 
109

Terrorism Risk Insurance Still Needed: NY Members of Congress Urge Financial Services Chair to Move on Legislation to Extend TRIA

 WASHINGTON, DC - A day after Treasury Secretary John Snow notified Congress that the administration opposes the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), a group of New York Members of Congress took action to ensure TRIA’s survival. Today, twenty-one bipartisan New York Members - led by Representative Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) - sent a letter to Rep. Michael Oxley (R-OH), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, requesting that he move forward promptly on pending legislation to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), which will expire at the end of this year (PDF of letter: http://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/olddocs/banking/063005ltrTRIA.pdf).

Civil Liberties Board Gets a Real Budget to Begin With

 WASHINGTON, DC - After a deal struck on the House floor last night, the initial budget of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board created in last year’s landmark 9/11 Commission bill will be doubled to $1.5 million. The board would have had a $750,000 budget under the original FY06 Transportation, Treasury and Housing Appropriations bill, which is now on the House floor. Recognizing that such a level of funding is insufficient for a board tasked with monitoring civil liberties at multiple federal departments, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Christopher Shays (R-CT) - Chairs of the 9/11 Commission Caucus - and Tom Udall (D-NM) offered the amendment to expand the board’s beginning budget.

Bush Administration Claims Terrorism Risk Insurance is No Longer Necessary

 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Treasury Secretary John Snow wrote to Congress to state the Administration’s official position that the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), passed after 9/11, is no longer necessary. The program has helped insure commercial property-holders against future terrorists attacks, and it has been a safety net for those looking to build or own property in high-threat areas. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan and Queens), who represents many major commercial property owners and financial institutions in New York, reacted in strong opposition to the administration’s stance.

Congressional Resolution Proposed to Honor U.N.

 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, a group of lawmakers introduced a resolution that would celebrate the U.N.'s accomplishments on its 60th anniversary (text of resolution: (Download related PDF)). Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Christopher Shays (R-CT) and 13 colleagues introduced the resolution commending the United Nations on six decades of noteworthy humanitarian efforts and encouraging the organization to commit to structural reform so that it might continue its world involvement.

In Effort to Protect 9/11 Aid, Ground Zero Responders See Progress

 WASHINGTON, DC - A bipartisan group of New York lawmakers today secured an agreement from Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH), the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, to work to prevent $125 million in Ground Zero workers compensation aid from being taken back by the federal government.

Social Security Administration Shared Personal Information With Law Enforcement After 9/11

 WASHINGTON, DC - According New York Times report today (“Social Security Opened Its Files for 9/11 Inquiry”) and documents recently obtained after a Freedom of Information Act request by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Social Security Administration (SSA) changed its rules on an “ad-hoc” basis to share personal information with law enforcement immediately after 9/11. In a letter sent today to Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas and Government Reform Tom Davis, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) called for Congressional hearings to examine the lack of notification about information sharing and the privacy implications (http://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/olddocs/Homeland/062205SSAHearing.pdf). She has previously written the SSA Commissioner about this issue (text of letter: http://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/olddocs/Homeland/052705SSA.pdf).

A Broken Promise: Reps. Maloney, Nadler and 7 NY Colleagues Challenge Bush Administration to Show Where All of the $21.4 Billion in 9/11 Aid Has Gone

 WASHINGTON, DC - As the president’s plan to take back $125 million in promised 9/11 injured workers funds makes its way through Congress, Members of the New York Congressional delegation are challenging the administration to prove that the entire $21.4 billion of 9/11 aid promised in a 2002 Rose Garden press conference has been committed to New York (Letter to OMB: http://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/olddocs/Sept11/062105LtrOMB.pdf). Recently, when members of the New York delegation decried the proposal to take back funds, an Office of Management and Budget official was quoted in news reports claiming that the entire aid package continues to exceed $20 billion - the amount originally promised by the president (New York Daily News, “City Losing 169M in 9-11 Funds,” June 9, 2005). However, in their letter to OMB, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), Jerrold Nadler (NY-8) and seven colleagues provide new accounting showing that $18.46 billion in aid has been given.

National Counterterrorism Center Will Now Be Under Close Congressional Scrutiny

 WASHINGTON, DC - The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which was officially created in the landmark Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, is still not fully operational, and now Congress will keep close tabs on its progress. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) and Christopher Shays (CT-3) today offered and successfully attached an amendment to the Intelligence Authorization bill that requires the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on the status of the NCTC every 30 days.

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