The House bill passed July 10 includes projects Tanner requested for Fort Campbell facility improvements and to push for construction of a veterans’ nursing home in Montgomery County.

“Passage of the Senate bill gets us another step closer to making these crucial investments at Fort Campbell and to make the VA understand what many of us have long known: that Middle Tennessee veterans deserve a nursing home in Montgomery County,” Congressman Tanner said. “We will continue following the legislative process and encourage the conference committee to realize why these are important commitments.”

Support for a Veterans’ Nursing Home in Montgomery County

While Middle Tennesseans have long recognized the need for a long-term care facility in Montgomery County, the Department of Veterans Affairs currently ranks the 140-bed home 70th on its priority list.

The House bill includes language instructing the VA to more closely study the needs of Middle Tennessee veterans, which will make it clear the home should be a top priority, Tanner said.

VA construction projects are decided at the discretion of the VA and cannot be directly funded by Congress. The instructive language drafted by Congressman Tanner and included in the House bill sends the strong statement that Congress sees a need for the project.

Physical Fitness Center, Fort Campbell

The House and Senate bills both recommend $900,000 to construct a 44,347-square foot Army Standard Physical Fitness Center to serve family members on the south side of Fort Campbell Army Base. Fort Campbell’s current conditioning and training facilities do not adequately meet the community’s needs.

Chapel and Multi-Purpose Complex, Fort Campbell

This $14.4 million investment, included in both the House and Senate bills, calls for construction of a 1,200-seat chapel and family-life multi-purpose facility important for worship services, large gatherings and classroom education. Current facilities were first constructed during World War II and cannot adequately meet the needs of the families on base today.

In accordance with the House’s appropriations-transparency guidelines, Congressman Tanner has posted detailed information about these requests on his Web site, www.house.gov/tanner.

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving as NATO PA President.

EDINBURGH – U.S. Rep. John Tanner discussed the future of the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan in meetings with top NATO leaders while presiding over NATO Parliamentary Assembly sessions in Edinburgh. The Parliamentary Assembly is NATO’s legislative arm. Tanner has served as the body’s President since November 2008.

“The consensus among NATO leaders and member-nation lawmakers is that we are in a crucial point in the alliance’s history and in the war against the spread of radical fundamentalism,” Tanner said after meeting with Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, and U.S. Navy Admiral James G. Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, both of whom also addressed the Assembly. “These meetings are extremely helpful as the dialogue continues in the U.S. and in other NATO nations about how best to refocus on the fight in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

Tanner led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetings and presided over sessions focused on Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as global economic challenges.

“I look forward to reporting back to Tennesseans and others across our country about how our legislative counterparts in other NATO countries view the challenges facing us, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Tanner said before leading the delegation.

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Tanner is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard.

WASHINGTON

“Our service members and their families have made great sacrifices to serve our country,” said Congressman Tanner, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee National Guard. “Many times, their enlistments were extended involuntarily or their retirements were put on hold because of the strain that was placed on the Armed Forces. With these special payments, we are sending the message that we recognize their sacrifices and greatly appreciate their service.”

The Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay is available to service members who had their enlistments extended or retirement suspended due to stop loss between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009.

“Our commitment to honoring our men and women in uniform and those who have returned home after serving our Armed Forces remains strong,” Tanner said.

Service members and the family members of deceased service members can apply for the payments between now and October 21, 2010. Claim forms and more information are available online or by e-mail:

• Army: https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil
• Navy: Send e-mail to
• Marine Corps: https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss
• Air Force: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss

Stop loss is a tool implemented to quickly retain and generate forces in a major conflict. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a comprehensive plan in March to eliminate the current use of stop loss, while retaining the authority for future use under extraordinary circumstances.

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Tanner also chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

Washington

“We feel we are making progress toward ensuring 8th District families have access to news, information and recreational programming that originates from our state and best serves our local communities,” Congressman Tanner said.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently passed the Satellite Home Viewer Reauthorization Act with amendments that help further two of Congressman Tanner’s priorities to impact Tennesseans’ channel lineup options. The bill must still be scheduled for consideration by the full House, and similar legislation must also be deliberated in the Senate.

Congressman Tanner has also discussed with the Federal Communications Commission the difficulties some Tennessee families have experienced in receiving digital TV signals.

DMA Reform

Congressman Tanner and others have highlighted how some local areas – including Lake, Obion and Weakley counties in Northwest Tennessee – have limited access to in-state news, weather and athletic programming because they are geographically included in designated market areas (DMAs) based in other states. This drastically reduces the number of information sources available about issues affecting the state.

The bill passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee requires the FCC to issue a report on how many households receive local broadcasts originating from out-of-state and whether the DMA structure can be adjusted to provide consumers with more in-state programming.

Tanner said this is a major step, insisting that the FCC re-examine limitations in the current DMA structure.

Local Channel Availability on Satellite

Currently, many families live in areas not serviced by cable companies but with a satellite TV provider that does not provide local programming. These families also are often denied local news, information and athletic programming about their communities. A provision in the legislation passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee would accelerate the process for requiring satellite companies to provide this local television coverage to these customers.

This is of particular interest to many rural families in West Tennessee, Tanner said.

Closing Gaps in Digital TV Coverage

Some neighborhoods, including many in Middle Tennessee, are still unable to receive digital television signals, even after the mandatory transition from analog to digital broadcast signals in June. Congressman Tanner wrote to the FCC to raise the concerns of affected Tennesseans.

“Constituents… have expressed considerable displeasure over their inability to receive signals despite purchasing converters [and] antennas, and performing all the re-scanning steps recommended by the FCC,” Tanner wrote in his letter to the FCC.

The FCC assured Tanner it will continue to work on closing DTV blind spots.

“The Commission is assisting any station requesting action to mitigate or resolve reception issues that surfaced after the June 12 transition,” the FCC wrote in a response to Tanner.

Congressman Tanner said all of these issues will continue to be a priority for his office.

“We will continue working toward expanding the available programming options that help Tennesseans stay in touch with their local communities and our state,” Tanner said.

About John Tanner

Congressman John Tanner

Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

Washington – U.S. Rep. John Tanner, chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, joined with colleagues in thanking federal agencies for improving service to wounded warriors who are eligible for Social Security disability benefits. These improvements were cited in a new report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Tanner also urged the agencies to make additional improvements recommended by GAO.

“The Subcommittee on Social Security is committed to ensuring that those who have made great sacrifices in service to our country receive prompt and fair treatment when they apply for Social Security disability benefits,” stated Chairman Tanner, a veteran of the United States Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard. “I applaud the Social Security Administration for the success of its efforts to improve outreach and service delivery to wounded warriors, and I am confident the agency will work hard to address the remaining barriers identified by the Government Accountability Office.”

“We owe a debt of gratitude to all who have worn the uniform,” added Congressman Sam Johnson, an Air Force veteran, former Prisoner of War and Ranking Member on the Social Security Subcommittee. “One of my top priorities is helping current and former military men and women get the care they deserve and the benefits they merit. While I am pleased to learn from the GAO that Social Security, Veterans Affairs, and the DOD are making progress when it comes to educating our wounded warriors about Social Security disability benefits and expediting their claims, there is more work to do. Specifically, we must improve outreach in veterans’ hospitals and expedite the transfer of DOD medical records to Social Security so younger combat wounded veterans will have better, faster access to the benefits they have earned. America’s servicemen and women are the cornerstone of our democracy and they should expect nothing less.”

Service members who have been seriously wounded may be eligible for Social Security disability insurance (DI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits from SSA, in addition to possible disability benefits from VA and DOD. In 2007, advocates began reporting that wounded warriors – service members wounded since 2001 in Iraq or Afghanistan – often did not know about SSA’s disability benefits or were encountering barriers when they attempted to apply.

The Social Security Subcommittee has urged SSA to make improving service delivery to wounded warriors a top priority. In addition, the Subcommittee asked GAO to conduct a study to determine what challenges wounded warriors face in accessing SSA’s disability benefits and what SSA, DOD, and VA have done to address these problems.

GAO’s report, released October 15, found that SSA, DOD and VA have worked together since 2007 to significantly expand outreach to wounded warriors to inform them about SSA’s disability benefits. GAO also found that SSA has successfully taken measures to expedite these disability claims, with help from DOD and VA.

Not all service delivery problems have been fixed, however. GAO found that some wounded warriors still face delays in receiving benefits from SSA because DOD does not transfer their medical records to SSA quickly enough. GAO recommended that DOD and SSA work together to address this problem. In addition, GAO recommended that SSA and VA work together to expand outreach to already-discharged veterans to make sure that they are aware of SSA’s disability benefits. The report identified several groups in particular need of outreach, including those suffering from traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Chairman Tanner and Ranking Member Johnson joined colleagues from other House subcommittees to urge Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue to promptly carry out GAO’s further recommendations.

“Again, we commend you on the success of your efforts to improve service delivery for wounded warriors who may be eligible for Social Security or SSI disability benefits, and look forward to working with you to ensure that they are fully informed about these benefits,” they wrote in letters to the agencies.

About Congressman John Tanner

John Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

Jackson – During AARP Tennessee’s first tele-town hall, thousands of AARP members who live in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District got the chance to hear directly from their congressman, U.S. Rep. John Tanner, about what’s happening with health care reform legislation.

Congressman John Tanner

“I believe the guiding principle in this debate should be this: We need to fix the parts of the health care system that are broken and keep the parts that work,” said Tanner, who plays a key role in the debate as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, during the hour-long call on Monday August 17th. “Make health care available for those [who don’t have coverage] and achieve these goals in a responsible way.”

The AARP has not endorsed any of the comprehensive bills pending before Congress but is working hard with lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle to ensure that any legislation that is passed strengthens and improves Medicare, protects our health care choices, ends discrimination by insurance companies and guarantees stable affordable coverage for all Americans.

The tele-town hall was moderated by AARP Tennessee Advocacy Director Patrick Willard. AARP has hosted several tele-town hall events in other parts of the country during the past two years, including one last month with President Obama at the national office in Washington, D.C., but this was a first for the Tennessee office.

“It was a great opportunity to allow thousands of our members to communicate directly with their congressman from the comfort of their own homes,” said AARP Tennessee State President Margot Seay, who participated in the call from her home in Kingsport.

“They’re hungry for the truth about what health care reform will mean to them, and they want to share their thoughts and concerns. We are thrilled that we could make it so easy for them to participate in this discussion in the 8th Congressional District, and look forward to hosting similar tele-town halls in other areas of the state.”

For more information about AARP’s health care reform efforts, visit www.HealthActionNow.org or www.aarp.org/tn.

About AARP

With more than 700,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

WASHINGTON, DC

“We want to hear ideas on how to fix the parts of our health care system that are broken and keep the parts that work,” Tanner said. Tanner will also host two telephone town halls on Aug. 28 and Aug. 31 where all 8^th District residents from more than 200 towns and communities can talk together about the issues surrounding health care reform. To register to participate in the telephone town halls, visit www.house.gov/tanner or call Congressman Tanner’s office.

Congressman John Tanner, center, talks with Tennessee Veterans Affairs Commissioner John Keys, left, and Dr. Carlo Pike, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and now treats veterans at the Stewart County Community Medical Center. The three discussed how to improve veterans care and also ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

Congressman John Tanner, right, talks with John Knight of Bumpus Mills, a patient at the Stewart County Community Medical Center. Tanner is traveling throughout the 8th District to hear constituents’ ideas on how to fix the parts of the health care system that are broken and how to ensure that people with health insurance can keep their current plans.

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/08/18/congressman-tanner-commissioner-keys-visit-stewart-co-health-center-and-va-clinic/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/08/06/tanner-to-hold-tele-town-hall-meetings/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/08/06/tanner-to-hold-tele-town-hall-meetings/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:00:43 +0000 News Staff http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=23486 U.S. Rep. John Tanner will continue to seek input from 8th Congressional District families through telephone town hall meetings where West and Middle Tennesseans can ask questions on health care, the economy, energy and other issues facing the country.

Telephone town hall meetings are a relatively new format to allow up to thousands of participants to talk together so families from across our district can share their views and hear Congressman Tanner’s remarks on issues of mutual concern. A tele-town hall meeting is one of the best tools for Members of Congress and others to reach thousands of constituents at one time.

Sign Up Online: http://www.house.gov/tanner

“The challenges facing Tennessee and our country are some of the toughest issues we have ever addressed together and require thoughtful discussion focused on solutions,” Congressman Tanner said. “As always, we are anxious to hear what is on the minds of Tennesseans so we can represent and share their views when Congress returns to session.”

Residents of the 8th District who wish to participate in the telephone town hall meetings on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. and Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. can sign up by visiting http://www.house.gov/tanner or by calling Congressman Tanner’s offices. Registered participants will receive a phone call when the meeting is beginning with simple instructions on how to listen, ask questions and leave messages.

“This is an important opportunity for 8th District residents to talk together, hear what is on each other’s minds and share a dialogue about our district’s priorities,” Tanner said.

About John Tanner

John Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

Tanner-Update-on-Health-Care-0802091.mp3

Below is a transcript of Congressman Tanner’s remarks:

Hello, this is John Tanner. I want to talk to you a few minutes about the issues surrounding health care reform. As you know, the issue is consuming much time in Washington and across the country, and I wanted to try to provide you an update on where things stand.

First of all, let me stress how complicated this entire issue is. We are not working on this as citizens because the issue is fun or easy. We are working on it because the current health care delivery system is simply not sustainable.

In the United States, the quality of our medical care continues to be very good, and most of us are well-satisfied with our insurance plans, but the system through which we finance care is far from perfect. Inefficiencies, waste and ineffective payment incentives increase the costs and fail many times to reward high-quality care.

Medical costs – insurance premiums, deductibles and so on – are breaking the budgets of families and small businesses in Tennessee, as well as the federal budget. We will never be able to balance the federal budget and maintain our economic freedom if we do not somehow stem the ever-rising cost of health care.

For these reasons, most of us realize that reform of our country’s health care system is needed. It’s needed for the part that is broken, and we need to continue the part that works.

Five committees – three in the House and two in the Senate – are working on various versions of health care reform legislation. There is not yet a final bill to vote on. Many of the provisions being discussed are good ideas: incentives for higher quality; administrative simplification; coordinated care; maintenance of the employer-based system; and a clause that says patients cannot be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions.

However, we have concerns – those of us in the Blue Dogs – about the testimony of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which indicated that the health reform bills that have thus far been introduced do not contain or achieve the long-term cost containment which is critical to the success of any reform effort. Because of these concerns and others, I had to vote against the current legislation during consideration in the Ways and Means Committee.

The problems facing the Congress with health care reform are as challenging as any domestic issue I have ever encountered. Everyone agrees that the overall goals of health reform should be cost containment, consumer choice, increased access and the maintenance of our high standard of quality care. Not surprisingly, not everyone agrees on how to achieve those goals, but everyone stands to benefit if we, together, can get it right.

I’m going to continue to talk with Members of Congress to produce a bill that provides accessible, affordable health care that all of us can be proud of.

In that vein, I welcome warmly any ideas that you may want to send to our offices in Tennessee or in Washington. I appreciate your time, and as this matter unfolds, I hope we can stay in touch and in contact, because this is a big deal. It affects all of us, and it is something that if we get right, all of us will reap benefits from, and our nation can hopefully be a healthier one.

Thank you very much.

About Congressman John Tanner

John Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

Washington D.C. – U.S. Rep. John Tanner wants to enhance the privacy of Americans’ Social Security numbers (SSNs) and combat identity theft. Tanner, Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, introduced the “Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009.”

The Federal Trade Commission reports that identity theft is the fastest-growing type of fraud in the United States . Private consulting firm Javelin Research and Strategy reports that almost 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2008 – a 22 percent increase from the number of victims in 2007.

“Identity theft is facilitated by the easy availability of SSNs in many public- and private-sector records,” Tanner said in Congressional Record remarks when introducing the bill. “SSNs are valuable to criminals because they are relied upon by business to authenticate identity. They are the skeleton key that unlocks many other sources of private, personal information.

“While therSammany legitimate business and government uses for SSNs, the unrestricted flow of private personal information that includes SSNs often makes it too easy for identity thieves and other criminals to obtain SSNs for their own purposes.”

Tanner introduced the bipartisan bill Thursday along with U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Social Security.

“This common-sense bill would help stop access to Social Security numbers by restricting their sale, purchase and public display,” Johnson said. “It’s time to stop talking and take action to prevent ID theft and protect Americans’ privacy. Let’s get to work.”

The bill, among other provisions, limits the circumstances under which government agencies or private-sector companies can display Social Security numbers to the public, including on the Internet; sell or purchase SSNs; display SSNs on paychecks and identification cards; or employ prisoners in jobs that give them access to SSNs. The bill calls for additional criminal penalties for those convicted of misusing Social Security numbers.

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Tennessee Army National Guard, represents the 8^th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

JACKSON – By voting against America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200) before the House Ways & Means Committee, Rep. John Tanner voted against fixing our broken health care system.

“When I see Congressman Tanner voting against acting now to improve health care, it tells me that he’s profoundly out of touch with ordinary working people in West Tennessee,” said Ella Parham of Jackson. “I was looking forward to retirement after my career as a teacher. Now I have to keep working to help pay for health care. Failing to fix health care is not an option. We can’t afford to wait any longer for real health care reform.”

Tennesseans need reform now in order to save their hard-earned wages. Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 77 percent in Tennessee, at a rate almost 3 times as fast as wages. Tennessee businesses and families pay an extra $900 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.

“Thousands of Tennesseans are standing up and speaking out about the need for reform that provides access to quality, affordable health care for every man, woman, and child,” said Tony Cani, State Director of SEIU’s Change that Works campaign in Tennessee. “Putting the brakes on meaningful reform means doing nothing to hold down costs, doing nothing to help working people get secure health care, and doing nothing to protect the quality of health care. Rep. Tanner should stand with Tennesseans, not the special interests.”

About Change That Works

Change That Works is a grassroots campaign of the Service Employees International Union. We are working families and community allies united to win guaranteed, affordable health care for all.

WASHINGTON

The 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act passed the House Friday by a vote of 415-3. It includes the following investments requested by Congressman Tanner:

Support for a Veterans’ Nursing Home in Montgomery County

“It has long been clear to us in Middle Tennessee that there is a need for a long-term care facility to serve the large veteran community in and around Montgomery County,” Tanner said. “This vote by the U.S. House instructs the VA to more closely study the need, which we feel will make it clear to VA why this investment should be higher on its priority list.”

VA construction projects are decided at the discretion of the VA and cannot be directly funded by Congress. The proposed 140-bed veterans home in Montgomery County is currently ranked 70^th on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs list for construction priorities.

Physical Fitness Center, Fort Campbell

The bill invests $900,000 to construct a 44,347-square foot Army Standard Physical Fitness Center to serve family members on the south side of Fort Campbell Army Base. Fort Campbell’s current conditioning and training facilities do not adequately meet the community’s needs.

Chapel and Multi-Purpose Complex, Fort Campbell

This $14.4 million investment calls for construction of a 1,200-seat chapel and family-life multi-purpose facility important for worship services, large gatherings and classroom education. Current facilities were first constructed during World War II and cannot adequately meet the needs of the families on base today.

“These investments support the military families sacrificing in service to our country and those veterans who have served us in the past,” Tanner said. “We are working to better meet quality-of-life standards for servicemembers and their families and taking another step toward construction of a veterans nursing home to serve those who have sacrificed for their country.”

In accordance with the House’s new appropriations transparency guidelines, Congressman Tanner has posted detailed information about these requests on his Web site, www.house.gov/tanner.

The Senate still must consider its version of the legislation.

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Tennessee Army National Guard, represents the 8^th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

WASHINGTON

“We share the concerns of many in West and Middle Tennessee about the negative impact this legislation, as passed by the House, could have on families, small businesses and farmers in the 8^th District, many of whom already face tough times because of today’s unprecedented economic challenges.

“We realize action is needed to address our country’s energy needs, lessen our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and ensure good stewardship of our environment. This legislation, however, is not the best approach and does not come at the right time. Many of us are hopeful the Senate will produce legislation that addresses these goals without the negative impact the House-passed bill could have on the 8^th District.”

About Representative John Tanner

Tanner represents the 8th Congressional District in West and Middle Tennessee. Co-founder of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Tanner serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the Foreign Affairs Committee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, Tanner chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO PA President.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. John Tanner (D-TN), Mike Castle (R-DE), Allen Boyd (D-FL), Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Baron Hill (D-IN), along with U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) are joining with redistricting reform advocates to end gerrymandering – the political power grab that too often cripples Congress’ ability to work together on bipartisan solutions.

They introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Fairness and Independence in Redistricting (FAIR) Act at a Capitol Hill press conference with redistricting reform advocates and grassroots leaders, including Americans for Redistricting Reform. Tanner has sponsored similar legislation since 2005.

“We must reform the system so the people can elect their representatives instead of allowing politicians to select their constituents with computer software based on strictly political considerations,” Congressman Tanner said. “When politicians draw district lines, it often favors political partisanship and self-protection over public interest. Gerrymandered districts breed partisanship and discourage Members of Congress from working across the aisle on real solutions to the challenges facing our country.”

“The political center continues to disappear, and fewer Members are willing to work across the aisle,” Congressman Castle said. “Instead we are seeing increased identification with political parties and issues driven and debated from the more extreme ideologies. Curbing this trend isn’t impossible; we can make a difference with this legislation.”

“When politicians carve up Congressional districts for partisan interests, democracy suffers,” Congressman Cooper said. “Gerrymandering is backroom politics at its ugliest: it protects incumbents, increases partisanship and stifles the will of the people. The FAIR Act will solve these problems by putting decisions about district lines in the hands of unbiased judges.”

“Gerrymandering should be a concern to all Americans,” Sen. Johnson said. “Creating a fair and balanced way of representing the American people is something I’m proud to support.”

The FAIR Act sets minimum national guidelines for states to follow in drawing Congressional district lines. A bipartisan commission in each state would draw that state’s Congressional map exactly once every 10 years, following the release of new Census data. Districts would be drawn to adhere to the Voting Rights Act, equal population, geography and local boundaries. The legislation only affects Congressional districts and does not address district lines for state and local elections.

“Redistricting reform must occur in the 111th Congress or the next round of gerrymanders will begin anew in the wake of the 2010 Census,” said J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director of the Campaign Legal Center and Program Administrator of Americans for Redistricting Reform. “The current system is a terrible disservice to the citizens of this country and a gross distortion of the democracy envisioned by the founding fathers for the legislative branch. The time to fix this system is now. It will be too late if we wait for the inevitable public outrage that will follow the next wave of gerrymanders. The time to act is now.”

Modern gerrymandering – the art of drawing creative district boundaries to benefit a candidate or political party – dates back to the 1962 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Baker v. Carr, a case that originated in Shelby County, Tennessee, Tanner said. Shelby County Quarterly Court Chairman Charles Baker, originally from Millington, Tennessee, sued the State of Tennessee over unequal representation in the state legislature. Baker argued that Shelby County, as a metropolitan area, was underrepresented compared to Tennessee’s rural communities.

The Supreme Court ruled in Baker’s favor, setting the precedent for the judicial branch to insert itself into the issue of representational mapping. This eventually led to other similar rulings, such as the “one person, one vote” principle.

“’One person, one vote’ is important for our representative democracy, but over the years, professional politicians have overreached in redistricting,” Congressman Tanner said. “Politicians choosing their constituents shuts voters out of the process.”

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner, a founding member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, represents the 8^th Congressional district in West and Middle Tennessee. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He also chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO Parliamentary Assembly President.

UNION CITY – U.S. Rep. John Tanner applauded Monday’s announcement that Jackson will be home to a new teleservice center to process calls from Social Security beneficiaries nationwide. The Jackson teleservice center will employ about 175 Tennessee workers.

“This will be the first new Social Security teleservice center in more than a decade, and it will be a major benefit to our area’s economic development,” said Tanner, Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. “Tennessee workers will now be on the front line to help Social Security beneficiaries from Tennessee and across the country seeking assistance with this important program.”

Tanner joined Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, when he made the announcement Monday in Union City. They also toured the Union City Social Security Office, which recently moved to a new facility after 36 years of operations. The Union City office serves more than 73,000 Social Security beneficiaries in Lake, Obion and Weakley counties.

Social Security is facing an unprecedented wave of people needing our services as baby boomers retire,” Commissioner Astrue said. “Response times have been improving significantly, and the new Jackson TSC will help us provide even more timely service to the 60 million Americans who call our toll-free number each year.”

The Jackson office will be well-situated to field calls from the Eastern and Central time zones. More than two-thirds of the calls to Social Security’s 800 number currently come from those two time zones, according to the Social Security Administration.

The General Services Administration (GSA) will facilitate the process for opening the new facility, which normally takes 18-24 months.

About Congressman John Tanner

Tanner, a founding member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, represents the 8^th Congressional district in West and Middle Tennessee. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he chairs the Social Security Subcommittee, and on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He also chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and is serving a two-year term as NATO Parliamentary Assembly President.