Washington D.C. - U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier Reports

U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier reports:

Dear Friends,

In the United States there were more mass shootings in 2015 than days in the year. Colorado Springs, Paris, San Bernardino are tragic examples of mass shootings making headlines in recent months. We have got to stop this. At a minimum, we need to require background checks for every firearm sale, but that is just one step towards stopping the carnage. One thing we must not do is succumb to fear and hatred. During the holidays, I hope you will find time to reflect on the people and life events for which you are thankful.

I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts, ideas and concerns with me in meetings, letters, emails, calls and at my community events. Your input is very valuable to me as I represent you in Washington. I will continue to work on issues that matter in your lives. At all of our events, my goal is to provide you with resources and information that will improve your lives, your health and your access to services. Let me recap some of the activities my office hosted over the last six months.

Job Hunters Boot Camp

I hosted my 12th Job Hunters Boot Camp in conjunction with Assemblyman Kevin Mullin in October. We had 120 employers — a record number — who were seeking workers. It was a stark contrast to my very first boot camp at the height of the recession in January 2010 when the unemployment rate in San Mateo County was 9.2%. Then, we had a dozen employers and most of them weren’t hiring. Now we have a booming economy and an unemployment rate of 3.2%. But this booming economy isn’t lifting everyone. Plenty of job seekers are still in need of a job or a better job. My office will continue to do its best to bring resources together that will help in that search.

“No Questions Barred” Veterans Town Hall

Veterans deserve more than lip service and the common refrain “thank you for your service.” Recently I held a third open, honest and candid conversation about disability compensation, education, medical benefits and jobs at a town hall at City College of San Francisco which has the largest veteran student population in the country. I was joined by Julianna Boor, director of the Oakland VA Benefits Office and Bonnie Graham, director of San Francisco VA Medical Services and others. A common complaint from the veterans was long processing time for claims, in particular appealed claims. My office continues to work on those cases with the VA until they are resolved. Over the last five years, my office was able to recover close to $5 million in disability claims for veterans. They put their lives on the line in service to our country. It is our responsibility to help them heal from their physical and psychological wounds and be able to re-enter civilian life when they return. They deserve first-rate health care and a disability claims process that handles their requests in a timely manner. I have made it my responsibility to hold the VA accountable to my veteran constituents.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Panel

Breast cancer research has advanced tremendously. I hosted and spoke at a panel where I also invited some of the premier doctors and researchers from UCSF to update us on the latest research and treatment options for the second most common cancer in women. They covered topics from risk-based cancer screenings to ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to personalized medicine to patient empowerment. Dr. Deborah Cohan, professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, shared her own story of surviving breast cancer.

Many members in the audience expressed their appreciation for an inspirational discussion about a serious issue. To find a cure for cancer, we must invest in research. I am very concerned that funding for the National Institutes of Health has declined by 25 percent over the last decade. We are killing the goose that lays golden eggs. We have to reverse this trend to save lives. If you missed this event, you can find the video of the full panel on my website.

Seniors on the Move
I was thrilled to host the 28th annual Seniors on the Move Conference, in conjunction with San Mateo County Supervisor Adrienne Tissier. It drew almost 700 seniors for a day of information and activities. This year’s theme “Moving Body & Mind” was perfectly illustrated by keynote speaker Anne Lorimor who set a world record as the oldest person at 85 to climb Kilimanjaro. Other speakers covered topics such as fall prevention, driver’s license renewal, nutrition and brain exercises. My office staff was available at the event to provide constituent services to seniors. You can find video of the presentations on my website.

Standing Up Against the Select Committee to Attack Women’s Health

Congresswoman Speier speaks to the press after the mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado Springs that killed three and injured nine

In the wake of the special Benghazi Committee and the hearings on Planned Parenthood, House Republicans have announced the creation of a special committee with a multimillion-dollar budget that I believe will be used to demonize providers of women’s health services. I was asked to serve as a member on the Democratic side of this Committee, and I agreed to do so in order to defend women’s health care rights.

Then, after the horrible shootings during the Thanksgiving holiday at a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado Springs, I joined all of the Committee’s Democratic members in writing a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan. We called on him to disband the Committee and end the inflammatory proceedings that are putting women and their health care providers’ lives in danger.

Demanding Background Checks for Every Firearm Sale
I introduced the Fix Gun Checks Act, which would require background checks for every firearm sale. The U.S. already has a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and it is already illegal for people such as felons, domestic abusers and people with violent psychological conditions to purchase firearms. But unfortunately, many of these individuals can evade the law and purchase firearms anyway via loopholes that allow millions of guns to change hands every year in sales over the internet or at gun shows that do not go through the system. My bill would fix these loopholes by closing gaps in state mental health reporting and requiring every firearm sale to go through the existing background check system.

Calling for an End to the Federal Ban on Gun Violence Research
I sent a letter with 50 other members of Congress requesting that the House Appropriations Committee remove the ban on the Department of Health and Human Services funding gun violence research. The U.S. government spends $240 million per year to research traffic safety, over $233 million on food safety, and $331 million on the impact of tobacco but because the “Dickey Amendment” bans the use of federal funds for gun violence research, we know almost nothing about the firearms that kill 33,000 Americans every year. As a result, we lack fundamental information about the causes of gun violence and what public policy measures could effectively stem the tide of gun deaths.

Congress Passes My Bill to Reauthorize the Breast Cancer Research Stamp

The House and Senate unanimously approved the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2015, which will allow the Post Office to continue issuing a fundraising stamp that allows you to pay 11¢ above the regular cost of postage to fund cutting-edge breast cancer research. Since Dr. Ernie Bodai, a cancer surgeon, launched the campaign to create the breast cancer stamp in 1998, it has raised over $81.8 million for breast cancer research at no cost to taxpayers. In addition, more than 70 countries have followed the United States’ lead, creating their own stamps that help women, men, and families affected by breast cancer worldwide. One in eight American women develops invasive breast cancer during her lifetime and it is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. The passage of this bill was important to finding a cure for this terrible disease.


Have a peaceful and blessed New Year and please continue to share your opinions and concerns with me. It is a privilege to represent you in the United States Congress.

All the best,

/s/ Jackie

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Robert Riechel

E=Mail: SanBrunoPatch.Robert@Yahoo.com

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Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit:  U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Speier