Congresswoman Johnson Advocates For Stricter Healthier Ozone Standards

"Summer should be a time for families to relax, perhaps take a trip to a favorite vacation spot — but all too often, summer means a trip to the emergency room.

For people living with asthma, and their families, summer’s heat means ozone pollution can make it unsafe to be outside.

Breathing ozone, often called smog, can send people with asthma to the emergency room, and it can shorten people’s lives. In Dallas-Fort Worth, dangerous ozone episodes frequently occur from now through September.

People here are all too familiar with air quality alerts. Families know that a hot day can be a Code Orange or Red day — an unhealthy air day — so they need to take steps to protect themselves.

Even on “moderate” code yellow days, the ozone pollution places children, seniors and those with asthma and other chronic diseases at risk.

However, the warnings are based on an outdated standard for ozone.

Congress must support an updated ozone standard to protect not only those most at risk but all of us from the effects of ozone.

Scientific evidence shows that the current national ozone standard — the limit on how much ozone can be in our air and the official declaration of how much ozone is safe to breathe — does not adequately protect public health.

Even though many areas meet the current standard, the remaining ozone burden still forces too many people to the hospital and the ER because they have trouble breathing.

And the full threat from ozone may be even worse. For example, studies find children’s lungs are susceptible to lifelong damage from this pollutant.

Dallas County alone is home to more than 60,000 children and 131,000 adults with asthma who are at risk of missing work or school, ending up in the emergency room or hospital, and even dying prematurely on days with dangerous ozone levels.

Nationally, EPA estimates that a protective standard would prevent up to 7,900 premature deaths and 1.8 million childhood asthma attacks in the year 2025 alone.

Those in Dallas-Fort Worth are counting on the EPA to set standards that protect their health.

Congress should be working to provide cleaner air faster. Instead, some members are trying to block this lifesaving safeguard by muddying the science around the health effects of ozone.

Some have claimed that a recent study from Johns Hopkins University found that ozone pollution isn’t important for asthma, despite the fact that the study didn’t even look at air pollution.

It examined the relationship between location, poverty, race/ethnicity and asthma prevalence in children.

The authors of the study wrote a letter to Congress correcting the erroneous claims about their findings and outlining the extensive body of research and preponderance of evidence showing that ozone levels harm respiratory health.

The science of what causes asthma is not settled, but we do know that for those who have the disease, ozone can trigger asthma attacks and force them into emergency medical care or hospital treatment.

We need a strong standard that offers real, science-based protection for our communities." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson 

SOURCE: Fort Worth Star Telegram

Congresswoman Johnson Receives Friend Of National Parks Award

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson received the Friend of the National Parks Award from the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). The award recognizes Congresswoman Johnson's votes during the 113th Congress that contributed to the protection and enhancement of America's national parks. At a confirmed 100 voting record, Congresswoman Johnson voted favorably for all five legislative measures related to National Parks during the 113th Congress.

"It's an honor to recognize Congresswoman Johnson for supporting our national parks on the floor of the House during the 113th Congress," said NPCA President and CEO Clark Bunting. "As the 114th Congress works on policies and funding levels impacting our national parks, I look forward to working with Ms. Johnson to ensure national parks have safe roadways, are well maintained, and have the resources they need to thrive for their upcoming centennial."

NPCA's Friend of the National Parks Award was established in 1999 to track and publicize congressional members' votes on significant park issues. This year, NPCA tracked votes for three national park-related votes in the Senate and five in the House of Representatives. To receive the award, senators needed to vote in favor of national parks on at least two scored bills and representatives on at least three scored bills.

"It is an honor to receive the Friend of the National Parks Award, said Congresswoman Johnson. With sixteen national parks located throughout the state of Texas, I have first-hand knowledge of the tremendous benefits these pieces of infrastructure bring. Moving forward, as it remains in the best interest of the American people, I will continue to support national park legislation in the 114th Congress."

Congresswoman Johnson Commemorates 50th Anniversary Of Older Americans Act

"Originally passed in 1965, the Older Americans Act ensures that older individuals and their caregivers have access to a wide array of services. Aside from Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, services such as community- based care, meal delivery, health prevention programs, and elder rights protection are just a few of the many vital programs that the Older Americans Act provides.

The population age 65 and over increased by 24.7 percent between 2003 and 2013 and the number of individuals in need of aging programs continues to rise. Nearly 50 million older Americans and Americans with disabilities rely on Medicare coverage and more than 70 million individuals depend on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for their health care needs. Nearly 42 million Americans receive Social Security retirement benefits and for 6 out of 10 seniors, Social Security provides most of their income. I strongly believe in solvent Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security systems that give older Americans the security they need.

As for the impact of the community and social services provided by the Older Americans Act, the aging network serves an average of 11 million people each year. For example, over a five year period, 130 million rides to doctors' offices, grocery stores, and other locations were provided. More than 1 billion meals were served and 95 percent of those served would recommend the nutrition program. Nearly 20 million hours of case management, over 60 million hours of homemaker services, and more than 30 million hours of respite care were provided, helping older adults continue to live in their own homes. Through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, more than 200,000 participants provided almost 248 million hours of community service, effectively allowing seniors to give back to their community.

As the Baby Boomer Generation enters the 65 and over age bracket and the average life expectancy lengthens, it is clear that we cannot afford a shortage of services. As we celebrate the Older Americans Act 50th Anniversary, we must also keep in mind that these services often end up on the chopping block. On this historic day, I hope that we can all work together to find ways to continue to provide these vital services to our older Americans." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Congresswoman Johnson Hails Nuclear Deal With Iran

“After years of negotiating, the President announced an historic agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program. I believe America and its international partners are taking an important first step in the right direction. In doing so, we are expanding the reach of our nation’s diplomatic powers and hopefully, eliminating the spread of nuclear arms. I applaud President Obama’s commitment to diplomacy and peace-building strategies and commend Secretary John Kerry and Secretary Ernest Moniz for their skilled leadership during the negotiations.

As President Obama stated, ‘this deal is not built on trust, it is built on verification.’  We cannot simply accept the words of others to secure the international community's and America's safety. We must receive this verification autonomously by our own methods.

Moving forward, the details of the agreement will undergo intense Congressional scrutiny over the next 60 days. I am hopeful that this deal will prove to advance the security for America and our trusted allies by curbing Iran’s nuclear program, so that we can move toward implementation.” - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Congresswoman Johnson On Introduction Of Key Fair Housing Rule

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement applauding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) introduction of a fair housing regulation entitled Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), a rule aimed at promoting harmonious, stable and prosperous communities and locales:

"When Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968, it did so with the intent to prohibit discrimination in housing related activities, while also imposing an affirmative duty to further fair housing. The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule sets out a framework for local governments, states, and public housing agencies (PHAs) to take meaningful action to remedy decades of government-supported segregation practices, promote fair housing choice and encourage inclusive communities that are free from discrimination.

The regulation released today will equip communities that receive HUD funding with data and tools necessary to meet fair housing obligations, ensuring that federal funds are not used to support discriminatory policies. For far too long, we have unfairly deprived under-served communities of the educational and economic investments necessary for equitable success.

Today's announcement by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is a critical step in addressing the harmful effects of housing segregation and inequality across our nation, and I applaud Secretary Castro and the Obama Administration for releasing a final rule that seeks to redress such a harmful cycle of inequality."

Along with the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, HUD will provide local policymakers with improved data on housing, demographics, and other local conditions. Additionally, the rule will help communities make strategic use of the resources available to expand housing choices for individuals with disabilities, families with children, and other under-served groups.

Congresswoman Johnson Heads Srebrenica Resolution

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson applauded the passage of H.Res. 310, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding Srebrenica. As a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Bosnia, Congresswoman Johnson served as the lead democrat on the resolution that passed by voice vote this afternoon. Congresswoman Johnson released the following statement regarding Srebrenica:

"I believe it is crucial to distinguish the Srebrenica massacres as genocide while honoring the thousands of innocent people who were killed in July twenty years ago. In the early 1990s, following Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of national sovereignty, Bosnian Serb forces attacked Eastern Bosnia in order to unify and secure Serb territory. During this struggle for control, those Bosnian Serb forces, also called the Army of Republika Srpska committed crimes of ethnic cleansing of the non-Serb population. Approximately 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were systematically executed in July of 1995.

The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina during this time was a failure on behalf of the international community. In 1999, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan acknowledged that the global community needed to accept responsibility for the ethnic cleansing campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina that killed thousands of unarmed civilians in a town designated as a "safe area."

For many years now, I have called on the United Nations to recognize the Srebrenica genocide. Yesterday, I learned that Russia blocked the latest effort by the United Kingdom to recognize the Srebrenica massacres as a genocide, calling it "not constructive, confrontational, and politically-motivated." I am disappointed that the UN is unable to formally recognize Europe's worst atrocity since World War II.

Although the global community cannot and will not distinguish the Srebrenica massacres as a crime of genocide, I applaud my fellow Bosnia Caucus co-chair, Congressman Chris Smith, for introducing this important resolution. While the UN's hands are tied, I am proud that the United States continues to be Bosnia and Herzegovina's greatest friend and ally."

Congresswoman Johnson Leads Peace Conference In Taiwan

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson participated in a conference titled "Building Bridges of Peace through Culture and Faith," hosted by Judy Chen Hseih and the Hwazan World Education Foundation. The conference was held in Taipei, Taiwan and focused on utilizing culture and faith to promote peace.

During the conference, Congresswoman Johnson addressed more than 1,000 audience members to provide background on the A World of Women for World Peace initiative. "Throughout my time in office, I have seen first-hand the pillage of war. Shortly after experiencing the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, I saw on the cover of Newsweek magazine, two boys from Liberia who were 12 and 14 years old all dressed in war gear with machine guns, and I just thought enough was enough. I wondered how our world had come to this place of aggression, and I knew that I had to do something to be a part of bringing a culture of peace to the world," said Congresswoman Johnson.

"My efforts started with women who are the mothers of young boys like the ones I saw on the cover of that magazine, whose lives are sacrificed in the name of war. We must recognize and empower these women to facilitate peace-building, peacemaking, and peace-keeping activities across the world. We must also recognize the experts and leaders who help us to plant the seeds of peace. Today's conference helps us to re-emphasize the necessity of peace and diplomacy across the globe."

On the first panel, Alma Abdul-Hadi Jadallah, PhD, Carol Griffith Williams, Olivia Stokes Dreier, and Roberto Garcia spoke about culture and peace. Dr. Jadallah told stories of conflict from around the world and left a message with the audience of sustaining hope in the midst of adversity. Carol Williams, a former Montana state legislator, discussed women promoting peace during a time of war and Peace Links, an organization she helped to found during the Cold War to open lines of communication and exchange programs between women in Russia and America. Olivia Dreier of the Karuna Center for Peace-building spoke about compassion and healing the wounds of civil wars across the globe through dialogue between different religious and ethnic groups by recognizing local traditions. Roberto Garcia, a multicultural relations professional in Toowoomba, Australia, where eighty ethnic groups speak over one hundred languages, spoke about the vast cultural diversity in Australia and encouraged multi-cultural participation in the community.

On the second panel, Reverend Timothy Njoya, Swami Samachittananda, Noor Mohamed Marican, and Harbans Singh spoke about faith-based peace. Reverend Timothy Njoya, who developed Men for Equality with Women in Kenya, spoke about faith as an instrument of peace, love, and compassion. Swami Samachittananda, a Hindu monk, quoted various religious texts and spoke about harmony in religions. Noor Mohamed Marican, a leader of Singapore's Inter-Religious Organization, spoke about his experiences as a Muslim and finding common ground with other faith leaders and practitioners by recognizing their differences. Harbans Singh, who serves as Honorary Secretary of Singapore's Inter-Religious Organization, spoke about Sikhism's dedication to humility and compassion.

In addition to the two panels, the conference also featured an interfaith peace discussion with faith leaders from the Multi-Faith Multicultural Centre at Pure Land Learning College in Toowoomba, Australia, a universal prayer with a candle lighting ceremony, and cultural dance performances.

Congresswoman Johnson's Statement On Passage Of The Student Success Act

“The most recent iteration of the Elementary Secondary Education Act, HR 5, that was brought to the floor of the House today failed to implement lessons learned from the failed policies of No Child Left Behind. Instead of providing more resources to students and teachers and implementing smarter accountability measures, the Student Success Act advances policies that gut the core intent of the original Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Among the most egregious provisions of the proposed legislation is a provision providing for the “portability” for Title 1 funds. This specific provision adversely affects families in District 30 and any communities with high concentrations of poverty by diluting the funding formula which seeks to provide additional resources to struggling school districts. Instead of abating the disparity of resources within underserved communities, portability of Title 1 funds would guarantee that low-resourced schools remained in deteriorating conditions.

Additionally, as the Ranking Member on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and a long-time advocate for STEM -- Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering -- education, I was alarmed by the utter and complete exclusion of any reference to STEM education within the base text.

We should be retooling our education system to fit the needs of an ever evolving, globalized economy, not running back to factory-style education that fails to provide our children with the skills needed to compete.

Education is the ladder to opportunity and central to keeping alive the American Dream. I will not rest until my colleagues on both sides of aisle establish a bill that ensures education in America is reflective of our principles as a nation.”

Congresswoman Johnson Marks The Anniversary Of The Landmark Civil Rights Act Of 1964

“As we commemorate the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we remember the debt all of us owe to the courageous leaders of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement – many of whom fell victim to unconscionable crimes because of their choices to lead the march against discrimination, injustice and inequality. Their unyielding hope lay at the foundation of the progress we’ve made as a nation.

The landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 helped bring an end to the Jim Crow era by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.  Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 represents enormous progress, there remains a great deal of work to be done. In the wake of recent tragedies, such as the shooting in Charleston and the numerous incidents of police violence against minorities, it is clear that the nation remains deeply divided, and we are all responsible for leading the effort of reconciliation, so that we can heal the wounds of prejudice and hatred in every city, county and state. We must work together to restore our nation’s dignity.

I call upon Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to act in a bipartisan fashion to honor the sacrifices of the brave leaders of the Civil Rights Movement by continuing to advance civil rights efforts around the country. This begins with protecting the right of every American to participate in the democratic process by supporting the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, which I am co-sponsoring. Supporting this piece of legislation would be in the spirit of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ensuring that America lives up to its creed that all individuals are created equal.”

Congresswoman Johnson Congratulates LGBT Community On Supreme Court Decision On Marriage Equality

 Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, who represents most of Oak Lawn, sent the following statement in recognition of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding marriage equality:

"Equality for all Americans is of the utmost importance, and after a long fought battle across the nation and throughout the federal judicial system, the Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed that committed couples, regardless of sexual orientation, have a Constitutional right to marry.

As we celebrate this great victory during LGBT Pride Month, we also remember that LGBT Americans have fought for the equality of all Americans, and each year during the month of June, we recognize their contributions and accomplishments in the fight for full equality.

On Friday, our nation made history with this ruling. But, there is still much to be done as we continue the fight for the extension of full protection under the law to every American, including those in the LGBT community. Moving forward, I will continue my commitment to fight against discriminatory laws and practices that impede an individual’s freedom." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

SOURCE: Dallas Voice