Latest News Perriello Votes to Support American Manufacturing Jobs and American-made Products
09/29/10
Congressman Tom Perriello again voted today to protect American manufacturing jobs and to help make American-made products more competitive. Rep. Perriello co-sponsored the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act (H.R. 2378), which passed with bi-partisan support, to crack down on foreign countries, most notably China, whose currency manipulation results in products that are so cheap that American-made products cannot compete. This practice is devastating to manufacturing industries, such as steel and rubber, and the American Manufacturing Alliance estimates that Virginia's 5th Congressional District lost nearly 6,000 jobs to China from 2001-2008.
Perriello Votes to Cut Taxes, Expand Capital for Small Businesses
09/23/10
Today, Congressman Tom Perriello voted again to cut taxes on small businesses and to help provide capital so they can hire and expand. The Small Business Jobs Act, which is fully paid for, enacts $12 billion in tax cuts so that owners can invest in their small businesses. The bill also helps meet capital needs by creating a $30 billion lending fund for community banks that could leverage up to $300 billion in private investment in small businesses. Unlike the big bank bailout of 2008, which Perriello opposed, this proposal rewards responsible actors and directs lending to where it is needed most: small businesses on Main Street.
New "Patient's Bill of Rights" Takes Effect
09/23/10
Congressman Tom Perriello today highlighted a slate of key patient rights and protections that will now benefit Virginians on private insurance plans. This new "Patient's Bill of Rights" includes common-sense reforms that put patients and doctors, not the health insurance companies, back in charge of health care decisions. The reforms are included in the recently enacted health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
"Rural Star" Legislation Passes House
09/16/10
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4785, the Rural Energy Savings Program Act, commonly known as
"Rural Star." The bill, which Congressman Tom Perriello originally cosponsored and has championed in Congress, will finance energy efficiency upgrades in rural homes, creating an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 jobs a year while saving Virginia families and businesses money on their electric bills. Rep. Perriello made maximizing efficiency one of the three pillars of his "New Energy Blueprint" to place Central and Southern Virginia at the forefront of the new energy economy.
5th District Small Businesses Receive $4.4 million to Commercialize New Energy Technology
09/15/10
Two 5th district small businesses are receiving federal support to commercialize their innovative clean energy technology. Rep. Tom Perriello today announced that Charlottesville's Mikro Systems will receive $1.5 million to support commercialization of its advanced turbine blades for next generation power plants, and Luna Innovations, Inc., which has facilities in Charlottesville and Danville, will receive $2.9 million to commercialize fiber optic
thermal sensors under development at its Blacksburg facility. These grants, supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will help these high-tech small businesses in the 5th district take their innovative products to market while leading the way for the next generation of high-tech manufacturing jobs in Central and Southern Virginia. Rep. Perriello has made advanced manufacturing of new energy technologies a key part of his "New Energy Blueprint" to increase American energy independence and make the 5th district a leader in the new energy economy.
Additional Federal Aid Coming to Local School Districts
09/10/10
Rep. Tom Perriello today announced additional federal aid for school systems across Central and Southside Virginia. The Fifth District will receive approximately $23.8 million from the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, a full paid-for package of aid to states that Rep. Perriello supported. Funds are designed to support elementary and secondary teacher, school-level administrator and other essential school-level staff salaries and related costs. The package will fund approximately 437 teaching positions across the district and mitigate cuts already made by state
and local governments. The bill was paid for, in part, by closing the tax loopholes that reward companies for sending jobs overseas. Rep. Perriello had voted and cosponsored legislation to close the loopholes several times.
Perriello Celebrates New Energy Projects at Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
09/10/10
Rep. Tom Perriello today celebrated a $200,000 grant for the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research's new "Gearing-up for Renewable Energy Jobs" (GReEn Jobs) program to engage teachers and students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM.) The GReEn Jobs program will give teachers the skills and knowledge to prepare interested K-12 students in the region for jobs in the new energy economy. The grant is part of the Department of Education's Fund for Improvement of Education program and will help purchase equipment and technology to start the new initiative. Rep. Perriello requested the appropriation for the program, which also helps advance his "New Energy Blueprint" to make Southern and Central Virginia a regional leader in new energy jobs.
Rep. Tom Perriello and Chairman Bob Filner to Meet with 5th District Veterans
08/23/10
**5th District Veterans Invited to Veterans' Town Hall with Congressmen** Congressman Tom Perriello will host Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for events with 5th District veterans this Friday, August 27, 2010. The Congressmen will visit with staff and veterans during a tour of the Lynchburg Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for veterans, and Rep. Perriello will host Chairman Filner for a Veterans' Town Hall Meeting with members of Rep. Perriello's 5th District Veterans Advisory Committee. All 5th District veterans are invited to attend and participate in the meeting from 4:30 to 5:30 PM at the Campbell County Historic Courthouse in Rustburg.
Perriello Affirms Commitment to Seniors on 75th Anniversary of Social Security
08/12/10
Today, in recognition of the 75th anniversary of Social Security, Rep. Tom Perriello affirmed his commitment to keep the promises made to our seniors. More than 50 million Americans, including more than 150,000 in the 5th District, rely on Social Security's guaranteed benefits for retirement security, and to make ends meet, put food on the table and stay in their homes.
Perriello Supports Improved Border Security
08/11/10
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a fully paid-for emergency appropriations package to improve security and reduce violence along the border with Mexico. Rep. Tom Perriello supported and has previously voted for the measure, which was passed this morning on a voice vote.
Perriello Votes to Support Teachers, American Workers
08/10/10
Rep. Tom Perriello today voted in favor of H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, a fully paid-for aid package to states that will keep teachers and first responders on the job and provide basic health care to those caught up in the economic downturn. The $26 billion aid package is paid for in part by closing the tax loopholes that encourage companies to send jobs overseas. Closing these loopholes has been a priority for Rep. Perriello who has voted and cosponsored legislation to close them several times.
Perriello Votes to Protect American Manufacturing Jobs and Support Small Business
07/30/10
Rep. Tom Perriello again stood up for American workers today by voting for H.R. 5982, a bill that would have created and protected American construction and manufacturing jobs by closing the tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas. The bill also helped small businesses by repealing certain expenditure reporting requirements that would have been overly burdensome. This was a fully paid-for bill to benefit the middle and working class, but the bill failed to pass the House after Republicans chose to stand with corporations that outsource jobs.
Two Perriello co-sponsored bills pass as part of "Make it in America" initiative
07/28/10
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed three more bills to create jobs and support American manufacturing as part of House Democrats' new "Make it in America" initiative. The House passed the National Manufacturing Strategy Act and the End the Trade Deficit Act, both co-sponsored by Rep. Tom Perriello, as well as the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act. These bills will promote the competitiveness of the American manufacturing sector and support the millions of American jobs in manufacturing. All three bills passed with wide
bipartisan support.
Perriello Opposes Obama Administration on Trade Policy
07/27/10
Rep. Perriello has joined with members of the House Trade Working Group to oppose President Obama's recent announcement that he will work to send the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement to be approved by Congress. Perriello has consistently opposed more NAFTA-style free trade agreements because of their devastating effects on manufacturing and industry in Central and Southern Virginia.
07/21/10
In his first term in Congress, Rep. Tom Perriello has put over $3.6 million back into the pockets of individual Virginians by helping veterans, seniors, and other constituents struggling with federal bureaucracies. This total represents money or benefits that the federal government owed or was incorrectly withholding from citizens.
Perriello's Bill To Reduce Deficit by $107 Million Passes House with Unanimous Bipartisan Consent
07/21/10
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two of Congressman Tom Perriello's bills with unanimous bipartisan consent. The Surface Transportation Savings Act of 2010 (H.R. 5604), which passed 402-0, would rescind $106.8 million in unspent transportation funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Transit Administration. These funds are not available for use by these agencies in fiscal year 2010, and the savings achieved from this legislation will be used to reduce the national deficit.
