Federal Bill H. R. 3: Rape Only if "Forcible," Statutory Rape Okay

Yesterday I looked at PA SB3. Today let's look at something similar on the federal level, H.R. 3, "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act." This bill limits access to reproductive rights in general, but to abortion in particular. Note the wording of the rape or incest exceptions:

(1) If the pregnancy occurred because the pregnant female was the subject of an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest;

Pay careful attention to the adjective forcible, forcible rape. There is no legal definition of what is forcible rape. Would date rape apply? If a woman were drugged and raped would that be forcible? If a rapist breaks into the home of a single mother and says if she makes any noise or fights he'll kill her children in the next room, would that count as rape if she doesn't fight back? What constitutes forcible rape? Does being hit by fists constitute force, threatened by a knife or gun? Does she actually have to be stabbed or shot? At present an adult male who has sex with a minor female is guilty of statutory rape. The forcible rape restriction would likely mean that if a 30 year old talked a 12 year old into having sex or merely threatened her with words, it wouldn't count as forcible rape, and so unless her family had private abortion insurance or had the money on hand, she would be forced to go through with the pregnancy. The average girl in American starts having periods at age 12, but their bodies are not ready to carry a child to term or give birth.

Notice also that that incest only applies to minors, not adults.

For more information, read
"Look at the shiny object" by Digby on Hullabaloo
"The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape," by Nick Baumann, Mother Jones, excerpt:

Given that the bill also would forbid the use of tax benefits to pay for abortions, that 13-year-old's parents wouldn't be allowed to use money from a tax-exempt health savings account (HSA) to pay for the procedure. They also wouldn't be able to deduct the cost of the abortion or the cost of any insurance that paid for it as a medical expense.

"John Boehner's push to redefine rape," by Sady Doyle , Slate, excerpt:

Exemptions for rape and incest are a known target of antiabortion groups. John Boehner, who named this bill a top priority for the new Congress, is endorsed by the Republican National Coalition for Life, which requires candidates to prove they "do not justify abortion for innocent babies who are conceived through rape or incest." By my count, 34 co-sponsors of the bill were also endorsed and/or funded by RNCL. It shouldn't be shocking: The goal is no abortions for rape survivors. Because the goal is no abortions, for anyone.

Still, no one wants to be the guy who stands up and says that he's eliminating medical coverage for molested children. For some reason, that's an unpopular stance. Which is why the 183 politicians who sponsor H.R. 3 aren't saying it: They're just quietly changing the language. They want to appear to be preserving exemptions, while eliminating them in practice. They probably hoped no one would notice.

The bill has 173 co-sponsors. Here are the Pennsylvania representatives on the list. If yours is here you might call and ask him how he defines forcible rape and why he wants the families of raped tween girls to be denied access to abortion services if they feel that is the best recourse in their situation.

PA Co-Sponsors:

Lou Barletta (PA-11)
Mark Critz (PA-12)
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Jim Gerlach (PA-06)
Tim Marino (PA-10)
Tim Murphy (PA-18)
Joe Pitts (PA-16)
Bill Shuster (PA-09)
Glenn Thompson (PA-05)

That is nearly one half of our Congressional delegation.

A Note on PA SB3

A bill in the Pennsylvania State Senate (SB3) would make it illegal for any health insurance plan offered in one of the Pennsylvania health exchanges set up via the Affordable Care Act would not cover abortion or post-abortion complications.
Just to provide some background, here is the state's legal definition of abortion and complications:

18 Pa. C. S. A. 3203
Definitions
Abortion: the use of any means ot terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child except that, for the purposes of this chapter, abortion shall not mean the use of an intrauterine device or birth control pill to inhibit or prevent ovulation, fertilization or the implantation of a fertilized ovum within the uterus.

Complication: Includes but is not limited to hemorrhage, infection, uterine perforation, cervical laceration and retained products. The department may further define complication.

Here are the requirements that must be met for an exception in the case of rape or incest:

18 Pa. C. S. A. 3215
(a) Limitations. – No hospital, clinic or other health facility owned or operated by the Commonwealth, a county, a city or other governmental entity (except the government of the United States, another state or a foreign nation) shall:
(1) Provide, induct, perform or permit its facilities to be used for the provision, inducement of performance of any abortion except where necessary to avert the death of the woman or where necessary to terminate pregnancies initiated by acts of rape or incest if reported in accordance with requirement set form in subsection ©.
© (2) When abortion is performance in the case of pregnancy caused by rape which, prior to the performance of the abortion, has been reported, together with the identity of the offender, if known, to a law enforcement agency having the requisite jurisdiction and has been personally reported by the victim.
© (3) When abortion is performed in the case of pregnancy caused by incest which, prior to the performance of the abortion, has been personally reported by the victim to a law enforcement agency having the requisite jurisdiction, or, in the case of a minor, to the county child protective service agency and the other party to the incestuous act has been named in such report.

There are three things I’d like to point out about this.

The first is that it would be very easy for an insurance company to restrict coverage of some procedures entirely as opposed to restricting them only in the case of post-abortion complications. Take, for example, dilation and curettage. This may be done post-abortion but it is sometimes also done after a miscarriage (see info at MayoClinic). It is also sometimes done after a full term birth if pieces of the placenta are left in the uterus. A D&C might also be done in the case of fibroids, heavy uterine bleeding, and other gynecological circumstances (see emedicine). What proof would a woman who had had a miscarriage have to provide to show it was a spontaneous miscarriage and not an abortion? Would doctors refuse to do a D&C for other reasons to avoid tangling with insurance companies over the use of the procedure?

The second is that minors have to report a case of incest and the identity of the perpetrator to a county agency worker. That’s going to be difficult for a young teen whose father or other family member has been abusing her for years. The same concerns come into play for rape victims. What if the woman doesn’t know the identity of her rapist? There have been several serial rapists in the Philadelphia area in recent years. I don’t think those guys left a business card. How much pressure will insurance companies put on women to provide a name before coverage will be provided. Note also that incest reports much be made by the pregnant woman herself but no such requirement is listed for rape. One other matter – there is no requirement that the accusations by name be confirmed by DNA testing. In cases where a woman is personally threatened with violence there will be a strong temptation to avoid further violence by providing a fake name or, even more unfortunate, the name of an innocent man.

The third is that there is no provision for expectant fathers to pay for prenatal care, in cases where an abortion is denied. Finding insurance that will cover all necessary or recommended prenatal care is difficult, and good care can be expensive. In a he said / she said case where the woman says she was raped and the man says it was consensual, who will decide if she can get an abortion? Will she have to wait until the court case is finalized? Can he be forced to pay half of the prenatal and birth expenses while the legal system goes through? If a woman can’t get an abortion when both she and the man involved want one, you might see more cases like those in which the man involved wants the woman to get an abortion and she doesn’t. Philadelphia’s Latoyia Figueroa was in that situation and her boyfriend killed her to avoid becoming a father.

Should you have any concerns about this bill, let your state senator know, especially if he or she is among the sponsors: INTRODUCED BY D. WHITE, SCARNATI, PILEGGI, ARGALL, YAW, ROBBINS, BROWNE, ERICKSON, GORDNER, KASUNIC, VOGEL, TOMLINSON, FOLMER, SMUCKER, ORIE, ALLOWAY, PIPPY, CORMAN, BRUBAKER, EICHELBERGER, RAFFERTY, WAUGH, MENSCH, WARD, PICCOLA AND YUDICHAK.

I think a better way to decrease the number of abortions is to work towards providing good low cost prenatal care and child care, contraceptive education, and make it harder for businesses to fire or otherwise discriminate against pregnant women and working mothers.

Some PA Notes in Today's WSJ

A few interesting notes in today's Wall Street Journal
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In "More dentists taking pains to win back fearful patients," by Melina Beck

George Kivowitz has dental offices in New York City and Newtown, Pa discusses some of the methods he uses to make patients feel more comfortable when having work done on their teeth.

In "Drug shortages distress hospitals," by Jennifer Corbett Dooren

Teva, a generic pharmaceutical firm that has locations in the Philly area is mentioned as manufacturing some cancer drugs that are currently in short supply. Dwight Kloth, the pharmacy director at Fox Chase Cancer Center is quoted in the article.

Adam Lang Takes on Philly Campaign Finance

Adam Lang is active in a number of political and civic causes in Philadelphia. His most recent effort is keeping track of campaign finance in the city, who is getting money and from where among city council candidates. The maiden post on the topic can be found on this blog (www.adamlang.com).

While I think there are great differences between Adam's political beliefs and mine I consider him an honest man with a good heart. (And I'm not just saying that because he referenced my campaign finance reports as a basis for his.) He also has a good sense of humor, which can go a long way in an area as testy and dull as politics.

Big Bloggy Welcome to Third and State

There's a new kid on the blog block:

Third and State is a joint blog of the Keystone Research Center and Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center.

Pennsylvania, like many other states, faces historic challenges — from ensuring that the economy brings broadly shared prosperity to working families, to addressing Pennsylvania's budget challenges in a balanced way, to implementing provisions of the Affordable Care Act, to reducing poverty and strengthening Pennsylvania's schools.

With this blog, we will present sharp and timely commentary to help you better understand Pennsylvania's economy and how state budget and other policies impact the lives of people in this state. And we'll bring it to you from our perch at Third and State — across the street from the State Capitol.

Among the bloggers:
Christopher Lilienthal
Mark Price
Stephen Herzenberg

Worth a look.

Shapiro Richards

As most suburban Philly politicos will have heard by now, County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel announced today that he won't run for re-election. The current Democratic ticket has State Rep. Josh Shapiro and Whitemarsh Township Supervisor Leslie Richards.

I think those decisions were made rather quickly. Why? There is a hastily compiled website at www.shapirorichards.com. It links to Richards existing county commissioner campaign site. Shapiro's link is to his state rep campaign site. It this were something planned far in advance their website would look better the first day or so it was up. I can't find any information on when the URL was purchased. The logo is fairly basic (their last names in red with a blue star between them and their first names written in very small blue letters above the last names).

This will be an interesting race.

Schwartz Reception

Allyson Schwartz hosts an annual reception to thank her campaign volunteers and supporters. This year's event was held this evening. I didn't volunteer on her campaign and don't think I gave her any money either but the event was free so I crashed it. When I was there an assortment of candidates were around -- Councilman Bill Green (At Large), candidate Sherrie Cohen (At Large City Council), possibly Andy Toy (At Large City Council, not sure if that was him). There were probably others that I didn't recognize (I go by name tags to avoid mistaken identity). The food was good; I can vouch for the meatball sandwich. The bartender said he was going to cut me after after my second water refill (it was a joke). (If I had known my train would get stuck on the tracks on the way home I wouldn't have had so much to drink). Schwartz made brief remarks, introduced by former Congressman Bob Borski. Schwartz acknowledged the Democratic losses in the last election, and noted that she also lost her seat on the Ways and Means Committee. She noted the number of people who call her office wanting to take advantage of the new health care reforms, for example, putting children in their early 20s on their insurance policy.

It was a nice event.

White House Interns from PA

from the inbox:

The White House Internship Program announced today the participants for the spring 2011 session. The program’s mission is to make the White House accessible to future leaders all around the nation and cultivate and prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities.

A White House Internship provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Interns work in one of several White House departments, including the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Office of Scheduling and Advance, the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Office of Health Reform, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Management and Administration, the Office of White House Counsel, the Office of Energy and Climate Change, the National Economic Council, the Office of Presidential Correspondence, the Presidential Personnel Office, the Communications Department, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of the First Lady, and the Office of the Vice President.

Additional information about the White House Internship Program is available here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/internships/. The application for the Fall 2011 White House Internship will be posted on January 31, 2011.

People on the list with PA connections:

Graboyes, Madison Hometown: Dresher, PA; New York University, NY
Kaufman, Evan Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA; Indiana University-Kelley School of Business, IN
Mesco, Guenevere Hometown: Albuquerque, NM; University of Pennsylvania Law School, PA
Myrtetus, Maryrose Hometown: Bensalem, PA; Vassar College, NY
Rodrigo, Manishi Hometown: Alpharetta, GA; Temple University-Beasley School of Law, PA
Shimm, Avram Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA; Claremont McKenna College, CA
Truong, TuongVan Hometown: Philadelphia, PA; Temple University, PA

SEPTA Love Train

from the inbox:

Did Cupid’s arrow strike your heart while you were riding on SEPTA? Did you find bliss on the bus or romance on the rails? From January 28 through February 10, riders who found new romance or re-connected with old flames on a SEPTA bus, train or trolley can submit their “moving” tales, photos and videos to the SEPTA Love Stories website, www.septalovestories.org. The public will vote for their favorite stories from January 28 through February 11 and the 14 couples with the most loved submissions will win an invitation to ride on the Mural Arts “Love Train” - a specially decorated Market-Frankford Line six-car train, attend a VIP champagne reception and view a screening of the Love Letters documentary - all on Sunday, February 13. The reception and screening will be held at SEPTA’s 1234 Market Street headquarters.

During the Love Train tour Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will officiate at wedding of a young couple. To win two tickets to the pre-Valentine’s Day event, visit www.septalovestories.org or www.SEPTA.org. Complete contest details and instructions on how to upload stories and vote for your favorite SEPTA love story are also available on the website. To purchase tickets and learn more about the Mural Arts Love Train, visit http://muralarts.tix.com.

An Open Note to Mattel

Dear Mattel,

I don't have a problem with Barbie dolls and really like the animated Barbie videos. However, I'm not sure this is an appropriate slogan on a Barbie tote bag marketed to kids: "A plastic boyfriend is fun to toy with"

Samantha Jones would love it but it doesn't look good hanging in the toy section of Target, between Skipper and My Little Pony.

Another Bucks Co Commish Appointee

Three years ago I wrote a blog post pointing out that in the previous 20 years all new Bucks County commissioners had been appointed not elected:

It has been twenty years since Bucks County elected a new county commissioner. While it’s true that the three county commissioners face re-election every four years, all of the men and women who have taken office since 1987 were initially appointed, not elected. They have been re-elected every time they ran, but all were initially appointed. Current commissioner Charley Martin was appointed in 1995 to fill out Andy Warren’s term when Warren resigned to take a position at PennDOT. Warren was initially elected in 1979. Current commissioner Jim Cawley was appointed in 2004 to fill out Mike Fitzpatrick’s term when Fitzpatrick resigned after being elected to Congress. Fitzpatrick was appointed in 1994 to fill out Mark Schweiker’s term when Schweiker was elected lieutenant governor. Schweiker had been initially elected in 1987. Current commissioner Sandy Miller was appointed in 1991 to fill out Lucille Trench’s term when Trench resigned to join the Crime Victims Compensation Board. Miller and Trench are the only Democrats mentioned here. Miller is the niece of former county commissioner Adolph A. Andrews who was in office in the later 1960’s and early 1970’s, and she is now the longest serving commissioner in Bucks County history.

In the intervening time Bucks County voters did break with tradition and elected Diane Marseglia in Nov, 2007. This month there was another vacancy on the county board of commissioners when Jim Cawley was sworn in as lieutenant governor. Robert T. Loughery has been appointed to fill out his term, which runs through the end of this year.

Anne McCaffrey's Local Connections

What else can you do on a snowy day? I was reading up on my of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey (Mary T. Brizzi's 1986 Anne McCaffrey). She mentions that McCaffrey lived in Upper Montclair, NJ as a girl, including a stint at Girl Scout camp. As an adult she performed in or directed performances at the Wilmington Opera Society (her then husband worked for DuPont). Those who fondly remember the Harperhall series (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums) might be interested to know that Masterharper Robinton was modeled on Frederick N. Robinson of Pennsylvania's Lancaster Opera Workshop.

Who knew!

Obama on NASA Day of Remembrance

from the inbox:

Statement by the President on NASA Day of Remembrance

Fifty years ago, a young President facing mounting pressure at home propelled a fledgling space agency on a bold, new course that would push the frontiers of exploration to new heights. Today, on this Day of Remembrance when NASA reflects on the mighty sacrifices made to push those frontiers, America’s space agency is working to achieve even greater goals. NASA’s new 21st Century course will foster new industries that create jobs, pioneer technology innovation, and inspire a new generation of explorers through education – all while continuing its fundamental missions of exploring our home planet and the cosmos.

Throughout history, however, we have seen that achieving great things sometimes comes at great cost and we mourn the brave astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice in support of NASA missions throughout the agency’s storied history. We pause to reflect on the tragic loss of the Apollo 1 crew, those who boarded the space shuttle Challenger in search of a brighter future, and the brave souls who perished on the space shuttle Columbia.

Through triumph and tragedy, each of us has benefited from their courage and devotion, and we honor their memory by dedicating ourselves to a better tomorrow. Despite the challenges before us today, let us commit ourselves and continue their valiant journey toward a more vibrant and secure future.

Assorted Articles and Statements on the Brouhaha in the State House Today

There was a big todo in the State House today.

John Micek at the Morning Call's Capitol Ideas blog summarized it as:

State House Democrats ...
... stormed out of a meeting of the chamber's Rules Committee this afternoon, enraged Pennsylvania-capitol over changes in the chamber's operating rules that reduce the amount of minority representation on legislative committees and restrict how amendments can be offered on the House floor.

His full blog post includes video of the event so you can see for yourself.

Mark Scolforo at Phillyburbs has another good article.

PoliticsPA weighs in.

A few individual state house representatives have issued statements. Here are some of them.

Steve Santarsiero:

"Today House Majority Leadership turned their back on both our governor's and our president's calls for civility and bipartisan debate with a proposal to change House rules in a way that will stifle substantive debate on amendments and further limit the minority party's participation in House committees.

"Our scheduled debate on meaningful government reforms was halted abruptly by Speaker Sam Smith and Majority Leader Mike Turzai, who were unhappy with a number of amendments filed by me and my Democratic colleagues. These amendments, which are intended to strengthen the reform proposals, are a key tool – and one of the few – that the minority has in the legislative process.

"So to strong-arm Democrats into pulling all amendments, the Republican leadership, in a closed-door meeting, has proposed changing the House rules as follows:

· Reducing from 10 to 9 the number of Democrats on every committee (the proportion is currently 15-10 which is a 60-40 ratio despite the fact that Democrats comprise 45 percent of the chamber). This is little more than a misuse of the majority's power and, if anything, anti-reform.

· Allow for motions to table amendments, so that the majority can effectively stifle substantive debate on amendments.

"At best, this behavior is ironic given Governor Corbett's call for civility and government reform; at worst it's a disturbing power grab.

"In either case, the citizens of Pennsylvania have called for and deserve a General Assembly that is more transparent, open and accountable.

"I urge my Republican colleagues – and especially those from my home county – Bucks County – to vote their conscience and oppose their leadership's proposed rules changes."

Pam DeLissio:

"For the past eight weeks that I have been in office, I have been impressed with the reform objectives and efforts being discussed and worked on by members of the House, until today’s events when the Republicans made a series of decisions that eroded the very core of what constitutes democracy," DeLissio said.

"I was appalled and dismayed that the submission of Democratic amendments to reform-oriented good government bills was perceived as 'obstructionist.' My own amendment, to House Bill 103, prohibited public officials and public employees who had influenced the awarding of state contracts to a business or its affiliates becoming employed by that same business or entity before two years had elapsed.

"In addition to reducing the number of Democratic members on House standing committees, the Rules Committee also resolved to adopt a process by which amendments could be tabled independently of a bill.

”It is distressing that today's actions undermine the House Speaker’s Reform Commission efforts from several years ago and threaten to return to a style of conducting business that produced investigations, convictions and indictments of members of the House," DeLissio said. "I came to Harrisburg for the purpose of being a voice for the people I represent -- but now my voice, and therefore my constituents' voices, may be heard only when convenient."

Committee of 70 Council Candidates' Site

The Committee of 70 has put together a great website on candidates for Philadelphia City Council. For those who need a scorecard (and that would be everyone interested in city politics), here it is: http://www.seventy.org/OurViews_Council_Districts_and_Candidates_at_a_Glance.aspx

Interactive Regional Census Map

DVRPC has made available an interactive U.S. Census Data Profiles map. You can easily zoom around the region and review demographic information. Very cool.

SOTU World Clouds

Fast Company has compiled a word cloud of the President's State of the Union address last night, comparing it to last year's SOTU and Michelle Bachmann's response. ("State of the Union address shows Obama thinking about people," by Kit Eaton)

In contrast, NPR has posted "The State of the Union in your words," showing word clouds of what people heard by various demographics. A common theme: salmon.

To see exactly what the president said, a transcript is available online.

Vastly entertaining for word geeks and politicos.

Personal Finance Classes at Roberts Vaux High School

In an example of community involvement with education, the Brewerytown / Sharswood Community Civic Association has sponsored personal finance instruction in the Roberts Vaux High School. Telestrat Education, a local firm that offers continuing legal education classes, primarily in accounting and finance, donated their time, to do initial instruction and to train classroom teachers to continue the effort. Telestrat founder Reuben Advani said, "Most people agree that a widespread lack of financial understanding contributed to the recent financial crisis. An overriding lesson from the crisis is that personal finance education must begin at an early age. It ranks as high as reading, writing and arithmetic. This program lays the foundation to inspire and influence America's youth to take control of their financial future."

The classes, taught to Juniors and Seniors, have been well received by the faculty and students. "Our students have not only excelled academically through this program, but learned real world finance skills that will be useful throughout their lives,” says Margie Goodwin, School Based Instructional Specialist.

“We are always looking for ways as a community to help our youth and schools. Financial literacy has been a goal of mine for awhile,” said Adam Lang, Chairman of the BSCCA Business and Economics Committee. “When by chance I met Reuben at a government budgeting forum, I knew this was the guy to help our goal come to fruition.”

The pilot lasted for three months. There are plans for future courses which will expand on the material as well as offer a real world investing game for the students to compete with each other individually and as a group against other classes.

Singer Announcement

from the inbox:

Close supporters of Stephanie Singer (D), candidate for Philadelphia's City Commissioner, gathered today with members of the press to hear Singer's official announcement entering the City Commissioner's race. ." Singer's father, who worked to protect Voting Rights in Mississippi during the 1960's, stood by her side as she gave her announcement speech.

"If you elect me Commissioner, I will be a crusader against corruption," Singer said. Singer also proposed ending over 35 years of abuse in Philadelphia elections by calling to end the elected office of City Commissioner.. "I will take the politics out of our elections by getting rid of elected Commissioners and putting Philadelphia elections in the hands of nonpartisan professionals."

Singer continued, "The City Commissioners Office is responsible for registering voters, educating voters, and conducting elections. That office should be protecting every Philadelphian’s right to vote. Instead, that office is part of the problem. That office is the root of the problem. Voters are sick and tired of the corruption, waste and disenfranchisement."

Schwartz Named to Foreign Affairs Committee

from the inbox:

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz was appointed today by the House Democratic Conference to be the newest member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Committee is chaired by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and the Ranking Member is Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA).

The Committee on Foreign Affairs has jurisdiction over the protection of American citizens abroad, oversight of foreign assistance, national security developments affecting foreign policy, strategic planning and agreements, war powers, treaties, executive agreements, and the deployment and use of United States Armed Forces.

“I am honored by the opportunity to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee and I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the important issues facing our nation and our leadership around the world,’’ Schwartz said. “As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I will fight for effective foreign policy and strong, positive economic and political relationships with our allies around the globe. Both our national security and our future economic prosperity demand serious and informed engagement by the Committee and I welcome being a part of these discussions and decisions.”

“Congresswoman Schwartz has worked hard to strengthen our relationship with the international community in the service of our national interest, and to pursue more effective and efficient foreign assistance programs,” said Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Rep. Howard Berman. “I look forward to continuing to work with her to meet these important goals.”

Schwartz has a substantial record working on foreign affairs. Since the 109th Congress, Schwartz has served as member of the bipartisan House Democracy Assistance Partnership (HDAP). As a member of this select group, Schwartz traveled with the Commission extensively and has participated in the critical work of promoting and supporting the development of democratic governments around the world.

Specifically, Schwartz worked to focus on peer-to-peer partnerships with emerging democratic legislatures to assist in the development of the fundamental building blocks of legislative government: oversight, transparency, accountability, effective legislation, and responsiveness to constituents. As a member of HDAP, Schwartz took an interest in the nation of Georgia and formed the Congressional Georgia Caucus to strengthen our bilateral ties with an important emerging democracy.

Schwartz has also vigorously pursued policies designed to strengthen Congress’ bipartisan support for the State of Israel and is a member of the Democratic Israel Working Group and the U.S.-Israel Security Caucus.

In addition to this new prominent committee assignment, Schwartz will continue to serve as Vice Ranking Member on the Budget Committee, where she has distinguished herself as an outspoken critic of deficit spending. A strong proponent of fiscal discipline and a balanced federal budget, Schwartz believes the nation must reduce our enormous national debt and redirect our policies to meet the priorities of American families.

The Pennsylvania Congresswoman will also continue to serve as Vice Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a coalition of 43 members of the House who are dedicated to the prosperity and security of American families and businesses. Schwartz is considered a champion for economic development, particularly in areas of health care, biotechnology and technological innovation.