A Weekly e-Newsletter from
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

April 25, 2008

Dear Friends,

This week, the Senate passed legislation to increase a variety of veterans’ benefits.  As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, I believe the most important responsibility we have as a Congress is to see to it that the treatment and services we give our veterans are the very best our country can offer. 

The Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 is a comprehensive bill providing benefits to veterans, their families and their survivors. Provisions of the bill include expanding eligibility for traumatic injury insurance, increasing benefits for veterans pursuing apprenticeships or on-job training programs and expanding eligibility for specially adapted housing assistance. The bill also provides an automatic annual increase in burial benefits (based on inflation) for the families of veterans.

Our nation’s veterans and their families have sacrificed tremendously so that our children and grandchildren can live in freedom. I am pleased the Senate has passed this legislation to ensure that our veterans receive the benefits they deserve.

Letter to Transportation Security Administration Regarding Long Security Lines at Atlanta Airport
With the summer travel season fast approaching, Senator Chambliss and I, along with several members of our congressional delegation, sent a letter this week to the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration urging the TSA to work with Atlanta airport officials to improve efficiency at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport security checkpoints.  

Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport in the world, and it is absolutely essential for the TSA to provide security that is vigilant but that also allows passengers to get through the checkpoints in a timely manner.  I have received repeated complaints about the significant wait times at the checkpoints and something needs to be done to improve the situation. 

To view the full text of the letter, which was also signed by U.S. Representatives John Lewis, D-Ga., Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and David Scott, D-Ga., click here.

Additional Prosecutors for Southwest Border
Today, I was pleased to see the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that the agency will hire 64 additional federal prosecutors and 35 additional support staff for the southwestern border. This addition of manpower is absolutely essential in order to handle the growing number of immigration and drug trafficking cases along the border. There’s no greater domestic issue in this country than the problems on our southern border with Mexico, and it is time that we make a commitment to make border security a reality.

I am proud to be a member of the Senate Border Security and Enforcement First Caucus. The Caucus is a platform to let Americans know that some members of the U.S. Senate are continuing to push for enforcement of immigration laws that are already on the books, to act as the voice of those concerned citizens who have expressed their opinions time and time again for better interior enforcement and border security, to push for stronger border security and interior enforcement legislation and to work together in the U.S. Senate to defeat possible future legislation that offers amnesty. 

Senate Approval of Legislation to Rename Post Offices in Honor of Fallen Soldiers
On Wednesday, the Senate approved legislation to rename several U.S. Post Offices in Georgia in honor of fallen soldiers. 

The U.S. Post Office located at 3035 Stone Mountain Street in Lithonia, Ga., will be renamed the “Specialist Jamaal RaShard Addison Post Office Building.”  The U.S. Post Office located at 5815 McLeod Street in Lula, Ga., will be renamed the “Private Johnathon Millican Lula Post Office.” The U.S. Post Office located at 116 Helen Highway in Cleveland, Ga., will be renamed the “Sgt. Jason Harkins Post Office Building.” 

These men served without desire for credit, but on behalf of their country and everything positive that we stand for.  Naming this post office after them is one small way to honor the sacrifices they made to make the United States and Georgia a better place.  To learn more about these brave men, click here.

Delta Airlines Merger
Last week, Delta Air Lines announced it would combine with Northwest Airlines to form a new airline to be called Delta and headquartered in Atlanta. As the merger is understood now, all of the conditions I laid out to support a Delta merger appear to be met.  These conditions include that Delta must remain Delta, must remain in Atlanta and must be a good deal for Georgia and the employees of Delta.  Last year, I was opposed to USAirways trying to take over Delta at a time when Delta was vulnerable. Today, Delta is a strong airline and I believe Delta is making a deal for the right reason, rather than defensive reasons.

CEO’s from both airlines testified before Congress yesterday, and I appreciate their candor about the many potential effects of the merger.  While there may be opposition to the merger, I hope that as the details come out, people will see the deal is in the best interests of the country, travelers and the states involved.  A website has also been created to help answer questions about the new airline at www.newglobalairline.com.

Healthcare Reform
On Thursday, as a member of the Senate committee that handles healthcare matters, I spoke on the Senate floor to encourage my colleagues to work together to address the issues of health care cost, quality, coverage and accessibility and to develop solutions that don’t require government intervention.

I believe the current medical malpractice tort system is a barrier to care and a place where reform at the national level would go a long way towards encouraging future access to quality health care.  As a result of the current medical malpractice tort system, doctors are being targeted more often in lawsuits, especially high-risk specialists such as radiologists, OB/GYNs and orthopedists. Doctors are also forced to engage in defensive medicine as a result of the fear that they could be sued, making it more common and safer for them to order a battery of tests they would not otherwise order to cover their potential liability and adding to the overall cost of health care. Doctors are also abandoning higher-risk specialties and rural areas, where they are often the sole practitioner and exposed to higher risk.

In 2005, the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation to reform medical malpractice torts. Specifically, the legislation eliminated joint and several liability, strengthened expert witness qualification, limited liability for emergency department physicians and personnel, elevated the burden of proof from “preponderance of evidence” to “clear and convincing evidence” and capped non-economic damages at $350,000. Prior to 2005, Georgia was listed as a state in a medical malpractice crisis by the American Medical Association. Since the reforms passed in January 2005, Georgia has been removed from that list. 

Health care is not an issue that we should be talking about in the future. It’s an issue we need to be talking about now.  It’s time for the good men and women from both political parties to put all the issues on the table and not just talk about what they’re not for, but start talking about the solutions that can make a difference in the quality, accessibility and affordability of health care for the people of the United States of America.  In finding a way forward on these issues, it is vital that we empower individuals to take charge of their own health care.

Military Academy Day
I announced this week my spring Military Academy Day that I enjoy hosting each year with the Georgia delegation to familiarize students with the application and nomination process for applying to the nation’s five service academies.  The event will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008, at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Atlanta from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.  Representatives from all five academies as well as cadets and midshipmen will also be in attendance to explain more about their requirements and expectations and to answer questions. 

The event is open to students grades eight through 12.  All persons who are interested in attending must make a reservation by contacting my Academy Director, Nancy Brooks, at (770) 661-0999 or register online at http://www.isakson.senate.gov.  All persons who wish to attend must provide their phone number, address and social security number by the registration deadline on Friday, May 2, 2008, at 5 p.m.  Also, all attendees must make reservations and must present photo identification, vehicle registration and proof of auto insurance at the Cobb Parkway checkpoint for admittance. 

What’s on Tap for Next Week?

The Senate will debate legislation on the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson