Frank's Footnotes: Another Victory in the Fight to Fix the Broken Culture of Washington

Another Victory in the Fight to Fix the Broken Culture of Washington: The STOCK Act Passes the House
I’m pleased to tell you about another important piece of legislation that will reform the way Washington does business. Last Thursday, the House passed S. 2038 the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act in a strong bipartisan vote of 417-2. I was an early cosponsor of the House’s version of the STOCK Act, H.R. 1148, too. This bill would prohibit Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and their staffs from using nonpublic information for personal benefit. These individuals are privy to sensitive information on a daily basis. We must ensure this knowledge serves our nation’s best interests, not personal gain. When Granite Staters sent me to Capitol Hill, they told me to convey the message that they will no longer stand for the status quo. In the past year, I’ve been delivering on that. I’ve voted to freeze my own pay, cosponsored legislation to get rid of automatic pay raises for Members of Congress, worked to reform the pension system and have cut my own office’s budget twice – yielding an 11.4% total reduction. As an early cosponsor of the STOCK Act, I’m pleased to see the passage of another necessary reform. You can be assured I will continue fighting to change the broken culture of Washington at every turn.

	Helping the Seacoast Find Work: Portsmouth Job Fair Planned for February 22
	As the economy struggles to recover, it’s often hard to find good, middle class jobs. That’s why I’m hosting a special job fair in Portsmouth on Wednesday, February 22. More than 30 employers will be there to talk face-to-face with job seekers. The fair is also an excellent opportunity for those who are under-employed, or who are interested in making a career change, to explore new options. The Portsmouth Job Fair will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Great Bay Community College, located at 320 Corporate Drive. It’s free and open to everyone. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about the event and those participating employers and organizations. This is the fourth job fair I have hosted as part of my ongoing Getting Granite Staters Back To Work jobs initiative. The first three (held in Derry, Rochester and Manchester) successfully united employers and job seekers, and I’m confident this one will, too.

	Another Week, Another Two Budget Reform Bills Pass the House
	Two more pieces of legislation aimed at fixing Washington’s broken budget process passed the House last week. H.R. 3581, the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act was approved on Tuesday and H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act passed the House on Wednesday. They join two additional budget reform bills the House passed earlier this month (H.R. 3578, the Baseline Reform Act and H.R. 3582, the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act). Although some of these budget reform bills have received bipartisan support in the House, they keep piling up on the steps of the Senate. Increased transparency, oversight, and accountability should not be partisan issues. However, Senate Majority Leader Reid continues to block such reforms. Just as he bears full responsibility for the Senate’s refusal to pass a budget in over 1,000 days, our inability to reform Washington’s broken budget process rests at his feet as well. Regardless, I will continue to fight for legislation that will change the status quo in Washington. CLICK HERE to learn more about the four House-passed budget reform bills, as well as six others that we on the Budget Committee will be fighting for in the coming weeks.

	Welcoming Special Olympics NH and Best Buddies to Capitol Hill
	I sat down last Wednesday afternoon with representatives from two important Granite State groups. I met board members and participants from Special Olympics NH and Best Buddies and truly enjoyed hearing about the many positive, uplifting activities they sponsor. My thanks to the following people for the important work they do and for making the time to meet with me: Mary Conroy President, Special Olympics NH Mark Duggan Chair, Special Olympics NH Board Mike Dennehy Chair-elect, Special Olympics NH Board/Parent Martha Boddy, Athlete Marcia Gardner, Parent Susan Zimmerman, Best Buddies Advisory Board Member/Parent Peter Fleming, Best Buddies Ambassador

	Our Normal Schedule Resumes this Friday
	Usual readers of “Frank’s Footnotes” may be wondering why you’re receiving this e-newsletter on Monday rather than Friday afternoon. Technical difficulties delayed us from sending this out last week as planned. But rest assured, “Frank’s Footnotes” will resume its regular schedule this Friday afternoon. Thanks for understanding!

February 22, 2012 Rep. Frank Guinta to Host Job Fair in Portsmouth Location: Great Bay Community College 320 Corporate Drive Portsmouth, New Hampshire Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. February 28, 2012 Open Office Hour with Rep. Guinta's Staff Location: Conway Town Hall 1634 East Main Street Center Conway, New Hampshire Time: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. February 28, 2012 Open Office Hour with Rep. Guinta's Staff in Jackson Location: Jackson Town Hall 54 Main Street Jackson, New Hampshire Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Think you know someone that will enjoy this e-mail? Why not send it to a friend?