Congress returned to Washington this past week and hit the ground running on several important issues. A hearing on my Chesapeake Bay legislation took place, we passed a bill to aid small businesses, and we announced a grant to help transport wounded warriors in Virginia to job training programs.
First, the Insular Affairs Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee, both of which I serve on, held a hearing on my Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act. As you know, I've been an advocate for the cleanup of this vital region since day one in Congress. This legislation will hold agencies and groups accountable for how they spend federal dollars and improve overall coordination of the cleanup effort. This commonsense approach has significantly improved restoration efforts in the Florida Everglades, the Great Lakes, and the California Delta Region and can do the same if employed in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Next, I joined a widely bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program. These programs provide grants to help small businesses grow and to require that certain federal agencies set-aside a percentage of their budgets for developing projects that will help our small businesses grow. Small businesses are responsible for 70% of the new jobs in our country every year, and we should incentivize their growth wherever possible during this tough economic downturn.
Lastly, I was proud to support a Federal Highway Administration grant award to the Virginia Department of Transportation. This money will be used to develop a transportation initiative for wounded warriors to attend training and job placement programs. Transportation is often the greatest barrier for our injured veterans and these dollars will help those who have made incredible sacrifices for our country get back on their feet.
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He was elected to his first full term in November 2008 and serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
