Legislation « Adam Schiff for Congress

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City expands background checks

Glendale News Press | 08-14-2010

Scanning program will now check record in all of the U.S., not just California.

“We don’t want someone coming from another state who has committed an egregious act,” said Glendale City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian. “In the past, if you were to apply for a tobacco vendor or taxi cab or massage therapy permit, anything where you’d be interfacing with the public, you would undergo a background check. But it only referenced arrests or incidents that took place in California. It seemed logical to expand that and look at other states, as well.”

Last month, the House of Representatives passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) to extend a pilot program allowing youth athletic leagues and other organizations to gain access to criminal background checks on workers and volunteers.

The bill would make it easier for private groups to tap federal criminal records and ensure the service is provided at a reasonable cost. That legislation is awaiting action in the Senate.

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$700,000 sought for improving roads destroyed by Station fire

Los Angeles Times | 08-05-2010

Officials are seeking roughly $700,000 from the federal government for improving the forest roads and trails that were destroyed last year during the Station fire.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D- Burbank) secured the earmark in the Interior Department appropriations bill for restoring 160,577 acres of scorched landscape.

“This funding will help repair the roads and trails that were damaged in the fire to restore safety and access for families to enjoy one of California’s greatest natural resources,” Schiff said in a statement.

Engineers for the Angeles National Forest have estimated that about 300 miles of roads and 225 miles of trails were damaged during the Station fire, according to Schiff’s office.

Tags: Community, Environment, Legislation, Wildfires
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Power academy may expand

Glendale News Press | 07-26-2010

GCC program that trains future utility workers is in line for $180,000 boost.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) secured a $180,000 provision that, if preserved through the legislative process, would let college officials expand the scope of its Verdugo Power Academy — a program through the Verdugo Workforce Investment Board, Glendale Water and Power and Glendale Community College that retrains unemployed adults for utility careers.

Schiff acknowledged the legislation has a few procedural hurdles, but said the funding could help create jobs.

“Job growth is critical to our country’s economic recovery, and this partnership will help prepare residents to obtain a good-paying job in a field with a high demand for trained technicians,” he said in a statement.

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Bill would help with background checks

Glendale News Press | 07-23-2010

n a move that would make it easier for community groups to do background checks on prospective Little League coaches, summer camp instructors and others, the House on Thursday passed a bill that would make the FBI fingerprint database widely available.

The legislation, known as the PROTECT Act, is sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank).

The law would launch a pilot program to make it easier for groups to access FBI fingerprint files as an alternative to the time-consuming and costly process to use fingerprints to check the background data on volunteers.

“Giving nonprofits that work with children the ability to better screen their volunteers has a proven track record of protecting our young people,” Schiff said in a statement. “The goal of this bill is to keep the cost of background checks as low as possible so that they remain affordable for the smallest nonprofits, while ensuring the program can be sustained without annual appropriations.”

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Genocide survivor speaks for the record

Glendale News Press | 07-22-2010

Haroutioun Andonian’s odyssey from hardship in Armenia in 1915 to his 101st birthday in Glendale this year is now part of the congressional record.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) — in carrying legislation to compel the United States to officially recognize the 1915 genocide in which 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman Turks — met with Andonian earlier this year. He also made sure Andonian’s story is on the official books.

In the effort to pass the genocide recognition measure, Schiff is encouraging other survivors to tell their stories for the record by contacting his aide, Mary Hovagimian, atmary.hovagimian@mail.house.gov.

Tags: Armenian, Armenian Genocide, Community, Education, Legislation
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Bold new guidelines: Obama signs new financial reforms into law

Pasadena Star News | 07-21-2010

A sweeping set of financial regulations that are designed to protect consumers, rein in Wall Street and help ensure economic stability was signed into law Wednesday by President Barack Obama.

Fueled by the nation’s 2008 financial meltdown, the 2,300-page reform package gives the government new powers to break up companies that threaten the economy, creates a new agency to guard consumers and puts more light on the financial markets that escaped the oversight of regulators.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, said he’s pleased that the The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is now law.

“This legislation will rein in the shoddy business practices that brought our economy to the brink of ruin in 2009, and continues to take a toll on millions of Americans who lost their jobs or watched their savings, pensions and property value tank,” Schiff said in a statement. “Finally, these reforms will restore much- needed transparency and accountability to our financial system.”

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Money slated for Glendale Memorial

Glendale News Press | 07-20-2010

Local heart patients got a boost when Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Monday announced he had secured enough money in an appropriations bill for a $350,000 upgrade for the chest pain center at Glendale Memorial Hospital.

Hospital officials said they will use the money to improve equipment and cardiac care at the center, which was built to quickly test and treat patients with problems ranging from chest pain to serious heart attacks.

“Glendale Memorial treats a substantial number of people with cardiac illness and had a need to improve its technology,” Schiff said. “It seemed an important investment.”

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Federal funds secured for improvements to Altadena’s Charles White Park

Pasadena Star News | 07-09-2010

An under-used local park resembling a “big grassy square” is poised to receive some major upgrades thanks in part to $300,000 in recently secured federal funding.

Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, announced this week that the money that will go to improving the park has been included in an appropriations bill that is out of committee and waiting to be voted upon.

The park was singled out by Schiff because its an under-used recreation center in one of the most under-served parts of his district, Schiff said.

“It’s in desperate need of facilities and improved grounds,” Schiff said. “I think it may be the last park in our region that’s terribly under-utilized.”

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Gold Line light rail extension gets more funding

Pasadena Star News | 07-06-2010

Just over a week after the groundbreaking for the Gold Line light rail extension from Pasadena to Azusa, the commuter line’s builder could get another $650,000 toward taking the tracks all the way to Montclair.

The money was included in a funding bill by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena. The appropriation passed out of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and now must pass out of the full committee before it could go to the floor for a vote, according to information from Schiff’s office released Tuesday.

The funding would pay for the preparation of environmental documents needed to begin construction on 12 miles of rail from Azusa to Montclair.

“The 29th Congressional District encompasses some of the fastest-growing communities in Los Angeles County, and we need to build the infrastructure to accommodate the growth in our region,” Schiff said in a statement. “Best of all, this project will create jobs and spur much-needed economic activity in our communities.”

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Funds target youth jobs

Glendale News Press | 07-06-2010

New training program aims to get young people into energy industry.

Local youth looking to enter the workforce could get a jump-start in energy industry jobs thanks to a job training program funded with $100,000 secured by Rep. Adam Schiff, officials announced last week.

Stakeholders say the program was inspired by the success of the Verdugo Power Academy — a joint venture of the Glendale Water & Power, Glendale Community College and Verdugo Workforce Investment Board using federal stimulus funding.

“It’s a tough employment market for everyone,” said Schiff (D-Burbank). “It’s all the more difficult for young people just trying to start off a career, and yet there are good opportunities in the green energy area.”