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National News
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Earmark Reform Commission Bill
introduced with bipartisan effort
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper (DTenn.)
and Ron Kind (D-Wis.),
along with a bipartisan group of
colleagues, including Melissa
Bean (D-Ill.), Mark Udall (DConn.),
Tim Walz (D-Minn.),
Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), and
Wayne Gilchrest (R-Md.), today
announced the introduction of a
bill establishing an independent,
bipartisan commission to
recommend reforms to the earmarking
process, the Bipartisan
Earmark Reform Commission
Act of 2008 (H.R. 5755).
“The earmark process, with
all its abuses, has given
Congress a black eye and the
American people another reason
not to trust their government,”
said Rep. Jim Cooper
(D-Tenn.), a senior member of
the House Budget Committee.
“This election year, Congress
needs to stop and reevaluate the
way we appropriate money for
projects around the country. We
shouldn’t wait for another
indictment to be handed down
before demonstrating that we
take stewardship of taxpayer
money seriously."
Cooper has also imposed a
one-year moratorium on his earmark
requests while he calls
upon colleagues to reform
Congressional spending practices.
“Abuse of the earmarking
system has eroded the public’s
trust in the process and overshadowed
the worthy projects
earmarks often fund,” said
Kind, the bill’s lead sponsor,
who has imposed a one-year
moratorium on his own earmark
requests while he works to
reform the process. “From a
‘Bridge to Nowhere’ to a rainforest
in Iowa, any member of
Congress (whether they are an
advocate or foe of earmarks)
needs to be accountable to the
taxpayers for the staggering
growth in earmark spending.
While Democrats have made
progress on this issue, further
reform is necessary, and this
commission can help us restore
integrity to the earmarking
process. I urge my colleagues to
support this initiative.”
Current congressional and
executive branch earmarking
practices have no safeguards to
protect taxpayer dollars against
waste. The bipartisan commission
on earmark reform established
by H.R. 5755 is intended
to formally define an earmark
and examine the earmarking
process to develop and recommend
reforms that would
increase transparency, equity,
and fiscal responsibility in the
process. The independent commission’s
12 members would be
appointed by the Speaker, the
House Minority Leader, the
Senate Majority and Minority
Leaders, and the President. The
commission would be required
to report back to Congress within
six months.
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Beware foreign lottery, fake check
scams:
Tenn. Consumer Affairs
The Tennessee Division of
Consumer Affairs warns consumers
to be aware of foreign
lottery and fake check scams.
Scams like these take place
everyday and the goal is to get
your money or personal information.
Consumers may receive notification
via telephone, e-mail or
direct mail letting them know
that they have won foreign lotteries
from Canada and as far
away as Europe. Consumers
who receive email notifications
are asked to respond with personal
information in order to
receive the winnings. The scammers
take that information and
the consumer never gets any lottery
money.
Consumers also receive notification
letters in the mail. With
some scams, they ask the recipient
to wire money for fees to a
third party before they can
receive a check.
With other scams, those consumers
who receive lottery notification
letters in the mail also
find a check enclosed. The consumer
is notified that they have
won and are then asked to cash
the check and wire or mail a portion
of the non-existent winnings
to cover insurance and fees. A
contact name and phone number
may even be provided to assist
with verification and processing.
The checks look legitimate and
many consumers will take them
to the bank and cash them, not
knowing they are counterfeit.
Before the check clears, they use
money already in their account
to wire the fees back to the third
party. However, once the check
does not clear the bank, the consumer
soon realizes they are
responsible for the money.
According to their website,
the United States Postal
Inspector Service and their global
law enforcement partners
have seized over 600,000 fake
checks.
The Tennessee Division of
Consumer Affairs offers these
words of caution for consumers
who are thinking about responding
to a foreign lottery notification:
Ignore all mail, e-mail and
phone solicitations for foreign
lottery promotions.
Federal law prohibits mailing
lottery tickets, advertisements or
payments to purchase tickets in a
foreign lottery.
Don’t give out your personal
information including account
numbers during an unsolicited
sales pitch.
If you purchase one foreign
lottery ticket, your name may be
placed on a 'suckers list' that
fraudulent telemarketers buy and
sell.
Always use caution corresponding
with businesses in
other countries, because it may
be difficult to locate them if a
problem arises.
There is no legitimate reason
why someone would give you a
check or money order and ask
you to wire or send money in
return.
No legitimate contest will
make you pay a fee to collect a
prize.
To win any lottery, you must
first buy a ticket. You can’t win a
contest you didn’t enter.
If it sounds too good to be
true, it probably is.
If you decide to play a foreign
lottery, you won’t win anything
but you may lose everything.
For more information or to
report a fraud, please contact the
Tennessee Division of
Consumer Affairs at 1-800-342-
8385 You can also find more
information from the U.S. Postal
Inspector and its partners at
http://www.fakechecks.org
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First Baptist Church Hopewell celebrates
pastor's second year anniversary
OLD HICKORY, Tenn. —
The congregation of the First
Baptist Church Hopewell of Old
Hickory, Tenn. will celebrate the
Second Year Anniversary of
Rev. Kenneth W. Forte, pastor
and First Lady Lori Forte on
Sunday, April 27.
The 11 am morning speaker
will be Rev. Michael Payne and
the congregation of First Baptist
Church-Higgins from Little
Rock, Ark.
The guest speaker for the 3
pm celebration will be Dr.
William F. Buchanan and the
congregation from the Fifteenth
Avenue Baptist Church of
Nashville.
First Baptist Church
Hopewell is located at 4033
Lafayette Street, Old Hickory,
Tenn.
The public is invited to come
out and celebrate with Rev. and
Sister Forte and the members of
the First Baptist Hopewell
church family.
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Tennessee NAACP calls for prohibition of
on-campus credit card solicitation
The NAACP heralds
SB3814/HB3393 as a responsible
first step, on the part of the
state of Tennessee, in shielding
the state’s youth from irresponsible
lending practices.
In February 2008, the Daily
Beacon reported that the fastest
growing group of credit users
and filers for bankruptcy are
those between 18 and 24 years
of age. A significant number of
these are minorities. According
to a 2005 study by Nellie Mae, a
student lender company, 76% of
undergraduates had a credit card,
and only 21% paid them off each
month.
“In light of our national lending
crisis, it is unthinkable that
any member would vote against
a bill that encourages responsible
borrowing,” said Gloria J.
Sweet-Love, president of the
Tennessee State Conference
NAACP. “The state of
Tennessee should not be in the
business of indirect lending to
youth. The sole purpose of our
state sponsored higher education
system should be to educate the
youth. We urge the Senate
Education Committee to pass the
bill in its current state. Anything
less stringent would not be economically
responsible.”
The NAACP believes that
the state of Tennessee should
cease foreclosing on our youth’s
future.
Founded in 1909, the
NAACP is the nation's oldest
and largest civil rights organization.
Its members throughout
the United States and the world
are the premier advocates for
civil rights in their communities,
conducting voter mobilization
and monitoring equal opportunity
in the public and private sectors.
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