“Freshman Congressman Larry Kissell, D-N.C., gets credit today for inserting a "buy American" provision into the stimulus bill. It applies to textiles purchased by the Department of Homeland Security and Coast Guard. That promises a huge benefit for North Carolina manufacturers.”

- Greensboro News & Record, 2/18/2009

Kissell Bills/Amendments

Economic

• Introduced the Repaying the American Taxpayer Act, H.R. 3020, which would require the sale of TARP-related assets to be directly applied to the national debt while reducing the debt ceiling for every dollar of TARP money returning to Department of Treasury.
• Added an amendment to the Small Business Financing and Investment Act, H.R. 3854, which allows construction-sector small businesses to defer repayment of SBA 7(a) loans for up to 12 months. The SBA 7(a) loan is the most commonly used loan, and deferment will help construction businesses continue to operate while the economy is recovering.
• Added a “Buy American” amendment to the ARRA based on an extension of the 1941 Berry Amendment which calls for Transportation Security Administration uniforms to be made in the United States with 100 percent U.S. content.
• Introduced the Berry Amendment Extension Act, H.R. 3116, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to purchase many items related directly to national security that are grown, reprocessed, reused or produced in the United States.

Military/Veterans

More details at Veterans for Kissell

• Added an amendment to the Weapons Acquisition System Reform through Enhancing Technical Knowledge and Oversight Act of 2009 which requires the Department of Defense to consider, during the acquisition, planning and development process, how much sustainment and support will cost during the lifecycle of a weapons system. Available information shows operation and sustainment costs outweigh the initial research and development and procurement costs, sometimes by as much as six times the initial cost.
• Added two amendments on the National Defense Authorization Act – the first amendment directs the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a report that evaluates the force structure at Pope Airfield according to BRAC legislation of 2005 which is to be completed by September 2011. The second amendment provides a contract to United Protective Technologies, a defense company located in the 8^th District. This company will reduce corrosion on the UH-60 Blackhawk transmissions and gearboxes and save the government $50 million over the next 10 years.
• Honored the distinguished history and exemplary service of the 30^th Infantry Division during World War II with House Resolution 494, which received bi-partisan support with a vote of 415-0 on Dec. 2.

Agriculture

• Added an amendment to the Derivatives Markets Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R. 977) which calls for more diversity on boards that oversee commodities trading. Boards will include farmers, ranchers and grain elevator operators.
• Introduced the National Strategic Gasoline Reserve for Purposes of National Security Act of 2009, H.R. 3008, which requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a Strategic Gasoline Reserve system with the capacity of 10 million barrels of regular unleaded gasoline.

Education

• Introduced the “Teacher Classroom Supplies Tax Deduction” bill, H.R. 2329, which allowed teachers to deduct up to $250 in classroom supplies, purchased out of pocket, from their taxes. The bill was incorporated into, and passed as part of the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, H.R. 4213.
• Introduced House Resolution 660 to honor the Laurinburg Normal Institute, the oldest of four historically African-American boarding schools still remaining in the United States. The resolution passed the U.S. House with overwhelming bipartisan support with a vote of 418-0 on Oct. 21.

Other Top Accomplishments

• Secured more than $1 billion in federal funding for the Eighth District.
• Called for an FTC investigation into CVS/Caremark merger, citing constituent and local pharmacy complaints. Wrote a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Leibowitz. In early November, CVS/Caremark announced it was under a non-public FTC investigation.
• Secured $1 million for a USDA Human Nutrition Center at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.

Casework Accomplishments

Congressman Kissell’s District Offices have worked on 2,923 constituent cases during 2009, closing almost 2,200 of those cases.   These are a few cases which represent those:

Social Security

Working with the Social Security Administration, Kissell caseworkers have helped many constituents as they navigated through the disability process. Here are some examples:

Case: Earlier this year, a caseworker in our Rockingham office helped a constituent with a Social Security case. Her sister had passed away; the constituent and her husband were now responsible for caring for her sister’s three grandchildren. There was a windfall withholding on the account by mistake, and it was removed. Our office spoke with Payment Center Seven and, the official noted that we inquired about the payment and marked it critical due to the situation. The constituent was awarded back pay from February 2007 through April 2009 of $34,439.

Case: A constituent had a claim in pre-hearing development for an extended period of time. Our office inquired about the status. After a month, a favorable decision was made without the need of a hearing. The constituent was awarded $53,248.40 in back pay from July 2006 through May 2009.

Case: A constituent had a hearing with Administrative Law Judge on Feb. 10, 2009. The constituent contacted our office in July. Since the hearing, she had suffered a stroke and heart attack while waiting on the decision. We inquired, and on Aug. 5, her retroactive benefits check of $48,212 for the period of February 2006 to July 2009 was mailed.

Case: Our office inquired on a case on behalf of a constituent, and it was sent back to Disability Determination Services on an informal remand. The case was sent to Mississippi, and DDS recommended allowance. Retroactive benefits of $49,443.40 for the period of November 2006 through August 2009 were paid.

Case: A constituent contacted our office on July 10, 2009 after his hearing on May 15. Our office contacted Office of Disability Adjudication and Review and discovered the claim was in the final stage of writing. Our office expedited his retro benefits payments due to financial hardship. The constituent received retro benefits in the amount of $73,642.40 for the period of November 2004 through July 2009.

Loan Remodification

Case: The constituent was a school teacher with a child on the way and her husband was in college. Being a school teacher, she only received income for 10 months of the year. All of these issues forced her to seek early relief from her mortgage company. Our office contacted Bank of America with the constituent’s information. They were able to modify her mortgage in a short period of time.

Original Mortgage Payment: $1,789.03

New Mortgage Payment: $1,155.43

Case:  The constituent was one of the first people to come to my office requesting assistance with their mortgage payment. She was behind from January 2009, and had tried all the HUD-approved assistance with her mortgage payment. My office worked with her for almost six months, and in October, she was able to get a modification of the mortgage. She had not made a payment for more than nine months with an interest rate of close to 11 percent. We were able to have her mortgage moved from the foreclosure list, placed on the modification list and finally, modified. Her mortgage has been reduced from $765.63 to $557.44.

Original Mortgage Payment: $765.63

New Mortgage Payment: $557.44

Removed from foreclosure proceedings

Case: The constituent came to our office requesting modification assistance after receiving foreclosure documents in the mail. He was set to appear in Cabarrus County Court for a foreclosure hearing. Our office was able to get the foreclosure postponed and the mortgage modified. At the time, the constituent was seven months behind in his payments. The payment, principal and interest were all reduced from $1,546.24 to $914.00. With escrow added, the new payment was $1,099.53.

Original Mortgage Payment: $1,546.24

New Mortgage Payment: $1,099.53