Ortiz for Congress - Accomplishments - Defense Policy and Homeland Security

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Defense Policy and Homeland Security
The Defense Appropriations bill included the following:

$2.0 million, Controlled Humidity Preservation Program, Corpus Christi Army Depot

$2.0 million, Combat Automated Service Support-Medical Computer System

$1.0 million, Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

$9.2 million to construct an aboveground storage tank fuel farm at Naval Air Station Kingsville (NASK)

Ortiz (D-TX) and Walter Jones (R-NC) co-chaired the bipartisan Congressional Depot Caucus in the House of Representatives for the 108th Congress (2003-2004), advocating for the interests of the national security of the United States of America through the use of depots.

Ortiz was named to the House of Representatives-Senate conference committee, the group of congressional negotiators that will agree to a compromise for the annual Department of Defense bill that finalizes defense policy for the coming fiscal year.

Ortiz worked to help pass the “Servicemembers Civil Relief Act,” a bill expanding the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940, enhancing civil and economic protections for military personnel on active duty.

Ortiz worked to help pass the Armed Services Tax Fairness Act, providing $835 million in tax relief for men and women serving abroad and their families.

Defense Authorization bill:

$720,000 to plan and design an Aircraft Corrosion Control Facility for the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD)

$9.2 million to construct an aboveground storage tank fuel farm at Naval Air Station Kingsville (NASK)

$5.4 million to construct a new control tower for Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (NASCC)

$1 million for the Controlled Humidity Preservation (CHP) program at CCAD

$1 million for the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a congressionally chartered youth character development program, at Naval Station Ingleside

$9 million for Surface Navy Integrated Undersea Tactical Technology (SNIUTT) to improve sonar operations

$15 million for Volumetrically Controlled Manufacturing (VCM), to be integrated into operations at Corpus Christi Army Depot

$19 million for upgrades for the T-45’s currently located at Kingsville Naval Air Station

$231 million for depot level maintenance in the bill, which is shared by all depots, but this is very helpful to CCAD

Defense Authorization Bill:

$3.20 million for a new Fuel Farm Operations Lab for Naval Air Station Kingsville (NASK)

$9.038 million funding for a Controlled Humidity warehouse, for U.S. Army Reserves, on Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.

Ortiz’ delay of the next base realignment and closure (BRAC) round until 2007

DoD now must adhere to Congress’ mandate that 50% of the maintenance be done in-house when implementing BRAC (this will help depots)

Ortiz supported a bill to expand critical assistance for severely wounded uniformed personnel and their families need to transition back to civilian life.

Ortiz visited United States forces in Baghdad, Iraq, seeing several Texans, hearing briefings and delivering thousands of valentines drawn by South Texas school children for soldiers there.

Ortiz introduced a bill to provide for: more beds in detention centers along the Southwest border (including Port Isabel Detention Center); greater cooperation between agencies on security clearances; and more information technology for border agents to more rapidly screen immigrants entering the United States.

Ortiz joined a number of House members in urging the House leadership to work in a bipartisan fashion to bring the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission to the House floor for a vote as soon as possible. Ortiz is one of over 100 Members of Congress to cosponsor this bill, implementing the commission's recommendations in legislative form.

Ortiz traveled to Afghanistan, where he met with Afghani political/military officials, American military officials and U.S. soldiers.

Ortiz went to Ramstein Air Base in western Germany to visit troops hospitalized there from battlefields in the Middle East. He escorted six wounded soldiers from a military hospital at Ramstein, including one from San Benito, Texas, back to the U.S.

Ortiz introduced a Border Security bill to close current security gaps by:

Expanding and funding detention and removal operations for OTMs and requiring a report to Congress on full needs for detention bed space;

Creating a $1 billion infrastructure investment fund;

Doubling the law enforcement along the border and calling for continual training for inspectors (requiring Southern Border agents be proficient in Spanish);

Deploying technology to monitor the entire border 24/7; screening all cargo trucks for WMD, requiring that the FBI integrate it's database with the Border Patrol system by Oct 2005;

Extending to 6 months the time BCC holders can be in U.S.;

Making drivers license designs uniform for all states;

Increasing Special Agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement by 225 (and urging agents have security clearances expedited);

And increasing penalties for smugglers.

Ortiz urged the administration not to cut military family housing funding, which the administration and Congress (initially) withheld.

Ortiz and Henry Bonilla (R-TX), co-chairs of the House Border Caucus, sent a letter to President George W. Bush and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Tom Ridge protesting the policy of releasing captured immigrants who have crossed into the country illegally.

Ortiz introduced a bill to provide for more beds in the detention center at Port Isabel in the Rio Grande Valley, better access to top security clearances for Department of Homeland Security agents in the field, and greater cooperation between agencies on information technology and information sharing for border agents to more rapidly screen immigrants entering the United States.