VA Hearings On HIV Exposure Begin Tuesday

A House subcommittee meets tomorrow in Washington with the Department of Veterans Affairs--at issue is the concern that more than 10,000 veterans may have been exposed to HIV at an Augusta VA hospital and two others in the Southeast. VA officials plan to tell committee members how mistakes made with endoscopic equipment raised health concerns over the past few months. Along with the VA hospital in Augusta, facilities in Miami and Murfreesboro-Tennessee are also under review for the problems.

Chambliss sworn in for second term

U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss took his oath of office today for his second term as U.S. Senator for Georgia. The 111th Congress convened today in Washington, D.C. The Republican from Moultrie said in a statement, “I will continue to work each day to represent the views and values of Georgians in the United States Senate."

Help arrives for foreclosure crisis

In July Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Now, some of those federal funds are headed for Georgia. The act allocates 4-billion dollars in emergency funding for neighborhoods across the country. Georgia’s share of the money is 153-million dollars. Most of the money will be spent in the Atlanta area, but Macon got 4-million dollars. Macon Mayor Robert Reichert says the money is badly needed.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the effects of a foreclosure in your neighborhood. Imagine if you will you put your house on the market to try and sell it, and two doors down from your house is an abandoned house and because of vandalism they’ve had to board up the windows.”

Some of the money will be spent to provide down payments to qualified home buyers, while another portion will be spent to fix up blighted neighborhoods. Augusta, Columbus and Savannah also received a portion of the funds. Officials have 18 months to come up with a plan to spend the money.

Congress investigates Emory professor

A former Emory University department chair is under investigation for money he took from pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Charles Nemeroff stepped down Friday as chair of the psychiatry department. Congressional investigators say Nemeroff made nearly $3 million as a consultant for drug companies from 2000 to 2007 but failed to report at least $1.2 million of it to Emory. In an Emory news release, Nemeroff denied the allegations.

(Associated Press)

Lawmakers hesitant on bailout

Georgia Republicans and Democrats say they're in no rush to support the Bush administration's proposed $700 billion financial bailout. But despite lots of tough talk about Wall Street greed, most appear ready to go along with some sort of taxpayer-funded intervention. They say the stakes are simply too high. Many said they would wait to see the final package that Congress takes up before deciding whether to support a bailout.

(Associated Press)

Atlanta representative named among corrupt Congressmen

One of Atlanta's Congressional representatives, David Scott, has been named one of the 22 most corrupt members of Congress.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington accuses Scott of evading more than $170,000 in state and federal taxes.

The list puts Scott in the company of other names that more frequently come up in discussions of questionable ethics.

Names like William Jefferson, the Louisiana democrat whose refrigerator was found to contain 90 thousand dollars... and Ted Stevens, an Arkansas Republican accused of accepting bribes from an oil company.

Bill Bozarth of Common Cause Georgia says Scott's alleged transgressions pale by comparison:

“As I compare what they're saying about him to what some other folks are, in my mind as an ethics watchdog, Congressman Scott is not being accused of things that are as serious as many of the people on the list.”

Bozarth says the watchdog group behind the list appears to be legitimately non-partisan.

A spokesman from Scott's Washington office called the accusations "blatantly inaccurate and untrue," and says further examination of Scott's financial records will show that the Congressman owes nothing in federal or state taxes.

House approves $1.2 million for Ft. Benning

Congress has approved a bill giving Ft. Benning $1.2 million dollars to upgrade facilities.

The earmarked funds are part of nearly one hundred and sixteen million dollars approved by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. Those funds are slated for improving military housing, and bettering family and community services at the sprawling post.

The funds are part of the over one-billion-dollar 2008 Defense Appropriations bill. The money will go towards re-stationing military forces now deployed in Germany and other countries, back in the US.

The bill is in addition to the ongoing BRAC -- Base Realignment and Closure -- program.

The nearby National Infantry Museum, now under construction will also receive over seven million dollars in aid, as part of the overall package.

The entire House and Senate must still pass the bill.