**Carter Courier**

http://carter.house.gov

October 11, 2007 Volume 5, Issue 16

***[LETTER FROM THE CONGRESSMAN]{.underline}***

Dear Friends,

This week Washington D.C. felt like Central Texas as many of our local
city government officials from the 31st District participated in the
annual Association of the United States Army (AUSA) convention. It was
my pleasure to visit with many of these folks and hear about the issues
that continue to affect our communities.

While there are many different issues affecting each of our towns, these
city governments all discussed their common mission to support our
servicemen and women stationed at Fort Hood. It is paramount that our
men and women in uniform, and their families, be welcomed with our warm
Texas spirit and have all the opportunity that Central Texas can offer.

As always, I thank all of you in the 31st District for the opportunity
to serve you in Congress and I look forward to advancing the
conservative principles that make Central Texas so great

> Until next week, 

***[A FRESH APPROACH TO]{.underline}***

***[IMMIGRATION REFORM]{.underline}***

America is a land of opportunity. We are a country that has always been
comprised of immigrants searching for the promise of the American dream.
But just as we are a nation of immigrants, America is also a nation of
laws, and those laws must be obeyed and enforced. Congress has tried
time and time again to enact immigration reform. Unfortunately the
legislation that has been put forth in the past has been too
comprehensive and complicated to actually implement and enforce. And
these attempts have focused on citizenship. Or focus should be on three
principles-enforce the law, provide legal workers to U.S. employers, and
show compassion for millions of people living in the shadows of society.

This week I will introduce the Secure America For Everyone (SAFE)
initiative. This initiative is a path for realistic immigration reform.
The plan consists of four straightforward bills to be introduced in
phases so they can build upon each other, ultimately leading to a
practical immigration process that will make it easier to come into this
country legally and harder to come illegally.

No matter how you slice it, the many overlapping aspects of immigration
reform cannot begin without first securing the border and enforcing the
laws already on the books. Not addressing the source of the problem
makes all other efforts pointless. The SAFE initiative begins with a
bill that does just that-enforces our laws and secures our borders. This
bill requires that the Department of Homeland Security add an additional
2,000 border patrol agents every year until the Secretary of Homeland
Security certifies that we have effectively secured our borders. The
bill will also make it a criminal offense to be here illegally rather
than a civil misdemeanor. This bill will require local and state
enforcement agencies to enforce the current immigration laws and provide
reimbursements for costs associated with this enforcement by increasing
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) funding from \$460
million to \$1.5 billion. This legislation will also increase maximum
sentences for criminal aliens.

The second bill begins by making social security cards for American
citizens biometric, as opposed to the easily duplicated paper version.
This will stop identity theft because these cards will be harder to
duplicate and therefore harder for illegal immigrants to obtain. Illegal
immigrants working in the United States will be issued a worker
identification card, which would act as a temporary social security
card. The second bill instructs Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to
contract with private industry to develop a computer system that is
capable of easily tracking every person in our immigration system. We
can't have reform and we cannot enforce the law until we have the
technology infrastructure in place to track everyone in the system. We
need a modern system that can handle the millions of people applying for
green cards, student visas, work visas, etc. If credit card companies
and banks can track millions of people, then the government should use
this same technology to modernize the immigration system.

Once this system is in place, the next bill will focus on a "Non-Citizen
Worker Program." This program will bring employers and non-citizen
workers together based on a system of matching non-citizens workers with
job-specific employment. In order to do this, illegal immigrants will be
required to sign a document stating that they have come into our country
illegally but wish to become a part of the Non-Citizen Worker Program.
From there, employers will be allowed to hire non-citizen workers based
on type of desired employment, but must also report to ICE who they have
hired. Should an employer terminate, or a worker leave a job, they will
be required to notify ICE that the worker is no longer employed. This
bill will make it easier for employers and ICE to keep track of each
individual enrolled in the worker program. There is no path to
citizenship, but immigrants can come out of the shadows and take
responsibility for their actions.

Finally, after the first bills have been implemented and we have
alleviated the wave of illegal immigrants coming into our country by
securing our borders and criminally punishing those illegal immigrants
who have broken our laws, and we have a realistic, working program in
place for those immigrants wishing to work in our country, then we can
begin to reform the entire immigration policy. The final bill in this
plan would overhaul the current system by reexamining our entry quotas,
visa programs and all immigration policies. The ultimate goal is a
coherent immigration policy that serves our nations security and
economic interests.

Our country was founded on the principles of freedom and opportunity for
all citizens. Everyday I receive calls from constituents wanting to help
bring families and friends into this great country. I have yet to
receive one call from someone wanting help getting out of America. I
believe that speaks volumes about our country. I stand ready to work
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to offer the opportunities
of freedom and success to all people who wish to become citizens of the
United States. If we work together, we can create a system that respects
the law, shows compassion and makes sense.

***[LISTEN TO MY WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS]{.underline}***

Please click on the link below to listen to my most recent weekly radio
address that was sent to local radio and television stations. This
week's 6:42 minute address discusses the decision of the Architect of
the Capitol (AOC) to censor citizens who request the word "God"
inscribed on the certificate included with flags flown over the United
States Capitol.

<http://carter.house.gov/multimedia/>

**[FTC'S TIP-OF-THE-MONTH]{.underline}**

**[DECEPTIVE MORTGAGE ADS]{.underline}**

If you're looking for a mortgage to buy a home or refinance an existing
loan, you may see or hear ads with offers of low rates or payments. Some
of these ads look like they're from your mortgage company or a
government agency. While the offers are tempting, some are terribly
flawed: they don't disclose the true terms of the deal. The FTC says
that when you're shopping for a home loan, it's important to understand
all its terms and conditions. Read what's between the lines of the ad
and learn to recognize the buzzwords that should trigger follow-up
questions.

\* What does"Low Fixed Rate" mean? How long will it be "fixed?" What
about "very low rates" \-\-- does that mean a "payment rate" or the
"interest rate"? What's the difference?

\* Did you know that if the payment rate is less than the interest rate,
you won't be covering the interest due. This is called "negative
amortization." It means that your loan balance is actually increasing
because you're not paying all the interest that comes due, and the
lender is adding the unpaid interest to the balance you owe.

\* Sometimes a "very low payment" might only mean that the offer is for
an Interest Only loan. Your payment may go up after an introductory
period, so that you would be paying down some of the principal \-\-- or
you may end up owing a "balloon" payment, a lump sum usually due at the
end of a loan. You must come up with the money when a balloon payment is
due. If you can't, you may need another loan, which, in turn, means new
closing costs, and potentially points and fees. And if housing prices
are falling, you might not be able to refinance to lower your payments.

To learn more about what the ads say \-\-- and what they leave out \-\--
visit
[www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt023.shtm](http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt023.shtm).

***[FORT HOOD MEN'S RUNNING TEAM]{.underline}***

***[WINS ARMY TEN-MILER]{.underline}***

This week I had the pleasure of congratulating the Fort Hood Men's
Running Team for winning the Commander's Cup at the Army Ten-Miler last
weekend in Washington, D.C. The team crossed the finish line with a time
of 3:45:00.

I am proud to represent the soldiers at Fort Hood in Congress. Fort Hood
is the finest military base in the nation and we train the finest
soldiers. It is no surprise that our team of soldiers took home top
honors at the Army Ten-Miler.

Fort Hood's team included Matt Taverner, Wayne Blas, Brian Foley, Jose
Reyna, Ben Coffman, Victor Andersen and Troy Kirk. A record 26,000
people including thousands of U.S. troops lined up at the Pentagon to
run the 10 mile course along the National Mall. The Army-Ten Miler is
America's largest 10-mile road race and the Army's premier running
event.

***[DEMOCRATS FLAWED FISA LEGISLATION]{.underline}***

This week senior House Democrats unveiled a rewrite to our foreign
intelligence surveillance laws. The bill, scheduled to sunset in 2009,
requires the Intelligence Community to obtain FISA court orders for
foreign communications of persons reasonably believed to be outside the
United States. Since it was enacted in 1978, FISA has never required the
government to acquire court orders for such communications.

We voted in August to temporarily close the dangerous terrorist loophole
and update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) after
Democratic leaders delayed the critical measure for months. The original
legislation was good policy endorsed by our nation's top intelligence
officer. Now, the Democrats have put forth a proposal that does nothing
to address the issue at hand, but instead creates more red tape and
constructs more barriers for our intelligence community.

I am fully prepared to work with my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to support FISA legislation that closes the terrorist loophole and
gives our intelligence community the tools they need to keep Americans
safe. Rather than create a bureaucratic nightmare that does nothing to
stop our enemies, Congress should be working together to ensure our
safety.