“Tomorrow, as on Earth Days for the past 38 years, many in our country will reflect upon our solemn responsibility to protect the natural environment from the adverse consequences of human activity, and to preserve it for future generations. On this Earth Day in 2008, there is no greater challenge to our responsible stewardship of the Earth and its resources than the threat of global climate change.

“Our government has ignored this threat for far too long. As the world’s largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases, our nation must be a leader in finding clean energy solutions that will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, create a new generation of jobs, and provide energy security for us and the generations to come.

President George W. Bush gave on Monday night his last State of the Union address of his presidency.

Bush limped through his speech, an obvious cut-and-paste job during the final lame-duck leg of his journey.

While our economy flounders, our soldiers are encamped in Iraq with no end in sight, and working families grapple with many challenges, the President offered few ideas for solving many of the country’s most pressing problems.

Voters are calling for change. We see it in the overwhelming support and record turnout in the presidential nominating contests on the Democratic side and lagging enthusiasm among Republicans.

The 110th Congress is heeding the call for change by moving America in a new direction and squarely facing challenges that demand more action.

The following is a round-up of Democratic responses to Bush’s cut and paste approach to our nation’s problems.

Congressman David Price (D-NC) today participated in a press conference unveiling a new Human Right First report on the government’s management and supervision of private contractors in the war zone.

The report – entitled “Private Contractors at War: Ending the Culture of Impunity" – calls upon Congress to enact Price’s legislation (H.R. 2740) to ensure that all war contractors are held accountable under the U.S. criminal code. The group also urges the Justice Department to use its current authority to investigate and prosecute cases of potential contractor abuse that have been documented in the media.

“The Human Rights First report is a milestone, a clarion call for immediate action to address a problem that has plagued the U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from the start,” Price said in a speech this morning. “I sincerely hope that the Senate will act soon and that the Administration will cooperate with our efforts [to pass my contractor accountability legislation].”

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi will present a public lecture as part of Meredith’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Presidential Lecture Series.

Speaker Pelosi will discuss the accomplishments and current work of the New Direction Congress. After the event Speaker Pelosi will take questions from the audience.

Speaker Pelosi will hold a press conference with North Carolina Congressmen Brad Miller and David Price following the question and answer session.

“I want to thank Meredith College for their hospitality in hosting today’s event. It’s a pleasure to welcome Speaker Pelosi to my home district to highlight the accomplishments and future goals of the Democratic Majority,” said Congressman Miller.

Save for ritual nods to Motherhood and Apple Pie, the 389-30 winning margin for Rep. David Price's bill to make all private contractors working in war zones subject to U.S. law was about as convincing as a vote can be in the divided and contentious U.S. House of Representatives.

Broad bipartisan backing for the Chapel Hill Democrat's measure -- all North Carolina House members voted for it in Thursday's tally -- sends the Senate a compelling invitation. When senators take up the issue later this month they should join Price's effort to gain greater control over contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Republican Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole have a useful role to play here, if they can help President Bush see the utility of the House bill's approach.

Getting Bush on board, though, could prove to be a struggle.

U.S. Reps. David Price (D-NC) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) will introduce legislation today calling for a “diplomatic surge” in Iraq, which, the Representatives said, must go hand-in-hand with any plan for a responsible redeployment of American combat forces from Iraq.

The legislation calls for a regional diplomatic initiative that would bring together Iraq’s neighbors and the international community to address the key challenges facing Iraq and the region.  Such an initiative would seek to ease the threat of the Iraq war sparking a broader regional conflagration, promote cooperation on addressing critical issues like border security and refugees, and seek to involve the international community in support of economic and political development in Iraq.  This bill builds upon previous efforts by Price and Thompson to encourage the more aggressive use of America’s diplomatic assets to address the many challenges in Iraq.

The House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved a bill introduced by Congressman David Price (D-NC), which would ensure that the U.S. government has the legal authority to prosecute crimes committed by U.S. contractor personnel working in war zones. The bill closes a major loophole in the law that allows thousands of contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to operate with impunity. The final vote was 389 to 30.

Defense Department contractors are already covered under U.S. law, but contractors such as Blackwater USA, who work for the State Department and other agencies, are not held liable for criminal activity under current law. Price’s bill would extend the jurisdiction of the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) to cover all contractors working for the government in a war zone.

Congressman David Price (D-NC) today announced a federal grant of $408,300 for NC State University to continue participating in the University Transportation Center (UTC) program through the U.S. Department of Transportation. NCSU was selected as one of seven universities across the country working to solve national and regional transportation challenges through research, education and technology transfer. The university’s Center for Transportation and the Environment will receive the funding.

Last year, Price led an effort among the state’s congressional delegation to pen a letter to the Department in support of NCSU’s bid for inclusion in the UTC program (See attached document). The university had participated in the program in the past, but last year the Department of Transportation required all universities to re-apply for the special designation.

Other universities receiving funding following today’s announcement include the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, the University of Denver, Mississippi State University, Cleveland State University, the University of Detroit-Mercy, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

U.S. Rep. David Price (D-NC) today announced the success of his effort to make community college students eligible for a major federal scholarship to help them become science and math teachers.  The provision was approved by the House of Representatives late yesterday as part of a bill to re-authorize the National Science Foundation and support other government efforts designed to bolster the competitiveness of the American economy (H.R. 2272).  The bill was approved by a vote of 367-57 in the House.  The Senate approved the bill unanimously later last night, thus sending the measure to the President’s desk for his signature.

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program provides grants to institutions of higher learning for scholarships and stipends for math and science majors who commit to teaching those subjects in “high-need” schools.  In return for up to $10,000 in financial aid per year (up to 3 years), students must commit to teach two years for every year they receive the scholarship.

“We are all too familiar with the impending teacher shortage in our country,” Price said.  “These scholarships will help us fill the need for qualified teachers who provide instruction in subjects that are critical to the future of American innovation.”

North Carolina’s Democrats in Congress today reaffirmed their support for a new direction in Iraq by voting to pass the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act (HR 2956). The bill, which would begin to responsibly redeploy our troops in Iraq and refocus our efforts on protecting Americans from terrorism, is the latest attempt by Democrats to transition the mission in Iraq and lead where Republicans have failed.

While Republicans like Robin Hayes and Elizabeth Dole still support President Bush’s failed strategy, Democrats are keeping their promise to change course in Iraq. This bill requires a responsible redeployment of U.S. troops beginning within 120 days of enactment and requires the President to publicly justify the post-redeployment missions for the US military in Iraq as well as the minimum number of troops necessary to carry out those missions. It is consistent with the advice of military and foreign policy experts, reflects the will of the American people, would ensure the safety of our men and women in uniform, and would enable a transition to an effective offensive strategy for winning the real war on terrorism.