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Visit our News page February 14, 2012 Rep. King standing fast Dear Harold, During the legislative briefing portion of our national conference back in 2010, ACT! for America Executive Director Guy Rodgers explained “the power of the gavel.” He told conference attendees that the political party in the majority in Congress holds a great deal of power with respect to everything from what bills get introduced in committees to what bills get a vote on the floor. It’s called “the power of the gavel.” When Republicans won control of the House in 2010, the chairmanships of all the House committees were turned over to Republicans. Rep. Peter King became chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee—and a new day dawned as he addressed issues, such as Muslim radicalization, that previously hadn’t seen the light of day. Last year Rep. King was one of the recipients at our national conference of our Patriot award for his courage and effectiveness in fighting for our national security. Below you’ll see his priorities for this year. Rep. King continues to stand fast in the face of the baseless attacks he has received from organizations like CAIR. This year’s National Conference & Legislative Briefing will be June 27 to 29 in Washington, DC. The fact that many of our attendees each year are repeat attendees says it all. If you’ve never attended, this is an event you’ll never forget. Click here to find out more and to register. King Releases Homeland Panel Priorities for 2012 By CQ Staff House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King released a list of his priorities for the panel in the coming year, leading off with one of its most controversial hearing topics from 2011: Muslim radicalization in America. The New York Republican’s series of domestic radicalization hearings, which covered topics including terrorist recruiting on the Internet and in prisons, as well as the role of Muslim community leaders and organizations in speaking out against violence. The sessions drew criticism from panel Democrats, civil liberties organizations and Muslim advocacy groups. King and several of his fellow GOP panelists, however, called them productive and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., agreed to hold a joint hearing in December on the potential threat of radicalization among members of the U.S. military. “In 2012, we will continue the Committee’s focus on critical counterterrorism issues, just as I promised to do when I was selected as chairman,” King said. “The series of radicalization hearings I convened last March has been very productive, and I will definitely continue the hearings in 2012. The committee will also examine a number of additional homeland security issues and will move legislation necessary to secure our homeland from the terrorists who continue to plot attacks against us.” His office said that legislation will include bills covering authorization for the Department of Homeland Security and its components — a goal the chairman has set in previous years — and cybersecurity. The House Homeland subcommittee that handles cybersecurity approved a bill (HR 3674) from its chairman, California Republican Dan Lungren, earlier this month. King’s other priorities are: Studying the presence and activities in the United States of Iran’s intelligence services, as well as groups such as Hezbollah and al Qaeda. Probing money from Islamist groups that comes into the United States. Examining potential leaks of classified information regarding sensitive counterterrorism operations. Obtaining Purple Heart medals for military servicemembers hurt of killed during the 2009 shooting attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, and at recruiting stations. Currently, those events are considered criminal matters under military policy and ineligibles for Purple Hearts, as King’s and Lieberman’s committees discussed last year. Investigating the possible roles that the deceased al-Qaeda head Anwar al-Awlaki and current seniors leaders Daoud Chehazeh and Eyad al-Rababah, may have played the attacks of September 11, 2001. Studying security preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Assessing whether enemy veterans of conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia pose dangers to the U.S. homeland. Ensuring the protection of U.S. security contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq. Monitoring emerging threats to the homeland; Continuing close examination of the Department of Homeland Security’s operations, policies, and programs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Make sure you receive all of your messages from ACT for America. Addactforamerica@donationnet.net to your address book as an approved email sender. If you found this message in your "Bulk" or "Spam" folder, please click the "Not Spam" button to notify your provider that these are emails you want to receive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACT for America P.O. Box 12765 Pensacola, FL 32591 www.actforamerica.org