Freshmen, with eye on ’10, receive input on stimulus

House Democrats made sure to give their newest members some of the credit for the economic stimulus bill, since these lawmakers are likely to face tough challenges in the 2010 midterm elections.

In recent weeks a handful of freshmen Democrats have made it a point to brag about their impact on the bill, from amendments designed to increase transparency to those aimed at bolstering the country’s sagging textile industry and pumping money into mass transit projects.

{mosads}The unusual input from novice lawmakers on a signature piece of legislation, leadership aides said, was to ensure new ideas got to the table. And those members credited Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), her chief assistant, Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and other Democrats much higher up the seniority ladder for asking for their input.

Among the beneficiaries: Rep. Harry Teague (D-N.M.), who got a provision into the bill that added a website where those seeking federal jobs can find any available in their areas, something that will aid constituents in Teague’s largely rural district, where the median wage is below the national average.

“I thought it was very special that we got to have [such input],” Teague said Wednesday. Teague worked with House leadership, including Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) and Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) to get the measure passed. “As time went along, we worked very closely with them,” he said of top committee leaders.

Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.) will be able to tout his amendment extending the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a measure that was also in the Republican version of the stimulus bill. The amendment would offer the tax credit to any veterans discharged since 2004, a four-year extension from the bill’s first draft.

“I made a point in the campaign to stress the fact that I would work to help veterans any way I can,” Nye said. He had originally sought an extension backdated to 2001, but the final version “was almost what we wanted.”

Rep. Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) will be able to take good news back to his district, which has been hard-hit as the American textile industry has faded in recent years. The Democrat won approval for a measure that will ensure certain uniforms made for the Department of Homeland Security will be made in America.

The amendment, which came after a “Buy American” provision was stripped from the bill, had been sought by Kissell’s predecessor, ex-Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.), for six years. “There is nothing more fitting for the stimulus bill than to have those uniforms made in America,” said Leanna Powell, Kissell’s chief of staff.

Kissell, Powell said, talked to Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Slaughter about the measure. Leadership helped smooth what can otherwise be a bumpy path for someone new to the amendment process, she said.

Freshmen including Reps. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.), Tom Perriello (D-Va.), Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) and others all saw their own amendments passed as well, many with encouragement from Van Hollen and help from more senior members of the Democratic Caucus.

“Our new members wasted no time in taking action that will help create jobs, provide tax relief and invest in critical district priorities,” said Doug Thornell, a Van Hollen spokesman. As assistant to the Speaker, Van Hollen has been charged with watching over first- and second-term members of Congress.

“One of Van Hollen’s duties as assistant to the Speaker is to help recently elected members get off to a good and fast start. Having a class of go-getters and colleagues in leadership so willing to help makes his job a little bit easier,” Thornell added.

The early notches on their belt suggest Democrats are already looking forward to what could be a tough cycle in 2010. After thumping Republicans for two consecutive cycles, Democrats face the historically daunting prospect of keeping their large majorities during midterm elections, which has happened only rarely for the party in charge of the White House.

Those Democrats who offered the amendments will have something to tell voters about next year, and they may need the ammunition. Teague narrowly fought off a Republican opponent to win an open seat in 2008; Kissell beat a Republican incumbent, but with the aid of a much higher African-American turnout than usual; and Nye ousted a Republican incumbent by a slim margin. Halvorson, Perriello and McMahon all took over previously Republican-held districts, making them potentially vulnerable as well.