The Burton Blog

HOUSE APPROVES BURTON AMENDMENT PROTECTING PROPERTY OWNERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the House of Representatives unanimously approved the Burton-Stark amendment to H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011, which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to properly notify homeowners of their rights when their homes are placed into a flood plain.

"In 2006, Congressman Stark (D-CA) and I both realized a problem exists in the redrawing of the floodplain maps across this country. FEMA is constantly updating the floodplain maps but the only way people who are in the affected areas know about it is through the legal notice section of the newspaper by reading the Federal Register.  At the time, there were about 300 or 400 people in my district that didn't know anything about this until after the fact when they received a letter from their insurance company indicating they had 45 days to buy insurance or else it would be added to their mortgage payment."

The Burton-Stark Amendment requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide written notification, by first class mail, to any property owner affected by a proposed change in flood elevations prior to the 90-day appeal period. Notification would include a clear explanation of the appeals process and contact information for the appropriate officials.
When a conservative from Indiana and a liberal from California can agree on anything, you know it's the right thing to do.

"With the passage of my amendment, we will ensure that the rights of private property owners are protected by ensuring that every American is adequately notified when the government makes floodplain changes. This is a big victory for Hoosiers and families across America who own property in regions that could potentially be affected by flooding."

Burton Votes to Support Defense of Marriage Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-05) issued the following statement after passage of the Foxx-Burton Amendment barring funds from being used in contravention of the Defense of Marriage Act.  The Foxx-Burton Amendment was adopted as part of the Fiscal Year 2012 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. 

“With the repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy last year and President Obama's announcement earlier this year that the Justice Department would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the House had to take definitive steps towards ensuring that current Federal laws concerning marriage are enforced to the letter.

“Earlier this year, the Department of the Navy released a memo directing that training for Navy chaplains be revised to accommodate same-sex marriages on military bases that are located in States where same-sex marriage is legal.  The Navy reversed its plans after the Secretary of Navy received a letter of protest from sixty-three Members of Congress requesting that he direct the services under his control to follow and defend Federal law.

“The passage of the Foxx-Burton Amendment resolves, once and for all, the conflicting messages coming from within the Department of Defense related to its enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act.  This amendment also ensures that our defense dollars will not be used to implement policy changes that would be in direct conflict of the Defense of Marriage Act.  The Foxx-Burton Amendment reinforces provisions that were included in the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that passed the House of Representatives on May 26, 2011. 

“It is not the place for any Federal agency - including any branch of the armed services - to pick and choose which laws they choose to acknowledge and obey. No one is exempt from abiding by Federal law.  If Congress had failed to take a stand on this issue, we would almost certainly have seen more conflicting and confused protocols emerging in the Department of Defense as they relate to the enforcement of Defense of the Marriage Act, all with the complicit support of the Obama Administration.

“Let's keep our Department of Defense focused on the missions at hand.”

More on Burton's bill re the ACLU

Human Events has a great article that mentions Dan's bill, The Public Expression of Religion Act:

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) made an appearance at the event to promote the Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA), which would eliminate the attorney’s fees problem and allow more flexibility for religious symbolism.

“We want to make sure there’s not encouragement for [the ACLU] to do that to cities and towns where, in many cases, are concerned they will stuck with a big legal bill whether they win or lose,” said Burton.

Burton said he is trying to move the bill through the House and Senate before the election. Burton mentioned that he would also be in favor of pushing federal cases to the states so that elected judges -- who must face the electorate for re-election -- decide more of them.