By Bill Hess

Sierra Vista Herald/Review,  January 9, 2009

WASHINGTON – Calling what is facing the 111th Congress “an exciting time as well as one of deep concern,” U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said during a telephone interview on Thursday that “the nation’s economic crisis is deepening.”

Once the December unemployment figures are released, it is expected more than 2 million Americans will have lost their jobs in 2008, the Arizona Democrat said.

The nation is facing a growing problem approaching what America went through during the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s, the congresswoman said. And, she said, it appears that this year the number of people facing unemployment will grow by the thousands each month.

Giffords said congressional and other national leaders will have to join President-elect Barack Obama in addressing the issues head on and not to fall into bitter partisanship.

And whatever federal stimulus package is to be considered, it will need to have input at local and state levels as well, the congresswoman said.

On Saturday, she is scheduled to meet with local and state officials in Tucson at an Economic Stimulus Forum in an effort to collect suggestions for Congress to consider to start reviving the economy. Sierra Vista Mayor Bob Strain and the Assistant City Manager Mary Jacobs are two of the officials who plan to attend the meeting. Jacobs said the list she’ll have will consist of 23 “shovel ready” ideas that have been designed and are ready to go but do not have city funding. The total estimated cost of the projects is about $37 million.

Strain said most are road projects, as well as one for improvement at the city-operated airport and a wastewater treatment plant to serve Castle & Cooke’s  Tribute subdivision.

The mayor said Giffords’ effort to ask for input this early in the federal process is much better than having funds provided without input.

The importance is increased in light of the state’s financial woes that has seen a lessening of Highway User Revenue Funds and income and sales taxes that are distributed throughout the state, Strain said.

Jacobs said Giffords’ Saturday event is a good way for her to understand the needs of rural communities within the 8th Congressional District.

Strain said he and other leaders of local governments in the district understand the wish lists still have to compete with the state’s needs and other entities nationwide.

“It’s just an initial step in the stimulus process,” he said.

Giffords said that while the stimulus package Obama is seeking is most important, there are a number of items Congress will be handling.

An issue of concern in Arizona is immigration. She said she hopes Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and the future secretary of Homeland Security, Arizona’s current Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, will work together, as they have promised, on immigration issues.

Noting that gas prices have gone down, Giffords said there now seems to be a lack of concern about the energy issues that have to be addressed, which she called unfortunate.

“I’ve noticed there has been a increase in the sales of big cars again,” she said.

But she said the federal government cannot re-enter a complacent zone and must push for better energy projects.

One of her major projects revolves around solar energy, and Giffords and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., are introducing a bill to boost the federal government’s use of solar and wind energy.

The bill, H.R. 175, allows the General Services Administration to enter into renewable energy contracts for 30 years, instead of being limited to 10 years, as laws now limit the agency that manages most non-military federal properties. GSA is in the process of “greening” federal buildings which includes the installation of solar panels.

Solar energy is an industry that can employ many people in Arizona, Giffords said.

“By 2012 solar energy will be on track to be as cost effective and on par with the coal industry,” the congresswoman said, adding that now is the time for Arizona to step up and be in the forefront of the growing new energy program.

She is a little disappointed she will not be able to attend a solar energy conference in Phoenix today that she has worked on for six months. She must remain in Washington, D.C.

However, she will address the event through a video teleconferencing hookup.

Giffords is a member of the House Science Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, two panels she also served on during her first term.

In her role on the Armed Services Committee, Giffords said there are a number of issues that must be addressed during her second term.

Those issues include ensuring the armed forces have the best equipment needed for the continuing war on terrorism, especially in light that much of the material has to be replaced due to its use during the past seven years.

Southern Arizona has three military installations – Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, and the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing at Tucson International Airport.

Some home-owning service members also have expressed concern that when moving from one area of the nation to another, they face the possibility of not being able to sell their homes in the current economy.

This, they said, could impact their military service because the armed forces consider foreclosures as financially irresponsible, which leads to the removal of security clearances needed in their work.

Giffords said this is an issue that Congress must review and see if relief can be provided to the service members.

Other issues important to service members and their families, such as ensuring service members and their family members have the best health care.

“If we lose the families, we will lost the service member,” Giffords said.

As the 111th Congress continues, Giffords  expects  more issues to appear. But, she said, most of the issues are going to be about “the economy, the economy, the economy.”