As we gather this week with friends and family on this 4th of July holiday to commemorate our nation's founding, let's take a moment to recognize the service and sacrifice of those serving overseas who aren't here to celebrate with us this year.

It is out of respect for the service and sacrifice of our nation's servicemembers that I will introduce an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill next week, requiring that active duty troops have at least the same time at home as the length of their previous tour of duty overseas. After more than four years of combat operations, we must provide our troops and their families with more predictable tours of duty, with adequate time at home between deployments. If we are honest about wanting to support our troops, there is no better place to start than to correct our troop-rotation policy.

As we address this issue and others in the upcoming months, I invite you to continue to be in touch with me and my staff. Your input is important to us. We are also continually updating our website, webb.senate.gov. So, check back regularly to see what's new.

Jim Webb

As Virginia families head out for summer vacations to Virginia Beach, the Appalachians or even Washington, DC, here are a few helpful tips to save money on your travels:

Drive Sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money. Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.15 - $0.98/gallon.

Observe the Speed Limit. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Avoid Excessive Idling. Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

Use Cruise Control. Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears. When you use overdrive gearing, your cars engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

For more tips please visit the Department of Energy's website: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml

PRESS CONFERENCE ON TROOP READINESS AND RESPONSIBLE DEPLOYMENT CYCLES

On June 28, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and I held a press conference to impress upon Congress that supporting our troops means establishing more sustainable deployment lengths and adequate dwell time between deployments for our nation's military units serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both Governor Sebelius and I have seen the extent to which erratic deployment rotations push service members to the limits of their endurance and cause significant strains at home.

To read the press release and other materials from the press conference, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=278003&

INTRODUCTION OF POST-9/11 G.I. EDUCATION BILL IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

On June 14, Representative Bobby Scott and I held a press conference to announce his introduction of my G.I. Bill in the House of Representatives. Joining us in support of this effort were Senator Frank Lautenberg from New Jersey who went to school on the GI Bill, Congressmen Chris Carney (D-PA), John Salazar (D-CO), Jim Moran (D-VA), and Rick Boucher (D-VA).

I introduced this legislation on my first day in the Senate and since then, it has gained the support of 18 other Senators, 5 members of the House, and several important veterans organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard (EANGUS).

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 provides qualifying returning service members with benefits equated to those received by WWII service members. The bill gives service members up to 36 months of tuition, books, fees, and a monthly stipend. I will continue to fight for this legislation in the upcoming hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

I thank Representative Scott for his support, and I look forward to working with him to move this legislation forward.

To read the press release and other materials from the press conference, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=276979&"

To download the press packet, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/video/051507_hearing.ram

To listen to audio highlights of the press conference, visit: http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/webb/webb070614.mp3

To watch video highlights of the press conference, visit: http://media.senate.gov/outside/5572497061420073534.ram

DC INTERN PROGRAM

My office is now accepting internship applications from Virginia college students for the Fall semester. We are looking for interns to volunteer in my district offices in Norton, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, and Richmond, as well as our Washington, DC office. Come learn about government first hand and help Virginia constituents. To apply, please download the following application and instructions: http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/intern_app.pdf

ENERGY BILL

Earlier this month, the Senate passed the National Energy and Environmental Security Act of 2007, which included provisions from two research bills that I co-sponsored. This bill will increase environmental standards, help the country to become more energy self-reliant, and stimulate the economy.

It is my hope that this legislation is the first step in improving our energy policies. The two bills that I co-sponsored call for an increase in funding for carbon capture and storage research. Some of the other provisions include: promoting high efficiency vehicles, presidential regulations on the use of renewable fuels for motor vehicles and home heating oil, increases in funding for bioenergy research, and federal penalties for price gouging in an energy emergency.

To read the recent column that I wrote on practical solutions to our energy problems, please visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=278142&

To read the press release and more about this legislation, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=277783&

VIRGINIA ECONOMIC COMMISSION LETTER

In light of Federal funding shortfalls, I recently sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee requesting an additional $300 million for administration of the unemployment insurance system. I believe that the Bush administration has failed to properly fund the program, affecting Virginia's ability to provide services for the unemployed. This lack of funding has forced the Virginia Employment Commission to consider closing offices in economically depressed areas of the state.

To read the full press release and letter to Senators Byrd and Cochran, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=277357

USS ARLINGTON COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE SELECTION

On June 22, I announced the confirmation of Timothy Reese as a member of the USS Arlington Commissioning Committee. Tim is the founder and co-chair of the Arlington County 9/11 Scholarship. The USS Arlington will honor the victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. I feel Tim is highly qualified to serve on this committee along with victims families, retired members of the Navy, and defense contractors.

To read the press release, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=277606

To learn more about the USS Arlington, visit: http://www.arlingtonva.us/Portals/Topics/ussarlington.aspx

PASSPORT INFORMATION

I have heard several concerns about obtaining passports in a timely fashion. If you plan to travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda between now and September 30 and have applied but not received your passport, there is new information that may help to ease your travel worries. For more information on temporary travel flexibility within the Western hemisphere, please go to: http://www.dhs.gov or http://travel.state.gov Please do not hesitate to contact my office directly if you have any passport issues. To find a district office near you please visit: webb.senate.gov

THE VIRGINIAN PILOT ON WEBB'S SIX MONTHS IN OFFICE

After combative entry, Sen. Webb settles in
By Dale Eisman,
The Virginian-Pilot

The combat boots he made famous in last year's long march to the Senate are a museum piece now, enshrined in a glass-fronted case in his reception room on Capitol Hill. These days, Sen. Jim Webb dresses and talks more like a peacemaker than a battle-tested Marine. Six months into his term, the Virginia Democrat whose campaign slogan was "Born Fighting" is learning the ways of the Senate and taking care to get along with his colleagues.

To read the entire article, please visit: http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=127891&ran;=141651

Photo courtesy of the Virginian-Pilot

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