Anna Eshoo

Energy

In 2005, Eshoo worked with Nancy Pelosi to develop the Democratic Innovation Agenda, which called for America to achieve independence from Middle East oil over the next ten years. She has led efforts to raise fuel standards for automakers, and pursued reliance on alternative energy sources both in California and nationally.^[15] Legislation includes:

• H.R. 6, Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN) Energy Act, co-sponsor – Repeals $14 billion in subsidies to the gas and oil industries, and commits that money to renewable resources.
• H.R. 1506, Fuel Economy Reform Act, co-sponsor – Raises fuel economy standards, with a target goal of 35 miles per gallon by 2018.
• H.R. 1590, Safe Climate Act, co-sponsor – An emissions reduction bill which includes a provision calling for 20% of all electricity generated in the United States to come from renewable resources by 2008.
• H.R. 550, Securing America's Energy Independence Act, co-sponsor – Extends tax credits for homeowners and business using solar energy.
• S. 2598, Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act – Temporarily suspends filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, in order to lower the cost of petroleum to consumers.
• H.R. 6074, Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act – Authorizes lawsuits against oil cartel members for price fixing.
• H.R. 1742, A bill to establish a program to deploy and integrate plug-in electric drive vehicles in multiple regions, which was ultimately incorporated into the body of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which was the primary energy bill for 2009.

Click here^[16] to download a copy of Eshoo's floor statement on H.R. 3321, the New Direction for Energy Independence Act.

Human rights

Eshoo is a strong supporter of the gay rights movement. In 1992, when a gay-bashing mailer was directed at Supervisor Tom Nolan (the first openly gay supervisor in San Mateo and her opponent for her congressional seat), Eshoo stood fast in defending him, his record and years of service. She opposed the Marriage Protection Amendment and the Marriage Protection Act. Her website called the bill "discriminatory, singling out for the first time a minority to prevent their interests from being considered by the highest courts in the land."^[17]

As one of just two Assyrian members of Congress, Eshoo has worked hard to protect indigenous Assyrian Christians in Iraq from continuing religious persecution and political exclusion. She authored an amendment to H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, stating that "special attention should be paid to the welfare of Chaldo-Assyrians and other indigenous Christians in Iraq."^[18]

Eshoo has been a strong supporter of the Congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. She also supports closer ties between Armenia and the U.S.

Eshoo has fought strongly against certain provisions of the Patriot Act, particularly Section 215 (Access to Business Records), which gives federal investigators the right to obtain any tangible business record without a subpoena.

Eshoo also introduced "Kevin's Law," which would have given the U.S. Department of Agriculture the power to close down plants that produce contaminated meat.

As an Assyrian and Armenian American, Eshoo is co-chair and co-founder of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus. She also serves on the Board of Advisors of THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy, a freedom of religion organization.

Immigration

Eshoo has worked to create a legal "pathway to citizenship" for foreign workers of all kinds, from doctors and computer programmers to migrant farm workers. She has voted to increase the annual cap on H-1B visas to allow more temporary foreign professionals to work in the United States (especially those with Master's Degrees or higher).

In California, where as much as 90% of the agricultural workforce is composed of illegal immigrants,^[19] Eshoo cosponsored H.R. 371, the Agricultural Jobs Act, which would confer blue-card status on illegal immigrants who had worked an agricultural job in the United States for 150 days or more. This bill never became law.

National security

On July 29, 2015, Eshoo co-introduced H.R. 3299, the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act of 2015, which would streamline government decisions and provide incentives for vaccines and treatment of dangerous pathogens and diseases.^[20] Eshoo co-sponsored the legislation with lead sponsor Rep. Susan Brooks in response to an October 2015 report by the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense.^[21]

Other legislation includes:

• H.R. 1275, American Dream Act, cosponsor – Allows states to provide tuition to students that are illegal immigrants, provided they meet certain criteria.
• H.R. 1379, Citizen Promotion Act, cosponsor – Assists lawfully admitted aliens in becoming permanent citizens of the United States.
• H.R. 2221, Uniting American Families Act, cosponsor – Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include "or permanent partner" where spouse occurs.

Technology

In November 2005, Eshoo led the House Democratic Caucus in introducing the "Innovation Agenda." She developed this comprehensive policy in conjunction with Nancy Pelosi and others after extensive consultation with Silicon Valley, tech leaders, venture capitalists, and scholars.

Eshoo authored two bills authorizing electronic signatures that became law, The Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998 (GPEA) and ESIGN.^[22] She also introduced controversial legislation to alleviate the proliferation of unsolicited email, known as spam. The U.S. House of Representatives passed The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (S. 877), which authorizes a “Do Not Spam” list, regulates commercial email, and imposes fines on spammers. Eshoo authored the Consumer Internet Privacy Enhancement Act of 2001 (H.R. 237), created a program to provide discounts to schools and libraries for Internet access, and authored the Computer Donation Incentive Act.

Eshoo introduced HR 2428, the Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2009.^[23] The bill would require new federal road projects to include plastic conduits buried along the side of the roadway, and enough of them to "accommodate multiple broadband providers."^[24] "According to industry experts, more than half of the cost of new broadband deployment is attributable to the expense of tearing up and repaving roads," Eshoo said. "By putting the broadband conduit in place while the ground beneath the roadways is exposed, we will enable any authorized communications provider to come in later and install fiber-optic cable at far less cost."^[23] The bill is supported by Google.^[25][26]

Together with Rep. Edward Markey, Eshoo introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009,^[27] which would make Net Neutrality the law.^[28]

Eshoo is co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, a bipartisan group of over 150 members of the House and Senate working to educate their colleagues about the promise and potential of the Internet.^[29]

Eshoo supported the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 3675; 113th Congress), a bill that would make a number of changes to procedures that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) follows in its rulemaking processes.^[30] The FCC would have to act more transparently as a result of this bill, forced to accept public input about regulations.^[31] Eshoo expected Senate support for the bill, saying that they "shouldn't find it menacing" and arguing that the bill was "about the functioning of the FCC in the 21st century."^[32]