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CAFTA
Inglis was among a group of five textile region representatives along with several textile company officials who successfully pressed the Administration to alter the impact of the agreement on Upstate textile companies. Inglis gave full credit to Rob Portman, a colleague from his first freshman class, who was recently appointed U.S. Trade Representative.
"From the very beginning some textile executives and textile trade organizations told the Administration that it had to close the door on China with binding commitments from the CAFTA countries before we could support it," Inglis said.
China was the main focus, he said. With the loopholes closed, CAFTA is a western Hemisphere strategic alliance that can allow textile companies to compete with China.
The USTR is still working on completing the agreement
Transportation Funding
The Highway bill promises to return to South Carolina at least 92 percent of the gas taxes collected in South Carolina. In the previous highway bills (renewed every 6 years), South Carolina's return ratio has been as low as 81 percent. Important road projects funded for the 4th District included:
Accelerating the drive to a hydrogen economy
Launched the House Hydrogen Caucus with several other members of Congress to support the transition to a hydrogen economy and the following goals:
Joint Sub-Committee Hearings on Hydrogen Economy - July 20, 2005
Transparency in Health Care pricing - Lipinski Bill introduction
Introduced bipartisan Hospital Price Reporting and Disclosure Act (HR 3139) to give Americans the ability to make informed health care decisions for themselves and their families. The bill would require every hospital to provide consumers with the billed charges (not the insurance negotiated prices) for the most commonly used procedures and medications. Specifically, the bill would require hospitals to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) twice a year, the amount they charge for the twenty-five most commonly performed inpatient procedures, the twenty-five most commonly performed outpatient procedures, and the fifty most frequently administered medications. The Department of Health and Human Services would then be required to post this information on the Internet in a concise, user-friendly format.
Opposed excessive spending in Katrina Education Bill
Offered an amendment to reform the Family Education Reimbursement Act of 2005 (FERA). FERA would have created voucher-like accounts to help schools pay for the cost of educating Katrina evacuees. My amendment would ensure that federal reimbursement was directed toward those schools that shouldered a disproportionate share of the burden. Because the amendment was not accepted, I was unable to support the bill. In the end, I helped defeat FERA, but not because I have a problem with vouchers. I actually think that school choice is a great idea when it is done by states, because the states have primary responsibility for education. Federal disaster assistance shouldn’t replace private charity. When the federal government reimburses private entities for charitable acts, the muscles of charity atrophy. We should be encouraging Americans to flex those muscles, not lean on the federal government. I am a believer in school choice. I’m also a believer in private initiative, limited government, and the state’s responsibility to educate its own children. FERA was the wrong way to help students displaced by the hurricanes.
Continued to oppose mandatory minimums
Continued to oppose mandatory minimums and support the current sentencing guidelines offered by the federal sentencing commission. Organized a meeting between Republican members of the Judiciary Committee and former Attorney General Ed Meese to discuss the downsides of mandatory minimums from a conservative perspective.