Legislation

H.R. 1098 American LIFE Fund for the Uninsured

Inspired by an actual case in Virginia's Fifth District, I have introduced legislation, which is known as the American Life Fund for the Medical Treatment of the Uninsured Act.

The American Life Fund is modeled after Virginia's Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund, which was enacted by the General Assembly in 2001. Two Fifth District residents, Sarah Terry and Ken Woodley, provided the impetus that prompted the General Assembly to enact its legislation. They learned of the plight of a lady from Danville, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer but had not been treated for more than a year after the diagnosis because she was uninsured.

Under my legislation, any individual who has overpaid his or her federal taxes may voluntarily contribute any portion of the overpayment to the fund by using a check-off box on the tax return. The fund will only apply to refunds, and the IRS will not collect any additional money from taxpayers.

The money contributed by taxpayers to the fund shall be available to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to carry out a program that provides health coverage for catastrophic illnesses and injuries of some of the millions of Americans without health insurance. Regulations will prevent insured individuals who have already been diagnosed from canceling their insurance to defraud the system.

Many Americans without health insurance face catastrophic illnesses and need immediate treatment. This bill provides American taxpayers with a great opportunity to make this assistance for the uninsured who face catastrophic illness a reality.

H.J.RES.94 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to establish English as the official language of the United States.

English should be the official language of the United States. In countries where there is a lack of a common unifying language, there is more discord and often efforts to split up the country. Having one common language can be a significant unifying force. We need only to look to the north to Canada. Canada has had three elections over the past couple of decades in an effort to split French speaking Quebec off from the rest of the English speaking Canada. I am fearful that we will have efforts in the country in a few years to split up part of the United States. There are some from Mexico who are already saying that the Mexican War was wrong and that the United States should be split in the Southwest.

Having English as our official language is not new. The issue has been before Congress for several years. America has been a great melting pot and country for persons of different backgrounds. We need to ensure that we have a common unifying thread of a language throug! h these diverse backgrounds. Having a common language for a country will make that country stronger and more unified in my opinion.