The primary topic we’re discussing at the hearing is the execution of an animal identification program, which will allow animals who carry contagious diseases to be quickly tracked, traced and quarantined. 

I recently signed on as a leading co-sponsor of legislation that would establish an electronic national identification system. This tracking system would require all livestock, from birth to slaughter, to be identified, and would ensure these infected animals are identified within 48 hours of disease outbreaks.

Implementing an Animal Identification system is critical to ensuring that America’s food supply is safe and reliable, and that consumer confidence in the beef industry is maintained. However, as we develop this system, we must make sure it properly addresses particular cost and privacy concerns. Additionally, the burden of this tracking system must not be laid upon cattle producers alone, but must be affordable to all cattle producers, both large and small. As Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture, I am well-positioned to make sure these concerns are properly addressed.

I urge all cattlemen, producers, and constituents who have comments or concerns regarding the animal identification system to contact me at mike.ross@mail.house.gov.

In Congress, we occasionally leave Capitol Hill and take our meetings straight to the people, just as we are doing in Houston this week.  I believe this is important, in that it helps Members of Congress gain perspective by hearing the ideas and concerns of the people who are directly impacted by the decisions we make.

“The Artistic Discovery contest is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the extraordinary talent of America’s young artists,” Ross said.  “It’s a long walk through the tunnel to the Capitol Building, and along that walk 435 students across America are able to display their works of art to thousands of visitors from all over the country.  It is a quiet reminder of all that our students can accomplish, and of the tremendous talent our young people possess.  I am looking forward to seeing what this year’s students will create.” 

Ross is asking each high school within the Fourth District to organize a contest within their school to choose first- and second-place semi-finalists to be judged with the semi-finalists from other schools within the district. 

All local contests must be completed by April 30, 2003 and the two winning entries from each school must be sent to the Hot Springs Congressional Office, located at 112 Buena Vista, no later than Friday, May 14, 2004.

In mid-May, Ross plans to host a reception for the artists and their families to announce the winners, who will be selected by art teachers from colleges throughout the Fourth Congressional District.  The judges will choose first-, second-, and third-place as well as honorable mention winners. 

The winning selection will be displayed in the tunnel of the U.S. Capitol. Second and third prize winners will be honored by having their artwork hung in the congressional office in Washington, D.C., and honorable mention winners will have their artwork hung throughout the district congressional offices in Arkansas. 

Students are encouraged to contact Jarrod Yates at 1-800-223-2220 or 501-520-5892 with any questions and/or to let the office know if you are able to implement this contest within your high school.
 
 

The following is a draft of the testimony Ross will give during today’s hearing. Please note upon the hearing should Ross’s testimony change, an addendum will be released following his testimony.

“I am here today to talk to you about the dire need to adequately fund low-use waterway systems and specifically, the Ouachita/Black River Navigation System. 

“The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2005 cuts navigational funding for the Ouachita/Black Navigation system by 100%. The only funding the budget allocates for the river is slightly less than $2 million for recreational purposes only. 

“If the funding for the Ouachita/Black River Navigation System proposed in the fiscal year 2005 budget passes, the Corps would not have the resources necessary to maintain the river, locks and dams needed to continue navigation. In other words, the waterway would be forced into a mothball status.

“While there have been no actual studies conducted that estimate the economic and environmental impact shutting down the Ouachita/Black River Navigation system would have on South Arkansas’s economy, there is no question shutting down this waterway would be destructive to our water supplies, navigation systems, recreational facilities, and wildlife refuges.

“This part of my district employs numerous businesses associated with the agriculture and paper industries, oil and gas refineries, and power plants, all of which heavily depend on the waterway to operate. And in fact, many of these companies have spent millions of dollars to expand their businesses, based on the assurance that the navigation system would remain in tact. 

“Case in point is Cross Oil, the main employer of Smackover, Arkansas, population 2,000. Shutting down the river system would dissolve 125 jobs, with an annual payroll of $6 million, and with sales of $100 million. 

“Additionally, if Cross Oil goes out of business, the trickle down effect will be felt by a number of local businesses that depend on the services and products Cross Oil provides -- including transportation companies, construction companies, and engineering firms.

“The closing down of the waterway would also have a significant environmental impact on roughly 11 counties and parishes in Arkansas and Louisiana. Water sources are affected by the pooling of the locks and dams. 

“This would negatively impact municipal, industrial and agriculture water supplies, which would inevitably harm the health and safety of our communities. 

“Low-use waterways also play a vital role in our economy. Their function can be compared to that of a neighborhood street.  While they naturally carry less traffic than mainstream waterways, they allow commerce to feed on and off the main routes, while providing access to more remote communities and regions. 

“Low-use waterways also significantly reduce high-ton traffic on our roads and highways, lessening the wear and tear and congestion on our roads, which in turn lowers transportation costs.

“As a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog coalition, I am a strong supporter of maintaining fiscal responsibility within our government. I understand when times are tough, cuts have to be made, some of which we don’t like to make. But colleagues, I urge you to take a hard look and really asses the proposed budget priorities. 

“When nine million Americans are out of work today, does it make sense to slash funding for the Ouachita/Black River  and other low-use waterway systems  to the point that they are inoperable,  thereby destroying hundreds of jobs in Arkansas, Louisiana  and across the country that depend on waterway transportation?

“The root problem we are facing here is the inadequacy of the Corps Operation and Maintenance Budget.  In fact, the $1.974 million included in the proposed budget for recreation is wasted money without maintenance of the locks and dams. 

“If we restore the funding to approximately $10 million, which is the absolute bare minimum needed to operate the locks and dams, therefore making the waterway navigable, the funding we’ve invested in this region both publicly and privately will be reaped.  If we don’t restore the funding, these investments will be wasted. It’s as simple as that.

“I urge all of you to please consider what I, and my colleague Rep. Rodney Alexander, have told you today. Shutting down this Ouachita/Black River Navigation System absolutely makes no sense. 

“It would do the very opposite needed to stimulate the economy and get people back on their feet in this country. Jobs would be lost, and people would be out of work. In these already distressed times I can assure you this is not what Arkansas and Louisiana needs to get the economy moving again. 

“I am proud to receive this high rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans, an organization dedicated to educating seniors and retirees on important issues facing them, such as Medicare and Social Security,” said Ross.   “The so-called prescription drug bill that was signed into law last year is nothing but a false hope and a false promise for our seniors, and the Alliance for Retired Americans has played an instrumental role in helping to spread this message to its membership across the country.”
 

The 2003 Congressional Voting Record rated Members of the House of Representatives based on ten votes that were important to the health and economic security of seniors, including Medicare, retiree benefits, tax breaks and issues involving family caregivers.

“This Voting Record reflects how committed our elected representatives are to retirees and older Americans.  This past session of Congress was a direct assault on the quality of life for retirees,” wrote George J. Kourpias, President, and Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director, of the Alliance for Retired Americans in the Voting Record.  “The new Medicare law was the most shocking assault on seniors during the last year.  Congress passed, and President Bush signed, legislation that creates a privatized Medicare drug program that benefits insurance and pharmaceutical companies, not older Americans.”