"As a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition in the House of Representatives, I believe Congress must work together to come up with a common sense budget that includes a plan to restore our country’s fiscal health, while meeting the important immediate needs of paying for homeland security and the war on terror.      

"Unfortunately, this week the House did just the opposite, passing an irresponsible budget written by the Republican leadership.  Their budget raids almost every dollar of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds and has no plan to get us out of deficits without counting Social Security and Medicare.  Their budget does not contain adequate funding for a meaningful prescription drug benefit that our seniors so desperately need, and it cuts funding in important areas like law enforcement, health care, and education, including funding needed to implement the bipartisan 'Leave No Child Behind' education reform that President Bush signed into law last year.
    
"It’s time for Republicans and Democrats to put partisanship aside and come up with a plan that puts us back on course to balance the budget, without doing so on the backs of our seniors who rely on Social Security and Medicare.  We have a duty to them and to all Americans to be responsible, and the budget passed this week simply fails to live up to that calling."

“Holly and I are delighted to announce the Artistic Discovery Art Contest held annually to select one outstanding art piece from each congressional district across the country to be featured in our Nation’s Capitol,” Ross said. “Each year, the winning artwork from each district is displayed in the tunnel that connects the House office buildings with the U.S. Capitol building, which is used by Members of Congress, their staff, and guests to walk between the Capitol and the congressional offices.”

Congressman Ross and his wife, Holly, have asked 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, 2002, and the two winning entries sent to the Congressman’s Pine Bluff office no later than Friday, May 10, 2002.

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 arts play an important role in education, giving students positive avenues of expression and increasing their creativity and learning. I am pleased to have the opportunity to showcase several of the many talented young artists in the Fourth Congressional District. This year we will be displaying a number of winning entries in my congressional offices in Washington and in Arkansas,” Ross added.

The first-place winning artwork from the Fourth Congressional District will be framed and shipped to our Nation’s Capitol, and the winning artist will have the opportunity to fly to Washington, D.C., to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 25, 2002. The winning artwork will also be automatically entered into a contest with first-place winners from across the nation to be awarded a $10,000 scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Ross will honor the second- and third-place winners by showcasing their artwork in his congressional office in Washington, D.C., and honorable mention winners will have their artwork displayed in Ross’s four district congressional offices in Arkansas.

To obtain guidelines and further information regarding the contest, please contact Ross’s Washington, D.C., office at (202) 225-3772 or (toll free) (800) 223-2220.

“Many of our seniors are unable to leave their homes and would have no way to get a good, hot meal each day without the service of the Meals on Wheels program. Last November, my family and I had the opportunity to deliver over 50 meals with the Meals on Wheels program in Garland County and see first hand the great benefit that this program provides for seniors in that area.

“Through federal, state, local, and private funding, thousands of dedicated men and women, often as volunteers, purchase, prepare and deliver meals 365 days a year to seniors in need. The service that they provide is invaluable to the well-being of our low-income seniors, making sure their nutritional needs are met and giving them an important daily interaction with their community.“

As the Meals on Wheels programs throughout Arkansas and our nation celebrate this important 30-year milestone, I want to congratulate them on their many years of devotion and caring service to our seniors and encourage people in the community to volunteer with their local Meals on Wheels."