Portrait of Congressman Mike Ross
Representing the 4th District of Arkansas
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Volume 3, Issue 12,
June 7, 2002
Weekly Newsletter

MIKE'S WEEKLY MESSAGE

Eliminating the Estate Tax


          "This week in Congress, my colleagues and I took a major step toward sensible tax relief by eliminating the estate tax, otherwise known as the death tax, from our current tax system.  Our government already taxes a person’s income when they earn it.  Shouldn’t that be enough?  It just does not make sense that when a person dies, the government wants to double-dip and take a piece of the nest egg that he or she worked and saved a lifetime to build. 

          "That is why, on Thursday, June 6th, I voted for a Republican sponsored plan to permanently repeal the estate tax, and I am pleased that the House of Representatives passed this measure.  Last year, Congress passed a new law that gradually phases out the estate tax over the next ten years and that raises the current estate tax exemption from $675,000 to $1 million by the year 2006.  This new legislation, the Permanent Death Tax Repeal Act, repeals the sunset provisions on that law, making the estate tax a permanent thing of the past by the end of this decade.  It must still be approved by the Senate and signed into law by the President.

          "While I continue to support a responsible budget that allows us to pay down our $6 trillion national debt and invest in important priorities such as defense, education, and modernizing Medicare to include prescription drugs for our seniors, I believe eliminating the death tax is the kind of tax relief that we can afford, and that American people want and deserve.  The bill now goes to the Senate for their consideration."
 

 

Ross, Altenbaumer Testify for Clinton Birthplace Home

Congressman Mike Ross and Crystal Altenbaumer, Executive Director of the Clinton Birthplace Foundation, each testified Thursday before the House Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands on a bill that Ross introduced early this year, H.R. 3815, that would authorize a feasibility study by the Department of Interior on designating the Clinton Birthplace Home as a National Historic Site to be managed and maintained by the National Park Service.  While no votes were taken at Thursday's hearing, the Subcommittee may bring H.R. 3815 up for a vote later this month.  If approved by the Subcommittee, the bill would then have be approved by the full Committee on Resources and the full House of Representatives before heading to the United States Senate.  Authorizing and completing the feasibility study are the first steps in getting the site designated as a National Historic Site.


 

 

4TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL 
ARTS CONTEST WINNERS

(WASHINGTON, DC) – U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-4) Wednesday announced the Fourth Congressional District winners of the 2002 Artistic Discovery Art Contest.  The annual contest selects winning artwork created by high school students from each congressional district across America to be showcased throughout the year at the U.S. Capitol.  The students are allowed to create their piece from an eclectic array of artistic mediums ranging from paintings, drawings, and collages, to mixed media, graphic design, and photography. 

The first place winner in the Fourth Congressional District is Tina Crump, a recent graduate of Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, with her piece entitled “The Power of the Written Word.”  Tina’s artwork will be framed and shipped to Washington, D.C., where it will be placed with winning artwork from each of the 435 congressional districts in the tunnel connecting the House office buildings with the U.S. Capitol building.  In addition, her artwork will also be entered in a nation-wide contest with the top entries from all the congressional districts, in which the winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The second place winner is ShaCurra Cranford, a recent graduate of Pine Bluff High School, with her piece entitled “Earth Goddess.”  The third place winner is Jocelyn Dixon, who will be senior at Lakeside High School in Hot Springs.  Her piece was entitled “Paw Paw.”  Honorable mention honors go to Lindsey Alford and Sveta Sadovova of White Hall High School, Darryl Hines, a fall senior at Rison High School, and Demetrious Mallet, a fall senior at Pine Bluff High School. 

Ross plans to also showcase the second and third place artwork in his congressional office in Washington, D.C., and the honorable mention winners will have their artwork displayed in Ross’s four district congressional offices in Arkansas.

“I am a strong supporter of the arts,” Ross stated.  “I believe that they provide a positive outlet for young people, helping them learn and expand their horizons of creativity.  It’s always delightful when something beautiful is created from a young mind, and it’s wonderful to see them receive recognition for their works.  Congratulations to Tina and the other winners and to all the students who participated in this year’s contest.  They all did a great job.”

This year’s entries were judged by art teachers from colleges throughout the Fourth Congressional District at a recent reception hosted by Congressman Ross.
 

 

ROSS ANNOUNCES NEW HIRES IN DC OFFICE

(WASHINGTON, DC) – U.S. Representative Mike Ross (D-AR) Tuesday announced three new staff members in his Washington, D.C. congressional office.  Of the three, two are new to Congressman Ross’s staff and one is being promoted from a position in his Pine Bluff district congressional office.

“Surrounding yourself with good staff is key to any successful business,” Ross said.  “Without the hard work of congressional staff, we as members of Congress would not be able to fulfill our responsibilities of helping those in need and representing the people the way they deserve.  These three new members of my Washington, D.C. staff have demonstrated both leadership and achievement in their education as well as their work experience.  I am excited to have each of them on board, and I know that they will make a strong addition to our team in serving the people of Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District.”

Lena Collins, 22, of Pine Bluff, is being promoted from Ross’s district staff to serve as staff assistant in the Washington, D.C. office.  Previously, she has served in the Pine Bluff office since January 2001 as a part-time assistant to the district director.  Lena graduated this May from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a degree in English (Liberal Arts) and a minor in mass communication.  She has received numerous accolades during her academic career including 2000-2001 UAPB Student Leader of the Year and Miss UAPB 2001.  She has also worked as a radio personality.  Lena is a graduate of Pine Bluff High School.  In August, she will attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. to receive a Master of Arts degree in human communication and culture.

Joining as a legislative correspondent is Emily Williams, 22, of Fort Smith.  Emily is a graduate of Southside High School and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  In the summer of 2000, Emily participated as a scholar-in-residence at The George Washington University’s Semester in Washington program.  She has previously interned for U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, the Democratic National Committee Office of Women’s Outreach, and the 2000 Democratic National Convention Women’s Caucus, and she has worked in numerous state and local campaigns in Arkansas.  In July 2002, Emily will complete her master’s degree in political management at The George Washington University.

Finally, Marie DesOrmeaux, 24, has been hired to be Ross’s new communications director starting in July.  A native of Abbeville, Louisiana, Marie graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a degree in mass communications.  She has experience in radio and television, including two years as a weekend anchor and reporter for KLFY TV-10 News in Lafayette.  For her work she has received Top Ten in the Nation honors in the Hearst Radio News Competition as well as two Louisiana Associated Press awards for TV news.  Marie also served as a press intern for U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) in Washington and has worked two sessions with the Louisiana House of Representatives.  She is pursuing a master’s degree in legislative affairs at The George Washington University and is temporarily serving as a staff assistant in Ross’s Washington, D.C. office.
 

Please Contact Mike at 
1-800-223-2220 or 
mike.ross@mail.house.gov
 
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