In an effort to curb the rising costs of healthcare, my Republican colleague Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania’s Fourth Congressional District, and I introduced bipartisan legislation entitled, “OTC Medicine Tax Fairness Act.”  This legislation would make certain over-the-counter medications eligible for a tax deduction.  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced companion bipartisan legislation in the Senate. 

The current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) law enables a household to deduct certain medical expenses that are not covered by health insurance when the costs rise above 7.5% of a household’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).  The code allows the cost of drugs to be included in the deduction, but only prescription drugs, and insulin.  The code also allows the deduction of acupuncture, bandages, chiropractic care, contact lenses, hearing aids, crutches, and lab fees.  The OTC Medicine Tax Fairness Act would build upon the current law to also include certain over-the-counter medications such as antacids, allergy medicines, pain relievers and smoking cessation products. 

By providing an additional avenue for low to middle-income citizens to save money on their everyday medical expenses, this legislation would enable hard working American families to have access to affordable assistance in trying to maintain and control their health conditions.  Ailments such as asthma, migraines, and allergies, if left untreated, can lead to expensive and unnecessary doctor and hospital visits.  It is a true hardship on low to middle-income families when a drug like Claritin, commonplace in its referral for severe allergies, makes the switch to over-the-counter status, and health insurance companies no longer cover that drug.  Americans with access to Health Savings Plans and Flex Spending Accounts are afforded a tax break for over the counter drugs. This benefit should be extended to all Americans.  This is America and we must do better. 

As your Representative in the United States House of Representatives, healthcare continues to be a top priority of mine in the United States Congress.  I will continue to fight for hard working Americans in my efforts to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all citizens.

(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02), John Boozman (AR-03), and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that Congress has finalized the Interior Appropriations Conference Report which includes $14.018 million for various Arkansas projects.  The spending bill is now primed to be signed into law by President Bush.

The Interior Bill also includes an additional $1.5 billion in funding for the Veterans Administration in fiscal year 2005 to ensure veterans in Arkansas and the nation continue to receive the medical care and benefits they have earned. 

The following is a list of Arkansas projects in this year’s Interior Appropriations Bill:

$6,059,000 Rehabilitation of the Superior, Maurice and Lamar Bathhouses in Hot Springs National Park.  
The restoration effort is intended to make the bathhouses suitable for leasing to a private developer as part of a long-term project to use public and private resources to rehabilitate and redevelop Bathhouse Row for future use.

$5,100,000 Construction of Little Rock Central High School Visitor’s Center.
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site was designated as a unit of the National Park Service in 1998.  Since that time, the current visitor’s center has seen visitation numbers more than double.  The structure’s 1,700 square feet can only accommodate 35 people at one time, forcing visitors to wait outside, at times in inclement weather.  Over 28,000 people enjoyed the historic site in 2004, and it is estimated that annual use will grow to more than 56,000 people by 2007.  This year’s funding, coupled with last year’s funding level of $733,000, will enable the new facility’s completion for the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis in 2007.

$809,000 Acquisition of Land Tract in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge.
This land acquisition will expand the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge to preserve and protect wintering areas vital to the long-term conservation of migratory waterfowl.  The Refuge is located along the Mississippi Flyway, an important travel corridor for migratory birds.  Earlier this year, the ivory billed woodpecker, long thought to be extinct, was discovered in the Refuge.  This land tract, which was previously farmed, has been enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program and will contribute to the overall reforestation efforts ongoing in the Delta.

$1,000,000 Acquisition of the Lake Ouachita North Tract, Ouachita National Forest.
This funding will enable the purchase of land surrounded by Forest Service property.  This tract of land is located 20 miles northwest of Hot Springs and two miles north of Lake Ouachita’s Irons Fork Recreation Area.

$500,000 Improvements for Little Maumelle Wastewater Treatment Plant.

$500,000 Improvements for Fayetteville Regional Wastewater System.

$50,000  Funding for the St. Charles Drainage Planning and Improvements project.

Members of the Congressional delegation said the $286 billion transportation bill will help address critical infrastructure needs that are not currently being met, spur economic development and create jobs, increase safety and anticipate future highway needs.  According to the United States Department of Transportation, every $1 billion investment in our highways results in 47,500 jobs annually. 

“This bill will allow significant investment and progress to be made on our roads and highways in every pocket of the state,” Pryor said. “It will pay off in dividends for our economy and quality of life in Arkansas.” 

“This bill is desperately needed by our communities in Arkansas because when we invest in highway and infrastructure projects, we create jobs,” Lincoln said.  “The projects this bill will fund are long overdue and are vital to our state’s economy and the well-being of the entire region.”

"After close to three years of debate, I am pleased to see Congress finally come to an agreement on a highway bill," Berry said. "Our delegation stuck together through it all and secured significant investments for our state. I am excited about this news and am confident that these projects will help Arkansas make long overdue improvements to our transportation system."

“Funding for transportation and infrastructure is very good news for the safety and convenience of Arkansans driving on our highways,” said Snyder. 

"The Third District of Arkansas is one of the fastest growing regions in the country, which is why, as a Highway Bill conferee, I worked hard to ensure that our projects were well-funded.  I am pleased that this bill is on its way to the President's desk so we can give Arkansas' infrastructure budget a much-needed shot in the arm," said Boozman. 

"After eleven extensions of the Transportation Reauthorization Bill since October 2003, we have passed a long overdue roadmap for transportation funding in America," said Ross.  "This funding will go a long way in meeting Arkansas's extensive road needs.  As an economic ambassador for Arkansas, I am proud to have helped secure the funding throughout the course of the lengthy transportation reauthorization process.  This funding will be used to create new highways and roads, repair dilapidated infrastructure and create jobs and economic opportunities for the future."

Delegation members were able to secure specific funding for the following projects:

1st District

$13 million  Northeast Arkansas Connector (relocation of Highway 226) in Jonesboro –    designated as a high priority corridor

$9 million Caraway Bridge Overpass in Jonesboro

$5.4 million I-40/Highway 89 Interchange Planning and Construction in Lonoke

$3.8 million Highway 77 Rail Grade Separation in Marion

$3.6 million Highway 165 Railroad Overpass in Stuttgart

$2.6 million Highway 412 from Baxter County to Ash Flat

$1 million Highway 412: Paragould South Bypass
 

2nd District

$15 million Interstate 430/630 Interchange Modification in Little Rock

$6.96 million Rehabilitating and widening Highway 67 from four to six lanes  from Kiehl Avenue to Vandenberg Blvd in Jacksonville, AR.

$2.4 million Western Loop in Conway for engineering, rights-of-way, relocations, and  continued planning and design

$2.3 million Interchange in Maumelle

$8 million Rail grade separations identified by the MPO for the Little Rock/North Little Rock metro area, which may include Edison Avenue, Springer Boulevard,     Highway 89 extension; McCain/Fairfax; Salem Road

$1.2 million Interstates 30/440/530 Interchanges for interchange improvements in Little Rock

$1.2 million Highway 65 improvements in Van Buren County, including construction of  passing lanes, bridge improvements, intersection improvements and other     roadway improvements

$160,000 Take it to the Edge River Trail: Construction of an 11 mile pedestrian and bicycle trail extending from the Clinton Presidential Library in East Little Rock along the    Arkansas River to Pinnacle Mountain State Park at the western end of the city    limits

$2.75 million Central Arkansas Transit Authority Facility Upgrades
 

3rd District 

$8.372 million Construct new interchange on I-540 near the existing Perry Road overpass Rogers, AR

$7 million  Construction of I-49, Highway 71: Highway 22 to Highway 71 near Jenny Lind, Fort Smith, AR

$7.2 million  Improvements to Jenny Lind Rd. and Ingersoll, Fort Smith

$3.6 million  Widen and reconstruct Rena Road, Van Buren, Arkansas

$2.4 million  Russellville Intermodal Facility construct access roads from AR Hwy 247,  purchase Right-of-Way

$16 million  Improvements to Johnson Road. From Hwy 412 to I-540 through Springdale and  Johnson, Springdale, AR

$9 million  Construct and rehabilitate Fayetteville Expressway Economic Development Corridor 

$3.2 million  Construct and rehabilitate University of Arkansas Technology Corridor Enhancement Project

$6.5 million Improvements to US 412 in Northwest Arkansas

$1.42 million  Widen and improve I-540 and SH-102 Interchange, Bentonville

$37 million  Construction of I-49, Highway 71: Arkansas portion of Bella Vista Bypass

$1.5 million  Widen AR Hwy 102 between US 71B and west city limits Bentonville 

$640,000  War Eagle Bridge Rehabilitation, Benton County 

$800,000  Replace and rebuild Tilly Willy Bridge, Washington Co.

$33,440  Trolley Barn, Harrison 

$35 million Study and Construction of 8th St. in Bentonville from I-540 to SW Elm Tree Rd.

In addition to the earmarks, the conference report included language to name the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville as a University Transportation Center, guaranteeing it continued funding for the life of the bill.

4th District

$10 million  East-West Arterial: Highway 70 to Highways 5/7, Hot Springs, AR

$6.56 million  Improve State Highway 88 (Higdon Ferry Road) in Hot Springs, Arkansas

$3.168 million Develop a railroad overpass connecting U.S. Highway 67 and U.S. Highway 371,    Prescott, AR

$2 million  Widening of Highway 65/82: Pine Bluff-Greenville Bridge

$2 million  Highway 167: Fordyce to Sheridan Bypass, AR

$5 million  Widen to four lanes, improvement, and other development to US Hwy 167    from LA state line north 

$3 million  Develop U.S. Highway 71 (I-49) to Interstate standards on new location between    Mena, AR and LA state line

$3.2 million  Widen to five lanes, improvement and other development to US Hwy     79B/University Ave. in Pine Bluff

$1.672 million Wilmar Development of SE AR Intermodal Facility 

$72 million  Construction of I-530 between Pine Bluff and Wilmar

$75 million  I-69 Corridor, including the Great River Bridge 

$50 million  Planning, design, and construction of I-69 in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas,     Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana (funding will be divided among  the seven states).