However, it is crucial the over 450,000 Arkansans eligible for the Medicare prescription drug benefit are armed with the resources, tools, and information necessary to determine the best plan to suit their needs, should they choose to enroll. 

I urge beneficiaries to take time, be patient, and do ample research before signing up for a prescription drug benefit.  Beneficiaries can enroll in a prescription drug plan from November 15, 2005 – until May 15, 2006.  Those beneficiaries who enroll before December 31, 2005, should receive prescription drug coverage as soon as January 1, 2006.  Medicare beneficiaries must register no later than May 15, 2006 for a prescription drug plan to receive benefits in 2006 and to avoid a permanent financial penalty for late enrollment.  Finally, if you are unhappy with the Medicare Drug Benefit you have chosen for yourself, you will be able to switch plans on November 15, 2006.  You are not locked into a prescription drug plan for a lifetime.

To find information and determine a plan to suit your prescription drug needs, you may visit my website at http://www.house.gov/ross/hot_topics.shtml, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit their website, www.medicare.gov.  I also encourage you visit the following websites that provide a wealth of important information and answer frequently asked questions:
 

Link to Basic Medicare Prescription Drug information:
http://www.medicare.gov/pdphome.asp 

Description of Plans 
http://www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/map.asp

Formulary Finder for Prescription Drug Plans
This website will allow you to find plans in Arkansas that match necessary medications: 
http://formularyfinder.medicare.gov/formularyfinder/selectstate.asp 

Medicare and You Handbook 
Summary of Medicare benefits, rights and protections, and answers to the most frequently asked questions about Medicare.
http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/10050.pdf 

Frequently Asked Questions
http://questions.medicare.gov/cgi-bin/medicare.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php 

Qualify for Assistance?
If you have limited income and resources, you may be able to get help paying for your monthly premiums, deductibles and co-payments under this prescription drug program. 
http://www.ssa.gov
 
 

As the holiday season approaches, I encourage you to reach out to members of your community, friends, and family who are eligible for Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage and provide assistance in this complex selection process.  There is no question the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan is complicated and confusing, but I encourage you to utilize the available resources to help you make sense of the maze of information. 

The Arkansas Congressional Delegation announced today that an annual spending bill containing millions of dollars for numerous Arkansas transportation and community development projects is expected to be finalized by Congress later today. 

The six members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation who fought for the projects contained in the Fiscal Year 2006 Transportation-Treasury-Judiciary-Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill are as follows: Senators Blanche Lincoln (D) and Mark Pryor (D), Representatives Marion Berry (D-1st), Vic Snyder (D-2nd), John Boozman (R-3rd), and Mike Ross (D-4th).

The annual spending bill funds the Department of Transportation, Department of the Treasury, the Judiciary branch, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The bill was approved earlier today by the House, and Senate approval is expected by the end of the day. Upon Senate approval, the bill is then expected to be signed into law by President Bush. 

Below is a list of the Federal Highway Administration projects included in the bill:

$2 million for Highway 71: Texarkana - DeQueen

$3 million for improvements to Junction Bridge - Little Rock

$4 million to the state of Arkansas for bus and bus facilities for urban and rural transit agencies 

$700,000 for improvements on U.S. 412 Mountain Home to Ash Flat

$350,000 to Highway 77 for rail grade separation in Marion

$350,000 to Highway 165 for the Stuttgart Railroad Overpass 

$2 million to Highway 63: Interstate 55-Jonesboro

$750,000 to the Interstate 40/Highways 25/64 Interchange

$400,000 to the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, for bussing needs and bus facilities
 
 

The bill also contained the following three Federal Aviation Administration earmarks: 

$577,000 to the Ozark Regional Airport in Baxter County for the final installation of an ILS system

$300,000 to the Boone County Regional Airport for ramp rehabilitation

$1 million to the Texarkana Regional Airport for the construction of an Aircraft Firefighting and rescue Station 
 
 

The following earmarks were included in the Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiative: 

$800,000 for the Central Arkansas Resource Conservation and Development Council in Helena, for the construction of the Phillips County Agricultural Storage Facility

$200,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Ouachita County for the construction of recreational facilities

$200,000 for the City of Conway for downtown revitalization

$200,000 for Audubon Arkansas for the development of the Audubon Nature Center at Gillam Park in Little Rock

$150,000 to Grand Prairie Center for the Arts and Allied Health, Phillips County Community College in Stuttgart for facility construction

$150,000 to the City of Little Rock for facilities renovation and improvements to the community center at Granite Mountain

$150,000 to the El Dorado Public Schools for the expansion of a recreational field

$150,000 to North Arkansas College in Harrison for renovations to a conference and training facility

$250,000 to the Vada Sheid Community Development Center, ASU-Mountain Home for the community development center auditorium.
 
 

Ross is adamantly opposed to funding cuts for programs that affect the poor, disabled and elderly.  Throughout the week, Ross was vocal in his opposition to the budget reconciliation bill, managing time on the floor of the United States of House of Representatives and participating in a press conference with leadership of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, where he serves as Whip.  Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional district, ranking 415 out of 435 among Congressional Districts throughout the country in average income per household, will be disproportionately affected by these budget cuts.  The Budget reconciliation package includes $11.4 billion in cuts to Medicaid, $14.3 billion in cuts to federal student aid programs, the largest cut the federal student aid program has ever seen, $3.7 billion in cuts to farm programs, including cuts to commodity programs, conservation programs, renewable energy programs, and rural development, and nearly $700 million in cuts to food stamps. 

“This Republican-led budget reconciliation package provides for nearly $50 billion in mandatory cuts to important programs that directly and adversely impact the poor, disabled and elderly,” said Ross.  “Contrary to some propaganda, this is not about offsetting the cost for Hurricane Katrina.  The Republican leadership did not demand mandatory spending cuts in our nation’s budget when Congress passed $82 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for Iraq.  It is clear that Hurricane Katrina is being used as a guise to hide the real motivation for the mandatory spending cuts – which is to partially offset the $70 billion in new tax cuts included in this year’s budget for those people earning over $400,000 a year.  In other words, this so-called Deficit Reduction Act actually increase the debt by over $20 billion.” 

“At a time when 45 million people are without health insurance, we have an obligation, as citizens and lawmakers, to make health insurance readily available to those who need it most.  These are the very programs that we should be funding, not cutting,” said Ross.

“This budget reconciliation package slashes funding for student loans,” Ross continued.  “We should not be asking America’s students to sacrifice their future in order to offset today’s tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year. 

“This vote is about priorities,” explained Ross.  “This Republican-led Congress believes it is more important to fund new tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year than to fund programs that benefit the poor, disabled and elderly.  The idea of cutting programs that impact the poorest among us to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest does not reflect the values that I was raised on and still believe in.”

As Whip of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, Ross remains steadfast in his commitment to restoring fiscal responsibility to our nation’s government and supports the Blue Dog Coalition’s ‘12-Point Plan’ which outlines guidelines to achieve a balanced budget.
 

“The Blue Dog ‘12-Step Plan’ sets forth sensible objectives such as supporting a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget every year, establishing ‘paygo’ standards -- meaning any new spending or tax cuts must be paid for decrease in spending in other programs -- and justifying spending for pet projects,” said Ross. “Our budget plan has received tremendous praise from many non-partisan watchdog groups across the country.  If the Republican-led Congress truly is serious about deficit reduction, they would have endorsed and adopted the Blue Dog ‘12-Point Plan’ plan long ago.”