Portrait of Congressman Mike Ross
Representing the 4th District of Arkansas
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Volume 4, Issue 16,
November 22, 2002
Weekly Newsletter
 
 
MIKE'S WEEKLY MESSAGE
 
Looking Ahead
 
"As we prepare to close the door on the 107th Congress, our eyes are already turned toward the 108th  Congress, and the role we will play in being effective representatives for our constituents back home.   A major part of this transition involves seeking committee assignments, especially for new members.   For the past two years, I have served on the House Small Business Committee, the House Financial Services Committee, and the House Agriculture Committee, and I feel that this is a perfect combination to best serve our district.

"As a member of the House Small Business Committee, I have fought for programs that enrich the businesses so vital to creating jobs and improving our local economy.  A small business owner myself, I know what it’s like to meet a payroll every Friday, and I understand the challenges we must overcome to be successful.

"On the Financial Services Committee of the House of Representatives, I stood up to corporate greed, and was part of the hearings on corporate scandals like Enron and World Com. I helped to craft the legislation calling for corporate accountability and restoring small town values to big business in the hopes of restoring consumer faith in the stock market and in our economy.

"My third committee is an ideal place to be involved in what I consider Arkansas’s history and an important part of our economy now and in the future – Agriculture.   As a member of the House Agriculture Committee I helped to develop the Farm Bill, and was successful in including provisions to protect our catfish farmers.  Farming is one of the oldest industries, and if it is to survive in our ever-changing world, our government must be able to protect it.  I believe our nation’s food and fiber are every bit as critical to our national security as anything else.

"I am proud of the work we’ve done on the 107th Congress, and am looking forward to the challenges the 108th Congress will bring."
 

 
Ross Announces $70,017 to Crack Down on Methamphetamine in Pine Bluff
 
PRESCOTT – Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) Friday announced that the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has awarded the City of Pine Bluff $70,017 in funding to combat methamphetamine.  This funding will support a variety of enforcement, training, and methamphetamine laboratory clean-up activities. 

“The use of this cheap and highly addictive street drug is spreading across our country, and Arkansas is no exception,” Ross said.  “Fortunately, Pine Bluff has been targeted as an area with need for assistance in combating methamphetamine production, distribution, and use.   The homemade labs used to produce meth can range in size from small mom and pop labs to large operations and pose serious health risks to the citizens who live near them.  When a problem affects so many aspects of the quality of life in a community, it often takes a collective effort from the community to fight it.” 

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that is often referred to by its street names: crank, speed, ice, or crystal meth.  Developed in clandestine laboratories, often located in remote areas, methamphetamine is cheap and addictive.  Methamphetamine spreads easily, due largely to easy access to the necessary chemicals and simple preparation methods.  Today methamphetamine labs can be found almost anywhere – suburban settings, apartments, hotels, warehouses, and garages. 

COPS methamphetamine grant funds support a variety of enforcement, intervention, and prevention efforts by state and local law enforcement agencies.  Since 1998, COPS has invested $223.5 million nationwide to combat the spread of methamphetamine. 
 

 
Please Contact Mike at 
1-800-223-2220 or 
mike.ross@mail.house.gov
 
 
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   El Dorado: 870-881-0681  |  Prescott: 870-887-6787 


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