One of the most important roles that an effective U.S. Representative can play is to work for changes in the district to improve the quality of life of the people he or she represents.

As your Congressman, I am very encouraged by two developments in our region over the last several weeks.

First, the Department of Veterans Affairs, which serves most of Southeast Tennessee from the outpatient clinic in Chattanooga, is responding to the appeals we have made to improve veterans' health care and give veterans more options so they don't have to travel so far to receive the health care they deserve. Among other things, we are hoping to relieve a situation in which many of our area veterans have to travel nearly 280 miles round trip to VA facilities in Murfreesboro or Nashville for treatment. When a veteran is sick, such a trip is obviously a burden on the veteran and his or her family. After months of work, a Request for Proposal has been issued by the VA to enter into a contract with a local health care provider to provide certain services to veterans on a demonstration basis.

The VA is asking for a proposal from hospitals or health care organizations within 35 miles of Chattanooga to provide a whole range of inpatient services to veterans. Proposals are due in only about a month - on April 6. So, at last, there's real movement as a result of our efforts to make sure that veterans receive high-quality and CONVENIENT health care that they have earned and deserve.

This is great news for thousands of veterans in our area who fought to protect us and now need us to fight for them. I am very proud of the work we are doing together.

Secondly, the good people of Polk and Bradley Counties will have a much better year economically because we worked together over the last month and convinced TVA to release more water on the Upper Ocoee River.

Folks in the area needed an additional three days of river flow - for a total of 13 days each year - so that the Ocoee Region could be host for some major whitewater river events in the next few years. After talking with area citizens, I strongly urged TVA Chairman Craven Crowell and Directors Glenn McCullough and Skila Harris to let the river flow. In a gesture that shows TVA at its best - serving the REAL needs of REAL people - the TVA directors acted on our concerns and granted the three additional days of river flow.

This was tremendous news for the Ocoee Region. If the additional flow had not been granted, events such as the Whitewater Rodeo, a pre-championship World Cup event in June and the 2001 World Championships could have been lost.

These events help keep the Ocoee Region an internationally known Mecca for whitewater enthusiasts and a source of fun and recreation for folks in East Tennessee and visitors from all over the world.

I have called the Ocoee Region "The Crown Jewel" of outdoor sports and recreation for the entire Eastern United States, and with each positive development that description becomes even more apt.

The successful effort to get additional days of water flow is also important for ECONOMIC reasons. Major whitewater events draw thousands of people - and their spending - into the area each year. The whitewater industry has helped lower unemployment in Polk County from double digits to under five percent for the first time in many, many years.

While these important priorities are just two examples of many that I am working on with our citizens, it is good to see us accomplish so much when we work together. Thanks to the VA and the TVA and a lot of hard work by many, we are making great strides in improving the quality of life in the Tennessee Valley.