Earlier this week, a community in Nebraska’s Third Congressional District -- the City of Hastings -- was named the Greenest City in America by Yahoo! Incorporated.  The contest to be the Greenest City in America began on May 14 and ended earlier this month.

Residents of Hastings made an online pledge on Yahoo’s website to live their everyday lives in a more environmentally-friendly way and then followed through on their pledges.  I’m proud Hastings earned this title, and I look forward to its on going efforts to make the City as eco-friendly as possible.

This contest and the improvements Hastings made on its way to the top are perfect examples of an effective and fun way to protect our environment and learn about activities which can improve our lives.  This is also a perfect example of how a private company – not a government mandate – can encourage cities throughout America to improve their local communities.  This wasn’t a government program compelling improvement, it was a private company helping towns and cities do what is right, and I commend both Hastings and Yahoo for their stewardship.

I hope other companies follow Yahoo’s lead, as I hope other communities in our country follow Hastings’ example.

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The Veterans' Affairs Task Force of the House Republican Policy Committee, under the leadership of Congressman Gus Bilirakis, held a briefing today by representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and SOCOM on programs available for wounded service members and their families.  

L-R Colonel Mary Cartensen (U.S. Army), Mr. John Beckett (USAF), Rear Admiral Michael LeFever (USN), Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Mr. James Lorraine (SOCOM), Colonel Gregory A. Boyle (USMC)

As the Global War on Terror continues, the number of wounded service men and women returning home is increasing.  Many of our wounded soldiers are unaware of the numerous programs offered by all branches of the military.  Representatives of the various branches of the military briefed Members of Congress, Legislative Directors, Military Legislative Assistants, and Veterans' Affairs Legislative Assistants on these programs to help them better serve their constituents.

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On February 15 of this year, the U.S. mint issued a dollar coin with the likeness of George Washington, our first President.  The properly struck coins are inscribed along the edge with “In God We Trust,” “E. Pluribus Unum” and the year and mint mark.  Three hundred million coins were struck, but as many as 50,000 were released into circulation without the “In God We Trust” inscription.

The U.S. Mint issued a statement asserting it had made adjustments to eliminate any further errors, and had taken action to eliminate this from occurring in the future.

However, it looks like lightning (or possibly something less biblical) has struck again.

The AP is reporting that dollar coins featuring the image of John Adams, our second President, are also missing the edge inscriptions.

Though I highly doubt this repeating error is intentional, I do hope the Mint is able to fix the problem before the series gets to Woodrow Wilson.

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The Food and Drug Administration was created in 1938 by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for myriad reasons, not the least of which is to ensure that the nation’s supply of pharmaceutical drugs is safe.  Many Americans take for granted the fact that when a physician (like myself) writes a prescription, the patient can go to literally any pharmacy in the country and get the medication he or she needs without worrying about whether or not the pharmaceutical product is the real deal.

As the years have passed, the Congress has passed legislation to strengthen the FDA’s ability to carry out its mission.  Among these programs is the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which was passed in 1992.  This week, the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health marked up the legislation to reauthorize PDUFA. PDUFA is an important revenue source for the FDA—fees paid by the pharmaceutical manufacturers. 

This additional funding for the FDA means that the length of time from a manufacturer’s submission of a New Drug Application or Biologics License Application to the FDA and the agency’s issuing its decision on approval or licensure.  This time period is essential for the FDA to determine the safety of a given pharmaceutical, but if the review process is delayed by a lack of resources on the part of the FDA this is a needless impediment for patients getting the life-saving drugs they need.

The legislation that we took up this week in the Health Subcommittee would provide additional resources to the FDA to improve pre-market drug and device approval, post-market surveillance, enhance clinical trial transparency, and data mining.  However, this legislation is by no means perfect, and I hope that the Energy and Commerce Committee can work these issues out before it reports the bill back to the House.  For example, there was language in the legislation that would place restrictions on Direct to Consumer Advertising.  If this language had not been removed, the FDA would have the authority to stop pharmaceutical companies from advertising their products. 

As a physician, I wasn’t a big fan of Director to Consumer Advertising and subsequently having my patients tell me what I should or should not prescribe.  But at the same time, commercial speech is protected in this country.  The Senate recently passed its version of the PDUFA reauthorization, without these restrictions because of Constitutionally protected free speech concerns.  Fortunately, this language was removed during the mark-up process through an amendment by my colleagues Congressman Steve Buyer and Congressman Edolphus Towns.

I am also concerned with the prohibitions on distribution and use of certain drugs that might require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy.  While improvements were made over the original draft of this bill, it is still overly prescriptive and could create a complex risk management tool for physicians, pharmacists, and other providers that could result in potential medication errors. 

The federal government should not interfered with the independent practice of medicine, where clinical decision making is both lawful and based on scientific evidence and sound medical opinion.  While the revised version of this bill would take into account patients in rural or frontier areas that could be impacted by diminished access pursuant to a restriction on distribution or use in accordance with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, I believe that the overly prescriptive elements of this legislation represent a dangerous precedent and would in effect nullify the oversight of state medical boards and professional medical standards.

Also at our markup, I supported an amendment that would increase PDUFA user fees and appropriations by $125 million each.  Currently, 50f the cost of approving new drugs by the FDA is paid for by user fees—fees paid by the manufacturers seeking approval.  As a result, I am concerned about the ability of the FDA to maintain is independence.  Numerous witnesses came before our committee and warned that the FDA should rely less on user fees to fund these activities.  This proposal would balance user fees and appropriations at a more equitable level, as well as providing leverage to secure appropriations for important drug safety review.

All things considered, this important legislation has been addressed in a bipartisan manner and the American people will benefit from the compromises made on both sides of the aisle.

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Hamas’ victory in seizing control of the Gaza Strip represents a defeat for peace, democracy and a sovereign Palestinian state. There is no negotiating with a terror group who’s singularly focused on the destruction of Israel. Hamas has never been interested in peace or governing. Its bloody-thirsty leaders crave murder, violence and the complete annihilation of Israel. The world must unite in its opposition to Hamas and send a strong message that its reign of terror will no longer be tolerated. We must also stand by our friend and ally, Israel, as it confronts the reality of a radical Islamic state on its border.

In January 2006, I issued a statement after Hamas won the Palestinian elections in which I said the terror organization would use its leadership in government to spread violence. My statement read, in part:

“Hamas’ victory further jeopardizes the peace process and creates greater instability in the region. I have no confidence in Hamas as a responsible leader of the Palestinian Authority nor do I believe the terrorist group wants peace with Israel.”

Unfortunately, Hamas has lived up to its terrorist reputation and these predictions. The Israelis gave the Palestinian people the Gaza Strip -- and Hamas has squandered that historic opportunity for peace in another bloodbath. The Palestinian people elected a gang of terrorist thugs who couldn’t care less if there are jobs for their citizens or schools for their children. And now the Palestinian people have lost the things they hungered for the most -- the opportunity for peace, the hope for democracy and the creation of their own state.

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When police arrested three alleged terrorists this month on charges that they were plotting to blow up Kennedy Airport in New York City, it was a chilling reminder that our nation is still at war with an evil enemy.

Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to law enforcement for stopping yet another attack before it occurred. In fact, the failure of these terrorists, as well as those who’ve also tried to murder innocent Americans since September 11th, is due, in large part, to a series of comprehensive security measures that have strengthened our ability to stop the enemy.
 

For instance, the Terrorist Surveillance Program allows law enforcement to monitor calls and emails of suspected al Qaeda terrorists only when one party is located outside the United States. CIA Director Michael Hayden said the program helped prevent an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge and would have “detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States.”
 

The Patriot Act brought intelligence-gathering and information-sharing into the 21st century by updating an array of laws. Its most significant achievement was tearing down the wall that prohibited the law enforcement, intelligence and defense communities from sharing information—a top recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.
 

The lawful interrogation of terrorists has also proven to be a key tool in the war on terrorism, yielding a treasure trove of information, including the identities of operatives, locations of cells, and details of plots. In fact, the new system produced its first guilty plea earlier this year when an al Qaeda operative admitted to providing material support for terrorism.
 

These three tools are successfully preventing attacks before they occur. Since September 11th, 150 terrorist threats and cells have been disrupted, 3,000 operatives worldwide have been incapacitated, and nearly two-thirds of al Qaeda’s senior leaders have been captured or killed.
 

 Having stood in the smoldering ruins of Ground Zero on September 11th, I know the face of terrorism and its evil plans. I will continue to support these key tools – and I will never relent in my resolve to eradicate the threat posed by terrorists.

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Today I will introduce legislation that, if passed, would make permanent the tax relief passed in 2001 and 2003.  My bill, the Tax Increase Prevention Act, simply takes away all the sunset provisions of the 2001 and 2003 tax relief packages that passed Congress and provides American families and job-creators the certainty to plan for the future. 

I was joined by other House Republicans to discuss the bill at a press conference today.

Please read this Human Events op-ed I wrote for more information.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has stated that their goal is to provide excellence in patient care, veterans' benefits and customer satisfaction.  Yet one of the major concerns that I continue to hear from veterans in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District regarding the VA is that of bureaucratic delays resulting from a strained and backlogged claims system. 

As a former business owner, I know that providing excellent customer service is vital for success and customer satisfaction.  As the VA is primarily in the business of serving its customers, who are our nation’s veterans, I have grown increasingly concerned over the dissatisfaction in the VA’s lengthy claims process communicated to me by veterans.

In testimony to Congress, representatives from the VA have stated that there is a newly implemented strategy to manage the pending inventory and improve response time by getting more out of current resources, increasing staffing, and improving information technology.  Despite this, the Department continues to face over 630,000 open benefit claims, an increase of nearly 20% over the last two years.  All the while, the average number of days necessary for the VA to complete original claims processing continues to increase from quarter to quarter and is currently reported to be 177 days. 

Yet, the VA does not maintain routine contact to keep veterans apprised of the status of their claim during this lengthy process.  As such, many veterans feel as though they have been forgotten while their claim is pending.  Since taking office, numerous veterans have contacted me requesting assistance with the VA regarding the status of their claims.  Many, if not most, of these instances could have been addressed without the involvement of my office had the lines of communication been open between the VA and the veterans they serve.  What concerns me even more is the unknown amount of veterans who have found themselves in a similarly uncertain situation and who have not contacted their Member of Congress for assistance.  Our veterans want and deserve to be kept informed and have a right to know the status of their claims.  Veterans should not have to go through their Member of Congress to receive a higher standard of care and responsiveness from the VA; it should simply be the standard.

To address this growing problem, I have recently introduced H.R. 2434, the Veteran’s Right to Know Act of 2007.  The Veteran’s Right to Know Act will help veterans avoid the current bureaucratic limbo by keeping them informed throughout the entire benefit claims process.  This legislation will require the VA to provide veterans a status update of their pending claim every 60 days until the claim is closed or satisfied.  Furthermore, the bill allows the veteran to select his or her chosen method of notification or elect not to receive status notifications. 

There is no question that the VA must improve responsiveness and claims processing procedures to better serve their customers, our nation’s veterans.  But at the very least we should seek to help our veterans achieve greater peace of mind by keeping them regularly informed during the claims process.

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I represent an urban congressional district in Nebraska. As I like to tell my colleagues, my district has more concrete and paved roads than dirt. However, I do understand the needs of people outside of cities. In particular, I recognize the current and future importance of maintaining access to critical telecommunications services in rural areas.

Without such access, Americans in many areas are being denied important opportunities created by the modern economy. Beyond the obvious considerations for rural America, the entire nation will suffer the results of excluding millions of Americans from the telecommunications revolution now well underway.

The Universal Service Fund (USF) is central to the goal of delivering accessible and affordable telecommunications technologies to rural areas.  The USF has been remarkably successful in accelerating the deployment of the nation’s extraordinary telecommunications infrastructure. Without a working USF program, preserving and extending this advancement will not be possible.

During the past several years, however, the very viability of USF has been jeopardized by rapidly increasing payments to wireless providers — payments that threaten to make USF unaffordable for consumers.

According to publicly available data, USF payments to wireless providers grew from $15 million in 2001 to almost $1 billion in 2006, an annual rate of increase of more than 100 percent.  Projections suggest that the situation will continue to deteriorate at alarming speed through the end of the decade.

Although a seemingly obscure matter, failure to address the status of the USF imperils decades of progress in connecting rural America to the telecommunications infrastructure. To forego corrective action would be hugely irresponsible.

Accordingly, the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service has recommended a temporary cap on USF payment to wireless providers. By holding these payments to current levels on a temporary basis, the joint board seeks to allow the time needed to develop a more stable USF funding mechanism.

As a champion of strengthening USF, I strongly support the joint board’s recommendation as an essential reform of a system headed toward collapse. Such an outcome would have profoundly negative consequences for the future deployment of telecommunications services in low-population-density regions. Moreover, the national implications of impeding the availability of affordable telecommunications services are significant.

Globalization is substantially increasing competition for high-wage jobs and professional services. Continued U.S. economic expansion demands that Americans participate in the worldwide marketplace, something impossible without broad and affordable access to a robust set of telecommunications technologies. Although appropriately focused on the specific challenge of the fiscal viability of USF, the implications of the joint board’s recommendation extend well beyond what may appear to be a narrow question of funding formulas.

The joint board is attempting to address an urgent problem through much-needed reform.  If unrestrained, rapidly rising USF support to wireless providers threatens to render unsustainable the entire USF program.

Opponents of the joint board recommendation have made a number of allegations designed to scuttle the temporary cap.  In particular, wireless interests have claimed that the cap will harm cell phone service in rural areas. There is no reason to believe that this is true. To the contrary, USF support will continue to flow at current levels, rather than increase year after year at an unsupportable rate. The real threat to the availability of affordable telecommunications in rural areas is a collapse of USF, which the joint board is earnestly working to avert.
The joint board’s decision to impose an interim emergency cap on USF payments to wireless carriers recognizes the source of the explosive growth in the USF. Imposing a cap on these payments is a necessary first step in USF reform.

The nation has a compelling interest in securing the USF and, as a result, promoting American competitiveness by making affordable telecommunications services available throughout America on an unprecedented scale.

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Congressman Stevan Pearce expressed deep concerns over legislation that seeks to restrict America’s domestic energy production.  The bill, sponsored by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, would create new and bizarre regulations that would paralyze the country’s energy supply and drive up costs for consumers.

“There is so much wrong with this bill it is hard to see solutions that are workable,” said Rep. Pearce, Ranking Member of the Energy and Minerals Subcommittee on the Committee on Natural Resources.  “Far beyond missing an opportunity to address increasing energy costs, this legislation actively makes the situation worse.  It creates indefensible conditions that would drastically limit our ability to retrieve our own domestic supply and drive us to seek additional foreign sources of energy.” 

For example, many existing energy transmission lines are currently at maximum capacity.  The existing infrastructure can no longer support the growing energy needs of many communities.  To solve this problem, in 2005, Congress directed federal agencies to research and recommend areas to designate “energy right-of-way corridors” to increase the transportation of electricity to communities in need.  In particular, alternative forms of energy, such as wind, solar and geo-thermal, were expected to benefit.

However, the proposed legislation repeals the “energy right-of-way corridors” in favor of additional and indefensibly duplicative studies.  It would delay energy production by an additional 18 months while the same federal agencies conduct the same studies all over again. 

“The bill does everything it can to limit supply, freeze production, raise costs, and prevent efforts to provide alternative and renewable energy,” said Rep. Pearce. “It’s not just oil and gas.  Wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and all other types of energy are restricted in this bill.”

“The legislation exacerbates all the concerns Americans have about high gas prices, reliance on oil, and our growing dependence on foreign energy,” Pearce added.

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