On the Issues

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture is the second largest economic sector in the State of Florida, and a significant contributor to the economic viability and natural resources environment of the 12th Congressional District. Historically, many Florida farmers and ranchers have chosen to base their economic decisions on the marketplace.However, our agricultural producers face extreme and somewhat unique pressures as a sentinel state on the forefront in the battle against pests and disease, landmarks hurricanes, a highly competitive global market, and increasing land, water, and conservation challenges. We must also recognize the significant role that Florida’s specialty crops play in the US farm economy and work to strengthen the framework to enhance the fruit, vegetable, and nursery sector’s competitiveness in the world market.

• University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS): $4 million for research to improve technologies for the detection and treatment of Citrus Canker and Greening.
• University of Florida: $10 million to support the T-STAR program to stem the invasion of exotic diseases, insects and weeds into the United States.
• USDA and US Dept. of Energy: $1.2 million for continuation of genetic research into disease prevention for citrus plants.
• Florida Department of Citrus: $2 million for development and certification of abscission chemicals to enable the effective mechanical harvesting of citrus.

Commerce, State and Justice

• Polk County: $250,000 for continued funding of the Polk County Methamphetamine Prevention Project.
• Hillsborough County: $250,000 for Methamphetamine prevention, treatment and site clean-up.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC): $1 million for Cooperative Reef Fish Monitoring and Research Program, a partnership between FWCC, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and National Marine Fisheries Service.

Defense

• University of South Florida: $2.5 million to support information sharing technology between USF, Tampa General Hospital, James A. Haley VA Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children – Tampa.

EDUCATION

With economic competition more global than ever before and societal and technological changes coming at an increasingly fast pace, it is vital that we strengthen America's education system to meet these challenges.

It is imperative that Congress develops educational policies that help states and localities develop high academic standards – not only when it comes to elementary and secondary education, but higher education too.

Unfortunately, America has a real achievement gap separating students by race, gender and economic background. I support closing the achievement gap by reinforcing high standards, accountability, and empowering parents with information and options. To accomplish this, I support working with local educators, officials and parents to continue to develop programs that emphasize accountability and results in exchange for the billions invested in education each year.

ENERGY and Water

For far too long, America has been in need of a national energy policy that guards against steep price fluctuations and lessens our dependency on foreign oil. Florida, with an ever expanding population, ranks 3rd in the nation in total energy consumption. We must work to address the energy challenges facing our region and nation through the development of new energy technologies from renewable energy resources, expansion of the energy capabilities in this country, and advancements to meet the growing need for clean and affordable energy.

High energy prices have affected all Americans ability to maintain their daily functions, and business' capability to operate. Americans are now living with the reality of high gas prices and are looking for Congress to take action. While Congress does not set or regulate prices, we must be committed to increasing production of conventional and clean alternative fuels and lessen our dependence on foreign fuel, to meet our nation’s growing challenges.

• University of Florida: $1 million for the Florida Renewable Energy Program to promote the development of new energy technologies, bioenergy fuel sources and improvements in efficiencies of existing energy sources.

EPA/Interior

• Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFMD): $5 million for continued restoration of water quality and permanent minimum flows to the upper Peace River and Lake Wales Ridge.

HEALTH CARE

The United States has the most advanced and responsive medical system in the world. Millions of people come to the U.S. every year to acquire the best medical treatment and the best in medical education. However, our medical system is not without its faults. Health care is very expensive, and affording proper care can be very difficult for many Americans.

I think there is an opportunity to for us to substantially reduce or even eliminate the uninsured in this country using a market-oriented approach.

In America, we tie health insurance to your job, and that is a Depression Era policy that makes no sense in today’s world when people change jobs as frequently as they do. It was devised at a time when you worked for the same company for 40 years, then you got a gold watch and then you ended up with a company pension. Today, with people changing jobs much more frequently, there is a class of people who are essentially indentured to their employer for their health insurance because they, their spouse or their child may have a pre-existing medical condition. They don’t want to take any risk of losing their health insurance by leaving a job they may be very unhappy with or by pursuing a new opportunity, such as starting their own business.

Being able to de-couple health insurance from your employer makes an awful lot of sense to me. In addition, we should stop rewarding the sort of gold-plated health insurance policies that provide the biggest benefit to certain large corporations but not to the small business owner or the independent operator.

We can change those things, create a stronger market place, and then people can make their job decisions, their career decisions on whether they’re happy at work, not whether they desperately have to have health insurance for themselves or a member of their family.

HOUSING

The benefits of homeownership for families, communities, and the nation are profound and well documented. Study after study links homeownership to higher educational performance of children, greater participation in civic and volunteer activity, improved healthcare outcomes, lower crime rates and less welfare dependency.

Homeownership is not only part of the American Dream, but a sound policy goal that strengthens our economy and society. In the United States, homeownership rates have been climbing during the past ten years to nearly 70 percent. We would have never have reached this level if there hadn’t been some of these new instruments that allow people to have a lower down payment up front or have interest only for some period of time.

Unfortunately, now we have a situation in which millions of people are facing financial difficulty. We’re seeing record defaults, record foreclosures, and it will be a very painful process for a number of people.

Congress has a responsibility to look at the practices that allowed this to happen and to carefully consider steps that may take some of the pressure off the economy. We must be careful not to take steps that reward irresponsible institutions and individuals for bad behavior and unrealistic expectations or that have the effect of reducing the availability of credit to responsible people.

IMMIGRATION

Immigration is one of the most discussed issues in Congress. It is very clear that we have a broken system in our country. It is precisely because the current policies have failed that we must try new ideas.

New approaches to immigration reform should be rooted in three basic principles: secure our borders, enforce our laws and reform our immigration policies.

First, we must finish the job of securing our borders. Border security is fundamental to any nation and of particular concern in this time of terrorist attacks. For too long we have tolerated porous borders. So, we must continue the work we have begun and establish a firm schedule for completing this task.

Second, we must enforce our laws. And as respect for the law is one of the cornerstones of citizenship, we must ensure that current laws address the issue of people working here illegally and that they are enforceable.
Finally, I believe it is in our national interest to make major reforms to the way in which our immigration laws treat those wishing to live and work in the United States. The United States has always been a land of opportunity, and it should continue to be so. But we should extend this opportunity in a way that makes sense and which helps us keep America’s economy strong through a stable, sound and legal workforce. In a nation with historically low unemployment and a growing economy, we should give particular encouragement to people who understand and appreciate the founding principles of this nation, who have the education necessary to succeed, who speak English and who want to assimilate into our culture and truly become Americans.

Labor-HHS-Education

• Hillsborough Community College: $500,000 for construction and equipment for the Plant City campus.
• Polk Community College: $755,000 for construction and equipment for a new manufacturing training program, leveraging a $12 million private grant.

NATIONAL SECURITY

The first job of the federal government is to protect the lives, liberty and sovereignty of America. Our nation’s first line of defense is its intelligence gathering capability. The only way to prevent an attack is by having the knowledge and insight to be able to act rather than simply react. Whether that intelligence comes from the battlefield or the interception of communications made between terrorists overseas, knowing what is happening and what is being planned is critical to the protection of our troops overseas and Americans at home.

One of the biggest jobs facing Congress this year will be to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In the new FISA law, Congress must act to revise a nearly 30-year-old definition of electronic surveillance. When our foreign wiretap law was enacted in 1978, telephones were plugged into walls, cell phones did not exist, no one had heard of e-mail or the Internet, and blackberries were something you put on cereal. Just as technology has changed, we must change the way are laws are written to allow our intelligence agencies to provide us with the information necessary to protect Americans and American interests, while at the same time preserving and protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security is safe for today’s seniors – but it is in serious danger for future retirees. Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, with today’s workers paying to support today’s retirees. But each year, there are more retirees taking money out, and not enough additional workers to support them. Currently, Social Security has a total unfunded obligation under current law of more than $10 trillion. When Social Security was created, there were 66 workers for every retiree. By the 1950s, there were about 16 workers paying for every beneficiary.

Today, there are about three – and eventually, there will be only two workers to support each person on Social Security. In 2017, the government will begin to pay out more in Social Security benefits than it collects in payroll taxes -- and shortfalls then grow larger with each passing year. By 2041, when workers in their mid-20s begin to retire, the system will be bankrupt – unless we act now to save it.

One of the tests of leadership is to confront problems before they become a crisis. We need to solve problems, not pass them on to future administrations and Congresses. The longer we wait to take action, the more difficult and expensive the changes will be. Under the current system, today’s 30-year old worker will face a 27 percent benefit cut when he or she reaches normal retirement age. Doing nothing will cost the most in the long run – resulting in either dramatic tax increases or severe benefit cuts. Any fix will require bipartisanship. There are a variety of good plans that have been proposed to fix Social Security and establish personal accounts. This Nation must always strive to leave behind a better America for our children and grandchildren. If we invest now, we can leave them a more secure retirement for the future. The first members of the Baby Boom generation just turned 60 in 2006. This is not a distant problem, but something that is present.

TAXES and SPENDING

For far too long, the federal government has grown at an alarming rate, and hard-working Americans have been footing the bill for this growing problem. Federal spending is now primarily on auto-pilot because of the double digit growth of mandatory spending programs over the decades. What this growth means is that almost two-thirds of the federal budget (two-thirds of every dollar you send to Washington) is spent automatically with very little oversight. Even more alarming, mandatory spending will get worse without changes made now to our budget system.

The reason why mandatory spending growth should concern all Americans is because legacy programs, including Medicare and Social Security, are important national programs that should be available to our children and grandchildren. At the current rate of growth, they are simply not sustainable without major tax increases and cuts in benefits in the future. This is simply unacceptable and preventable. Congress needs to help ensure the solvency and preservation of these programs by providing for greater management and flexibility of options and policies. I am committed to smart long-term planning to ensure their health and viability for generations to come.

Fiscal discipline is an essential component of this planning and we must move away from tax-and-spend policies to spending wisely. Ronald Reagan was right when he said the closest thing to immortality was a government program. There is no need to spend your hard-earned dollars on unnecessary programs when you could spend that money more wisely. I have supported efforts to rid the government of waste, fraud and abuse as well as eliminating programs that are duplicative, bloated and or ineffective. I will continue my efforts to make government more efficient for the taxpayer.

In fact, I believe very strongly that your hard-earned dollars should stay in your pocket. I have worked hard in Congress to lower the tax burden placed on millions of Floridians and working families by supporting legislation that reduces the income tax rate, eliminates the death tax, makes the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent, and reduces the marriage penalty tax.

TRANSPORTATION/HUD

Given the ever-increasing growth potential of the Central Florida region, I recognize the need for a strong transportation infrastructure system that takes advantages of new and emerging technologies to help move people and goods safely, swiftly and efficiently. The federal government has an important role to play in helping states maintain, improve and develop these infrastructures in a way that strengthens our economy, protects the character of our communities and is prudent with the taxpayers’ money.

• Polk County and Lakeland Area Mass Transit Districts: $600,000 for purchase of new rolling stock and transit system technology enhancements.
• Polk County: $615,000 for improvements to the Polk County Agricultural Center, bringing the 1948 building into compliance with modern fire and disability standards.

VETERANS

America’s military veterans were there when we needed them, and we have a solemn duty to honor their service with more than mere words.
In June of 2007, The House passed the largest increase in veterans funding in the 77-year history of the Veterans Affairs Department. The bill provides more than $37 billion for veterans programs, a $4.4 billion increase over last year. Specifically, this legislation appropriates:

• $600 million for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) care, traumatic brain injury research and care;
• $4.1 billion to improve VA facilities, hospitals and clinics;
• $2.9 billion for mental health care and substance abuse treatment for veterans; and
• $480 million for prosthetic research to help wounded veterans retain a positive quality of life.
• provides $21.4 billion for facilities needed to house and train military personnel abroad and at home.

We can never fully repay the service and sacrifice so many brave Americans have made on behalf of their nation, but we can and must ensure they receive access to the kind of care they deserve.