Plane Talk - Midwest Flight 56, Seat 7C

What a difference a year makes!

I remember wondering, just before I was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives last year, what Congress would actually be like. What would we do to start addressing the critical problems Kansans face? Would my being in office even make a difference?

I remember the terror of the first few weeks, when my mailbox was flooded with 3,000 letters a week from Kansans, when the phones were ringing off the hook, when our computer systems couldn't yet connect to the internet. But we've made it through the first year! It felt like we were building a ship and sailing it at the same time, but somehow we've made it through.

My staff and I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to everyone who encouraged and helped us along the way. Rep. Dennis Moore, Rep. Jerry Moran, and their staffs let us pick their brains and offered invaluable guidance. The learning curve has been steep, and we haven't yet reached its peak. A year later, we still ask plenty of questions!

Did Congress get enough work done last year? No. I know you're as frustrated as I am. The partisan gridlock has been nothing short of shocking. Last year alone, the Senate saw 62 filibusters – a record for any two-year session of Congress in the 230 years of our democracy. In the House, we saw bill after bill weighed down by delay tactics procedural motions. Some bills required 40 votes or more before passage!

Despite the frustrations and the gridlock, I do feel I helped accomplish some very good work. The College Cost Reduction Act is a huge deal: by increasing Pell Grants and cutting the interest rates on student loans, it will save the average Kansas student over $4,400 on the cost of a college education. Our veterans secured the largest increase in VA funding in American history, totaling more than $5.4 billion. And we began to clean up the corruption and scandals that bogged down recent sessions of Congress.

Many problems remain. The situation in Iraq has improved, but compared to this time last year, our military is so much less ready to respond to threats at home or around the world. Still not addressed: health care reform, immigration, the Farm Bill, No Child Left Behind, and so much more. In the year ahead, we must find a way to tackle these priorities.

As I look at the year ahead, my biggest concern is that the upcoming elections will derail any progress. Already some politicians in Washington are shrugging off all hope of reform: "We'll deal with that after the election" is the common refrain.

Maybe they're right, and it will be impossible to accomplish anything in an election year. Even so, we have to try. We can't just stand still for a year as our problems grow worse and worse. We must do everything in our power to declare our independence from foreign oil, to secure our borders, and to end the drain of jobs overseas. Let's try to make 2008 the year our country comes together to solve these critical problems.

With warm regards,

Nancy Boyda
Member of Congress

A Note From Nancy - Internet Safety Tips

Eight-seven percent of teens use the Internet on a regular basis, and according to the Department of Justice, one in five children between the ages of 10 and 17 received a sexual solicitation or approach online last year. With so many threats out there, Congress must send a message that we, as a society, will not stand for anything less than a safe Internet.

I introduced the Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act (H.R. 4120), which I am pleased to announce passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support on November 14, 2007. This bill will close a jurisdictional loophole that allowed a Kansas man who was convicted of possessing child pornography to escape punishment.

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Letter of the Week - Down Syndrome Stamp

Thank you for contacting me about H. Con. Res. 28, a resolution expressing the support of Congress for a commemorative postage stamp to promote public awareness of Down syndrome.

I hope you will be pleased to know that I am a co-sponsor of this legislation. If passed, I believe this legislation would be a solid first step to increasing the public understanding of Down syndrome and support for research.

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This Week in Congress - January 28 to February 3, 2008

On Monday, I flew to Washington, D.C. for the president's annual State of the Union address. My guest for the evening was Iola mayor Bill Maness, who watched the speech in person from the House Observation Gallery.

On Tuesday, a delegation from the National Federation of the Blind of Kansas visited my D.C. office, including former state representative Richard “Dick” Edlund of Kansas City, Donna Wood of Wichita, Thomas Page of Wichita, and student delegates Andrew Chapman and Shelby Young. Also visiting on Tuesday was a task force from Iola, including City Administrator Judy Brigham, Mayor Bill Maness, Tom Brigham, Barbara Chalker, Bruce Cochran, Heather Curry, Mike Ford, David Jackson, Cathy Lynch, Corey Schinstock, and Beth Ann Turner. A group of representatives of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association of Kansas also stopped by, including Bruce Bertelsen, Dustin Miller, Bryan Neal, Alan Macdonald, and Connie Presley, and I joined Rep. Joseph Crowley for a meeting with Mike Massey, the general counsel of Payless Shoes. Also visiting were representatives of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Office of Local and Rural Health, including Dr. Christopher Tilden of the KDHE, Chad Austin of the Kansas Hospital Association, Jodi Schmidt of the Hays Regional Medical Center, and Gloria Vermie of the KDHE.

On Wednesday afternoon, I attended funeral services in Yates Center for Bill Linde, a former Woodson County Commissioner and a frequent writer to my Congressional office.

On Thursday and Friday, Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives met together in Richmond for a policy retreat. Together, we discussed our legislative priorities for the next year.

On Friday evening, I flew home to Kansas for the weekend.

On Saturday, the Citizens for Immigration Reform hosted a meeting at the Topeka Public Library, where we discussed possible solutions to today's illegal immigration problem. That evening, I attended a production of "A Few Good Men" at Topeka Public High School.