Victories
| Frequent Issues | Interesting
Places | Miles Traveled
Listening Sessions Frequent Issues
Health
care has been the top issue discussed for most of the over
14 years I have held listening sessions. I hear from people
frustrated by skyrocketing premiums, and from employers who
are struggling to provide health care benefits for employees
while they work to keep their businesses afloat.
I have long worked toward reforming our health care system
so as to expand the availability of health insurance, enhance
the quality of that coverage, and improve health outcomes
for all Americans. In 2006, I introduced the State
Based Health Care Reform Act, which would have the federal
government help a few states provide health insurance for
all their citizens, but leave it up to those states to decide
how they want to go about it. Rather than directing states
to implement a specific health-care system, the bill provides
a flexible approach that allows states to try innovative ways
of achieving universal coverage.
In 2005 and 2006 foreign affairs was the top issue discussed
at listening sessions. In April 2007, I introduced
legislation with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that
will effectively end the current military mission in Iraq
and begin the redeployment of U.S. forces. The bill requires
the President to begin safely redeploying U.S. troops from
Iraq 120 days from enactment.
Campaign finance refom was the top
issue in 1997, and these comments inspired me to fight for
a campaign finance reform bill with Senator John McCain. This
bill was signed into law in 2002.
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