In the 111th Congress, my colleagues in the House of Representatives appointed me to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (also known as the Ethics Committee). In this capacity, it is my responsibility to enforce the ethics rules which Congress places on its own members. I am honored to have been entrusted with this very important duty. The American people have high expectations for the ethical conduct of Members of Congress, and I take that charge very seriously.
The United States Postal Service provides an essential service to the American people. It is a unique entity which, despite being an agency of the government, does not receive any federal funding. To help the Postal Service meet its operating costs through these difficult economic times, I have cosponsored legislation to reform the USPS’ pension system. By allowing the Postal Service to function more like a private business, we can ensure that all postal retirees will receive the health benefits they have earned without burdening the taxpayers or jeopardizing the critical services that the USPS provides.
As the 2010 Census draws to a close, I am committed to ensuring a fair and accurate count. The Constitution requires a census to determine the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives and votes in the Electoral College, but today this data is also used to allocate funding for a wide range of government programs, including Medicaid, assistance to farmers, road and highway construction, federal housing assistance, and many others. I am a strong advocate of legislation that would grant the Census Bureau greater operational autonomy within the Department of Commerce. This would help ensure that the Bureau’s statistics are the product of science and not politics. I have been in close contact with local leaders to address their concerns about ensuring that all residents are counted, and I will continue to serve as a liaison between local leaders and the Census Bureau throughout this process.