Rep. Chris Lee's blog

Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26) commented on President Obama's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress:

"I appreciated President Obama coming to the Capitol this evening to address Congress and the American people on the vast number of issues facing our great nation. Unfortunately, one year removed from the President's historic inauguration, we still face an economy in peril, 10 percent unemployment and a skyrocketing national debt. Coupled with the Christmas terror attack and ongoing challenges overseas, this time calls for leadership and bipartisanship to craft meaningful solutions to the issues facing our nation.

With all that's at stake in the health care debate, why is Washington in such a rush?

To ensure Western New Yorkers' voices are heard, I have sought the opinions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, hospital administrators, seniors, small business owners and working families alike as part of a health care listening tour.

 

In these discussions, the question has not been whether we need to reform the system - we absolutely do - but whether the government can do a better job of managing your health care than you and your doctor can.

 

Wednesday May 13, 2009

 

Trade practices, undervalued yuan citedfor injuries to U. S. jobs, manufacturing

By Jonathan D. Epstein
NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER

A Western New York congressman is joining with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on legislation to force China to float its currency or face import duties.

Rep. Chris Lee, R-Williamsville, is cosponsoring the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act of 2009, which takes aim at what he called unfair trade practices that hurt U. S. manufacturers and cost U. S. jobs.

 

The bill is being introduced this week.

Lawmaker Announces Support for Bipartisan Proposal That Would Level the Playing Field for American Manufacturers by Taking Aim at Currency Manipulation

 

• Kevin Kelley, executive director of the Rochester Tooling and Machining (RTMA) Association: "China's manipulation of its currency continues to represent a significant threat to our region's manufacturing jobs. ... The legislation Congressman Lee is supporting would ensure a level playing field on which our businesses can compete in the global marketplace."

 

"Read the fine print" is generally a good rule of thumb, but for credit card holders, it can mean the difference between a stable financial future and years of trying to catch up.

 

I have spoken to a number of rightly frustrated constituents who have consistently paid their bills on time only to receive notice that they would soon see the rates on their card double, triple, or even quadruple. Most of the time, these rate hikes have come without warning or cause.

 

Unfair practices like these often hit our youngest and oldest populations hardest, whether it's seniors who have been forced to use high-interest credit cards to pay for emergency medical costs or teenagers who have been lured into signing up at concerts and sporting events.

Successful schools are safe havens for learning. Every few months, however, the media reports that a teacher, substitute, or coach has made inappropriate sexual advances toward one of our students, right here at home. We need to work together and take serious steps now to prevent these menacing acts.

A national investigation conducted by the Associated Press revealed that in one five-year period, there were more than 2,500 cases in which educators were punished for sexual misconduct. What’s worse, those incidents represent only a small fraction of the total number of cases that occurred in that same time period.