January 3, 2005

WASHINGTON - Congressman Tom Petri said that with the start of a new Congress Tuesday he anticipates a busy agenda.

Petri said that Congress will consider the President's proposals to strengthen Social Security, to change the tort system in order to lower insurance costs, and to reform the tax code.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines, legislation to build and maintain highways and public transit will be one of Petri's major concerns. "This is something that the last Congress failed to do," he said. "I've been heavily involved in making sure that Wisconsin gets its fair share of federal highway dollars, and that will be on the agenda in addition to redoing the federal student loan programs and the energy program, and looking for ways to get the deficit under control."

"Overall, a very busy Congress," he said.