Dutch's Blog

Improving Child Nutrition

December 1, 2010 11:47 AM
Today, the House will vote on the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act,” a child nutrition bill that will dramatically improve the quality of meals in school and child care centers. It will also increase the number of healthy meals available to needy children and provide the first real increase in the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches in more than three decades. It will also connect more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish local farm-to-school networks,...Continue Reading

Fixing the Medicare Repayment System

November 30, 2010 9:33 AM
I believe we must pay our doctors a fair price for providing quality, accessible care to their patients.  Congress passed a temporary fix to the Medicare reimbursement rate for physicians yesterday that blocks a 23 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors for one month while a 1-year fix is negotiated. The bill, which is critical to ensuring seniors and military families will continue to be able to see their doctors, is now headed to the President’s desk for his...Continue Reading

Fighting Mexican Drug Cartels

November 29, 2010 1:48 PM
I wanted to point out, “Mexico, Call In The Marines,” an interesting column in the Washington Post about a serious issue that exists with our border neighbor, Mexico. I am deeply concerned about drug-related violence spilling across the border and the increasing control the Mexican drug cartels have on the U.S. drug market.  I think this problem is just as serious as the threat of terrorism we are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan. This past July marked the 10th anniversary of...Continue Reading

Helping Maryland Businesses Export

November 23, 2010 12:34 PM
I am proud to represent the Port of Baltimore in Congress. The Port is one of the biggest economic engines in Maryland, supporting 120,000 jobs and $3.7 billion in wages and salaries for Marylanders every year. Exporting is one of the most important things to help grow the U.S. economy and spur job growth.  We need to open all world markets to Maryland-made goods and services. To help achieve the President’s goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five...Continue Reading

Dutch, KaDee Strickland Discuss Backlog of Rape Cases

November 22, 2010 1:34 PM
I met with actress KaDee Strickland on Thursday to discuss the national backlog of untested forensic evidence from sexual assault and rape cases. You know KaDee from the ABC series Private Practice, in which her character, Charlotte King, was recently sexually assaulted. KaDee’s research for the role led her to RAINN, the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network, which is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. They helped her get ready to play her part accurately and sensitively.  I’ve helped...Continue Reading