Balanced Budget Amendment

As the national debt rises, already amounting to more than $14 trillion, one of my top legislative priorities is a Constitutional Amendment to balance the federal budget. My balanced budget bill was the first bill I introduced upon being elected to Congress, and it was also the first bill I reintroduced in the 112th Congress.

Wasteful spending is threatening our future and will unfairly burden our children and grandchildren with debt that is not their own. A constitutional amendment will force Congress to make the tough choices necessary to balance the budget for taxpayers today and for future generations.

The 111th Congress added more to the national debt than the first 100 Congresses combined. We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. Each year, billions of taxpayer dollars are spent on waste, fraud, and abuse. A balanced budget amendment would force lawmakers to take a hard look at the programs they are funding and hold federal agencies accountable.

My bill would balance the federal budget by 2016. The balanced budget constitutional amendment bill requires: a 3/5 vote for any increases in the debt, that the President submit a balanced budget to Congress, and that any legislation to increase revenue must be passed by a true majority of each chamber – not just a majority of those present and voting. Exceptions to these provisions are provided in times of military conflicts and natural disasters.

Helping Small Businesses Grow

There is no issue more personal to me than helping entrepreneurs grow small businesses to create jobs. I'm not a career politician—I spent thirty years working as a businessman myself. I have created jobs, met payrolls, and balanced budgets. Right now, small businesses are the United States' key to revitalizaition. Small businesses create 70% of all new jobs, making them the backbone of our economy.

Unemployment in our country is above nine percent. Florida's unemployment rate is even higher, exceeding 12 percent. Now, more than ever, we need small businesses that will create jobs, and by extension, revive our economy.

Small businesses rely on lenders for the capital they need to expand, but have been confronted with a lending drought, all the while restricted by downed lines of credit. I've heard from entrepreneurs in my district who have not been able to access capital that would allow them to expand. These lending constraints continue to tie the hands of small businesses that would otherwise be creating jobs in our downturned economy.

Washington must not turn its back on the needs of small businesses. I will take whatever steps I can to ensure that small businesses have access to the capital they need to grow and create new jobs. 

Pill Mills

In Florida, 7 people die each day from prescription drug overdoses. Also in Florida, there are more pain management clinics than there are McDonalds restaurants. These two facts are not coincidence. Florida has become the nation's storefront for narcotics, tearing apart our families and communities. The 13th District is unfortunately no exception.

I introduced legislation to combat this prescription drug abuse epidemic and crack down on Florida's sprawling pill mill industry. My bill has achieved bipartisan support, with over fifty cosponsors, including six committee chairs.

"The Pill Mill Crackdown Act of 2011," H.R. 1065, includes provisions to: support state-based prescription drug monitoring programs; use the money from seized illicit operations for DEA investigations and drug treatment programs; strengthen prescription standards for certain addictive pain drugs; and toughen prison terms and fines for pill mill operators.

I will continue to work with state and local leaders to rid our state of prescription drug abuse.