The Thompson Times April Edition

Greetings, 

The 114th Congress was sworn in on January 6, 2015 and since then, the House of Representatives has passed a fiscally responsible budget proposal for our country’s future, legislation to hire more of our nation’s veterans, voted to approve the Keystone Pipeline and passed historic legislation to put an end to the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate. 

Please take a few moments to learn more about my work thus far in the 114th Congress. I hope that you find these updates helpful and informative and over the next several weeks, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and concerns on issues in your community and before Congress during my travels across the 5th District.

In The News:

Glenn Thompson: Politics Behind Obama’s Keystone Decision: “On Feb. 24, President Barack Obama vetoed the bipartisan Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, preventing construction of this long-awaited project and confirming speculation that political calculations have been his motivating factor.” Read the full article in the Centre Daily Times.

Thompson Issues Statement on Passage of Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act: “Today, the House passed a historic, bipartisan bill that will put an end to the flawed Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate and extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program.” (March 26, 2015)

Thompson Slams Obama’s Proposed ‘Fracking’ Regulations: “As one of the top producers of natural gas, Pennsylvania’s success has been made possible due to technological advancements and safety regulations administered at the state level, rather than adding an additional layer of bureaucracy from the federal government.” (Pennsylvania Business Daily, March 26, 2015) 

Thompson Authored Bipartisan Bill Would Require Mental Health Evaluations of New Military Recruits: A new measure unveiled in the House this week would require new military recruits to undergo a mental health assessment. The bill's sponsors, Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), said it would help the military identify behavior issues early before they manifest into serious psychological problems like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” (The Hill, March 20, 2015)

Obama Administration Shelves Bullet Ban Proposal: “The Obama administration is backing off its plan to ban a type of armor-piercing ammunition following a deluge of criticism from gun rights groups and congressional Republicans.” (The Hill, March 10, 2015)

National PTA Commends Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Family Engagement in Education: "National PTA firmly believes that family engagement is at the core of student success and school improvement. The association commends Representatives Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Mark Desaulnier (D-CA) and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Chris Coons (D-DE) for their bipartisan leadership and continued commitment to the importance of family engagement and family-school partnerships to ensure every child succeeds academically and reaches his or her full potential." (National PTA, March 2, 2015)

Proposal Would Ease Education Constraints: “The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved a proposal to reduce federal constraints on education, and U.S. House Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-5th District, who sits on that committee, also gained bipartisan support in his years-long effort to redistribute federal money to concentrations of students in poverty.” (Altoona Mirror, February 14, 2015)

Thompson, Pallone Introduce Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2015: ““The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2015 is a fundamental issue of equal protection under the law. Currently, individuals facing life changing disease or disabilities are not treated fairly and this bill will begin to reverse those policies. My thanks to Representative Pallone for his continued partnership on this issue. Together, with advocates within the community, we aim to build a groundswell of support to have this injustice corrected,” said Thompson.” (Gant Daily, Wednesday, February 4, 2015)

From the House Agriculture Committee:  

House guests’ testimony warns against proposed EPA water rule: “U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry, hosted a public hearing to discuss the concerns surrounding the proposed “Waters of the United States” rule and the potential impact it could have on rural areas of the nation.” (The Rippon Advance, March 18, 2015)

From the 5th District to  Washington, DC:

On January 20, 2015, it was my honor to welcome American hero Sgt. Adam Hartswick and his girlfriend, Sarah Bordeck, to Capitol Hill to be my guests for the State of the Union Address.

On March 25, I welcomed students from Sugar Valley Rural Charter School to Washington, D.C. I had a great time showing them around the Capitol.

Additional Announcements:

The deadline for high school students to submit entries for the 2015 Congressional Art Competition is April 22nd! Click here for more information.

Follow me on Instagram at @Congressman_gt for a behind the scenes look at my work in Congress!