The Hill Report: Week of April 27 - May 1, 2009

This week, as you know, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed cases of the H1N1 “Swine flu” virus in North Texas, including several cases in my congressional district.

In an increasingly global community, health risks become a shared challenge, and the confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu virus present an opportunity for increased awareness and common-sense health care precautions.

Local and federal officials are working diligently to mitigate flu virus cases in our community, and I have been in contact with state and local officials regarding their efforts, offering them my full support in dealing with this health risk. As your Member of Congress, I remain committed to ensuring that North Texas has the federal resources necessary to contain and prevent H1N1 cases.

For the latest information on state containment and prevention measures, please visit the following sites:

Texas Department of State Health Services

Texas Department of Public Safety

Please be aware that the U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Alert for Mexico in response to the Center for Disease Control's recommendation that American citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico at this time. Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico has suspended all visa and non-emergency American citizen services for the week of April 27 – May 1, 2009, and additional closure announcements may be forthcoming.

I also encourage North Texans to follow the common-sense health tips outlined by the Centers for Disease Control:

1. Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits.
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

For additional information, please consult the CDC website at www.cdc.gov, the State Department’s website at www.travel.state.gov, or the website of the World Health Organization at www.who.int.

Helping Americans Rebuild Their Savings
As our nation experiences the worst recession since the Great Depression, millions of families and small businesses have lost savings for college, homeownership, retirement, business operations, and other priorities. From losses in the stock market to overall tighter budgets, the decline in savings and financial resources places many Americans’ future plans at risk.

To help Americans protect and rebuild their savings, my Republican colleagues and I have introduced the Savings Recovery Act (H.R. 2021) – market-based legislation that empowers Americans to invest more of what they earn for a more prosperous future. Highlights of the bill include the following:

• Increases contribution and catch-up limits for individuals and families;
• Restore college savings by extending the existing SAVERs Credit to contributions made to 529 college savings accounts, effectively reducing by up to half the cost of a family’s contribution to the plan.
• Increase retirement income by doubling the Social Security earnings limit from $14,160 to $28,320 and allowing more Americans to increase their income without being hit by the Social Security earnings penalty.
• Provide tax relief for investors and seniors by immediately suspending the capital gains tax on newly acquired assets for the next two years, raise and index to inflation the amount of capital losses allowed against ordinary income to $10,000, and suspend taxes on dividend income through 2011.
• Stabilize worker pensions and helping employers invest in the future by temporarily providing an increased glide path for recognizing losses and two additional years to resolve pension funding shortfalls.
• Preserves employee-controlled 401(k)s by blocking efforts to wipe out these plans entirely and replace them with government-run accounts.

Congress should provide hard-working Americans with additional tools to prepare and provide for their own future – especially at a time of economic loss. Spurring investment is essential for economic recovery, job creation, and the financial dreams of millions of investment. That is why I support the pro-growth Savings Recovery Act that empowers people – not the government – to determine their financial goals and independent living for the future. For more information on the Savings Recovery Act, please visit https://gopleader.gov/savings/solutions.htm.


The First 100 Days
Wednesday marked the first 100 days of President Obama’s term in office. My Republicans and I stand united and ready to work with President Obama to help America succeed through job creation, economic growth, and safer communities. We remain committed to supporting the President when he is right and offering responsible alternatives when he is wrong.

I believe that President Obama has brought change to Washington—change in the wrong direction. Never before has a president of the United States spent, borrowed, and taxed as much as President Obama. In fact, all the presidents combined have not allowed as much deficit spending as President Obama plans.

While Republicans have spent the first 100 days developing sensible solutions as a united Party of Ideas, President Obama has governed for the media sound bite while seeking to placate the radical left. By placing style over substance and liberal ideology over mainstream ideals, he has announced lofty ideals of fiscal responsibility and cost-cutting, while spending Americans’ tax dollars at lighting speed and plunging our nation into unprecedented debt.

Furthermore, he has announced a commitment to the security of America, while showcasing interrogation methods to the world and prioritizing more legal ‘rights’ for foreign terrorists. He has promised millions of new jobs, while undercutting job-creation with higher taxes, cap-and-tax plans, and single-payer system initiatives. He has promised bipartisanship, while pushing through massive spending plans that include zero bipartisan input and fail to garner the vote of a single House Republican.

This is not the change Americans deserve. I call on President Obama to embark on a new beginning that matches actions with rhetoric—prioritizing fiscal responsibility, American security, and bipartisan agreement for the good of the nation.