March 12, 2010

Health Care Reform

Thanks to those who have called and e-mailed my office to share your opinion on health care reform. I am grateful that you have taken the time to express your thoughts and I appreciate hearing your views. Please keep your comments coming as we get closer to further action in the House. I want to vote YES on health care reform, as I did in November. As I explained yesterday, I have some questions about the Senate bill that are specific to Massachusetts and I think it is important to clarify those questions as we get closer to a vote.

I wanted to call your attention to an article in the Boston Globe today that highlights something I raised yesterday: the issue of recognizing Massachusetts ’ leadership role in expanding health care coverage. As I wrote yesterday, one of the issues I am reviewing is how the removal of state specific language could impact Massachusetts . I am very encouraged by recent developments in that area. The President appears to be listening to the concerns that I and others share about the potential loss of almost a half a billion dollars, and what that would mean to Massachusetts.

In the days ahead, I will continue gathering information about how the Senate bill impacts our state, with its progressive legislation and its excellent system of care, from community health centers to great teaching hospitals. As always, I will report what I learn and keep you posted on the timing of the health care vote.

Afghanistan

This week the House considered H. Con. Res. 248: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan. I was a co-sponsor of this measure, which called for the removal of troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year. I have been disappointed so far in the Administration’s approach to the war in Afghanistan and strongly believe that it is long past time to bring our men and women in uniform home. This resolution was a way to underscore the concerns that I and many others have and it forced a debate that is long overdue.

I voted YES. H. Con. Res. 248 failed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Haiti

Last month I traveled to Haiti to review humanitarian relief efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. On Wednesday Haitian President Rene Preval was in Washington meeting with President Obama and Congressional leaders about the current circumstances in his country. I was asked to participate in both gatherings due to my recent trip to the region and large Haitian-American constituency. It is clear that much still needs to be done to help the people of Haiti rebuild their homes and communities, particularly as the rainy season approaches. President Preval talked about the additional resources that his country needed to rebuild and pledged to direct as many resources as we could toward those efforts.

Citizens United

On Thursday the Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises held a hearing about the recent Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United v. FEC. My legislation, the Shareholder Protection Act, was part of that discussion. The Supreme Court ruling allows corporations to expend unlimited funds on election activity and several bills have been filed in response to that disappointing decision. My legislation requires a shareholder vote before corporate funds can be expended on election activity and mandates greater disclosure by corporations to their shareholders.

The hearing focused generally on the issue of corporate governance post-Citizens United, and many witnesses raised concerns that corporate boards do not have a robust democratic process and are not responsive enough to shareholders. While addressing corporate governance in a broader context is a worthy goal, many are rightly concerned about the very real impact new corporate spending could have on the 2010 elections. I believe we need to pass legislation quickly that will give shareholders a real say in how their money is spent, and I will continue working within the Financial Services Committee to move the Shareholder Protection Act forward.

What's Up Next

Next week the reconciliation component of the health care reform package is expected to be released.