Boozman

Congressman Boozman signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 6792 “Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2008.” The bill will improve the recruitment and retention of physical therapists in the Veterans Health Administration.

“We must be proactive in ensuring there are qualified rehabilitation specialists to help meet the increasing veterans population,” Boozman said. “Giving our veterans the care they deserve for the sacrifices they made is something I will continue to fight for.”

Arkansans and all Americans need Congress to pass a commonsense energy bill before members adjourn for the August recess. Unfortunately, the majority party offered a motion to adjourn two days before the scheduled adjournment date without allowing an up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act or any other pro-production energy legislation.

Constituents of the Third District have continously shown they want a vote on energy. The thousands of letters and emails Congressman Boozman gets every day details the hardships families are facing because of the high cost of fuel. Congress needs to promote energy independence by increasing the supply American-made energy in an environmentally friendly way and promoting renewable and alternative energy technology.

Congressman Boozman is a supporter of Second Amendment Rights. Today, he signed a discharge petition, a process to force a bill out of committee, to bring H.R. 1399 the “District of Columbia Personal Protection Act” to the House Floor.

In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the District of Columbia’s gun ban was unconstitutional. Since that ruling, the laws within the District have failed to fully comply with that decision. In the last week, members of Congress, including Congressman Boozman have signed onto the discharge petition to restore Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Boozman heard testimony today about a topic that’s been in the news, China.

Chosen as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the country has been the focus of news reports on a variety of issues including human rights.

“One would wish that the motto of this year’s Olympics, ‘one world, one dream,’ could ring true,” said ranking member Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). “Unfortunately, when it comes to the pursuit of democratic values and human rights, we remain a world divided with a dream unfulfilled.”

Despite all the political issues, Boozman says the Olypmics is not a place for politics. He says August 8-24 should be about the athletes and their accomplishments and successes, not about politics.

Congressman Boozman was in Ozark on Monday to meet with constituents to see how he can help with problems they have with the federal government.

About 30 people came to the Ozark Chamber of Commerce building during the Mobile Office event. The congressman and his staff helped answer questions about the new VA satellite campus, grant assistance and other constituent issues.

The Chancellor of the Arkansas Tech Ozark Campus came to say hello as well as other constituents to voice their opinions on legislative issues. One local pharmacist came to say thank you for the vote in support of H.R. 6331, Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.

The Mobile Office events are a great way to get questions answered and talk with the congressman and members of his staff about issues you may be having. Mobile Office events have been scheduled for Pope County and Carroll County later this year.

Congressman Boozman reaffirmed his commitment to help Arkansans suffering from the high cost of fuel, by voting against H.R. 6515.

The approach to expanding America’s energy supply needs to include opening up new land for exploration. H.R. 6515 doesn’t allow us to utilize areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), an area the U.S. Geological Survey estimates contains between 5.7 and 16.0 billion barrels of oil that are recoverable. Instead, the bill allows for exploration on land oil companies already own and it fails to address concerns of speculation, which can be an attributing factor for us having to pay more at the pump.

Congressman Boozman voted to give Arkansans on Medicare continued coverage, voting for H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act.

President Bush’s veto on the bill was overridden by the House of Representatives by a vote of 383 to 41 on Tuesday.

Boozman voted to override the veto because it would have forced many doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients due to a 10.6% cut in Medicare reimbursements. H.R. 6331 includes provisions relegated to pharmacy reimbursements for Medicare Part D claims, providing ‘prompt payment’ to businesses that supply medicines to patients.

Patients on Medicare as well as healthcare providers wanted this bill passed and Congressman Boozman helped make that happen. 

Coal is America’s largest domestic energy resource — enough to last 250 years at current rates of use. Source: Department of Energy 

Looks like a federal panel is looking into freeing thousands of crack distributors.

Should the panel adopt the new policy, the sentences of 19,500 inmates would be reduced by an average of 27 months. About 3,800 inmates now imprisoned for possession and distribution of crack cocaine could be freed within the next year, according to the commission’s analysis. The proposal would cover only inmates in federal prisons and not those in state correctional facilities, where the vast majority of people convicted of drug offenses are held.

The Associated Press: “The U.S. budget deficit fell to $162.8 billion in the just-completed budget year, the lowest amount in five years.” (Martin Crutsinger, “US Budget Deficit Falls To $162.8 Billion In 2007, Lowest Level In 5 Years,” The Associated Press, 10/12/07)

Bloomberg: “The U.S. government posted the smallest budget deficit in five years as tax revenue reached a record.” (John Brinsley, “U.S. 2007 Budget Deficit Falls To $163 Billion,” Bloomberg, 10/11/07)

Reuters: “Federal tax receipts grew 6.7 percent in fiscal 2007 to a record $2.568 trillion…” (”U.S. Fiscal 2007 Budget Deficit Falls To $163 Bln,” Reuters, 10/12/07)

The Wall Street Journal: “The federal deficit narrowed in fiscal 2007, the third straight annual reduction, as the continued economic recovery helped the growth of tax receipts outpace the growth of government spending.” (”U.S. Budget Deficit Narrowed To Lowest Level In Years,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/12/07)

The New York Times Editorial Board Ignores Yesterday’s Report On The Reduced Deficit To Run More Pessimistic Commentary

New York Times Editorial Board: “But the economic arguments are nonsense, none more so than the claim … that lower tax rates will inevitably generate more tax revenues.” (Editorial, “What, Me Worry?” The New York Times, 10/12/07)

The Washington Post And Los Angeles Times Apparently Did Not Believe Yesterday’s News Warranted Space In Their Newspapers

The Washington Post: [No story]. (The Washington Post, 10/12/07)

Los Angeles Times: [No story]. (Los Angeles Times, 10/12/07)