Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) offered the following remarks after the House approved the FY 13 Military Construction and Veteran Affairs Appropriations bill, H.R. 5854. The legislation totals $71.7 billion in discretionary funding, which is the same as the FY 12 level. The bill provides the nation’s military with the infrastructure needed to house, train, and equip military personnel, provides for the quality of life of our troops and their families, and maintains our strong military base struc...
Read more
Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Chairman of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, issued the following statement concerning the Subcommittee's two day hearing on the 2012 Farm Bill and crop insurance. "When we began the Farm Bill process last year, I indicated that I would use five guidelines to judge any farm bill proposal, based on what I heard from farmers in my district and across the country. “First, would the farm bill undermine crop insurance? Second, is the fa...
Read more
As prepared for delivery Through a series of hearings, conducted both in the field and here in Washington, the House Agriculture Committee has extensively audited the cost-effectiveness of each and every one of the policies under the Committee’s jurisdiction. The hearings today and tomorrow will conclude this Subcommittee’s part in that process. In fact, in a few weeks, the Committee expects to take into consideration all that we have learned from these hearings and mark-up a new farm bill. When...
Read more
Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) voted in favor of H.R. 5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act, which would replace dangerous defense cuts with common sense spending reductions. “Over the last two years Republicans have worked hard to cut spending, but as automatic expenses continue to grow, more must be done. It makes little sense to slash spending for national security when billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted because of fraud and abuse. “According to GAO, the Supplemental ...
Read more
Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) proposed two amendments to the Defense Budget for fiscal year 2013 aimed at strengthening domestic energy security and reducing cost. Both amendments passed the full committee and will be included in the Defense Authorization measure scheduled to reach the House floor next week. The first amendment would exempt the Department of Defense from the Alternative Fuel Procurement Requirement and the second amendment would limit the DOD from purchasing any alterna...
Read more
On Saturday May 5, 2012, Congressman Mike Conaway (R-TX) attended the award ceremony for his offices’ annual Congressional Art Competition. This year’s award ceremony took place on the Angelo State University campus at the West Texas Collections Gallery. Congratulations to Lynn Bataillon for earning the 2012 Eleventh District Grand Prize for her piece “Pandora.” Lynn’s piece will hang in the Capitol for one year along with other District winning pieces from around the country. In addition to the...
Read more
Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) called on Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson to terminate Al Armendariz, the agency’s Region 6 administrator, for comments he made comparing the agency’s enforcement strategy to Roman crucifixion. Rep. Conaway released the following statement: “Administrator Armendariz’s comments reflect a vindictive culture within EPA Region 6 that is driven more by ideology than science. It is no secret in Texas, the heart of America’s oil and ga...
Read more
Today, Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Chairman of the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee, issued the following statement concerning the Senate Agriculture Committee's passage of a Farm Bill: "The Senate Agriculture Committee today broke faith with tradition by passing a Farm Bill that is so lopsided and discriminatory against certain producers, regions, and crops that it will take extraordinary effort to restore the kind of balance necessary to pass a farm bill. “In makin...
Read more
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support to H.R. 3336, the Small Business Credit Availability Act. Today’s bill makes several narrow changes to the law, which will further clarify exactly how Congress intends for the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to implement the new Swap Dealer registration requirements under Dodd-Frank. In the law, Congress authorized the CFTC to exclude small financial institutions that provide swaps in connection with loans from heavy regulation as swaps dealers...
Read more
Last Tuesday I met with the Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region, Doctor Benjamin N. Tuggle to discuss key environmental issues affecting West Texas, specifically the Dunes Sagebrush lizard. During the meeting, I renewed my concerns about the science and process that USFWS is using to advance this listing. I also highlighted the many voluntary scientific and conservation efforts being led by the Permian Basin community. We know more about the Dune Sagebrus...
Read more
