Conaway Chronicle
Conaway ChronicleVolume 7,Issue 6
Path to Prosperity
Americans are understandably worried about the nation's rising debt, yet I am still hopeful we will address the nation's long-term fiscal problems. Progress is being made despites the enormous obstacles that need to be overcome. Last month, the White House sent Congress a budget that ignores the real drivers of our debt, imposes the largest tax hike in history, and doubles-down on the same failed policies that have given us four consecutive trillion-dollar deficits. On Wednesday, the House put the President’s budget proposal on the floor for a vote and the verdict was a unanimous defeat—0-414. Conversely, on Thursday, the House approvedH.Con.Res. 112, the “Path to Prosperity,” by a vote of 228-191. Unlike the President's plan, this plan takes ownership of our nation's problems and sets American on a path toward expanded opportunity and a better future. I am hopeful that the Senate will take up and pass our budget, especially since no one in the Senate has proposed a budget in over three years. Path to Prosperity short overview:
For additional information and supplementary materials on the FY 2013 Budget Resolution, including a detailed report on the budget, please see the House Budget Committee website.
Highway Funding Also on Thursday, the House approved H.R. 4281, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, by a vote of 266-158. The bill would extend the authority to appropriate funds from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for federal highway and surface transportation programs for 90 days, through June 30, 2012. Under current law, surface transportation spending authority is set to expire on March 31, 2012. The current highway bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, expired at the end of FY 2009 and has since been authorized by a series of short-term extensions. The most recent extension (H.R. 2887) was approved in the House by voice vote in September 2011 and will expire on March 31, 2012. Obamacare Should Be Repealed and Replaced Last Friday marked the two-year anniversary of the law, and for three days this week the Supreme Court considered its constitutionality. Among other things, the Court will consider whether the individual mandate at the core of this law is constitutional. Not surprisingly, the individual mandate is the subject of one of the most important and closely-watched Supreme Court cases in modern times. Beginning in 2014, the individual mandate will require Americans to buy government-approved health insurance even if they can’t afford it, or else pay a penalty. This change is unprecedented, unlimited, unnecessary, and dangerous. Never before has Congress required individuals to purchase a private product just because they exist. This is dangerous, because it violates our dual system of sovereignty, an element essential to protecting individual liberty. Standby for more updates as this case continues. The final decision should be handed down by the end of June 2012. Picture Tribute Ceremony Honoring Odessa’s Medal of Honor Recipients: Marvin R. Young and Alfred M. Wilson at Sunset Memorial Gardens on March 24, 2012.
As always, you can follow me on Facebook, YouTube, andTwitter. Sincerely,
 Rep. Mike Conaway, 11th District
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