THE CONAWAY CHRONICLE, Volume 5, Issue 3

Thank you for reading The Conaway Chronicle, a review of my activities in Congress. This newsletter is to let you know what’s going on in Washington and what important issues are being debated in Congress.

10^th Amendment Task Force

Last week, I, along with ten other Republican Members of Congress, officially launched the newly formed 10th Amendment Task Force, a project of the Republican Study Committee. The Task Force will develop and promote proposals that aim to disperse power, decision-making, and money from Washington back to states, local governments, and individuals. 

The Task Force was created in response to the public outcry over the concentration of power and the ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions from Washington. More than ever, Americans are expressing frustration at having important facets of their lives controlled by a government that is out of reach and out of touch.  Among other things, the Task Force will focus on educating Congress and the public about federalism, elevating federalism as a core Republican focus and monitoring threats to 10th Amendment principles.

Supporting the 10th Amendment is not a partisan issue. It is about respecting the boundaries placed on the federal government by the U.S. Constitution. It is my hope that through the Tenth Amendment Task Force, Members on both sides of the aisle will be better educated on our founders’ vision for America.

House Approves H.R. 5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act

The House passed H.R. 5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act, which acts as a strong step toward reforming the Department of Defense’s procurement process and saving billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars.  The legislation, which passed 417-3, was the result of a year-long study by the committee’s Defense Acquisition Reform Panel and builds upon the reforms enacted last year to the Department of Defense’s weapons systems procurement process. 

This legislation represents a sustained bipartisan effort to improve the defense acquisition processes. I want to thank my respected colleagues, Chairman Skelton, Ranking Member McKeon and Chairman Andrews for their leadership and dedication to this bill and its overarching efforts of facilitating a substantial impact on reducing waste, fraud and abuse.

Not only does this bill address the Defense Acquisition System and Workforce, but, if properly implemented, it will play a critical role in assisting the Department of Defense’s improvements upon its financial management practices. We must strengthen the confidence of the American taxpayer that tax dollars are being accounted for and spent wisely in the defense of this great nation.

Now Accepting Applications for Service Academies

I want to invite area high school seniors interested in attending one of the United States’ military service academies to apply for nominations through my office. The application period for students who will enter college next year ends October 27, 2010. Interested applicants should contact my office as soon as possible.

Applications are available through the San Angelo Regional Office (33 East Twohig, Suite 320, San Angelo, Texas 76903). Please contact Joanne Powell for more information at (325) 659-4010.

To be considered, applicants must be United States citizens, be residents of the 11^th Congressional District of Texas, and be between the ages of 17 and 23 by July 1 of the year of admission.

Selection is based on SAT and ACT test scores, class rank, grade point averages, extracurricular activities, leadership potential and motivation.

Republican Leadership, Economic Recovery Working Group Launch ‘YouCut’

‘YouCut’ is a website designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. It allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts that you want to see the House enact. It allows individuals to vote on their priorities to begin changing Washington's culture of spending into a culture of savings.

Through this innovative website, we hope to show House Democrats that hard-working Americans are serious about cutting spending and wasteful programs. Click here and start cutting now!