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January 31, 2014 Conaway Chronicle: State of the Union, Farm Bill, and KIDY __________________________________________ |
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Thank you for reading The Conaway Chronicle, a review of my activities in Congress. State of the Union: The imperial president was on full view at the State of the Union with his taunts and challenges to Congress. His taunts were unseemly. I oppose his decision to act unilaterally to raise the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors and his call for Congress to approve a broader increase in the federal minimum wage this year. Increasing the federal minimum wage would make it expensive for businesses to hire new employees and hurt workers who have fewer skills, less experience, and limited education. There are more effective ways to increase wages for all hardworking Americans, such as eliminating unnecessary regulations, and improving job-training programs. Moreover, the President’s insistence on going around Congress is an insult to our Constitution’s system of checks and balances. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid is complicit in the President’s violation of the Constitution. In his final two years in office the President should work with Republicans to rein in our federal deficit and strengthen our economy. KIDY Studio Ribbon Cutting: KIDY Fox in San Angelo officially opened their new studio in San Angelo on Jan. 30th. Although I was unable to make it there for the ribbon-cutting, they showed me around last week. It is an impressive, state of the art operation which will help the staff in their mission to provide top notch news coverage to the people in the San Angelo area. Congratulations to the staff at KIDY.
Farm Bill: We have produced a fiscally responsible Farm Bill that spends $23 billion less than the 2008 Farm Bill and provides a strong and defensible safety net for our farmers, while also making significant reforms to the Food Stamp program. The bill passed the House by a vote of 251 to 166 and the Senate is likely to clear it in the next week. The largest portion of the deficit reduction comes from eliminating the Direct Payments that provided farmers with support regardless of if they planted a crop and replacing them with payments that farmers would only receive if they suffer market losses. The bill includes a new initiative that allows states to implement work requirements for able-bodied adults, which would give individuals dignity by helping them move from dependence to self-sufficiency and independence. The bill should have included mine and Congressman Jim Costa’s, D-Calif., provision repealing Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) rulemaking and Congressman Neugebauer’s provision making Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) laws compliant with our trade commitments. Mine and Congressman Costa's provision would have reversed GIPSA officials’ flagrant disregard for language that were included in the 2008 Farm Bill. I will continue my efforts to resolve both the GIPSA and COOL issues. Please click on the picture on the left to see a video of my floor statement on the Farm Bill.
No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion: This week I voted for The No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act, H.R. 7, which would prohibit federal funding for elective abortions. For years, a patchwork of amendments that have annually been attached to spending bills have prohibited federal funding for elective abortions. The bill passed by a vote of 227 to 188. There has been a longstanding bipartisan agreement that federal taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for elective abortions. The Senate should take up and pass this bill and President Obama should sign it into law. "Academy Day" Save the Date: On March 22nd, my office will be holding an "Academy Day" event at Angelo State University, MCS Building, Room 100, 2200 Dena Drive in San Angelo. The event will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The “Academy Day” program will feature information about the nomination process involved in securing academy appointments. Academy Liaison Officers, ROTC representatives, and others will be on hand to meet with prospective students and their families. Students who reside in the 11th Congressional District are encouraged to submit their applications in the spring of their junior year of high school to me at my San Angelo Regional Office: 33 East Twohig, Suite 307 San Angelo, Texas 76903. Deadline for completed applications to be received for the Class of 2019 (entering the Academy – Summer of 2015 ) will be October 22, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact JoAnne Powell at Joanne.powell@mail.house.gov or 325/659-4010.
As always, you can follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Sincerely,  Rep. Mike Conaway, 11th District |
