Picture of the Week:
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| I am so thankful for the wonderful friends and coworkers who mailed me letters and passed along well-wishes in honor of my birthday this week. These beautiful tulips are from my good friend and colleague, Representative Martha Roby from Alabama. Thank you to everyone who reached out to me! |
This week marks our sixth consecutive week of session in the U.S. House of Representatives- and marks six weeks that we have been hard at work focused on your priorities and working to make every day easier on all Americans. It was a proud moment when Congress formally passed the Keystone Pipeline and sent it to the President’s desk to be signed into law. For at least 42,000 Americans, this legislation would mean good-paying jobs and would push our nation closer to the notion of energy independence. With more than 60 percent of Americans in favor of the Keystone Pipeline, I am hopeful the President will put politics aside and sign this long-overdue legislation into law.
I also worked with my colleague, G.K. Butterfield, to introduce legislation that would streamline the approval process for life-saving vaccines. This timely, bipartisan legislation will ensure a smoother and more-efficient approval process for discovering, developing and delivering vaccines to the general public. Given the re-emergence of diseases like Measles and Small Pox, it is clear that this legislation is needed to safeguard public health. The Fayetteville Observer wrote an article on this legislation called “The Vaccine Access, Certainty, and Innovation Act of 2015.”
I hope you will continue to reach out to staff in our Asheboro, Dunn, and D.C. Offices if we can ever be of assistance to you. Whether you have a question on legislation or need assistance with a government agency, we are here to serve you!
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Meeting with Fayetteville Technical Community College:
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| I stepped out of my first Energy and Power Subcommittee Hearing this week to take a meeting with Dr. Larry Keen, the President of Fayetteville Technical Community College and Trustee Dolores Ingram. We had the opportunity to talk about the incredible community college system in North Carolina. I’m so proud to represent the hard-working students and professors at Fayetteville Tech. |
Recent Legislation on Vaccinations:
After introducing legislation last week that would streamline the approval process for life-saving vaccines, I had the opportunity to write an op-ed for a publication called The Hill. I have included an excerpt below but hope you will read the full piece here:
“Before coming to office in 2010, I had the honor of serving our country and working to protect Americans, but in a different capacity. I donned scrubs and tennis shoes, and I served the American people as a nurse working in a hospital setting.
Without question, vaccines are one of the most important contributions to public health in the history of medicine. Over the last several decades, public health has improved greatly, and much of this has to do with advances and developments made within the vaccine industry. It remains one of the most significant ways to prevent the spread of disease, and benefits the community as a whole, as it protects both the individual who was vaccinated and those who may come into contact with the potential carrier.”
Attending the 17th Annual BIO Conference:
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| I sat down with BIO President and CEO (Biotechnolgy Industry Organization) Jim Greenwood to discuss the Energy & Commerce Committee’s 21st Century Cures Initiative and my new legislation to expedite the approval process for vaccinations. I hope you will click here or on the picture above to watch our conversation. |