Transparency Needed in Health Care

Transparency Needed in Health Care Debate
I heard from many Kansans last month during my “Congress to Kansas” listening tour about their concerns with the current health care debate in Washington. While not every person agreed on all the issues, the vast majority of Kansans wanted more transparency in the health care debate in Washington. This Congress has developed a bad habit of changing legislation at the last minute and introducing 300-page amendments in the middle of the night and that is unacceptable. Kansans deserve a fully transparent and open debate not only on health care, but every other piece of legislation, large or small.

There are currently three versions of the Democrat’s bill in the House, and there are two bills being considered in the Senate. Before the House votes on any health care bill, I believe it is imperative we all have a chance to figure out what is in the bill. I was very disappointed to learn this week that during a hearing on Senator Baucus’ bill in the Senate, the committee failed to pass an amendment requiring the final legislation be posted online for 72-hours before the committee holds any votes.

The backroom deal-making needs to stop. Congress can and must do better. We had only a few hours to read the so-called stimulus; we only had a few to read the cap and trade bill; and we definitely need time to read the final health care bill before we vote. This week I was proud to sign on as a sponsor of a resolution in the House that would require legislation to be posted online 72 hours before any votes. I don’t think it’s too much to give Members of Congress and the American people three days to review legislation that will affect each one of us for years to come.

Supporting Legislation to Audit the Federal Reserve
As a CPA, a former State Treasurer, and as a member of the House Financial Services, I am committed to restoring stability to our financial markets and ensuring another meltdown like the one that happened last fall does not happen again.

As we work in committee to reform the financial industry, I believe there needs to be greater transparency to our monetary policy so all citizens can see where their tax dollars are being spent. That is why I have signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1207 to allow the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit all aspects of the Federal Reserve and to open Fed operations to enhanced scrutiny. Today I attended the committee hearing and spoke in favor of this legislation.

Over the past year, the Federal Reserve has responded to the economic crisis by injecting more than one trillion taxpayer dollars into the economy, but there has been very little light shed into where that money went. Every day, Americans are responsible for accounting for every penny they come in contact with, and I believe it is important for the Federal Reserve to be accountable as well. The Fed has an important duty to make economic decisions, but there must be accountability.

One Step Closer to Securing Buyout for Treece
Helping Treece’s residents secure a federal buyout has been a priority of mine since my first day in Congress. This week we got one step closer to securing a buyout when the Senate approved an amendment to provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to buyout Treece. The amendment was introduced by Kansas Senators Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback and Senator James Inhofe from Oklahoma.

A century of mining left behind dangerous living conditions and I’m glad we are closer to our goal of securing a buyout to protect and improve the lives of the residents of Treece. Until the buyout becomes a reality, I will continue working with Senators Roberts, Brownback and Inhofe as well as the EPA and the folks in Treece to make sure it is successful.

Kansas Visitors in Washington
It was a pleasure to meet with Kansas State Representative Peggy Mast and Lisa Ritchie while they were in town. Carl Krehbiel, Brian Boisvert, and other members of the Kansas Telecommunications Industry Association stopped by to discuss broadband access especially in rural areas of Kansas. Woody Moses, Wendy Harms, Steve Sloan, and Randy Hattesohl stopped by from the Kansas Aggregate Producers’ and Kansas Ready Mixed Concrete Association to discuss issues pertaining to miners’ safety and transportation.

It was great to see Ed McKechnie of Watco Companies to discuss transportation improvements that are vital to Southeast Kansas. I also had an informative meeting with KNEA President Blake West and educators Mark Farr of Nickerson and Verlean Brown of Wichita to discuss No Child Left Behind and other education policy important to Kansas.


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