I write today to update you on recent legislative activities in the United States Congress. I appreciate the opportunity to contact you.
Economic Stimulus Plan for Michigan
Recently, I was pleased to hear President Bush discussing the need for a stimulus plan for our nation’s economy.
Michigan, more than any other state, needs an economic growth plan that includes significant tax relief for every family struggling to make ends meet and every employer willing to invest here. The President's proposal has potential, but Congress must act quickly to give our families and employers the tools we need to get back on track economically.
As your Representative, I am aggressively pursuing solutions for Michigan’s struggling economy. I have authored measures to strengthen Michigan’s jobs base including increased investment in alternative fuels research, lower taxes for job providers and families, and demand for tough enforcement of international trade rules.
Specifically, I intend to continue my efforts on a number of important economic issues including:
Stopping the illegal Chinese counterfeits that are washing up on our shores
- Making health care affordable for workers and employers
- Helping to stem the housing and mortgage crisis
- Bringing runaway energy costs under control
- Ending Asian currency manipulation that puts American manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage
- Cutting billions in wasteful, inefficient, and duplicative government spending
- Slashing the anti-manufacturing taxes that continue to smother domestic manufacturing
- Ending frivolous lawsuits that enrich trial lawyers and put Americans out of work
For more information on my work to improve Michigan’s economy, please click here.
Protecting Michigan Families from Unsafe Chinese Products
Recently, we have seen a rash of unsafe Chinese products threaten the health of American families. Americans should not be put at risk by poisonous toys, contaminated food, or defective auto parts. Unfortunately, China has an especially awful history of manufacturing and selling counterfeit and unsafe products, and it is crucial that we work to keep these dangerous items out of the hands of our families.
In Congress, I have worked tirelessly to push for better oversight of counterfeit and unsafe products being produced in China. Specifically, I have fought to increase the number of “trade cops” whose mission is to prevent counterfeit and unsafe products from being imported into the U.S.
Last month, I supported passage of the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, an important step toward making products safer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the agency responsible for ensuring that products are safe for American consumers. This important legislation increases funding for the CPSC and expands its authority.
The bill also bans the sale of children's products that contain more than trace levels of lead, and requires third-party inspections and mandatory tracking labels for children's products. It authorizes $270 million for the CPSC over a three year period and gives the agency mandatory recall authority. The bill also provides funding for an upgraded consumer product testing facility.
To read more about this legislation, please click here.
January is National Mentoring Month – Get Involved!
I am a strong advocate of youth mentoring programs, and believe they establish important relationships between young people and caring adults. Mentoring programs across the country are successful in reducing delinquency, substance abuse, and academic failure.
Mentoring programs offer a supportive environment for young people, and last year more than 4,000 mentoring programs in communities of all sizes across the United States focused their efforts on helping kids grow and learn. Furthermore, many public-private “Mentoring Partnerships” continue to bring state and local leaders together to support mentoring programs offering training to adult mentors.
As Co-Chair of the Congressional Mentoring Caucus, I am pleased that January 2008 has been designated National Mentoring Month. Because of my commitment to mentoring programs, I recently co-authored legislation which would express the House of Representatives’ strong support for mentoring across the nation. This legislation recognizes the contributions of the millions of caring adults and students who are already volunteering as mentors and encourages more leaders to volunteer for this important work.
For more information on National Mentoring Month or to become a mentor, please click here.
I appreciate your continued interest in the legislative activities of your U.S. Congress. As always, should you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.