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Dear Friend,
Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 112th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well.
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This Week (Oct. 21-27)
On Wednesday morning, I joined Gov. Mitch Daniels and other state and local officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lafayette-to-Delphi segment of the Hoosier Heartland Highway. This was the culmination of a tremendous team effort that will result in safer travel and much bigger economic opportunities for the counties and communities served by the highway.
Earlier this year, I led a bipartisan group of Indiana’s congressional delegation in fighting to stop a proposed ban on federal funds being used under public-private partnership arrangements, including the Indiana East-West Toll Road. Through the state’s Major Moves program, the toll road deal freed up billions of dollars to fund other needed projects such as the Hoosier Heartland Highway.
For Wednesday’s celebration, I brought along my (and Kathy’s :-) ) 1973 Corvette that I have been restoring for the last five years. Most of it’s done now, but it appears to be a never-ending process. Anyway, Debbie Lowe from the Carroll County Comet got in and we helped lead the ceremonial caravan after we cut the ribbon. Here’s a photo of me with Delphi Mayor Randy Strasser at the event, and a photo of Debbie and me with my Corvette:
I also had the opportunity to visit with around 50 Hendricks Power Cooperative workers at an employee town hall meeting on Thursday, where I shared with them a presentation on our national debt and discussed solutions. It was a great discussion and I am always energized to hear common-sense solutions from Hoosiers:
Earlier in the week, I also attended the Tippecanoe County Right to Life’s annual Celebration of Life banquet, where I was able to catch up with many old friends. I am thankful for their partnership in the fight to defend the sanctity of life.
Last Week (Oct. 14-20)
I always enjoy talking with Hoosier business leaders and others around the Fourth District. Last week, I had the opportunity to spend time with leaders of Indiana’s auto industry. On Wednesday, I spoke to management and human resources employees at Meritor’s North American Site Management and Human Resources Management Summit about labor and workforce issues.
As you likely know, Meritor operates a large “remanufacturing” facility in Plainfield producing brake pads and other remanufactured parts. Over the past year, I’ve worked closely with Meritor to get the federal government to purchase remanufactured parts. I was honored that Meritor and their trade association awarded me the MEMA Legislator of the Year award for my efforts.
I also spoke with the Indiana Automotive Council, a collaboration between industry, government and higher education that exists to grow and promote Indiana’s automotive industry. Representatives from Chrysler, Cummins, Delphi, General Motors, and many other companies were in attendance, and we talked about the looming “fiscal cliff” and the need for comprehensive tax reform.
Last Thursday, I visited with the Brownsburg Rotary Club to talk about spending and debt. A very special thanks to club member Merlin Outcalt for the invitation and to Club President Danielle Snyder for the hospitality. Here’s a photo from the visit:
In Case You Missed It
1st Annual Red Tape Rollback Report
Rokita Op-Ed: Complex, unfair tax code stands in way of recovery
PJ Media - Two Ex-Secretaries of State Introduce Bill to Clean Up Voter Rolls
For additional news items, please visit my In the News page.
Rokita Readings
A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to "Keep the Republic."
Did you know that there are nearly 50 different job training programs run by the federal government? And yet the unemployment rate continues to hover around 8 percent, with 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed.
In a recent column, John Stossel explains why the unemployment rate remains so high despite dozens of job training programs funded by taxpayers. Stossel conducted an informal experiment by sending an intern to various job training programs in New York City to ask for help in getting a job. What she found would almost be comical – if it weren’t so serious.
As the intern reported, “I went to the Manhattan Jobs Center and asked, ‘Can I get help finding a job?’ They told me they don't do that. 'We sign people up for food stamps.' I tried another jobs center. They told me to enroll for unemployment benefits.”
Stossel’s column details several other frustrating experiences that led the intern to conclude, “The government would rather sign me up for welfare than help me find work.”
Our maze of ineffective federal job training programs fails those whom it should be serving. As a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, one way I’ve sought to address that is by supporting the Workforce Investment Improvement Act. This bill would streamline and consolidate existing workforce development programs and give more flexibility to state and local officials to tailor programs to their unique populations. Through these and other reforms, we can save millions of taxpayer dollars and ensure that federal programs are actually helping the unemployed to find jobs – and not just pushing them toward dependency.
Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care.
Sincerely,
Todd Rokita
Please do not reply to this message. This email address is not monitored. Visit rokita.house.gov/contact-me to contact me.
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