|
  
Rep. Heck attends ribbon cutting ceremony at Spreadshirt t-shirt company in Henderson.
Spreadshirt is bringing jobs to southern Nevada!
Rep. Heck at the grand opening on Veterans Village in Las Vegas. Veterans Village will give homeless
veterans a safe, clean place to stay.
Rep. Heck at the Clark County Armory for a veterans employment and education resource fair. Events
like this help connect our veterans with educational opportunities and job openings.
| |
Dear
Friend,
When Congress reconvenes in early November, there are several critical issues facing our nation
that must be addressed. The predictability of future tax rates, automatic defense spending cuts, and
Medicare spending reductions that would hurt access to care for seniors are all important matters
to Nevadans. It’s valuable for me to know your thoughts and concerns as the House votes on these
issues. To contact me about any issue of importance to you and your family, click
here.
All
Americans Face Significant Tax Hike Unless Congress Acts
 On
January 1, 2013, current tax rates are set to expire and all Americans, regardless of income level, will
see their taxes increase. Democrats in Congress and the Administration believe we should raise taxes
on those who make more than $250,000. We know that this proposal will not create one job. In fact, the
problem with that approach is that many of those individuals are actually small business owners -
job creators - who file their taxes as individuals. Raising taxes on these small business owners,
who employ 54% of Nevadans and create 2/3rds of all new jobs, will make it harder for businesses to stay
open, or expand. Raising taxes on middle class families will make it harder for folks to afford groceries,
gas, tuition costs and their mortgages. With our economy still in a fragile state, I do not believe we
should be raising anyone's taxes. The House has passed legislation,
which I supported, that prevents the coming tax hike for all Americans.
Reimbursement
Cuts Threaten Access to Care for Seniors
After
the New Year, physicians who treat and care for Medicare patients are scheduled to see a 30% reduction
in their reimbursement rates. Such drastic cuts may force physicians to close their practice or only
take non-Medicare patients, making it harder for seniors to see a doctor. To prevent this from happening
in the past, Congress has provided temporary relief through short term "patches" to the reimbursement
formula. But when I speak to Medicare doctors around southern Nevada, they tell me they need stability
in reimbursement rates so that they can continue to see Medicare patients. I joined with Democratic Congresswoman
Allyson Schwartz to introduce legislation
that permanently repeals the flawed Medicare reimbursement formula and sets a clear path toward comprehensive
reforms of Medicare payment and delivery systems. Our bill will provide stability to doctors and give
seniors the certainty that they will continue seeing their doctor. I will continue pushing
for a vote on this bill when Congress reconvenes.
Defense
Sequester Will Harm National Security, Economic Recovery
With
the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction's failure to reach a deal to reduce the deficit by $1.2
trillion over ten years, automatic spending cuts are now required to take effect in early 2013. Half
of those cuts - $500 billion worth - are expected to come from our nation's defense spending. This is
in addition to $487 billion dollars in cuts that are already agreed to. According to Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta, these cuts "would do real damage to our security, our troops and our families, and our
military's ability to protect the nation." Cuts of this magnitude would also do serious damage to our
economy - especially here in Nevada. Southern Nevada is home to numerous businesses that do defense contracting
with the federal government. Cutting defense spending by hundreds of billions of additional dollars will
result in the elimination of contracts which will mean job losses here at home. We can replace these
devastating cuts by reducing spending in other areas, and I have supported
legislation that would do just that. The House has passed a bill to prevent the defense sequester which
would maintain our national security and save jobs - now we need the Senate and the Administration to
take action.
Again,
if you have thoughts about these or other issues, I urge you to contact
me. For more information on my work on your behalf, I encourage you to visit my website Heck.house.gov.
For the latest updates, LIKE my Facebook page and
FOLLOW me on Twitter . It is an honor to serve you and your
family in the House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Dr.
Joe Heck
Member
of Congress
| |
