Here’s my first quarter report for you for the 4th Congressional District.
It’s been a very busy three months. I’m honored to be your voice and your vote in Washington!!!
Major Legislation Passed in the 118th Congress Republican Led House
Protecting against Government Overreach:
• H.R. 23 – Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act (Rep. Adrian Smith / Ways and Means Committee)
o Repealed 87,000 IRS agents going after Americans pocket books.
• H.J. Res. 27 – WOTUS CRA
o H.J. Res. 27 eases regulatory burdens for small businesses, manufacturers, farmers, home and infrastructure builders, local communities, water districts, and everyday Americans by invalidating the Biden Administration’s overreaching Rule redefining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Countering the Chinese Party’s Malign Influence:
• H. Res. 104 – Condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory as a brazen violation of United States sovereignty (Sponsored by Rep. McCaul / Foreign Affairs Committee)
COVID Related Legislation:
• H.J. Res. 7 – Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020 (Sponsored by Rep. Gosar / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)
o Ended the COVID-19 National emergency.
• S. 619 – A bill to require the Director of National Intelligence to declassify information relating to the origin of COVID-19, and for other purposes (Closed Rule) (Sponsored by Sen. Hawley / Intelligence Committee)
o Declassified COVID-19 Origins to increase transparency with the American people and give them all the facts the government has.
Protecting our Conservative Values and Parents Rights:
• H.R. 5 – The Parents Bill of Rights
o H.R. 5 ensures that schools who receive federal funding do not trample on parental rights by ensuring commonsense transparency for parents in the following areas:
o The right to review the curriculum, reading materials, and budget of their child’s school.
o The right to know if the state alters their academic standards or plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs.
o The right to know school choice options, including information about all available public school enrollment options, including charter schools, schools within the school district, and transfers to schools in other school districts.
o The right to meet with their child’s teacher at least twice each school year and address the school board of the school district.
o The right to know about violent activity in their child’s school, health issues that arise with their child, and the right to protect their child’s privacy.
• H.R. 26 – Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (Rep. Ann Wagner / Judiciary Committee)
o Health-care practitioners would have to provide medical care to a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion procedure equivalent to the care received by a newborn delivered at the same gestational age.
Empowering our American Energy Sector to Thrive:
• H.R. 1 – Lower Energy Costs Act
o H.R. 1 will unleash American energy and lower costs for families by:
o Increasing domestic energy production, reforming the permitting process for all industries, reversing anti-energy policies advanced by the Biden Administration, streamlining energy infrastructure and exports, boosting the production and processing of critical minerals.
• H.R. 22 – Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China
o H.R. 22 would prevent the Secretary of Energy from selling any products from the SPR to any entity owned or under the control or influence of the CCP or to any other entity that intends to export the products to China.
o To prevent further abuse of the SPR, the Strategic Production Response Act would require any future non-emergency drawdowns to be accompanied by a plan from the Secretary of Energy to replace the drawdowns with an increase in domestic petroleum production.
Rep. Alford Legislation Introduced in the 118th Congress
• H.R. 1774, the VA Emergency Transportation Act
o This would cover the emergency transportation for veterans:
o To a facility for treatment
o From a non-Department facility where a veteran was treated
o To a Department or other federal facility
o Currently Veterans are not guaranteed reimbursement to a non-VA provider, this legislation would fix that.
• H.R. 530, A-PLUS Act
o This legislation directs the Secretary of Agriculture to amend the Packers and Stockyards Act to allow livestock auction market owners to hold ownership in, finance, or participate in the management or operation of a meat packer with a cumulative slaughter capacity of less than 2,000 animals per day or 700,000 animals per year for cattle and sheep and 10,000 animals per day or 3,000,000 animals per year for hogs. This cap would exclude investment in the top 10 meat packers for both cattle and hogs.
• H.R. 1168, School Lunch Affordability Act
o Every year, schools are forced to raise their school lunch prices to comply with the Paid Lunch Equity Program set by the Richard B. Russel National School Lunch Act. Specifically, my bill amends the Act to require that only a School Food Authority that had a negative balance in their food service account on June 30th of the year preceding the previous school year shall be required to establish a price for paid lunches.
• H.Res.235 —Expressing support for the designation of March 21, 2023, as “National Agriculture Day” and celebrating the importance of agriculture as one of the most impactful industries in the United States.
Letters Sent in the 118th Congress
• Sent letter to Attorney General Garland demanding he appoint a special counsel to investigate President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.
o Soon after our letter was sent, AG Garland appointed special counsel to investigate Biden.
• Sent letter to the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army requesting they include funding for Advanced Individual Training Barracks at Fort Leonard Wood in the President’s FY24 Budget.
• Led a bipartisan Missouri Delegation letter to USTR and USDA regarding the Government of Mexico’s ban on American biotech corn. According to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Missouri’s corn exports totaled $443 million in 2021, making corn Missouri’s second largest agricultural export.
o Mexico’s impending ban will cause substantial harm to Missouri corn farmers and create a ripple effect throughout Missouri’s rural economy. Reliable and stable market access is critical to the success of Missouri corn farmers.
o Within a few days, USTR announced they will be initiating technical consultations with Mexico.
Republican Party of Boone County, Missouri 