Update from Congressman Barrett
As some of you may know, members of the Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens county chambers of commerce recently traveled to Washington, DC for their annual National Issues
Forum. I was able to speak with them about legislative issues currently being debated in Congress. They also enjoyed speeches from Susan Whitson, Press Secretary to Mrs. Bush, Charlie Hurt, Capitol Hill bureau chief for the Washington Times, Judy Schneider a specialist with the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, Majority Leader John Boehner (OH, 8), Chairman of House Intelligence Committee, Representative Peter Hoekstra (MI, 2), and other distinguished colleagues of mine in Congress including members of the South Carolina delegation.
Additionally, the House acted to pass several important provisions addressing several key issues affecting all Americans.
Ø Energy Independence:
The House passed H.R. 5143, introduced by Representative Inglis, which will summons the imagination and creativity of the American scientist to develop hydrogen energy - a more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel. There is no doubt that the private sector is an engine of growth that breeds innovation and ingenuity. The role of the federal government is not to come up with the idea or the science, but rather to provide incentives and promote an atmosphere that encourages such research to take place.
We are working to find long-term solutions to our dependence on foreign sources of energy. Nuclear power is another source of power that our nation has placed on the back burner for decades, since arriving in Congress I have been promoting South Carolina as a national leader in advancing the nuclear industry. In fact, both SCANA and Duke Energy are currently exploring locations in South Carolina as possible sites to construct a next generation nuclear reactor. It makes sense for South Carolina to lead the nation - we already produce over half of our electricity from nuclear power plants, making us third nationally in nuclear generation.
Ø Port Security:
We passed legislation in the House that requires the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand
nuclear and radiological detection systems pertaining to
incoming maritime containers, and to establish standard
operating procedures for examining containers. Securing
our nations ports is important to South Carolina since the
Port of Charleston, Port of Georgetown, Port of Port Royal,
together provide more than 280,000 jobs and pumping in
more than $23 billion in state investment. Our ports are
vital to the nation's economy as well, ranking as the nation's
sixth in international shipments.
Ø Lobby/Earmark Reform:
The House also renewed our commitment to increased
transparency in congressional activities by approving H.R.
4975, the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of
2006 - the most comprehensive lobbying reform bill passed
in over a decade. The recent actions of a few individuals
remind us of the importance of holding ourselves to the
highest standards and the need to maintain the trust of the
American people. Additionally, it seeks to curtail the
number of Member appropriation projects by enhancing
transparency. The new system for appropriation requests is
already working. Appropriation requests are down 37%
from last year. This important piece of legislation will hold
members of Congress and those they work with to the
highest standards while ensuring that Americans can still
effectively petition the government - a constitutionally
protected right.
There can be no greater honor than to help protect our freedoms as we serve one another, and our nation. As your representative I pledge to always remember the contributions of those who have served before me and the responsibility you have entrusted to me. I will honor God and one another with my words, thoughts and actions, and pledge to always put the best interests of my constituents and the nation at the forefront of every decision by committing everyday to: uphold strong ethical and moral standards, provide excellent constituent service to everyone equally, and be your common-sense voice for local concerns and values.
Gresham Barrett
Forum. I was able to speak with them about legislative issues currently being debated in Congress. They also enjoyed speeches from Susan Whitson, Press Secretary to Mrs. Bush, Charlie Hurt, Capitol Hill bureau chief for the Washington Times, Judy Schneider a specialist with the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, Majority Leader John Boehner (OH, 8), Chairman of House Intelligence Committee, Representative Peter Hoekstra (MI, 2), and other distinguished colleagues of mine in Congress including members of the South Carolina delegation.
Additionally, the House acted to pass several important provisions addressing several key issues affecting all Americans.
Ø Energy Independence:
The House passed H.R. 5143, introduced by Representative Inglis, which will summons the imagination and creativity of the American scientist to develop hydrogen energy - a more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel. There is no doubt that the private sector is an engine of growth that breeds innovation and ingenuity. The role of the federal government is not to come up with the idea or the science, but rather to provide incentives and promote an atmosphere that encourages such research to take place.
We are working to find long-term solutions to our dependence on foreign sources of energy. Nuclear power is another source of power that our nation has placed on the back burner for decades, since arriving in Congress I have been promoting South Carolina as a national leader in advancing the nuclear industry. In fact, both SCANA and Duke Energy are currently exploring locations in South Carolina as possible sites to construct a next generation nuclear reactor. It makes sense for South Carolina to lead the nation - we already produce over half of our electricity from nuclear power plants, making us third nationally in nuclear generation.
Ø Port Security:
We passed legislation in the House that requires the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand
nuclear and radiological detection systems pertaining to
incoming maritime containers, and to establish standard
operating procedures for examining containers. Securing
our nations ports is important to South Carolina since the
Port of Charleston, Port of Georgetown, Port of Port Royal,
together provide more than 280,000 jobs and pumping in
more than $23 billion in state investment. Our ports are
vital to the nation's economy as well, ranking as the nation's
sixth in international shipments.
Ø Lobby/Earmark Reform:
The House also renewed our commitment to increased
transparency in congressional activities by approving H.R.
4975, the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of
2006 - the most comprehensive lobbying reform bill passed
in over a decade. The recent actions of a few individuals
remind us of the importance of holding ourselves to the
highest standards and the need to maintain the trust of the
American people. Additionally, it seeks to curtail the
number of Member appropriation projects by enhancing
transparency. The new system for appropriation requests is
already working. Appropriation requests are down 37%
from last year. This important piece of legislation will hold
members of Congress and those they work with to the
highest standards while ensuring that Americans can still
effectively petition the government - a constitutionally
protected right.
There can be no greater honor than to help protect our freedoms as we serve one another, and our nation. As your representative I pledge to always remember the contributions of those who have served before me and the responsibility you have entrusted to me. I will honor God and one another with my words, thoughts and actions, and pledge to always put the best interests of my constituents and the nation at the forefront of every decision by committing everyday to: uphold strong ethical and moral standards, provide excellent constituent service to everyone equally, and be your common-sense voice for local concerns and values.
Gresham Barrett
posted by SCGOP at 11:44 AM
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