A New Year Means New Challenges

A New Year Means New Challenges

Rep. Boozman's Guest Column for the Week of January 12, 2004

Last year ended with a flurry of activity here in Washington, D.C. From passing legislation to reduce taxes to creating a Medicare prescription drug benefit, the House of Representatives worked hard to ensure that 2003 was a productive year.

Speaker Dennis Hastert and his leadership team have planned an ambitious agenda for the new year. From jobs to healthcare, roads to energy, there remains unfinished business from the first session of the 108th Congress that we are determined to complete.

High on top of the list is reversing the trend of U.S. manufacturing jobs going overseas. While the economy continues along the road to recovery, laid-off workers in the manufacturing sector are having a tougher time finding work, as more and more opportunities go overseas. I am committed to working with my colleagues to find ways to keep these jobs in the United States. This will be a top priority for Congress when we return to business in the coming weeks.

We also must address the rising costs of health care coverage. The cost of health insurance has doubled each year over the past couple years. Many companies can no longer afford to provide health care coverage or are asking their employees to pick-up a larger share of their premiums. Our challenge is to figure out how to halt this never-ending inflation and make health care affordable for the average American.

The reauthorization of the Highway Bill is another priority for Congress this year. We have an opportunity to make a real investment in our nation's infrastructure that would greatly benefit Arkansas. If the House Transportation Committee's proposal becomes law, Arkansas stands to receive nearly $3 billion in transportation funding. The proposal will mean a $1.275 billion increase over the state's current funding level and will create thousands of new jobs in Arkansas over the next six years.

Like the Highway Bill, the Energy Bill is another major piece of legislation that remains uncompleted from last year. The House and the Senate each passed their own versions of the bill, sat down to hash out a compromise, only to have it stall again in the Senate. Last year's high gas prices and the failure of one of our major electrical grids underscore the need for a comprehensive energy bill that decreases our dependence on foreign oil and upgrades our nation's antiquated power grids. My colleagues in the House and I will continue to work with the Senate to clear the final hurdles on this issue and get this bill to President Bush for his signature.

These major issues will certainly keep us busy, but our plate is bound to continue filling-up after the President's State of the Union Address. As he has in previous years, President Bush is likely to propose bold ideas that he will ask us to change into public policy. While the problems that face our nation cannot be easily solved, I do believe that Congress is ready for the challenge and ready to make 2004 another productive year.