[StBernard] The Word from Washington - Healthcare for Children, Protecting Taxpayers, and Food Safety

[Westley Annis]

"I believe every Louisianian should have access to quality, affordable
health care."...so do I, Congressman, but the spending level of this bill
will allow families with incomes in the "high income" bracket" to qualify
their children to get free medical care when they can easily afford it
themselves.  This was NEVER the intention of those who created the SCHIP
programs, nor was it the intention of allowing ADULTS onto the program,
which is happening in several states.

I believe President Bush's agreement to the original increase in spending of
the program is more than enough for SCHIP to be properly funded for years to
come - at least that's what the SCHIP folks say.  Not to mention this is
first step to creating a socialized medicine program.  Please support the
President in his veto and make everyone go back to the table to create a
more sane level of funding for SCHIP.

John Scurich


-----Original Message-----
Dear Westley,

Hello to all my friends in south Louisiana.  As the leaves start falling and
summer finally fades, I hope this newsletter finds you and your family happy
and healthy. Last week we had a busy few days in Washington, and I am happy
to share with you the work we have been doing to serve Louisiana.

Supporting Health Insurance for Children: Congress Will Vote to Override  
 
Rep. Melancon talks to shrimpers in Chalmette about their concerns.  Last
week, Rep. Melancon took part in a Congressional hearing on foreign food
imports, and brought attention to the unfair playing field Louisiana's
shrimpers and fishermen are forced to compete on because of the lax food
safety standards in other countries. 

President's Veto 

This Thursday, I and other members of Congress will vote to override
President Bush's veto of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Reauthorization Act. This bill will continue the successful State Children's
Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a state-run program that provides
healthcare coverage for children in working families who currently lack
health insurance, often because their parents cannot afford costly private
insurance and their employers do not provide it for them. 
 
The bipartisan CHIP Act is a compromise bill that was drafted by leading
Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. The bill reauthorizes
SCHIP for the six million children currently enrolled in the program and
provides funding to cover an additional four million uninsured children who
are eligible for but not currently enrolled in SCHIP.
 
Children in Louisiana would especially benefit from the CHIP Act. The bill
would provide Louisiana with an additional $60 million, for a total of
$144.1 million, to continue health insurance coverage for the 109,500
children currently enrolled in Louisiana's SCHIP program and to reach the
82,800 children from low income families with no health insurance who are
not currently enrolled in SCHIP.
 
Louisiana has one of the most successful SCHIP programs in the nation. In
1999, according to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, the percentage of
low income, uninsured children in our state was 31.6 percent - the fourth
worst in the country. Today, as a result of the program, that percentage has
dropped to 12.5 percent - one of the nation's 10 best.
 
The bipartisan CHIP Act is supported by 43 governors and a strong majority
of Republicans and Democrats in both House and the Senate.  I call on all
members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation to stand and fight for
every child's right to have adequate healthcare. A child's health provides
the foundation for their ability to learn and grow, and no child should be
denied that right in this country when we have the ability and resources to
provide them with it.
 
I believe every Louisianian should have access to quality, affordable health
care. I will continue to support legislation and funding that helps
uninsured and underinsured Americans access much-needed healthcare services,
while ensuring these needs are met in a cost efficient way that also
protects the taxpayer's dollar.
 
Reducing Government Waste and Increasing Accountability at the IRS
 
Last week, I voted in support of legislation to reduce government waste and
increase accountability at the Internal Revenue Service. The bipartisan Tax
Collection Responsibility Act of 2007 would repeal the IRS's authority to
contract out tax collection work to private companies. Under the current
program, the IRS is turning over confidential taxpayer information,
including social security numbers, to private collection companies who are
allowed to keep up to 24 percent of whatever they collect as a commission.
 
As a fiscal conservative, I support efforts to eliminate government waste
and strengthen accountability for taxpayer dollars. The current private debt
collection program exposes taxpayers to harassment and wastes tax dollars by
paying a bounty up to 24 percent to the debt collectors. This bill we passed
today protects taxpayers from having their confidential tax information
shared with outside companies and puts the responsibility for tax collection
solely where it belongs: with the IRS.
 
Ensuring the Safety and Security of our Nation's Food Supply
 
Last week, I took part in a Congressional hearing  examining the safety of
food imported into the United States. During the hearing, we questioned
representatives from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the
United States Department of Agriculture on the adequacy of their efforts to
protect Americans from unsafe, imported food. The hearing also examined what
quality control systems other countries have for ensuring the safety of food
imported into their countries. I am very concerned with the adequacy of the
FDA, industry stakeholders, and foreign governments to ensure the safety of
food imported into the United States. 
 
During the hearing, I also brought attention to the unfair playing field
Louisiana's shrimpers and fishermen are forced to compete on because of the
lax food safety standards in other countries. South Louisiana depends
largely on the fishing industry - shrimp, crawfish, fresh-caught fish - and
we are struggling to compete with imports from foreign countries that do not
have the same food safety standards as we have in the U.S. 
 
Countries like China, Taiwan, and Vietnam - just to name a few - import
seafood that is produced in farms, not fresh caught. Catching wild shrimp
and fish is much more labor- and capita- intensive, so fresh caught seafood
is more expensive than farm raised. Farms try to produce as much product as
possible, so they overpopulate ponds. Because the ponds have no fresh water
circulation, they become filled with bacteria. The farmers then pump
antibiotics and other chemicals into the water to kill the bacteria. These
chemicals have been shown to cause cancer in animals and humans.
 
The FDA only tests 1% of food imports, and despite evidence of chemicals and
antibiotics in imported seafood, FDA still allows tainted food to enter the
United States. I am seriously concerned about the safety of food imported
from countries that lack food safety standards equivalent to those in the
United States and hope that we can soon find a better system for monitoring
food imports.  

In closing, let me say again that serving as your representative in Congress
is a great privilege, and I will keep fighting every day for south
Louisiana's needs. Please don't hesitate to call my office in Washington, or
one of my four offices in Louisiana, if there is anything I can help you
with or if you want to share your opinion on upcoming issues in Congress. I
take your viewpoints very seriously and look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,
 Charlie Melancon
U.S. Representative, Third Congressional District of Louisiana