Thursday, March 22, 2018

A Message from Congressman Tom Garrett


REDUCING REGULATIONS

Burdensome regulations created over the last decade have killed jobs and economic opportunity. Since taking office, we have made removing job killing regulations a top priority. 

To date, Congress has passed 15 pieces of Congressional Review Act legislation to combat unnecessary red tape that stifles economic growth—and the House passed three more bills that rein in regulation just this month. 

The goal is simple: protect and grow American jobs and opportunity.                                     

That is why we worked to pass H.R. 4607, the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act. This legislation takes steps to address duplicative, burdensome regulations by ensuring that federal agencies conduct a comprehensive review of regulations at least once every seven years.

For our economy to prosper and for employers to continue to hire and create jobs, we must ensure we have an environment where job creators can flourish. That means cutting red tape, reducing regulations, and delivering on that promise.


STOPPING SCHOOL VIOLENCE

Violence has no place in our schools—every American knows that. That is why it is important that we give students, school personnel, and law enforcement the tools they need to deal with threats before they result in tragedy.

This week the House of Representative passed H.R. 4909, the Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Act by a vote of 407-10, and I was proud to have co-sponsored it.  

The STOP School Violence Act will help create an early warning system in our schools and communities to stop tragedies before they occur.

This strongly bipartisan legislation helps schools develop violence prevention programs that coordinate with law enforcement to improve school safety by training students, teachers, school officials, and local law enforcement on how to identify and intervene early when signs of violence arise. It does this while honoring our rights and empowering localities.

See something, say something only works when government hears something and does something.  We must be proactive to ensure our kids are safe, both inside and outside the classroom.

NATIONAL K-9 VETERANS DAY

Everyone who has ever owned a dog knows the depths of the bonds that develop between human beings and our 4-legged family members. And while I can remember every dog we have ever owned and how they left our family, I never had the opportunity or honor of serving alongside the armed forces or law enforcement working dogs.

These working dogs play diverse roles both on the battlefield and at home in our communities. Working dogs perform both guard and sentry, as well as search and rescue duties, detecting hidden explosives and occasionally directly engaging against opposing forces. 

They also contribute significantly to our nation's servicemen and women returning home, and helping them to recover from the wounds of war. At home law enforcement dogs help solve crimes and locate missing persons. 

This week, we commemorated National K9 Veterans Day by remembering LCSO K-9 Maggie, who in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 10, 2011, responded to a call for a suicidal person with her handler, Lt. Patrick Sheridan. After arriving on scene, the six-year veteran bloodhound was suddenly attacked causing a bacterial infection that lead to her untimely death. 

You can watch our Floor Speech honoring Maggie HERE. 

TOWN HALLS

This week, we held our Fifth Town Hall Meeting of 2018. This was via telephone to every corner of our immense district, attracting more than 15,800 participants. We hold these forums because we want to give busy parents and seniors the opportunity to directly engage with us from the comfort of their own home while being able to reach the greatest number of Fifth District residents possible. 

Earlier this month we held our second Radio Town Hall Meeting of 2018 on WCHV 107.5 FM/1260AM & WBBC 93.5 Bobcat Country radio. We took a variety of questions via phone, Email, Twitter, and Facebook from moderator, Joe Thomas of Joe Thomas In-The-Morning on WCHV,  and took as many questions over-the-phone as possible during our 2-hour conversation. 
 
Since taking office in 2017, we have hosted sixteen public town hall meetings and twenty-nine live forums at high schools throughout the Fifth District.

TOM IN THE NEWS


                                                                                         

CONNECT WITH ME                                     

I am always interested in hearing your thoughts. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, you can contact me directly by clicking here or contacting my office at (434) 973-9631. 

You can also follow me on Twitter,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube for updates on my work in Congress.

Sincerely,
 
Tom Garrett
Member of Congress





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