Congressman Denver Riggleman
By Kim Smith
Congress was in recess during the month of August, so, of course, they were on vacation, right? Wrong when you're talking about our 5th District Congressman, Denver Riggleman. (I don't know if he even sleeps.)
Given his schedule for the month, he must have identified the secret to self-cloning. (If you don't subscribe to his weekly/sometimes daily newsletters, and read them, they're highly informative.) For those of you who don't, the following is some of what he has been doing.
Since too much of politics seems to grow from rumor and innuendo, Denver decided, as he often does, to see for himself. These were NOT junkets! He traveled to the southern border to talk personally with ranchers and with our border agents. Given his technology/security background, he was able to see what's actually happening and what is necessary from the perspective of physical and technological barriers. Video is available on Facebook.
Another "see for himself" was Denver joining the delegation to Israel, where work is on-going for a peace agreement. Denver has been to Israel several times and is well-versed on what's happening and what might be possible. (And he got a briefing on the technology behind the Iron Dome.)
The domestic front appears to have been a whirlwind across the broad expanse of the New Jersey-sized 5tth. Denver visits businesses and service providers whenever he has a chance – learning what they do and what they need to better succeed in their businesses. These ran the gamut from a candy (Red Rocker) manufacturer to a gaming machine manufacturer to a home builder, from a pharmacy focusing on preventive care to a credit union, from Abbott Manufacturers (where he held an employee Town Hall focusing on regulations and infrastructure) to a higher education center focusing on private/public partnerships (with Microsoft); from Camp Friendship to a market and bakery.
During this period, Denver also reported on his introduction of seven bills in Congress and co-sponsorship of 128 others. Of these, 11 passed the House and 3 have been signed into law – rare for a freshman Member. He emphasized several of these accomplishments:
- The Banking Transparency and Sanctioned Person Act (passed House) which focuses on monitoring financial transaction of "bad actors" and state sponsors of terrorism.
- Appropriations to fund rural broadband (note: Denver held a forum on rural broadband in Mecklenburg);
- Increasing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in rural areas (including youth prevention programs - $20.4 million will come to Virginia).
One of his bills, near and dear to him, is The Protecting Patients with Pre-existing Conditions Act, would amend HIPPA, and regardless of what happens with Obamacare, would guaranteed issuance and renewability; prohibit pre-existing condition benefits exclusion, ban health status underwriting, and include community rating.
Agriculture is the largest industry in the 5th District, and Denver spent a lot of time meeting with farmers. One would chart a course for capturing the lead in the emerging hemp market; the other was a roundtable with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and a group of farmers who represented a wide variety of products. That one, too, was filmed on Facebook – and although difficult to hear since it was held outdoors, it was fascinating to learn what the farmers are facing. (One of the outcomes was emphasis on passing the all-important USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement) to increase our farmer's access to markets in Mexico and Canada.)
Denver has also established a 5th District Agricultural Advisory Committee with farmers representing the reaches of the district. The group will meet regularly to discuss (and advise) the issues facing farmers, growers, and producers throughout our area.
On the personal level, I wrote Denver about the gun control frenzy after the awful mass shootings. Wish I had room to print the whole letter, but these stood out: "Our Founding Fathers realized the importance of a well-regulated militia and the right to self-defense against tyranny" and as they continue to consider who best to deal with mass shootings "I will do so with the Constitution as my guide…."
Denver continues to fight for and work for US!
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