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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Travis Weber, Esq., Family Research Council (FRC) Director of the Center for Religious Liberty, testified today before the House Armed Services Committee- Subcommittee on Military Personnel regarding the need for religious freedom protections in the military.
Weber made the following remarks:
"Despite Congressional efforts to address these (religious expression) restrictions, and DOD assertions that the problems are not that bad, religious expression continues to be stifled in the military - as we saw earlier this year when Bibles were removed from Navy Lodges due to fears they were causing offense, and when an Air Force Academy Cadet's religious expression was singled out and targeted for removal from his own whiteboard.
"Even if later corrected, such accounts create a chilling effect and bolster the perception that religious beliefs must be hidden to maintain one's standing in the military.
"Such censorship reveals a misunderstanding of a very basic truth: religion simply cannot be sectioned off into neat little compartments in our lives; it is integral to addressing all aspects of the human experience - including how we approach the issues of death and danger central to military service. How can we ask service men and women to do a job which is so incredibly difficult, while at the same time divorcing them from the very spiritual resources they need to accomplish this job?
"Let me be clear - we do not support coercing anyone into religious practice. But religious freedom - including the ability to speak of one's religion - must be protected," Weber concluded.
Mr. Weber's full remarks to the committee can be read here: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF14K61.pdf
"Our current government-provided flood insurance system has proven ineffective, inefficient, and costly to taxpayers. While Congress has been successful in modestly reforming the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), we still face a situation where Congress has chosen to solidify NFIP's broken balance sheet with little hope for it returning from the red."The NFIP is $24 billion in debt and as it is currently structured and administered, there is potential for moral hazard. It is critical that this Subcommittee work to pursue significant reforms that will allow us to chart a new course for the NFIP and put the program on more sound financial footing. Hard-working taxpayers deserve a federal flood insurance program that is fiscally responsible and responsibly constructed. We must enhance the program's integrity, make it self-sustaining, increase private market coverage, and reduce the risk to taxpayers across the nation.
Monday, November 10, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt’s (R-Virginia) office will hold Local Office Hours in Mecklenburg County on Friday, November 14 to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.
Friday, November 14, 2014
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Mecklenburg Administration Building - Conference Room
350 Washington Street
Boydton, VA
While people often associate the work of Congress with debates on legislation, our office provides a variety of additional services of which you should be aware. We have a dedicated staff that is at your service to assist you with any federal matter.
Listening to the views and priorities of Fifth District Virginians on legislative and policy matters is a critical part of my job as your representative, and I cannot be a voice for the best interests of the district without hearing from you. We receive hundreds of calls, letters, emails, and other communications from constituents each week, and we respond to every single message as quickly as we can. We encourage you to remain in touch with us to inform the debates that take place in Congress.
Working with federal agencies and programs can be challenging at times, but our office can help you cut through federal red tape. Whether it is helping secure your Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans' benefits or helping get a passport or visa, staff in our Charlottesville and Danville offices can answer questions you may have and work with you to resolve the problems you encounter. Our staff members also hold local office hours in every single locality throughout the district once each quarter. A schedule of upcoming local office hours can be found on our website.
We also love to see folks from the district who visit our office in Washington. Our office is happy to help coordinate your visit to our nation's capital, whether you are interested in touring the Capitol building, the White House, the monuments, or other points of interest. The museums, memorials, and buildings in Washington belong to you, and we are here to help you make the most out of your trip as you explore the history these places have to offer.
We also have the honor of nominating candidates for admission to the United States Military Service Academies each year. It is a great privilege to work with such outstanding young people who aspire to commit themselves to serving in our military. We also take part in the Congressional Art Competition each year, which recognizes the artistic talents of high school students and the winner's artwork is displayed in the Capitol for the following year for visitors from around the country to enjoy.
To learn more about any of the services listed above and other matters with which we can be of assistance, please visit our website, hurt.house.gov, which contains more information on these topics. You may also call any of our offices to speak with someone who can assist you with these matters whether in Charlottesville (434-973-9631), Danville (434-791-2596), Farmville (434-395-0120), or Washington (202-225-4711). We take our responsibility to serve all Fifth District Virginians very seriously, and we encourage you to be in touch with us if we can help in any way.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt’s (R-Virginia) office will hold Local Office Hours in Rappahannock County on Friday, November 7 to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.
Friday, November 7, 2014
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Rappahannock County Library – Jamieson Room
4 Library Road
Washington, VA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt’s (R-Virginia) office will hold Local Office Hours in Franklin County on Friday, October 24 to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.
Friday, October 24, 2014
9:00 - 11:00 am
Franklin County Government Center- B-75 Training Room
1255 Franklin Street
Rocky Mount, VA
I spent last week traveling to the communities along Route 29 visiting small businesses to talk with their owners and employees about how federal policies are impacting their ability to succeed and grow. We made a wide variety of stops in Danville, Gretna, Altavista, Rustburg, Lovingston, Charlottesville, Ruckersville, Madison, and Warrenton, where we discussed a range of issues from taxes to energy to regulations. But at almost every visit, the impacts of the President's healthcare law were the top concern facing small businesses and their employees, as the law is hindering their ability to create more jobs and is harming their employees.
One employer near Lynchburg told me he would like to expand his business and create more jobs but cannot afford to comply with the extra healthcare mandates that kick in when a company grows to 50 employees. Another business explained how the premiums for their employees are going up nearly 50 percent this year despite no changes in what their plan covers. Nearly everyone I talked with expressed concerns about the continued growth of premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. These cost increases reduce take home pay for the employees, and most small businesses do not have the margins necessary to absorb higher and higher costs, much less try to grow and hire more employees.
Evidence continues to mount demonstrating that the President's healthcare law has had devastating effects on our families and our small businesses not just in Virginia, but across the country. Recent business surveys by regional Federal Reserve Banks indicated that employers are cutting hours down from full time to part time to cope with added health care costs. Another recent study found that the law is drastically reducing take-home pay for the employees of small businesses and has contributed to more than 350,000 job losses nationwide.
Our Main Street businesses are the backbone of our local economies and have the potential to be our most dynamic job creators. Instead, they are forced to comply with bureaucratic red tape from a misguided law that was forced upon them. These regulations are undoubtedly stifling desperately-needed job creation in the Fifth District, which is unacceptable when some of our localities have unemployment as high as ten percent.
Hearing from these small business owners about how these policies burden them and their employees reinforces my resolve to repeal this very flawed law and replace it with real health reform that does not destroy jobs or reduce wages. House Republicans remain focused on creating solutions that are patient-centered and market-based, putting the power in the hands of individuals and families, not the federal government, to make health care decisions on behalf of themselves and their families. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to achieve meaningful healthcare reform that works for the American people and our economy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt’s (R-Virginia) office will hold Local Office Hours in Campbell and Buckingham Counties on Friday, October 17 to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.
Friday, October 17, 2014
9:00 - 11:00 am
Campbell County Public Library, Rustburg Branch - Program Room
684 Village Highway
Rustburg, VA
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Buckingham County Administration Building - Conference Room
13360 W James Anderson Highway
Buckingham, VA
Monday, October 3, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt’s (R-Virginia) office will hold Local Office Hours in Brunswick and Charlotte Counties on Friday, October 10 to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.
Friday, October 10, 2014
9:00 - 11:00 am
Brunswick County Administration Building - 3rd Floor
228 North Main Street
Lawrenceville, VA
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Charlotte County Administration Building - Conference Room
240 LeGrande Avenue, Suite A
Charlotte Court House, VA
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