Blaine's Bulletin: Looking Back on 2015

Statement

Looking back on 2015, I am reminded what an honor it is to serve as your voice in Congress. This year has proved to be another year of battles between Congress and the Administration but it has also been one in which several issues facing the 3rd District were tackled and I am proud of what has been accomplished.

This year, Congress passed and the president signed into law, the first long-term transportation legislation in a decade. This fully-funded legislation will help sustain and improve our nation's highways, bridges, and railroads. In addition, Congress passed and the president signed into law, legislation that repeals No Child Left Behind. What this means is that Common Core will be kept out of schools, it will reduce the federal role in K-12 education, and it will restore local control and empower parents. The Wall Street Journal wrote this legislation is "a bipartisan compromise from the House and Senate represents the largest devolution of federal control to the states in a quarter century."

On a more personal note, I was honored to assist in the naming of the Cedar Hill Post Office after one of our 3rd District's very own heroes. In June, the president signed into law legislation to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service in Cedar Hill as the "Sergeant First Class William B. Woods, Jr. Post Office." It was very moving at the dedication ceremony to be alongside Sergeant Woods' friends and family. Another humbling moment for me was having the honor to go to the White House with former Labadie resident, Elsie Shemin Roth, to receive the Medal of Honor on behalf of her father. The official awards ceremony was a culmination of years of work and it was an honor to hear Elsie tell her story of how she worked so long to receive this honor for her father's courageous and selfless acts of valor during World War I.

At the beginning of the year, I was named the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance on the House Financial Services Committee. And with that committee assignment, I knew I wanted to draft legislation that would bring reform and change to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). My comprehensive bill, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, lays the groundwork to institute reforms to the programs and processes at HUD. This legislation not only saves taxpayers dollars but it streamlines regulatory burdens and overhauls inefficient policies and regulations. My legislation has passed in the House Financial Services Committee and it is my hope it will be on the House floor early next year.

These examples only scratched at the surface of what took place in 2015. I look forward to getting back to work in 2016 so the House can continue to pass legislation that is important to Americans across the country.

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