Newsletter: March 20th
Statement
Around the Capitol
My First Bill
I'm proud to announce I introduced my first bill in the House of Representatives this week, H.R. 1390, the Small Business Joint Venturing Act. This legislation would help the many small businesses in our community that want to compete for federal contracts, but don't have the resources to do so on their own.
Currently, many federal contracts are too extensive for small businesses. Small businesses are able to team together to bid for these contracts; however, that meant they would lose their small business status. As a result, the small business community suffers because prime contract bids would go to big businesses. The Small Business Joint Venturing Act amends the Small Business Act to allow small businesses to form joint ventures, making them competitive in the government contract market and allowing them keep their small business status. As a result, this will change the bidding process for federal contracts by adding more competition and equity.
H.R. 1390 was introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday, March 16th. It will be considered in the Committee on Small Business on March 25th.
Committees, Committees, Committees
My past week in Washington has been heavy on committee meetings and hearings. In the Committee on Armed Services, we listened to testimony from the Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. The focus was largely on the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2016 budget request and the impact it will have on our military and military personnel. In the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, we looked into ways to reform the Environmental Protection Agency to make it more transparent and receptive to the needs of small businesses. This includes a hearing on Monday about ozone regulations, which featured testimony from the Antelope Valley's very own Eldon Heaston, Executive Director of Mojave Desert and Antelope Valley Air Quality Management Districts. Finally, in the Small Business Committee we held several hearings to discuss regulatory issues, SBA's rule making authority and the competitive disadvantages small businesses face.
Around the District
Simi Office Open
Since taking office, one of my top priorities has been making sure constituents can easily get in touch with me and my staff. Now, for the first time in over a decade, residents of Simi Valley will have a local Congressional District Office. Constituents needing help with a federal agency, seeking Congressional commendations, or wanting to voice an opinion about a national issue are now able to contact the office during normal business hours to arrange any of these things. Here are the details:
1445 E. Los Angeles Avenue, #206
Simi Valley, CA 93065
(805) 581-7130
(805) 581-7141 Fax
I will be hosting an Open House there on April 17th where you can learn more about the services the office will offer. Please stay tuned for more information on that event.
Stocking Up in Santa Clarita
Last week I spoke at West Ranch High School in Santa Clarita with students who are taking part in the Stock Market Challenge National Competition. These young adults, who are part of the William S. Hart High School District's "Pathway to My Future' program, will manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio and invest in real stocks, bonds, and mutual funds and compete against other teams across the country for a chance to go to Washington, D.C. for a national award. I had a lot of fun talking to them about investment from a Congressional perspective.
CEMEX Update
During my time in the district last week, I met with members of the Santa Clarita City Council to discuss several legislative issues, the most urgent of which was finding a way to prevent CEMEX from breaking ground on a mine in Soledad Canyon. The Council and I have been working tirelessly on this issue and on Wednesday we had a major breakthrough when the Bureau of Land Management released a letter verifying that canceling the contract is legally viable. This is fantastic news for Santa Clarita as well as the people of California's 25th Congressional District. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and in the City of Santa Clarita to make sure that we reach an acceptable resolution on this issue.
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