Proud to Represent You in Congress

PROUD TO REPRESENT YOU IN CONGRESS
August 8, 2005

Washington, D.C. - In a special election held on August 2, voters from across Southwestern Ohio voted to send me to Congress to represent them in Washington. As your Congresswoman-elect, I am both honored and humbled by this tremendous opportunity to serve you. I am grateful for your trust, and I will represent your views in our nation's Capitol as I tackle the new challenges ahead.

As a lifelong resident of Southwestern Ohio, I will continue to keep my home in Miami Township where I live with my husband and daughter. I'll travel to Washington when Congress is in session and when I am home, I'll spend time in each of the counties I represent, which includes Adams, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, Pike, Scioto and Warren counties.

Having been actively involved in our community for more than 30 years - previously as a Trustee for Miami Township and more recently as a member of Ohio's House of Representatives - I have had the opportunity to work with many of you over the years. And I look forward to meeting and working with many more of you in my new role.

I will be sworn in when Congress is back in session in the first week of September. I am eager to work with my colleagues on a variety of important issues. One of my top priorities is to ensure that our troops have the resources and equipment they need to complete their mission in Iraq. Last week's tragic loss of soldiers from our area was a grim reminder that our nation is at war. I am committed to making sure our men and women in uniform get the ongoing support they deserve.

I also look forward to working on reforming our energy policies to make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy and modernizing our antiquated systems to reduce the costs of gas, oil and electricity for all of us.

Other priorities include ensuring that tax cuts are permanent for America's working families, reducing government spending, simplifying our tax system, making quality healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone, and protecting life from conception to natural death.

Of course providing outstanding service to constituents will be the top priority of my Congressional office. Former Congressman Rob Portman was known for his excellent work on behalf of his constituents, and I am committed to providing that same level of service to you.

I will maintain offices in Kenwood, Batavia and Portsmouth and hold office hours on a regular basis in communities throughout the Second District. Our office stands ready to assist you with information about legislation facing Congress, resolving matters with the federal government or getting flags flown over the Capitol.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you. I look forward to working together to accomplish great things for Southwestern Ohio. As I take on this new challenge, I'll look forward to hearing from you. I hope you won't hesitate to contact our office to share your ideas or request our assistance.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh02_schmidt/050808_proudtorepresentyou.html