The Conaway Chronicle

The Conaway Chronicle

April 10, 2006- Volume 2, Issue 7

Thank you for reading The Conaway Chronicle, a weekly review of my activities. I use this newsletter to let you know what's going on in Washington and what important issues are being debated in Congress.
House Floor
Click here to watch my speech on the House Floor

In the last Chronicle, I told you we planned to vote on the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Resolution last week. Unfortunately, a final agreement could not be struck. While most of my colleagues are prepared to change the way Congress has been spending money, we were unable to build enough consensus on the changes to bring the Budget to the floor. I am committed to fiscal discipline and reforming our budget process. Any budget resolution that does not address spending priorities, fiscal restraint and reducing the deficit is unacceptable. I will keep working towards passing these changes in coming weeks.

On Thursday, an editorial I wrote on immigration was published in the Dallas Morning News. As you know, illegal immigration has finally become the number one issue in America. I am convinced that the problem of illegal immigration must be solved in a comprehensive manner. Any real solution must include strong border security measures and a temporary guest worker program that does not include any form of amnesty. In case you missed the article, you can click here to read the full story.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics released the latest employment report on Friday, with more good news. Over 211,000 new jobs were created in March, which is proof that more and more Americans are taking part in the excellent economic growth our Department of Laboreconomy is experiencing. More jobs mean that business owners are benefiting from lower taxes and pro-growth economic policies. The economy has created over five million new jobs since May 2003, leading more Americans to better opportunities for themselves and their families. For more information, and for more detailed statistics, please visit the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website at www.bls.gov.

Last Tuesday, I announced a series of Medicare Part D town halls throughout the district. Over the upcoming district work period I will be hosting a series of prescription drug workshops with officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and local officials from the Social Security Administration. We will be on-site to answer any questions seniors may have concerning enrollment into the new prescription drug benefit. Be on the lookout for an update from my office next week as to the official times and dates of the workshops in your area. There has been some speculation of the possibility of changing the signup deadline of May 15th. I do not believe the deadline will be extended, therefore seniors will need to make a signup decision before that date.

Thank you for reading the Conaway Chronicle. We will be back with you in three weeks with another update from Washington. Have a safe and happy Easter.

http://conaway.house.gov/newsletter/simple04-10-06.htm