View from the Capitol - Congresswoman Hartzler's Weekly Newsletter for the Week of June 15, 2015

Dear Friend,

Trade Promotion Authority and the President's decision to send more troops to Iraq were the hot topics as I was invited to go on C-SPAN's Washington Journal this week. It was interesting to hear the questions and comments from viewers from all across America.

There is a lot of misinformation going around about TPA. I have added information on my website to share accurate information on this important topic. I urge you to visit http://hartzler.house.gov/blog/setting-record-straight-tpa for information on what the TPA is and is not; and http://hartzler.house.gov/issue/trade for information on TPA and trade in Missouri.

On a different note, I was pleased to meet with Chad Schumacher when he stopped by this week. Chad is a resident of Missouri's Fourth District, an Officer in the United State Navy, and currently serving here in the House of Representatives as a Defense fellow for Congressman Rob Wittman. Chad has had a distinguished career to this point and I wish him all the best as he continues serving this great nation.

I was also happy to have Mizzou Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin and University President Tim Wolfe come by to discuss some of the impressive research initiatives the school is undertaking and the additions they are making to the medical school. I am proud of the cutting-edge, patient-focused care to Mizzou is bringing to Central Missouri. From one Tiger to another, keep up the great work!

A group of 30 talented young students from Missouri's Fourth also visited my DC office this week. In town as part of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, these students come to DC each year to participate in leadership training, receive briefings on co-op issues, and engage with their elected representatives. It was great to see our youth so eager to learn and take part in our democracy. As a fellow member of a rural electric cooperative, I wish them the best as they continue their studies.

As many of you know, I am proud to be a strong advocate for pro-adoption legislation in Washington. Adoption is a wonderful way to make a family. To that end, this week I introduced the Protecting Adoption Act, a bill aimed at ensuring finality with the adoption process.

Through the creation of the National Responsible Father Registry, my bill would encourage all 34 states with already existing registries to link to the national system. Empowering men and women to take responsibility for their rights as parents helps ensure adoptions are not jeopardized in the future. Birthfathers wishing to assert their rights to parent would be given timely notice of adoption proceedings, and adoptive parents would be apprised of potential claims, adding stability to the process from the beginning.

I was blessed to become a mother through adoption, and I want to do all I can to facilitate loving adoptions for others through strong adoption laws. When children, moms, and dads are united through adoption, they should have peace of mind, knowing they have a forever family. My bill helps make that possible.

Finally, with the stagnant economic recovery and rising health care costs, seniors, like so many other Americans, have seen their finances spread thin. Obamacare makes it even worse. Along with rising premiums and skyrocketing deductibles, Obamacare also implemented a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices -- hiking costs up further and reducing innovation in the medical field.

In order to make sure that Americans have access to the best care in the world, the House voted this week to repeal this tax. Americans rely on the development and introduction of new, life-saving medical devices to keep them alive. We should be unleashing innovators so people can spend more time at work or with their families rather than worrying about the cost or lack of treatment. I am proud to have voted for this common sense tax repeal; and rest assured, I will continue working for our greatest generation in Congress.

Have a great week,

Vicky Hartzler
Member of Congress

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