Summertime in Oakland County means our roads are filled with those orange barrels, signifying road construction. And there’s no doubt that our roads need the repairs. But to fix our roads, we need money. In fact, I cosponsored a bill that will ensure Michigan gets an additional $245 million for road repairs. I am pleased to say the House passed this bill earlier this week and now the Senate is considering it.

I will continue to fight for Michigan and Oakland County road funding. The health of our roads in southeast Michigan is critically important to economic growth. If roads are not in good condition, it is a hindrance toward retaining business and attracting new business.

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The Summer Olympics are right around the corner and I know we will all be cheering our athletes. But I also want to take a moment to make note that this weekend the Special Olympics will celebrate its fortieth anniversary. This organization has changed the lives for thousands and helped families all around the world. This morning I spoke on the House floor about the Special Olympics and their impact in Oakland County. Please take a moment to read my speech.

“I rise today to commemorate an organization that has contributed to our community in a unique and inspiring way for 40 years. The Special Olympics is a beacon of opportunity and support for people with intellectual disabilities, providing training and athletic competition in over 180 countries.

Michigan’s 9th district is no exception – we have been blessed with a dedicated and vigilant local organization here that has established a successful program with amazing results. More than 400 athletes participated in this year’s Oakland County Spring Games this past May, including Charles Howard of Farmington and Jaime Bonneau of Clarkston, who have been selected to compete in the World Games in 2009. I extend to them my best wishes in their respective competitions.

On the 40th anniversary of this extraordinary organization, I wish to honor them for their efforts and their contributions to our community and our nation.

Thank you.”

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As we all prepare for our Memorial Day weekends, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on those who cannot be with us and with their families. Today there are over one-and-a-half million men and women serving in defense of this country and the freedoms we hold so dearly. They come from all across this land, including many from here in Oakland County, and we disperse them all across the globe. It is because of these brave young souls that we can live in the land of the free.

It is because of brave young men and women that, despite whatever feelings one might have toward today’s conflicts, we can all be proud of what our military men and women are doing on our behalf overseas. Our troops truly represent the very best of what America has to offer, and I for one simply could not be more proud to call them my fellow citizens. They give of themselves everyday so that we can carry on our lives as normal here at home. The burdens are large, and their sacrifices are great. Our thanks is the very least we can offer, but I know firsthand that it means more to them than we could ever imagine.

It is because of their sacrifices, their valor, their bravery, their compassion and their strength that this country remains the beacon of hope and freedom that she has been since her inception some 232 years ago. This Memorial Day, we honor the memory and praise the sacrifices of those we’ve lost throughout the years. Their last full measure of devotion is what affords the ability to live and prosper in the land of the free.

I’m proud to support them in every way I can, from supporting increased funding and more safety equipment for those fighting today to supporting a better education and healthcare systems for our veterans. It’s the very least our government can do for those who have done so much for all of us.

I hope you’ll join me in honoring the memory of those lost and in honoring our veterans and active duty service men and women at a Memorial Day event in your area.

I also want to alert all my constituents to a great project the Library of Congress has spearheaded for some time. The Veterans History Project is an ongoing project that allows veterans to record their stories from their service and have those stories archived as an official part of U.S. history. There are over 45,000 veterans in the 9th District, including myself, and all of them have a story to tell. I encourage everyone who reads this to tell a veteran about this project and encourage them to participate in it. The stories of our veterans deserve to be remembered. This is a great way to accomplish this. Here is a link to the Library of Congress’s website on the project

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I am pleased to announce today that I voted in favor of legislation that will ensure students have continued access to the federal student loan program.  As you may know, the recent credit crunch has caused many private lenders to stop offering federal student loans.  Currently, students borrow nearly $85 billion a year to pay for their college education.  With the rising cost of college tuition students must have access to these loans. 

The legislation that passed the House of Representatives today with my strong support will ensure students have no trouble accessing federal loans during the peak time when student borrowing begins.  The Senate has passed this legislation as well and President George W. Bush will be signing the bill into law in the near future.

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As I’m sure you have, I’ve been reading and watching all the news about the pending merger between Northwest, our Michigan airline, and Delta. To me (and to the editors of the News and the Freep) this looks like good news for Michigan airline travelers and for Michigan’s economy.

Delta has indicated that one major bonus of acquiring Northwest is gaining the Detroit hub. I couldn’t agree more. We have a great airport that continues to win awards and praise.

All indications are that this merger will mean more flight options and improved services for fliers. It also means additional investment and jobs coming from the airline to the metro area. So long as the companies maintain their promise to merge by addition and not subtraction, this is undoubtedly a win for Michigan.

The devil is always in the details, which I will be watching closely, but for now, all indications are that this is good news.

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Last Friday I had the pleasure of meeting with Isabelle Yamin.  This extraordinary constituent of mine won the Oakland County Gardener of the Year honor at the Oakland County Fair last summer.  What is even more amazing is the fact that at the age of eight, Isabelle was among the youngest of the nearly fifty competitors.  The Gardener of the Year competition is open each year to Oakland County youths between the ages of eight and eighteen who enter their homegrown produce in the Oakland County 4H Fair.  The winner is selected based on their performance in several gardening categories.  Isabelle tends a plot every year at Bower’s Farm, part of the Bloomfield Hills School District.  I am proud of Isabelle’s accomplishments, and encourage her to continue her unique and wholesome hobby.  See pictures here.

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This morning I had the good fortune of speaking at Automation Alley’s State of the Alley annual meeting and I’m pleased to report good news. Automation Alley, with the mission of bringing “together businesses, educators, and government to help entrepreneurs accelerate the commercialization of new technologies and services,” had another strong year. It now has 850 members, growing nearly 20%. More than 5,000 people used Automation Alley’s facility last year and more than 100 events were offered.

I am encouraged by Automation Alley’s success. Michigan’s economy is going through a change, but the automotive industry will always be part of our lives. According to Automation Alley, advanced automotive remains the cornerstone of the region’s technology When the auto industry struggles, we feel it. That is why we have to continue helping it through its transition. Automation Alley is playing a large role by working to expand Michigan’s manufacturing presence overseas, leading trade missions to Central Europe and India. These trade missions have resulted in more than $126 million new contracts for Michigan businesses and created nearly 90 new jobs.

At the same time, we have to recognize new emerging sectors and new technologies, such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, and military research and development. These growing sectors now account for over 21% of southeast Michigan’s technology industry. We must find ways to foster their development. Again, Automation Alley is leading the way. For the third year in a row, research and development spending by Automation Alley universities topped $1 billion. This represents 72% of all university research and development expenditures made by Michigan universities.

I was extremely pleased to help secure funding for Automation Alley’s Diminishing Manufacturing Source and Materials Center. This project will research and develop a new process to address outdated military systems. This is the type of cutting-edge technology we need in Michigan.

We will get Michigan’s economy turned around and Automation Alley will be a key reason why.

2007 Technology Industry Report

2007 Annual Meeting Report

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Yesterday I was proud to introduce H.R. 5126, the Family Security and Small Business Stimulus Act of 2008. Our economy has slowed down and for the sake of families in Michigan, it is critical that we take action in Washington to help. Enabling families and small businesses to keep more of their hard-earned money instead of sending it to the IRS is a valuable first step. My bill will do this in three ways: permanently cutting the lowest income tax bracket from 10% to 5%; sending all taxpayers an advance payment of this tax-cut; and allowing small businesses to expense more of their purchases.

By cutting the lowest tax bracket in half, from 10% to 5%, every American taxpayer would receive a permanent tax cut. This will enable individuals to keep $400 more each year, while families will keep $800 more of their hard-earned income each year. For 2008, the IRS will send every taxpayer a check containing an advance payment of this tax cut, enabling families to use this new tax cut on their ever-increasing costs.

Small businesses will also receive a shot in the arm to help them sustain and grow their operations. In my Congressional District alone there are over 1,500 manufacturing entities, and 93% have less than 100 employees. My bill will triple the amount of purchases these small businesses are allowed to expense from $125,000 to $375,000 per year. When a small business knows it will be able to expense a purchase, it is more likely to make an investment. Enabling small businesses to invest in new equipment and expand their operations will promote significant economic growth at a time when job-creation is crucial.

The President and House leadership announced a stimulus package of their own today. While there are some very good components in their plan, I think it is critical that we lower taxes permanently so that families can count on keeping more of their money permanently instead of for only one year. Combining quick relief with permanent reform will help our economy in both the short and long term. I am hopeful that as negotiations continue, leadership will include my ideas in the final package.

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Today I was proud to vote in favor of a bill that will protect 23 million American families from being struck by an unintended and unfair tax increase. This includes 830,000 taxpayers in Michigan, which is 18 percent of all the taxpayers in the State.

Although the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) may sound like something we would rather pay than our current federal taxes—after all, the title would suggest that it’s both different and low—the growing reach of the AMT would have placed a burden on Michigan taxpayers that we simply cannot afford.

The House of Representatives has been wrestling with the AMT for a significant portion of this year with mixed results. Earlier attempts by the Democrat Majority would have prevented this unintended tax increase by increasing taxes for other Americans to the tune of more than $50 billion. Preventing a tax increase by raising taxes is something I cannot support, and it doesn’t make sense. 

That is why I am proud to support the bipartisan AMT relief bill passed by the House today. While I would rather see the AMT repealed permanently, I am hopeful that this one-year patch will be the precursor to a permanent remedy in the future.

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Earlier today the House passed legislation that increases taxes on American businesses and consumers, without doing much to actually address our energy woes.

I had hoped the House would consider comprehensive energy legislation crafted in a bipartisan fashion. I voted for an earlier version of this bill, however, I cannot support this new version with additional tax increases and no incentives for new energy production.

This bill does include a 40% increase to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards.  The new CAFÉ standards will begin in the 2011 model year and require automakers to meet the 35 mpg mandate by 2020.

I believe automakers can meet the new CAFÉ standards, although it will cost the American auto industry tens of billions of dollars. I accept these new standards were the best possible agreement under the circumstances, and I believe Congressman Dingell negotiating them did his utmost to have a successful outcome for the auto industry.

I am very concerned the bill does not clearly identify the relative roles of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation in setting new national fuel economy regulations. This confusion will only be compounded by current litigation by individual states.

CAFE has been a flawed program since its inception. It has not saved fuel and it has only caused more highway fatalities. I believe the real answer to cutting our emissions of C02 and reducing our consumption of Middle East oil must be squarely on innovation and alternative fuels, including plug-in electric hybrids, biofuels, and diesel technology.

Despite these concerns with the CAFÉ provisions, I could have supported the bill had it not been for the $20 billion tax increases on businesses and consumers with no incentives to produce more energy. The end result of this bill will be higher energy costs, less energy production, a weakened domestic energy industry and more job losses for U.S. workers.

It is unclear if the Senate will even be able to pass this proposal, and it is doubtful the President would sign it. It’s my hope Congress will decide to pass comprehensive, bipartisan energy legislation instead of this flawed bill.

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