Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I spent last week in Washington, working to preserve women’s access to health and advocating for New Hampshire farmers.  

Advocating for Women’s Health

Last Wednesday, I opposed and spoke out against legislation that would callously restrict women’s access to reproductive health care. This legislation, H.R. 7, would deny tax credits to women and small businesses using private funds to purchase comprehensive health coverage.

This bill would deny access to comprehensive health care for millions of women. When women are denied the freedom to make their own personal health care decisions, their economic opportunities are diminished as well. Instead of denying tax credits to women and small businesses seeking affordable health coverage, Congress needs to work together to empower women and increase opportunity.

Earlier on Wednesday, I also took part in a rally with House members and national pro-choice leaders to protest the bill and instruct Congress to focus instead on jobs, economic opportunity, and other critical issues facing the country.

A Huge Step for NH Farmers

On Wednesday, I was pleased to vote with a majority of my colleagues to pass the bipartisan Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the Farm Bill.  After working on this legislation for nearly a year and speaking with farmers, foresters, and consumers all across New Hampshire, I was proud to join Republicans and Democrats to pass this important bill.  This legislation isn’t perfect, but it is a true compromise that will provide our agricultural producers with the support they need to thrive and continue providing Granite Staters with fresh, nutritious, and safe food.

This Farm Bill makes great strides in providing support for the growing local foods movement and for beginning farmers and ranchers.  As the first New Hampshire Representative to serve on the Agriculture Committee in more than seventy years, I’m proud to have worked to include Granite State priorities in the bill, including support for organic farmers, healthy forests, and wildlife conservation.  And as a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I am particularly pleased that this bill contains several provisions to assist veterans pursuing careers in agriculture.

Helping to Connect Veterans With Employers

On Tuesday, I attended a Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing entitled “What can the Federal Government Learn from the Private Sector’s Successful Approach to Hiring Veterans?”  The hearing was a great chance to witness what some of our nation’s major companies and business groups are doing to hire veterans.  The participants included Wal-Mart, Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase & Co., International Franchise Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

It was inspiring to hear how the private sector’s commitment to improving veteran employment was helping our service members and families get the benefits they deserve.  I was pleased to learn about some of the successes the private sector has had in hiring, retaining, and promoting veterans.  These organizations are leading the way in providing jobs and support for our military families, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to continue this bipartisan effort.

Helping a Granite State Olympian Get to Sochi

Earlier last week, my office was contacted by Julia Krass, a 16-year-old skier from Hanover who will be competing in slopestyle for Team USA at the Sochi Olympics.  Julia’s family informed my staff that Julia’s visa application had been delayed and that there was a chance she would not be able to travel to Russia this week with the rest of the team as planned, missing out on critical pre-Olympic training.   Fortunately, after working for hours with multiple government agencies and the Russian Consulate to resolve the issue, we succeeded in expediting the process in time for Julia to leave on time.  I am overjoyed that Julia will be in Sochi to represent the United States and proud that we were able to play a role in making sure this talented Granite State skier is able to compete on the world stage.

Have a fantastic week and thanks for everything you do to make New Hampshire such a great place to live!