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Congressman Burgess Speak Out about Osteoporosis Screening for Men; Reintroduces Legislation
Posted by on May 11, 2005
Today, Congressman Michael C. Burgess reintroduced legislation promoting osteoporosis screening for men. Osteoporosis, a degenerative bone condition that can make bones fragile and can gradually erode quality of life for our seniors, is characterized as a condition primarily impacting women. In fact, 2 million American men have osteoporosis and nearly 12 million more are at risk from developing the disease. Smoking, prostate cancer and obesity surgery may all be risk factors for men.
Unfortunately, Medicare does not provide equal coverage for both men and women when it comes to osteoporosis screenings. To rectify this situation, The Medicare Osteoporosis Measurement Act, this would expand coverage of bone mass measurements under Medicare Part B to all individuals at clinical risk. The annual expenditure on hospital and nursing home costs related to osteoporosis and associated fractures tops $17 billion. If Medicare coverage for this service was available to all men at risk, just as it is for women, the National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that the Medicare program could realize substantial savings.
“The first step is for each man to be diligent and get regular check-ups,” stated Representative Michael Burgess. “Men are less inclined to participate in health care screenings which are vital in the early detection of major diseases facing men including high cholesterol and blood pressure, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.”
Congressman Burgess Votes for Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act
Posted by on May 11, 2005
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1279, The Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005, which authorizes increased federal funding to support federal, state and local law enforcement efforts against violent gangs, to coordinate law enforcement agencies’ efforts to share intelligence and to jointly investigate violent gangs. Congressman Michael Burgess voted in favor of this legislation. The Act creates new criminal gang prosecution offenses, enhances existing gang and violent crime penalties to deter and punish illegal street gangs, and proposes violent crime reforms needed to effectively prosecute gang members.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, there are currently over 25,000 gangs and over 750,000 gang members who are active in more than 3,000 jurisdictions across the United States. Gang activity has been directly linked to the narcotics trade, human trafficking, identification document falsification, violent maiming and assault and the use of firearms to commit deadly shootings. This legislation is part of an increasing federal effort to assist local law enforcement in targeting and federally prosecuting violent criminals who are associated with street gangs. The bill will encourage partnerships across all levels of government and ensure the success of these partnerships through the expansion of resources and intelligence.
“Gang violence and intimidation is a parasite growing across the country,” stated Congressman Michael Burgess. Representative Randy Forbes (R-Virginia), author of the bill, sited the statistic that gang recruitment has been so successful, that if gang member’s from around the country united, they would comprise the sixth largest standing army in the world. “The swelling numbers in gangs is alarming, and this bill is a solid starting point from which we should continue to tackle this problem. This bill will facilitate and fund coordination efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement.”
The Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005 is a comprehensive gang bill aimed at creating a national strategy to identify, apprehend, and prosecute gangs across the nation. The bill would accomplish two primary goals. The first goal is to designate “High-intensity Gang Areas” and authorizes federal dollars to ensure the effectiveness of the program. The Act authorizes $50 million over 5 years to combat gang activity in those areas and other areas of need. It authorizes $7.5 million over 5 years to allow the Attorney General to hire 94 additional Assistant United States attorneys to prosecute crimes in high intensity interstate gang activity areas. Finally, it authorizes $20 million over 5 years in grants to state and local law enforcement and prosecutors to combat violent criminal gang activity.
The second goal is to define gang crime in federal code and specify punishments for gang-related crimes and other violent crimes. The bill provides strict definitions of criminality for gang-related violence and imposes strict penalties for those guilty of such crimes.
Many prominent law enforcement agencies have expressed support for HR 1279, including the Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriff’s Association, National Troopers Coalition, Federal Criminal Investigators Association and National Latino Peace Officers Association.
“I am please that many law enforcement groups support this strong piece of legislation,” stated Congressman Michael Burgess. “I am hopeful that my local police and sheriffs, who tirelessly work to combat gangs, will benefit from passage of this bill.”
Biomedical Research Bigger and Better in Texas
Posted by on May 10, 2005
(Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, being from Texas , I am frequently asked, are things truly bigger in Texas ? And the answer, of course, is yes. As you work your way down that list of cattle farms and oil wells, put a big checkmark next to biomedical research.
Mr. Speaker, in the State of Texas , the 15 members of the University of Texas system in the year 2004 contributed almost $13 billion to the economy of the State. They created over 111,000 jobs between them.
Now, one of six medical research institutions in Texas is the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Back in World War II when Baylor College of Medicine left for Houston, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School was started in an abandoned Army barracks; and from those humble beginnings, they have become a powerhouse in medical education, patient care, and research.
Mr. Speaker, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School boasts four Nobel Laureates. They have a new medical research tower which is being completed, and advances in medical imaging are going to be housed in that tower, as well as a new alliance for cellular signaling, to investigate how cells talk to each other will be housed in that building. With the acquisition of Zale Lipshy Hospital and St. Paul Hospital and the historic association with Parkland Memorial Hospital, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School has a total package.
So biomedical research, not only bigger, but better in Texas .
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Representative Burgess Votes for Stronger Federal ID Standards
Posted by Michelle Stein on May 5, 2005
In December of last year, Congress voted on the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 (S. 2845). I was among a small group of Members who voted against the passage of S. 2845 because I believed the bill severely lacked adequate border security measures. The National Intelligence Reform Act was all bark and no bite.
Today, Congress has sought to rectify this mistake, but including language in the defense supplemental conference report that mirrors the REAL ID Act (H.R. 418) aimed at preventing another 9/11-type attack by disrupting terrorist travel and bolstering our border security. The REAL ID contains vital border security provisions and is strongly supported by the Bush Administration.
Texas, more than any other state, understands the importance of border security. With a long and active border, it is comforting to know that new, higher standards are being placed on knowing who, exactly, we are admitting into the country. Now, when you board a plane in Fort Worth or Austin or Houston, you will know that your fellow passengers have gone through a standardized, verified screening process.
Make no mistake, this is not a national ID card, but it does compel states to improve the data security of information that states already hold about their citizens and requires the states to improve the physical security of the buildings where data is stored. I am proud to state that Texas has already begun integrating these procedures.
I know that there are arguments on both sides of this issue, but I believe these new policies will provide better security while maintaining freedom. We have the right to freedom from harm of those who would illegally enter and maneuver in our country, and I believe the language in this conference report has successfully found a balance.
The State of Readiness for the 2005-2006 Flu Season
Posted by on May 4, 2005 Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. The State of Readiness for the 2005-2006 Flu Season May 4, 2005 Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this important hearing on public health readiness and how it relates to flu outbreaks. I believe that we must work with our public health agencies to ensure access to adequate supplies of vaccines, and at the same time work with manufacturers to make sure they have the ability to produce flu vaccine. I would like to take a moment though to raise some concerns I have regarding the vaccine availability in less specific terms. While today’s focus is on flu vaccine supply, but many people have forgotten that since 2000, we’ve also had shortages of vaccines that protect against eight childhood diseases -- diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis [whooping cough], measles, mumps, rubella [German measles], pneumococcal disease, varicella [chicken pox]. The flu vaccine shortage was only symptomatic of the broader vaccine supply problem: there are only a handful of manufacturers making vaccines for Americans. Three manufacturers had licensed products for flu vaccine last year (Sanofi Pasteur, Chiron and Medimmune). Many childhood vaccines have only one manufacturer, and none have more than two manufacturers, increasing the risk of shortages. Why are there so few manufacturers? Several reasons: o The vaccines business means complex development, complex manufacturing and complex regulatory challenges o Vaccines are a low margin business o Vaccines have one of the greatest liability burdens of any medical product We need to address the overall issue of vaccine supply in this country, and I encourage the committee to take up the broader issue of ensuring a stable supply for all vaccines this year.
Burgess Announces Winners of the 2005 Congressional “An Artistic Discovery” Competition
Posted by on May 3, 2005
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-26) announced the winner of the third Annual 26th Congressional District art competition, “An Artistic Discovery.” A junior at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Dusty Stewart, won first prize in the 2005 competition with her mixed media/collage entitled “Superstition #3.” The art competition was open to public, private and home-schooled high school students residing in the district.
“This contest is designed to highlight the artistic achievements of our local high school students and to share the results of those talents with our area and the rest of the country,” Congressman Burgess said. “Dusty’s work makes the 26th District proud. She is an extremely talented young woman with a tremendous gift.”
Representative Burgess honored Dusty Stewart and other student artists at a reception on April 22nd at the Center for the Visual Arts in Denton hosted by the art competition’s co-sponsor, The Greater Denton Arts Council. The competition judge was Denton artist George Cadell.
Ms. Stewart’s work will be displayed in the United States Capitol complex for the coming year. A ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the National 2005 “An Artistic Discovery” Exhibition will take place in Washington, DC on June 14, 2005. The ceremony will honor the winning artists from congressional districts from across the country.
Dusty Stewart, daughter of Steve and Yvonne Stewart of Flower Mound, is an art student of Brenda Thomas at Marcus High School North.
Three Honorable Mention winners were also announced: Brittany Day of North Richland Hills, representing Birdville High School; Sarah Lim of Lewisville, representing Lewisville High School; and Jonathan Penn of Roanoke, representing Liberty Christian School in Denton.
Since the competition was first launched in 1982, nearly 5,000 local contests have been conducted that have involved more than 650,000 high school students. Congressman Michael Burgess was pleased to bring this worthwhile program to the high school students of the 26th District and looks forward to next year’s competition.
Medicaid and Long-Term Care
Posted by on April 27, 2005 Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Medicaid and Long-Term Care April 27, 2005
The Medicaid program represents one of the more interesting and difficult public policy problems facing this Congress. Medicaid’s tremendous growth in terms of enrollment and cost are staggering. Enrollment in Medicaid has risen from 4 million beneficiaries in 1966 to 47 million beneficiaries in 2002. Over this same period, Medicaid expenditures have grown from $400 million to an approximately $300 billion a year. There are many cost-drivers in a program this big, but none are more complicated and important to address than the cost of long-term care covered by Medicaid. I want to thank the Chairman for holding such an important and timely hearing on an issue that will impact us and our constituents one day. Medicaid represents the largest public financier of long-term care services, with Medicare coming in a close second. Because personal savings are often consumed before or during a stay at a nursing home, Medicaid too often becomes the payer of last resort, purchasing very expensive care. CBO estimates that in 2004 the average cost for a private room in a nursing home was $70,000 annually. For patients who have been institutionalized for a long periods, it is almost certain that Medicaid will become a payer at some point. This situation only becomes more precarious when you look at our demographic trends. By 2050 nearly 5 percent of the population will be 85 and older. This group, which is more than triple of the number of elderly over 85 today, is most likely to seek long-term care than any other demographic group in the U.S. This country will experience a wave of elderly individuals seeking long-term care services and concurrently a bloating of the Medicaid safety net to meet their health needs. That’s why it is important for this committee and Congress to begin addressing the issues that surround aging and how best to plan for the health problems that arise with old age. Providing incentives to individuals to purchase long-term care insurance will be vital to meet the health needs of an aging population. I myself have purchased a long-term care policy, but for so many Americans, this is an expense that may not even cross their minds until it is too late. I also believe that we should explore bolstering public-private partnerships, such as Long-Term Care Partnerships, as a way to balance private responsibility with an adequate public safety net to meet long-term health care needs. I thank the Chairman and the witnesses who have joined us today and I look forward to a lively discussion of the problem we face and potential solutions to solve it. Thank you.
Medical Liability Reform
Posted by on April 26, 2005
MR. CARTER. I would like at this time to yield to the gentleman from north Texas (Mr. Burgess), my colleague who is very knowledgeable on the subject of what this is doing to our doctors and our medical profession and our cost of medicine. I am honored that the gentleman is here to join me in this conversation.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. I heard the gentleman speaking and I felt compelled to come down here and talk on this subject a little bit. I am so grateful that the gentleman has talked about one of the successes that we have had in this Congress, which is the Class Action Fairness bill, a bill that was signed into law by the President last month.
There is no question we can talk about the injuries and the grievance situation, we can talk about it all day and all night, but that does not do the American people any good. The American people need to see results, and I believe with that bill, we have done a great deal towards reestablishing our country, the greatest work force in the world, as being competitive with other people in other countries. We heard a lot about outsourcing during the last election, how we are going to stop outsourcing. Well, one of the things we can do to stop it is to stop making a climate that is prohibitive for business in this country, and I believe our Class Action Fairness bill was a big step in the right direction to do that.
We have also had some other successes as far as the fairness of the medical liability system in this country. My colleague already alluded to the Medical Compensation Reform Act of 1975 from California, but our own State, Texas, passed a very sweeping medical liability reform law in the last legislative session, 2 years ago. It required a constitutional amendment in the State of Texas to become law, which passed September 12 of 2003, and really what I would like to talk about is the success that we have seen in Texas since the passage of that constitutional amendment.
Now, 10 years ago, when I was just a simple country doctor, if someone had asked me, gee, doctor, what do you think we should do about the medical liability problem, the medical liability crisis; and, mind you, the medical liability crisis, it goes back a number of years. When I was in medical school in 1975, it was a crisis. And we thought we had solved the problem then, but, in reality we had only postponed it for a little while, and it reemerged in the 1980s. We thought we solved it for a little while then, but we did not, and it reemerged in the late 1990s to be the true crisis situation that occurred in the State of Texas in 2002.
But if someone had asked me back in the years right out of medical school what I would prefer to see as something that would restore fairness to the medical justice system, I would have said a system of an alternative dispute resolution-type of program where you would have a medical panel that someone would have to go through before they could go to court. I would have a very idealized no-fault system. The reality is, we cannot get there.
So do I love caps? No, not necessarily, but they work. And since they work and since the crisis is present in this country; and if you do not believe me, if you live in Maryland, ask your doctor the next time you go in to see him or her. If you live in Pennsylvania, ask your doctor the next time you go in to see him or her. If you live in New Jersey, good luck, because you probably will not be able to go in and see your doctor, because they have come to Texas, because we have done such a good job of fixing the liability problem in our State.
The central piece of that was, of course, a cap of noneconomic damages, a $250,000 cap of noneconomic damages against the physician, and a $250,000 cap against the hospital, and then another $250,000 cap against a second hospital or a nursing home, if there is one involved, for a total cap of $750,000.
Now, I did not know if that would work. That seemed almost a little too generous. The California law that
was passed in 1975 worked, but they set a single cap of $250,000.
What has happened in Texas since 2003 when that constitutional amendment was passed? Well, one of the unintended consequences was hospitals have really enjoyed a significant benefit from the passage of that law. Texas hospitals are reporting a 17 percent decrease in professional liability premiums for 2004-2005. This is from a Texas Hospital Association survey with responses from 172 acute care hospitals. In 2003, before the law passed, the premiums had risen more than 50 percent.
This is one of the big things. This is one of the big wins of this law. New carriers are seeking entry into the Texas market. The Texas Department of Insurance report from August 5, 2004 and the largest carrier, Texas Medical Liability Trust, has reduced physician rates 12 percent. In the years prior to medical liability reform , 13 carriers left the State and 6,000 physicians had to scramble for coverage. Now, 6,000 physicians, that is a big number. You run across one doctor who has had that happen to them, and that is a significant blow to their livelihood and their career plans.
When I was campaigning in 2002, I met a young woman who was a radiologist. She was probably in her early forties, and she came up to me at an event and said, boy, I hope you get something done with medical liability reform next year because my carrier left the State and I cannot buy insurance. And I thought, well, you must have had some trouble along the way. And she offered, before I even had the chance to speculate about it, I have never been sued, but my carrier left the State. She cannot get insurance. She is not going to practice as a radiologist without insurance and put all of her personal assets at risk.
So, as a consequence, here this young woman, 42 years of age, at the peak of her power as a physician, if you will, trained at the University of Texas at San Antonio, so trained with a State-subsidized education, the people of Texas had paid for her training; the people of Texas are now denied her abilities, her capabilities as a professional because she cannot get insurance and, as a consequence, cannot practice radiology, because the profession of radiology is just too fraught with peril to practice without insurance.
Well, another insurance writer, Texas Health Care Indemnity, reduced their rates by 20 percent in Texas. Again, these are hospital insurance rates that have been reduced because the doctors in Texas did something to try to get ahold of medical liability reform .
The filings themselves, the actual lawsuits filed have decreased. Medical liability lawsuits in several counties considered high-risk for physicians have decreased since the new law took effect in 2003. For Harris County, 105 lawsuits were filed from September of 2003 to July of 2004, compared with 746 lawsuits filed in the 3 months prior to the passage of the constitutional amendment. In Bandera County, the county where San Antonio is, 81 lawsuits were filed between September 1, 2003 and April of 2004, compared with 304 lawsuits filed in the 3 months before the constitutional amendment was passed. Nueces County, 32 compared with 108. Cameron County, 17 compared with 28; Hidalgo County, 17 lawsuits in the year after reform , 96 lawsuits in the 3 months prior to reform .
Well, Mr. Speaker, there is no question that caps have been the good-news story in Texas, and that is why I embrace the legislation that we will do in this House this year that will have as its central feature a cap on noneconomic damages.
Does this keep someone out of the courthouse? Absolutely not. If someone is harmed by the system, they are able to recover all of the economic damages to which they are entitled. And the reality is in Texas, we are going to limit damages for pain and suffering to $750,000, which still is a significant amount of money when you consider it in the total amount of filed litigation.
So with that, Mr. Speaker, and with the gentleman from Texas's permission, I will yield back, but I will remain around if the gentleman has any other questions that he would like to ask of me.
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have a little conversation with the gentleman. The gentleman is right. It is very important to make the point that those people that should be at the courthouse addressing genuine harm are still getting to the courthouse and having that harm addressed. It is not cutting off the need of people to recover in the courthouse; it is cutting off these frivolous attacks to try to reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow by limiting the pot of gold, and we clearly can see what happened: Get them all in before the deadline so that we can win the lottery. After that, we are just going to get paid for our work.
Mr. BURGESS. Apparently so.
Mr. CARTER. It is a whole lot more fun to dream about winning the lottery. I mean, obviously, the whole country dreams almost every third night in this country about winning the lottery someplace; not very many of them that win it, but they are out there dreaming it. But the real crime of winning the lottery when we are talking about lawsuits is the fear of that big judgment that causes people to settle lawsuits that should not be settled to prevent the danger of that unlimited liability that is out there before caps were placed in the law. The gentleman knows there is nothing that irritates doctors more, and I have talked to doctors about this; they say, they made me settle the lawsuit but, by golly, I did not do anything wrong.
Mr. BURGESS. The gentleman is absolutely correct. If the gentleman will yield, the cost of continuing the lawsuit in both dollar terms and emotional terms is sometimes just simply too high, and the better part of valor is to settle. Fortunately, I lived in a county where juries were a little more favorable to physicians, but we all know of other counties within the State of Texas where that was not the case. There is no question that cases were settled simply because it was easier than continuing the pain and agony of continuing the lawsuit.
Mr. CARTER. And I too lived in such a county and presided over such a court. Our Williamson County jurors, they, when you start talking about $1 million, there is not that much money in the world as far as they are concerned, so they were very tight with their money and, therefore, you saw very few people; if you could file that lawsuit someplace else, they were not filing it in Williamson County, because they were seeking that pot of gold.
Mr. BURGESS. But again, the biggest problem is access. If we drive our good physicians out of practice, if we prevent our best and brightest from entering the practice of medicine, and there is evidence that that is happening, I fail to see how we are furthering the cause of patient safety by keeping the best and brightest out of medicine. I fail to see how we are furthering the cause of patient safety by preventing smaller towns from having access to perhaps an anesthesiologist or perhaps a cardiologist simply because they cannot afford the liability premiums to have them there.
Now, the gentleman knows I have been around a while. I have had four children. When my first couple of children were born, a lot of the procedures that you OB-GYNs do on a regular basis. And I am glad to see we are joined by another one of our doctors here in Congress, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey). So we will just have this conversation be three-way.
When my first two kids were born, I do not even know the terminology, but when they scanned the baby on your tummy, that was brand new. The piercing to check the fluid was brand new. They did not do that as a regular course. They did not run those tests as a regular course with my first two children. With my last two children they did, and it was a blessing for our family because we had a crisis pregnancy at one time.
But my point now is that a doctor, because of the potential of the liability, is afraid not to do those procedures. Is there some truth to that? Does the gentleman agree that there is some truth to that?
Mr. GINGREY. If the gentleman will yield, I do. And the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), the good judge, is kind to yield to me. I actually came to the well for another purpose, but since you asked me my opinion on this, I will be glad to opine.
By the way, that piercing of the abdomen to get the fluid, that is called amniocentesis.
Mr. CARTER. That is it. That is why I went to law school and not medical school.
Mr. GINGREY. Now, do not ask me to spell that for you.
But, Mr. Speaker, absolutely. What the gentleman from Texas, both the gentlemen from Texas, I should say, are absolutely right. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) earlier was talking about the number of physicians, that before this good legislation was passed by the great State of Texas, it was 600 or so. And it is really, as I have said this many times, it is not just that the physician loses his or her livelihood that they have worked most of their adult life to establish. But it is a jobs situation, because every time a medical office closes because of the burdensome expense of malpractice insurance, you are talking about putting maybe 15, 25, possibly as many as 50 employees of that medical practice, Mr. Speaker. That is how many were employed in my practice as an OB-GYN in Georgia.
And I really commend Texas in regard to their legislation. I think it was a model, Mr. Speaker, for my State of Georgia in the general assembly, and the State of Georgia this year did pass reform legislation very similar to the Texas bill. And I think that they have now got a couple of years' experience, so hopefully that same thing will occur in the State of Georgia.
So I really appreciate the gentleman yielding and giving me an opportunity to weigh in on this.
Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time. And I once again thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Burgess) for being here with me tonight. I rose when I first started talking to tell you that there is, in my opinion, an attitude crisis for the justice system in America. We have talked about medical malpractice, and we have gone forward on the crusade. And I think we are getting some results. And the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) has very clearly described how we are seeing those results in the State of Texas today. Hopefully, with the work this Congress will do, we will be able to find that same success in the area of dealing with medical issues in the courthouse, to put more fairness back in the system; and that our class action reform , I think, is putting fairness back in the system.
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Representative Burgess Congratulates Kathy Skinner, Winner of the Presidential Teaching Award
Posted by on April 22, 2005
Representative Michael Burgess (TX-26) today announced that Ms. Kathy Skinner, from Samuel Beck Elementary School in Trophy Club, has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
“I want to congratulate Ms. Skinner for being selected for this prestigious honor. She is a credit to the State of Texas and a credit to our many hardworking men and women who support the education of America’s children,” said Congressman Michael Burgess.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching was established in 1983 to recognize the outstanding science and mathematics teachers, kindergarten through 12th grade, in each state and the four U.S. jurisdictions. Today, the White House award is recognized as the Nation’s highest commendation for elementary and secondary math and science teachers.
This year’s winners were selected from more than 600 nominees. After an initial selection process at the state level, a national panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators reviews the extensive application packets of the state finalists and recommends the teachers who will receive a Presidential award.
Ms. Kathy Skinner commented that teaching might come naturally, but still, “You need to do a fair bit of thinking and planning for your lessons. You can't just stand up there and hope it all takes.” She believes the most meaningful lessons are the ones where the kids really have to dive in and get involved. “I think I always wanted to be a teacher. I grew up in a small farming town, and teaching was always considered the most honorable profession one could pursue. It still is.”
Each of the 2004 Presidential awardees will receive a $10,000 award and a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the award’s presentation ceremony and participate in award week activities, including a Congressional hearing in the House Science Committee on Thursday, April 14 to hear from several of the winning teachers.
“I believe that teachers are on the frontlines of crafting the future of America,” stated Congressman Burgess. “Teachers like Ms. Skinner will insure that our children continue to excel in science and math skills which are the wave of the future.”
Joint Congressional Academy Day Set
Posted by on April 22, 2005
Representative Michael C. Burgess (TX-26), along with fellow members, Representative Joe Barton (TX-6), Representative Kay Granger (TX-12) and Representative Kenny Marchant (TX-24) will sponsor an “Academy Day” on Saturday, April 30th, for young people interested in attending one of the nation’s service academies. Parents and guidance counselors are welcome, as well.
The program, which is open to all area high school students, will be held from 8:30 – 11:00 a.m. at the Student Center on the campus of Tarrant County College – Northeast, 828 Harwood Road, Hurst, TX 7605
Representatives from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO; the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY; and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT will be on hand to explain the admission process and answer questions.
“Academy Day” gives students throughout the region the opportunity to find out more about the application process to some of the nation’s top-notch educational institutions,” Burgess said. “I am pleased to co-host this informational event with my congressional colleagues.”
For more information regarding Academy Day, or directions to Tarrant County College-Northeast in Hurst, please contact:
Robin Vaughan, Academy Coordinator
Congressman Burgess’s office
Phone: 972/434-9700
Email: robin.vaughan@mail.house.gov
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