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Year-End Report
H.R. 3493 - Medical Devices Technical Corrections Act of 2003
Posted by on January 27, 2004
H.R.3493 Burgess voted YES Title:To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make technical corrections relating to the amendments made by the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Greenwood, James C. [PA-8] (introduced 11/17/2003) Cosponsors: 1 Committees: House Energy and Commerce; Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Related Bills: S.1881 Latest Major Action: 1/28/2004 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY AS OF: 11/17/2003--Introduced. Medical Devices Technical Corrections Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002, to revise medical device fee schedule provisions. Revises facility inspection and accredited inspector provisions, including permitting a company that markets at least one medical device in the United States and one medical device in another country to satisfy inspection requirements by: (1) certifying that a foreign country recognizes Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection; and/or (2) marketing its devices in a country that recognizes third party inspectors. (Current law requires a company to meet both requirements.) Eliminates the provision deeming a device introduced into interstate commerce within 18 months of enactment of the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act of 2002 (October 26, 2002) to be misbranded if the identification of the manufacturer is not conspicuously displayed. Requires (currently authorizes) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct or support research on the long-term effects of silicone breast implants. Permits a person to sell a device under the humanitarian exemption from certain effectiveness requirements for more than its research, fabrication, and distribution costs if such device is intended for pediatric treatment or diagnosis. (Defines "pediatric patient" as a patient under 15 years old at the time of treatment or diagnosis.)
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H.R. 1385 - To extend the provision of title 39, United States Code, under which the United States Postal Service is authorized to issue a special postage stamp to benefit breast cancer research.
Posted by on January 27, 2004
H.R.1385 Burgess voted YES Title:To extend the provision of title 39, United States Code, under which the United States Postal Service is authorized to issue a special postage stamp to benefit breast cancer research. Sponsor: Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] (introduced 3/20/2003) Cosponsors: 150 Committees: House Government Reform; House Energy and Commerce; House Armed Services; Senate Governmental Affairs Related Bills: S.2000 Latest Major Action: 1/28/2004 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Governmental Affairs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY AS OF: 3/20/2003--Introduced. Amends Federal postal law to extend the U.S. Postal Service's authority to issue special postage stamps to help provide funding for breast cancer research through December 31, 2005.
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Extension of Remarks in Honor of Harold J. “Tex” Lezar Jr.
Posted by on January 21, 2004
My remarks today are to honor my friend, Harold J. "Tex" Lezar Jr. Tex, a Dallas, Texas lawyer who worked for the Nixon and Reagan administrations, was a fixture in both Texas and national politics. Born in Dallas, Tex Lezar grew up in Japan, the son of a ship's captain who did reconnaissance for Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War. Mr. Lezar earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1970. After graduating, he was an assistant to columnist William F. Buckley Jr. before becoming a speechwriter and special assistant to President Richard Nixon. In 1974, he moved to Austin, where he earned a law degree from the University of Texas and was editor-in-chief of the law review. He worked at a Houston law firm before becoming counsel to Texas Secretary of State George Strake. Tex then worked on Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign before becoming a special counsel to the U.S. attorney general. He was named the attorney general's chief of staff. He was later named an assistant attorney general and retained the title of chief of staff under Attorney General William French Smith. In June of 1984, Tex Lezar married Ms. Mary Spaeth. And, although Tex left full-time government service in 1985, he was continuously active in public affairs serving as vice chairman of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography. In 1994, Mr. Lezar made his own bid for an elected office when he ran, unsuccessful, to unseat Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock. After the campaign, Mr. Lezar was named president and chief executive officer of Empower America, a Washington-based group formed after the 1992 election to promote a "pro-growth" agenda. At the time of his death, Mr. Lezar was a partner with Clements, O'Neill, Pierce, Wilson & Fulkerson LLP in Dallas. In addition to his wife, Mr. Lezar is survived by two sons, Beau Lezar of College Station and Philip Lezar of Dallas, as well as a daughter, Maverick Lezar of Dallas. As a Texas Republican, I can say we were blessed to have had him with us as a guide – to encourage us and direct our political paths. As a close personal friend of the family, I am glad I had the chance to know him, and I honor his life here today. Thank you. Click here to watch the video.
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H.Res. 490 - Recognizing and commending the achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Cornell University in conducting the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and recognizing the importance of space exploration.
Posted by on January 21, 2004
H.RES.490 Burgess voted YES Title: Recognizing and commending the achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Cornell University in conducting the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and recognizing the importance of space exploration. Sponsor: Rep Dreier, David [CA-26] (introduced 1/20/2004) Cosponsors: 31 Committees: House Science Latest Major Action: 1/21/2004 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 389 - 0 (Roll no. 4). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY AS OF: 1/20/2004--Introduced. Commends the engineers, scientists, and technicians of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Cornell University for their years of effort leading up to the successful entry, descent, landing, and operation of the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit on the Martian surface on January 3, 2004. Recognizes the importance of the exploration of space. Honors the achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Cornell University in expanding our comprehension of the universe and fulfilling the human need to explore and understand.
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Rep. Burgess Hosts Mark Davis
Posted by on January 20, 2004
Congressman Michael C. Burgess, (TX-26) hosted Mark Davis, of The Mark Davis Show on WBAP 820AM in Texas, for lunch in Washington, DC. Mr. Davis is in town to cover the State of the Union Address Tuesday evening at 9pm (Eastern). A frequent guest on The Mark Davis Show, Congressman Burgess was delighted to show Mr. Davis around the Capitol tunnels and chat with him about the upcoming year. The Mark Davis Show is airing, from Washington's ABC Radio affiliate WMAL-620AM, both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
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Burgess Knows Health Care Is the Road of the Future
Posted by Michelle Stein on January 20, 2004
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) joined colleagues from both chambers tonight as President George W. Bush presented his fourth State of the Union address. Rep. Burgess selected, from an array of topics covered by President Bush, to direct his remarks on health care: "I was pleased to hear that the President remains committed to America’s health care system. As President George W. Bush stated this evening, 'On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs.' I could not agree more. Over the past two decades I worked as a doctor in Lewisville. I witnessed the difficult situations stemming from rising health care costs and, in particular, the ever-increasing number of uninsured in America. During my first year in Congress, I brought my expertise in the medical field to the forefront of legislative discussions about revamping our health care system to address these issues. There is no doubt, that solving the problem of the uninsured is an urgent matter. According to the latest Census Bureau report, nearly 44 million Americans are without health coverage. This number has risen by 1.5 million people between 2001 and 2002. A majority of Americans receive their health coverage through their employer. Because of this fact, when Americans lose their jobs, they often lose the health care that comes along with that job. Congress has addressed this portability problem by creating Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). HSAs will allow individuals and families to carry their health coverage with them from job to job. And in the unfortunate instance that somebody should lose their job, they will continue to have the ability to pay for health care from their HSA. And tonight, President Bush took the bold, additional step of pushing to allow Americans to pay for premiums, on catastrophic health insurance, with pre-tax dollars. This initiative will be a major catalyst in the rapid development of HSAs Even if individuals remain employed, the rising cost of health care has undercut the guarantee that employers will actually provide coverage to employees at all. To address this concern, the House has already passed legislation, Association Health Plans (AHPs) that would give small businesses greater ability to cover their employees. AHPs would allow small businesses to band together with other small businesses to provide health insurance through the group insurance market. In addition to HSAs and AHPs, I was encouraged to hear President George Bush discuss health care tax credits. By creating fully refundable, health care tax credits, low-income individuals that have forgone health coverage because of cost considerations, will be able to purchase or pay for part of health insurance policy. Giving more Americans the purchasing power to obtain health insurance will help drive down the cost of insurance for all Americans as more insurance risk is spread across a greater pool of beneficiaries. Mark V. Pauly, Chairman of Health Care Systems Department at the Wharton School, estimates that a proposal that gives American's tax credits to purchase health insurance could reduce the number of Americans without health coverage by 50 to 80 percent. This would be a win-win situation for both providers and patients, and that is exactly what I seek. With the President's agenda clear, I look forward to championing these health care issues through 2004 and beyond.
Text: "State of the Union 2004"
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Congressman Burgess is “Hero of the Taxpayer”
Posted by Michelle Stein on January 15, 2004
Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), an organization that is opposed to higher taxes at the federal, state and local levels, commends Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) as a “Hero of the Taxpayer.” Burgess, like ATR, believes in a system in where taxes are simpler, fairer and flatter. “I have been, and will continue to be, a consistent supporter of conservative fiscal policies,” stated Congressman Burgess after receiving news of his award. “After completing this first session, I am honored to be recognized for a voting record that helps American taxpayers.” The “Hero of the Taxpayer: award is granted based on “scores” received based on the number of times a lawmaker voted in favor of lower taxes. Congressman Burgess received a rating of 95% during the first session of the 108th Congress. In addition to voting for a fairer and flatter tax system, Congressman Burgess is a long-time advocate of incremental tax reform at all levels. In December, Congressman Burgess traveled to co-freshman Congresswoman Virginia (Ginny) Brown-Waite’s 5th District in Florida to discuss the benefits of his Flat Tax bill, H.R. 1783, which Burgess introduced in the House of Representatives on April 11, 2003.
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The Burgess Bulletin - January 2004
Posted by on January 15, 2004
Greetings and welcome to the first installment of The Burgess Bulletin. The e-newsletter is designed to keep you informed on legislative initiatives, news and constituent services from both my Washington and Lewisville offices. Each edition will be unique and tailored to include the most pertinent issues of the time. I believe you will find these highlight, brief emails useful and informative. I encourage you to visit daily my congressional website at www.house.gov/burgess for updated voting records, my stance on specific legislative issues and upcoming calendar events. Sincerely, Michael C. Burgess Burgess Knows Health Care Is the Road of the Future Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Response to President Bush’s State of the Union 2004 Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) joined colleagues from both chambers tonight as President George W. Bush presented his fourth State of the Union address. Rep. Burgess selected, from an array of topics covered by President Bush, to direct his remarks on health care: “I was pleased to hear that the President remains committed to America’s health care system. As President George W. Bush stated this evening, ‘On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs.’ I could not agree more. Over the past two decades I worked as a doctor in Lewisville. I witnessed the difficult situations stemming from rising health care costs and, in particular, the ever-increasing number of uninsured in America. During my first year in Congress, I brought my expertise in the medical field to the forefront of legislative discussions about revamping our health care system to address these issues. There is no doubt, that solving the problem of the uninsured is an urgent matter… For more information about the State of the Union 2004, please visit the following sites: Congressman Michael Burgess: /News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=2115 The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/ 01.27.04 Rep. Burgess Secures Over $8 Million in Funding for the 26th Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) secured $8,910,000 in appropriations funding for local projects in North Texas in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2004. The measure included spending levels for seven appropriations bills (District of Columbia, Foreign Operations, Commerce, Justice, State, Agriculture, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Housing, NASA, EPA, and Labor, HHS and Education). 01.20.04 Congressman Burgess Hosts Mark Davis Congressman Michael C. Burgess, (TX-26) hosted Mark Davis, of The Mark Davis Show on WBAP-820AM in Texas, for lunch in Washington, DC. Mr. Davis was in town to cover the State of the Union Address Tuesday evening at 9pm (Eastern). A frequent guest on The Mark Davis Show, Congressman Burgess was delighted to show Mr. Davis around the Capitol tunnels and chat with him about the upcoming year. 01.06.04 Texas Redistricting Resolved "Redistricting was never about one person. The vision was to create a balance in the Texas delegation that fairly reflects the voting trends of the people of Texas, and that goal has been accomplished," Congressman Michael C. Burgess 12.14.04 Statement on the Capture of Saddam Hussein "The victory we have today cannot be denied. The news is heralded around the world. Saddam Hussein, the terrorist dictator of innocent Iraqis and millions of others is brought to justice," Congressman Michael C. Burgess Need Help with a Federal Agency? One of the most important things I do as your U.S. Representative is help residents of the 26th District of Texas gain access to a federal agency when their attempts have not been responded to. Although I cannot override the laws and regulations of a federal agency, I can ensure that constituents receive a response and the answers they need to their questions so they can cut through the red tape. For more information click here Help with a Federal Agency. To view a full list of constituent services offer by our offices, please visit the constituent services section of my website at /ConstituentServices/.
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Texas Redistricting Resolved
Posted by Michelle Stein on January 6, 2004
The following statement is attributed to Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26): “Texas redistricting is resolved. I am pleased with the three-judge panel decision in favor of the revised map as designed and voted upon by our Texas State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on Monday, October 13, 2003. Redistricting was never about one person. The vision was to create a balance in the Texas delegation that fairly reflects the voting trends of the people of Texas, and that goal has been accomplished.” “I am now, and will remain, a dedicated public servant to the people of the current 26th District through the end of my current term in the House of Representatives. I will continue my pledge to provide high-quality constituent services to the individuals living under the current map. To those potential constituents in the newly redrawn 26th, I extend a warm welcome and the guarantee of working diligently on your behalf in Congress. I firmly believe my first obligation is to serve all of my constituents, from all parts of my District to the best of my ability.”
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Congress will reconvene on January 20, 2004
Posted by Michelle Stein on December 19, 2003

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