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Burgess Applauds Governor Perry on His Leadership on Texas’ Medical Liability Crisis
Posted by on June 11, 2003
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess applauds Governor Perry for signing sweeping legislation that will address the medical liability crisis in Texas. The state bill, HB 4 will hold down the cost of doctors’ medical liability premiums and ensure that Texans will have access to appropriate medical professionals.
“Governor Perry’s leadership was the key to pushing this important bill through the Texas legislature. This bill protects patients and injects some much needed common sense into our health care system,” stated Congressman Michael Burgess.
The bill would cap non-economic damages for physicians at $250,000 and make other very important tort reforms to hold down the cost of medical liability insurance. On March 13, 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives approved similar legislation (HR 5) that would hold down medical liability costs for every state by capping non-economic damages for physicians at $250,000. However, the U.S. Senate has not considered HR 5 since the House of Representatives approved it.
The State of Texas and California are two of the most populous states that have approved caps on non-economic damages in lawsuits targeting doctors. California approved medical liability reforms in 1975 and doctors in that states have been largely immune to large increases in medical liability insurance premiums in the past few years.
“The Governor’s bold leadership on this issue will send a signal to the U.S. Senate that the American people expect their elected officials to bring about an end to this crisis. The Senate needs to consider HR 5 immediately and provide the rest of the nation with the same type of common-sense liability system that the State of Texas had the foresight to implement.”
Burgess Supports Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration
Posted by on June 11, 2003
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure, voted in favor of The Flight 100 - Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, H.R. 2115 which passed by an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers historic flight. The bipartisan Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act passed the House today 418 - 8.
“Our country has the most sophisticated commercial aviation system in the world. We will continue to build on the one hundred years of manned air flight since the Wright Brothers first took flight, said Congressman Burgess.
Under the passed House bill DFW International Airport is expected to receive $6.5 million in funding.
The Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act meets the challenges facing our aviation systems by increasing security, expanding airport safety and capacity, and making sure all of our nation’s communities have access to the network. The bill contains the following provisions:
Provided and Protecting Needed Investments In Our Aviation System
· All the taxes and revenues coming into the aviation trust fund from passengers and pilots are fully spent and that the capital programs (airport improvements and air traffic control modernization) are fully funded.
· Funding for the Airport Improvement Program at $3.4 billion in the first year, ramping up by $200 million a year in each subsequent year.
· Increase in the AIP entitlement for cargo airports from 3 percent to 3.5 percent.
Improves Aviation Safety
· Funding for safety and security of aircraft operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
· Creates an office and task force to develop the next generation air traffic control system.
· Requires manufacturers to make maintenance manuals for the products they produce available to the repair stations that must fix them.
· Directs FAA to improve the curriculum for aviation maintenance technicians.
Benefits All Airports
· Requires airlines to place passenger facility charge (PFC) collections in a segregated account so that airports can recover them if the airline goes bankrupt.
· Funding for the contract tower cost-sharing program.
· Limits the amount of AIP that can be spent on modifications of the airport terminal in order to accommodate bomb detection equipment. A separate funding mechanism addresses the need for funding in this area.
· Requires a 30-day notice before an airport can be closed.
Benefits Air Passengers
· Requires airlines to notify passengers where the aircraft they are riding on was built.
· Includes security complaints in DOT's monthly passenger complaint reports.
· Directs FAA to undertake the studies called for in the National Academy of Sciences study of cabin air quality.
· Requires airlines involved in an accident to notify people on the ground whose homes are destroyed of their rights and requires the airlines to provide a way for families of victims to view the NTSB proceedings on the crash.
“Airports are economic development engines. Airport development is a real economic stimulus that creates both immediate jobs and long-term economic development. Once this bill is enacted, my constituents will have the tools and resources necessary to attract even more air service, related economic development, and most importantly further expand their connections to the national and global economy. This legislation is essential to my local community. The Dallas/Fort Worth airport is the largest employer of the area and a vital economic engine of the region,” commented Burgess.
Another Voice in the Prescription Drug Debate
Posted by on June 10, 2003
ANOTHER VOICE IN THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG DEBATE
(House of Representatives - June 10, 2003)
[Page: H5158]
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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to talk to my colleagues about the prescription drug reimportation debate that has been the subject of so much discussion in this House. I would urge my colleagues to use caution and reason when approaching this issue. Several complicated and interconnected issues dominate this situation: trade relations, patient safety, drug costs and government regulation, just to name a few. Some in this House believe that if Americans had the ability to purchase their drugs from Canada or Mexico or Europe or Mars that the United States market would adjust to reflect the importation of cheaper medicines. Let us be clear: foreign countries place price controls on their prescription drugs. This means that the drugs purchased by Canadian citizens may be priced lower than that which an American citizen will pay for the same compound because of that government's artificial market intervention. If an American citizen purchases a drug from a Canadian pharmacy, it may be cheaper. But by permitting the reimportation of drugs into this country, we effectively allow the importation of foreign price controls in the United States market as well. This would be shortsighted and run counter to the free market system that is established in this country. If drug reimportation becomes the established policy in this country, the United States would in essence be allowing foreign governments to set the prices for American businesses.
If we truly believe in the power of the free market, we should remove the market distortion of foreign price controls, a market distortion which ensures that America's seniors and America's uninsured pay the highest prices for their medications. And what happens in countries that have adopted price controls? Pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies have left in droves. According to a report by the Directorate General Enterprise of the European Commission, European drug multinationals have increasingly relied on sources of research capabilities and innovation located in this country. Because of the stranglehold of regulation in European countries, including price controls on pharmaceuticals, Europe is lagging behind in its ability to generate, organize, and sustain innovation processes that are increasingly expensive and organizationally complex. The United States biotech industry in the last decade has had a meteoric rise; but we would place a chill on the industry's development, the number of jobs it creates and the revenue it produces if we allowed foreign drug prices to stymie its growth.
More importantly, if we inject foreign drug price controls into the United States, you will see less innovation in this very promising new field of science. Most importantly, underlying all of the complex economic and trade issues is one that ultimately impacts us all, and that is patient safety. The Food and Drug Administration exists to protect American consumers from dangerous substances that may be in the food we eat for nourishment or the pharmaceuticals that we take to cure our ills. Only our FDA in this country can assure the safety of drugs for American citizens. I think this House would be shirking its duty if we created a system that relied upon the actions of regulatory officials in Canada, Thailand, Belize or Barbados to ensure the safety of American patients. Allowing drug reimportation from foreign countries would only be a signal to foreign drug counterfeiters that it is open season on the health and safety of Americans citizens. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, these foreign counterfeiters are very clever; and with all due respect to my colleague who held up the package this evening, packaging in and of itself does not guarantee that that has not been tampered with and that that is not a counterfeit item. I could relate to you stories from my own medical practice from a few years ago where patients had what might be politely described as therapeutic misadventures by the ingestion of drugs, which were imported, illegally, from Mexico.
The House can approach the drug cost issue through far less shortsighted solutions than permitting drug importation from foreign countries. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, the pharmaceutical companies in this country also have an obligation to control the cost and be certain that their profits are reasonable. Without this, we will continue to hear the arguments for reimportation nightly on the House floor. The purchasing power of the Federal Government should bring down the cost of safe pharmaceuticals in this country.
Mr. Speaker, we should remember the admonition of a long-ago physician, to first do no harm. In this House, we would do wise to heed that advice.
Burgess Supports Bone Marrow Donations
Posted by on June 6, 2003
U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess recognizes the importance of bone marrow donations and will celebrate life with a local resident whose life was saved from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer, by a donor on the National Bone Marrow Donor Program registry. Lewisville resident, Clif Ackerman will celebrate three years of being cancer free and meet his stem cell donor for the first time on Saturday, June 7, 2003 at Sneaky Pete’s, 2 Eagle Point Drive in Lewisville.
Lewisville resident, Ackerman was diagnosed with cancer in March of 1998 and did not have a stem cell match in his family. He was forced to find a match through the National Bone Marrow Registry. A match was found from a donor in Washington, D.C., Perry Aplebuam. Aplebuam is a staff member of the U.S. House of Representative Judiciary Committee and serves as the Democrats Chief of Staff. He joined the registry in 1990 when he organized a registration drive and Ackerman was his first match.
“The Bone Marrow Program has helped thousands of families who will experience the second chance to enjoy life with a child, with a husband or wife, or with a brother or sister,” said Congressman Burgess. “I thank the countless number of heroes who have given the gift of life or who are waiting on the donor list to provide a life-saving service to those that are afflicted with leukemia or other blood diseases.”
Congressman Burgess supports the National Marrow Donor Program and submitted a Concurrent Resolution to Congress to draw awareness to the need for people to join the registry. Burgess has been on the National Registry since 1999 after the wife of a hospital administrator was diagnosed with cancer.
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with life-threatening diseases who do not have matching donors in their families. Since its founding in 1986, the NMDP has facilitated more than 15,000 unrelated transplants for patients with blood disorders, such as leukemia and aplastic anemia, as well as certain immune system and genetic disorders.
The NMDP offers a single point of access for all sources of stem cells used in transplantation: marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. The Program currently facilitates more than 160 transplants each month.
The Network includes apheresis centers, collection centers, cooperative registries, cord blood banks, donor centers, laboratories, recruitment groups, repositories and transplant centers. Another partner, The Marrow Foundation, also supports the NMDP through strategic fundraising efforts with individuals and corporations.
Approximately 40 percent of the transplants facilitated by the NMDP now involve either a U.S. patient receiving stem cells from an international donor or an international patient receiving stem cells from a U.S. donor.
Below is a list of Donor Centers in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area that have been certified to work with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Please contact one of the centers to join the national registry.
Baylor Univ. Medical Center
NMDP Donor Center
3409 Worth Street
Suite 600, Sammons Tower
Dallas, TX 75246-2029
214-820-8165 http://www.baylordallas.edu
Carter BloodCare
9000 Harry Hines Blvd. #22
Dallas, TX 75235-1720
214-351-8150
http://www.nmdpdallas.org
Cook Children's Medical Center
801 Seventh Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76104-2733
817-870-7562
“Perry Aplebaum should be commended for his act of generosity. His unselfish gift saved a life. I hope others decide to join the registry as well,” commented Burgess.
Burgess Announces Winners of Congressional "Artistic Discovery" Competition
Posted by on June 6, 2003
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael Burgess (TX-26) announced the winner of the inaugural 26th Congressional District art competition, “Artistic Discovery.” A recent grad of Hebron High School, Sarah Lee, won first prize in the 2003 competition with her oil painting entitled “Straining Harsh Discord.” This annual Congressional competition was open to public and private 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. “Sarah’s work makes the twenty-sixth district proud. She is an extremely talented young lady with a tremendous gift.”
Sarah’s work will be shipped to Washington for display in the United States Capitol complex for the coming year. In addition, Southwest Airlines will fly Lee and a family member to Washington, D.C. to attend the unveiling celebration on June 24th. A ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the national 2003 “Artistic Discovery” exhibition will take place to honor the winning artists from all over the country.
Sarah is the art student of Margarete Neale at Hebron High School. This fall, Sarah Lee will attend the Parsons School of Design in New York City. Sarah is the daughter of ChongChul and ChongSoon Lee of Carrollton.
Congressman Burgess honored Sarah and other finalists at a reception on May 9th at the Visual Arts Center in Denton hosted by the art competition’s co-sponsor, the Greater Denton Arts Council. The competition judge was art professional Jennifer Collins.
Three Honorable Mention winners’ artworks will be displayed in Congressman Burgess’ Washington office: Don Fredman of Euless, representing Colleyville-Heritage High School, with an untitled pencil drawing; Holden Hostetler of Southlake, representing Carroll High School, with an untitled tempera painting; and Christa Sadeghian, representing The Colony High School, with an oil painting entitled “Reflections of Dreams/Lake Lewisville”.
“Congratulations are in order for Sarah, Don, Holden, and Christa for their achievements,” said Burgess.
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 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.
Child Tax Credit - One Minute
Posted by on June 4, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the recent misrepresentation of the Jobs and Growth package passed by Congress before the Memorial Day Recess.
Many of our friends in the press and on the floor have been claiming that this growth package is nothing but a tax cut for the wealthy. Well that’s just plain ridiculous!
According to the Joint Economic Committee, this new tax bill provides the largest percentage reductions in the income taxes of low and middle-income groups, thereby shifting the tax burden upward.
The Jobs and Growth Tax Act exempts another three million workers entirely from federal tax liability. And, low-income families, in particular, benefit from this economic growth and tax relief package through a number of provisions:
· The acceleration of the expansions of the ten-percent rate bracket-this means that workers can earn more before they get moved into the 15% and 25% brackets;
· The standard deduction for joint filers
· The accelerated increase in the child tax credit to $1,000.
Accelerating the expansion of the child tax credit will provide 26 million families with an average tax cut of $623. This can mean a great deal to a family of four working to make ends meet each year.
Even families who do not owe taxes may benefit from the increase in the child credit to $1,000 because of the current refundable feature of the credit.
So, some may ask, who will benefit from this credit?
Forty-four million children will benefit and some will receive larger refundable credits because of the new law. This party has not left millions of children out in the cold. Don’t be fooled when certain groups don’t explain the whole story. Some low-income Americans are not included in this credit because their family income is so low and they qualify for other more beneficial anti-poverty programs.
I remember weeks ago when folks on the other side of the aisle opposed a tax cut of any kind during debate on the Growth bill. Now some are arguing that the tax cut wasn’t large enough for families who don’t pay income taxes in the first place.
I believe some need to figure out where they stand.
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Passes House
Posted by on June 3, 2003
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) voted to ban partial-birth abortions. As a Member of the Bi-Partisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and a physician who dedicated 21 years of his life to pro-life obstetrics practice, Burgess calls on House and Senate conferees to ban this procedure and send the bill to the President to sign into law.
In a speech on the House floor, Congressman Burgess said, “As a physician who practiced obstetrics and gynecology and delivered over 3,000 babies, I am personally opposed to any type of abortion. During my two decades of practice of obstetrics, with my share of high-risk pregnancies, I never encountered a situation where the partial birth procedure was required. I believe it is an inhumane act that is never medically necessary. The procedure itself, always fatal to the baby, carries substantial risk for the mother as well.”
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, H.R. 760, would make it illegal for physicians to perform a partial birth abortion. Doctors who violate the ban are subject to fines, a maximum of 2 years imprisonment, or both.
Partial-birth abortion is the procedure by which a doctor partially delivers a live baby, then kills the child by puncturing the base of the skull with a sharp object, and then vacuuming out his or her brain. It is estimated, between 3,000 and 5,000 of these violent procedures are performed every year in the United States. Dr. James McMahon, who developed this procedure, testified before Congress in 1995 that he performed partial-birth abortions on babies with no physical problems, even in the third trimester, for such reasons as youth of the mother or for `psychiatric´ difficulties. He further stated that of about 2,000 such abortions that he performed, only 9 percent were performed for "maternal [health] indications," and of that group, the most common reason was "depression."
In 1995, a panel of 12 doctors representing the American Medical Association, voted unanimously to recommend banning partial birth abortion, calling it “basically repulsive.”
Partial birth abortions are done in the third trimester when an unborn child has developed organs and characteristics of a breathing newborn. Through the use of technology patients now have the opportunity to see how life develops before birth. Parents can now hear the beating of their unborn child's heart as early as 21 days, and can see the movement of the child’s arms and legs at three months.
“I believe the U.S. Constitution is very clear when it guarantees a right to life. Partial birth abortion has no place in a civilized society,” commented Burgess.
Congressman Burgess Introduces Bi-Partisan Legislation to Improve Texas Highways and Roads
Posted by on May 27, 2003
U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) introduced legislation to modify the way the federal government distributes transportation funds in TEA-21. H.R. 2220 reforms the “borders and corridors” program in TEA-21, which will ultimately ease congestion in the Dallas/Fort Worth area brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
“I-35 and all of the North Texas highways encompass a geographic crossroads for international trade. Over the years, the area has seen an explosion of traffic since the creation of NAFTA. Unfortunately, funding to Texas has not kept up with the pace of traffic and growth,” said Congressman Burgess. “I am proud to introduce legislation that works to cure this problem and ensures Texas is no longer shortchanged by misdirected money to non-border states and corridors lacking international significance.”
The Borders and Corridors Program was established as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998. The Burgess/Johnson legislation will bring the borders and corridors program back to its original purpose and would give priority consideration to corridors in which traffic has increased since the date of enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation and is projected to increase in the future. This change will work to alleviate the gridlock caused by NAFTA traffic.
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson added, "Improving the I-35 and the NAFTA trade corridor is not only necessary to ease the massive congestion and bottleneck in and around the Central Business District of Dallas but also to promote economic revitalization of communities south of the Trinity River. It is also vital in order to accommodate increased trade flows as a result of the enactment of NAFTA. If mobility in the region is to be saved from further degradation, it is essential that the federal government continue its funding partnership of these critical links in the region's transportation system."
In Texas, Interstate 35 extends from Laredo, the busiest U.S. border crossing into Mexico, to Duluth, Minnesota. One third of the highway is in Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Of $57 billion in U.S. trade to Mexico annually, 78 percent moves through Laredo, and much of that on Interstate 35. The North American Superhighway’s Coalition estimates it will take $3.4 billion to upgrade Interstate 35 over the next five years. Texas alone would require about $2.87 billion.
“In Texas, the increased transportation congestion on our highways could minimize economic opportunity and investment. Establishing more specific criteria for the allocation of transportation funds for international trade corridors will lead to the development of an efficient, seamless, intermodal trade and transportation system for the Dallas/Fort Worth area and the entire state,” commented Congressman Burgess.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced similar legislation on Wednesday, May 21st.
Burgess Supports Jobs and Growth Compromise Package
Posted by on May 23, 2003
U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) voted in favor of the House and Senate’s compromise of H.R. 2, the Jobs and Growth Tax Reconciliation Act of 2003, which passed the House by a vote of 231 to 200.
“Putting money in the hands of working Americans will stimulate the economy and create jobs. I am proud to support this historic legislation that begins to give American families needed relief, but we cannot stop here,” said Congressman Burgess. “My priority will remain to find additional ways to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
This legislation, which is the third largest in history, will be sent to the President to sign into law, contains many key provisions from legislation the House passed earlier this month and it contains all the elements of the President's plan.
American families will benefit from speeding up the income tax rate reductions, increasing the child tax credit, and providing marriage penalty relief. For example, a married couple with two children and an income of $60,000 will see their taxes decline under the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act by $900 (from $3,750 to $2,850) in 2003, a decline of 24 percent. The average income tax reduction ranges from more than 15 percent for taxpayers with income under $30,000 to about 11 percent for taxpayers with income over $100,000. The average income tax reduction across all income groups is 11.9 percent.
American families will receive a boost because the amount of the child tax credit is increased to $1,000 in 2003 and 2004 (from $600), accelerating a scheduled phase-in over the period between 2005 and 2010. The marriage penalty relief is increased for couples earning more than $47,450.
Small businesses will get help by the dramatic increase in the amount they can deduct when buying new equipment. Now businesses can immediately deduct $100,000 beginning this year as long as their investments do not exceed $400,000. These changes will specifically create and secure more jobs.
There is also a reduction in the tax rates on dividends and capital gains. The maximum tax rate on dividends paid by corporations to individuals and on individuals’ capital gains is reduced to 15% in 2003 through 2008. For taxpayers in the 10% and 15% ordinary income tax rate brackets, the rate on dividends and capital gains is reduced to 5% in 2003 through 2007, and to zero in 2008. The new rates apply to capital gains realized and dividends received on or after May 6, 2003. This provision reduces the double taxation of corporate earnings.
“This legislation is a step in the right direction, but I believe we need to continue to work to make a larger investment in the American people and offer more relief in the months to come.”
Burgess Supports Extending Unemployment
Posted by on May 23, 2003
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) voted to extend employment benefits under the House of Representatives new plan offering additional relief to unemployed workers who have recently lost their jobs.
“Many unemployed Americans will continue to receive needed assistance to get back on their feet while they continue to look for new jobs, said Congressman Burgess.
This legislation extends the Federal Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation (TEUC) program for the second time since its creation after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Under this extension, workers exhausting regular State unemployment benefits could collect Federal extended benefits. These benefits would be available through as late as March 2004.
Nationwide, an estimated 80,000 Americans are losing their unemployment benefits each week. Under this new plan an estimated 2.5 million unemployed workers will receive extra help through this extension, on top of the 5 million workers who already have received Federal extended benefits in 2002 and 2003.
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