Statement by the Honorable Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Child Exploitation over the Internet: What Parents, Kids and Congress Need to Know about Child Predators May 3, 2006 Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you for having this important series of hearings. As a father of three, I cannot comprehend how people can commit these types of egregious crimes against children. Like my colleagues, I continue to be outraged by the stories we hear. Just last week, I read another story in my hometown newspaper ... Read more

Burgess Supports Policy to Ease Gas Prices Texans are taking a hard hit with current gas prices, but House Republicans have acted aggressively, passing legislation to diversify our oil supplies, ease the construction of new refineries and criminalize price gouging. Myself, and other House Republicans, continue to push for new energy legislation that would accomplish the following: Open up ANWR to allow American ingenuity and American technology to produce energy safely, protect the environment, ... Read more

Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Hearing on Reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act April 27, 2006 The HIV/AIDS epidemic is still prevalent in the United States with 40,000 new infections per year. New therapies and a better understanding of this disease have revolutionized the delivery and quality of care that patients receive. This has also been reflected in the fact that HIV/AIDS patients are living longer and more fulfilling lives. The Ryan White Care Act has and continu... Read more

Opening Statement for Congressman Michael C. Burgess April 27, 2006 Pipeline Safety Hearing Thank you, Mr. Chairman for holding this important hearing. When our constituents think of the movement of products and goods across the country -- most of them think about large trucks on the highway carrying everything from ice cream to new cars. Some think of the railroads and others think about the barges that traverse the Mississippi. But few think of the interstate transmission pipelines that trans... Read more

Mr. BURGESS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And actually that is Ft. Worth, Texas. We are sensitive about that in Ft. Worth. I wanted to spend just a minute this evening. We have heard a lot. The gentleman is quite right. His leadership on this, too, by the way, has just been exemplary. I am reminded tonight of how many nights we have spent here on the floor of this House talking about this very issue since 2003 when we both started. But I wanted to take a moment. We have heard a lot about... Read more

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Foxx). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2005, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) is recognized for 60 minutes. Please skip to the bottom to watch the video... Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor tonight to talk about health care, but I have to spend just a minute or two addressing some of the things that we just heard in the previous hour. There has been a lot of discussion about the Jobs and Growth Act that was passed in 2003, in fa... Read more

All through the last several months there have been some big changes occurring in Medicare, changes which have been 40 years in the making. For the first time since its inception, Medicare now has available a prescription drug benefit. Original Medicare, back in the sixties, covered hospital bills and doctor charges. There was no provision for covering a patient’s prescriptions. While this may have been a pardonable oversight in 1965, it is an unforgivable omission given the circumstances of mo... Read more

Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006Statement by Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26)April 25, 2006 Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for your leadership in bringing this important bill forward for a mark-up. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of the Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton, Committee Vice-Chairman Chip Pickering and the bipartisan support of Rep. Bobby Rush. This is truly a bipartisan product that was forged together ... Read more

Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Hearing on Project Bioshield Reauthorization Issues April 6, 2006 We have a duty to protect American citizens against terrorism, as well as biological and nuclear threats. However, an inherent challenge of preparedness is the fact that we are dealing with a moving target. It is hard to predict which type of national threats loom ahead and when they might emerge. On the other hand, certain similarities between threats exist such as the macro... Read more

Watch VideoMadam Speaker, this weekend is the Masters golf tournament, and while I am not a golfer myself, it is a big deal in the golfing world. The PGA tournament of today is carried on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Names like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and Lee Trevino are common household names for those of us of a certain age, but it is truly the gentleman from Roanoke, Texas, Byron Nelson , who has done more for the credible start for the sport of golf in this country than anyone ... Read more