Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2528, the Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Fiscal Year 2006 Appropriations Bill. Congressman Burgess voted in favor of the bill which passed by a vote 425 to 1. The FY06 bill provides a total of $85.2 billion to fund medical care for veterans, defense health programs, military construction and military housing. Veterans Medical Services, a central component of this bill, is funded at $21 billion, $1 billion above th... Read more

STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD - MICHAEL C. BURGESS ENERGY AND AIR QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: A HEARING ON THE ADMINISTRATION'S CLEAR SKIES INITIATIVE May 26, 2005 Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank you for holding this important hearing. I can't think of a better time to hold a hearing on clean air. My Congressional District, like the Chairman's, is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. Each summer the Metroplex faces a serious public health problem in the form of ozone. The... Read more

Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Pandemic Flu May 25, 2005 Thank you Mr. Chairman. When looking at the historical incidences of pandemic flu, I think it is common for one to be overwhelmed by the challenges of preventing a devastating outbreak of influenza and dealing with its aftermath. The numbers tell a chilling story. In the last century, it is estimated that over 53 million people died due to periodic outbreaks of pandemic flu strains. Considering that the world’s pop... Read more

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader and my chairman for yielding me this time. I do rise in opposition to this bill today. The debate that we are about is expanding Federal funding, not limiting research. There are no bona fide treatments available for embryonic stem cells. There is nothing in the laboratory, and there is certainly nothing in the clinics available to patients. Honesty is an important part of this debate, and I am concerned that more than a promise has been offe... Read more

Opening Statement Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. A Review of Community Health Centers: Issues and Opportunities May 24, 2005 Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you convening this hearing on Community Health Centers today. Community Health Centers make up a critical part of our nation’s health care safety net for the poor and uninsured. Because of their proximity to the community and emphasis on primary and preventive care, Community Health Centers help relieve over-crowded emergency departments a... Read more

Statement by the Honorable Michael Burgess, MD Reducing the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism: A Review of the Department of Energy’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative May 24, 2005 Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding this important hearing. This hearing resumes a continuation of the committee’s oversight regarding nuclear materials and facilities. As I expressed in the last hearing, I am deeply concerned about the lack of safety and security surrounding some nuclear facilities. While t... Read more

Today, Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) voted in favor of H.R. 2360, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06). The House bill provides $30.85 billion for operations and activities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in FY06, an increase of $1.37 billion above the fiscal year 2005 (FY05) enacted levels. The bill provides $19.4 billion for border protection, immigration enforcement, and related activities, an increase of $1.9 billion over FY05. “Voting i... Read more

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I too rise this morning, along with my fellow Texans, to recommend to the other body that they have an up-or-down vote on Justice Priscilla Owen . Justice Owen has been elected by the people of Texas to the State Supreme Court two times, the second time in the year 2000 with an overwhelming popular majority. During her last election, Justice Owen was endorsed by every major newspaper in the State of Texas. Mr. C. Boyden Gray, writing an article about this, said: ``Th... Read more

Statement by the Honorable Michael Burgess, MD Subversion of Drug Testing Programs May 17, 2005 Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you for having this important hearing. Also, I would like to give a special welcome and thank you to two Texans who were gracious enough to travel to DC to testify before us: Ms. Susan Reed and Dr. Amitava Dasgupta. Ms. Reed is the DA from Bexar County while Dr. Dasgupta is a professor at my alma mater, UT-Houston. Thank you both for coming here today. As a physician... Read more

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, some good news today from down in my home State of Texas. Recognizing that a unique turnaround is under way in the State of Texas in the arena of medical liability reform, the American Medical Association today announced that it was removing Texas from its list of States in crisis from the medical liability crisis. The medical liability crisis in Texas was halted thanks to sweeping reforms that took place almost 2 years ago, in September, 2003, when voters in the State... Read more