Congressmen Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (Texas-26) today delivered copies of H.R. 3962, the latest version of House Democrats’ health care reform bill unveiled by Speaker Pelosi last week, to the North Richland Hills Library. The bill is expected to be brought to the House floor for a vote sometime this week, and Burgess encourages North Texans to read the massive bill and contact him with their concerns before the vote.

“North Texans should have the opportunity to see this bill for themselves and make up their own minds,” Burgess said. “I thought it was important to have the bill here - yes, you can access the bill online, but to come see it in its physical entirety is important.”

After weeks of closed doors meetings inside the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled the bill on the steps of the U.S. Capitol last Thursday, with a vote on final passage expected as early as this Thursday. Burgess pledged to read the health care reform bill before voting, and he has fulfilled that promise and is looking forward to hearing from North Texans on their thoughts about the legislation.

“A bill that is this sweeping and this far-reaching will affect every single North Texan and American, and not just for the next few years. The next two or three generations of Americans will be affected by this legislation, should it become law. So I encourage all North Texans to access the bill online, come visit the library – whatever method you can use to read the bill,” Burgess said.

Several North Texans, including former and current local elected officials, attended today’s event and pledged to read the bill.

Statistics for H.R. 3962:
1,990 pages
Total cost: $1.055 trillion
New Taxes: $572 billion
Cuts to Medicare: $426 billion
“Fees” appears in the bill 103 times
“Regulation” appears in the bill 181 times
“Tax” appears in the bill 214 times
“Shall” appears in the bill 3,425 times

To read the bill online, click here.
To learn Congressman Burgess’ thoughts on the bill, click here.


Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and three of its subcommittees: Health, Energy & Environment, and Oversight & Investigations. He is also a member of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Economic Committee. Prior to becoming a member of Congress in 2002, Congressman Burgess practiced medicine in North Texas for over 25 years.