May 23, 2023
Maintaining the integrity of our elections and ensuring that voters have confidence in our system is not and should not be a partisan issue.
Joseph T. Burns
The Public Record
Most widely reported
by number of sources- I rise today to sponsor a bill being introduced by myself, Mr. Craig and Mr. Thomas on an issue of great importance to my state and the agricultural industry. The issue is that of labeling meat coming into America from other countries. This language offered today will require all meat products that are imported from a foreign country to be labeled with the country of origin of that meat. This bill will protect the consumer as well as the agricultural industry, which has had to face severe competition from foreign countries in recent years. American agricultural producers are currently faced with a huge influx of imports from both Canada and Mexico. Country of origin labeling would do two very important things. First, it would present the consumer with the knowledge to make the choice which meat they want to buy. 78% of consumers polled by Wirthlin Worldwide endorse country of origin labeling. 70%! This says to me that consumers want to be making informed decisions. The vast majority of other types of products that come into the U.S. are labeled with the country they originated in. To name a few, we are aware of where our textiles, manufactured parts, automobiles and watches come from. Why should food be any different? Consumers go to the store with the assumption they are buying U.S. made product. In fact, this is usually not the case. Consumers are completely aware of the country of origin of each article of clothing they put on the outside of their body.4 sources1999govinfo.gov
- Mr. President I rise today as one of the proud cosponsors of the Risk Management for the 21st Century Act. This bill offers much-needed changes in the area of risk management for farmers and ranchers. Managing risk in agriculture has become perhaps the most important aspect of the business. Agricultural producers who are able to effectively manage their risk are able to sustain and increase profit. An effective crop insurance program will provide farmers and ranchers possibilities for economic sustainability in the future and help them out of the current financial crisis. The Federal Government can help facilitate a program to unite the producer and the private insurance company. The control must be put ultimately in the hands of the agricultural producer. Although he cannot control risk, an effective management plan will help him to manage the effects of risks, such as weather, prices and natural disasters. This bill addresses the inadequacies of the current crop insurance program. The problems and inconsistencies with the current program make it both unaffordable and confusing to agricultural producers. Costly premiums are the biggest problem. In years of depressed market prices, crop insurance, though badly needed, is simply unaffordable for farmers. This bill inverts the current subsidy formula, in order to provide the highest levels of subsidies to producers at the highest levels of buy-up coverage, and thus alleviate the unaffordable premiums.3 sources1999govinfo.gov
- I rise today to add my name as a cosponsor to the Home Health Care Stability Act of 2001. I commend the leadership of my friends Senator Collins and Senator Bond and I am pleased to join my many other colleagues in support of this very important piece of legislation. This bill is two-fold, it will permanently eliminate the automatic 15 percent reduction in Medicare payments to home health agencies that is currently scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2002 and will also extend the temporary 10 percent add-on payment for home health patients in rural areas to ensure that these patients continue to have access to much-needed care. Times are rapidly changing. Today more than ever, patients are spending less time in the hospital. More and more, we are seeing procedures done on an outpatient basis, with recovery and care for patients with chronic conditions taking place in the home. In addition, in my State of Montana, for example, the number of elderly who are chronically ill or disabled continues to grow. How do we care properly and compassionately for these individuals? As our population ages, the answer to this question becomes more and more important. Increasingly, the answer for many is home health care. Home health care is an important part of Medicare in which seniors and the disabled can get the care they need, where they want it: in the comfort and security of their own homes.2 sources2001govinfo.gov
congress.gov
Jun 9, 2004
once or twice a century we are given a President who stands above the rest. President Reagan was such a leader. He united this country in a way that we have not been united since. He did so by simply speaking out for what the vast majority…
Jun 2, 2004
I spent 20 years in public education at the university level training young men and women to practice lifelong learning. The field that I was a part of was in computer and information systems, and I began that adventure in the early 1970s…
Jun 2, 2004
I sat here and I listened to the rhetoric from the other side, and they do not seem to get it. They do not seem to get that education is important to America. They do not seem to get the fact that, as we improve education and teacher…
Jun 2, 2004
This is a Simple Tax For Seniors Act. Simple. Simple tax for seniors. 1982, 24 years ago, the IRS developed the 1040EZ which works for everyone in America except seniors. 24 years. The IRS had an opportunity to correct an oversight, really…
May 20, 2004
Mr. Speaker, as I listen to this debate, it appears that we have different perspectives about what is important to America. There is no tax relief measure that has ever been passed by this House which has done more good to help the average…
May 19, 2004
I rise to recognize the guest chaplain for today. The Reverend Pete Wall is the pastor of Jackson Baptist Church in rural Screven County, Georgia. It is my home church in my home community. It was the church of my father and my…
May 11, 2004
That is what we are currently paying for. So that means that Mexico and Brazil and the European Union and even Red China have a 22 percent advantage.
May 11, 2004
It is about fairness. It is about a fair, competitive, global environment. And right now the current income tax system is putting us at a severe disadvantage. The fair tax would relieve that, make that playing field more level, and more…
May 11, 2004
Absolutely. So what we are going to do is tax only those people who make over $4,000, a king's ransom at that time, and unfortunately, at least for the Congress, they were trying to use the existing Constitution. Because of its vagueness…
May 11, 2004
I rise today to discuss one small piece of this legislation which will make a big difference in rural States such as Montana. I am talking about the broadband expensing provision, which would encourage broadband providers to extend their…
May 6, 2004
I rise today to extend my appreciation to the teachers of America. As we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, it is important that we recognize the good people of this Nation who hold the keys to our future and the future of our…
May 6, 2004
I am disturbed. I am disturbed by the Democrats who would suggest that this war in Iraq is unwinnable. I reject that premise. Nothing could be further from the truth. We must continue to fight terrorism wherever it exists in the world. Mr…
Apr 29, 2004
I have heard my colleagues come to the Senate today criticizing the President about the handling of Iraq and the war on terrorism. I hate for it just to lie there and somebody not explain to the American people that we are at a war. This…
Apr 28, 2004
there are still Members in this body that do not understand what marriage penalty relief is about. They only understand tax and spending increases, for any reason regardless of whether any particular tax may be unfair or inefficient or…
Apr 22, 2004
Today is Earth Day. Of course, most of us who are involved in agriculture, we don't set aside one specific day. Every day is Earth Day for those of us who use the Earth to produce the wealth of the country. Anyway, every year about this…
Mar 17, 2004
1 year ago today, one of the world's most brutal dictators still sat on his throne and boasted that he would defy the world with impunity, protected by massive armies, and threatened terror through weapons of mass destruction. We sent…
Mar 12, 2004
it is my honor to present this bill to designate the United States Postal Service facility at 3150 Great Northern Avenue in Missoula, MT as the ``Mike Mansfield Post Office.'' I rise today not just as a Republican honoring a Democrat, but…
Mar 9, 2004
No Child Left Behind was an Act passed overwhelmingly by a bipartisan majority in the Congress in 2001. It was signed into law by President Bush in January of 2002. While I was not here to vote for this bill, I am a supporter of the goals…
Mar 9, 2004
I agree with my chairman that we should be here solving problems instead of throwing salt on old wounds because we have a great challenge ahead of us. There comes a time when we talk about all kinds of interests, but the national interest…
Feb 26, 2004
I rise in support of a measure that I introduce today, with the support of my colleague, Senator Wyden. We worked closely on the CAN SPAM bill together, and after four years of effort finally saw its successful passage last year. I am…
Feb 12, 2004
I thank the managers of this difficult bill for the hours and days of work that have gone into this bill. This legislation is the most difficult the Senate will deal with this year. It goes without saying that there are more moving parts…
Feb 4, 2004
Mr. Chairman, we have had this debate before. We had it in subcommittee, we had it in committee, and the same rhetoric is here on the floor today. The opposition and the Woolsey amendment would roll back time and take us back prior to 1998…
Nov 21, 2003
I want to say one thing, and that is that the general premise of this bill is in the right direction. The emphasis is on renewables and things we can do that are good for the environment and still produce energy. All this other chaff and…
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