Pitts: Saying 'Yes' in 2010

Saying "Yes" in 2010

By Congressman Joe Pitts

Democratic Congressional leadership and liberal activists spent a lot of effort last year trying to tarnish Congressional Republicans as they "Party of No." With Democrats holding significant majorities in both the House and Senate, it would be very easy just to merely oppose every bill, but I can tell you that we are working hard to offer positive solutions and alternatives.

In 2010, both my colleagues and I will continue to introduce amendments to strengthen bills brought up by the majority and bipartisan legislation that both sides can agree on. Here are just a few bills that I have introduced or supported that I believe we can all agree on.

Currently, the House and Senate are negotiating a healthcare reform bill which will contain billions of dollars in new taxes and billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare. What it won't contain is a common sense proposal that both Democrats and Republicans support — allowing small businesses to group together to buy health insurance.

At the beginning of this year, I introduced the Small Business CHOICE Act, H.R. 859, with the Chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). This bill would make it cheaper and easier for small businesses to provide health insurance for their employees by giving them the same economy of scale as large companies. Allowing small businesses to negotiate for health insurance collectively would not require more taxes or regulations, but would save money and increase coverage.

Also, individuals and companies across the country are working to increase the energy efficiency of their homes and offices. You may have read in the local paper about companies installing new "green" roofs.

A green roof can be a big investment, but it pays off over time. I’m one of the original sponsors of a bipartisan bill that gives a tax break to businesses that install a green roof, the Green Roofing Efficiency Tax Act, H.R. 426. We have the support of 31 Democrats and Republicans, and I hope that this year we will see this bill signed into law.

While increasing efficiency is one way to decrease our reliance on foreign fossil fuels, we will still need to develop new electrical generation to power our growing nation. Nuclear power is safe and clean, but it has been decades since we built a new reactor. Government red tape has made new construction difficult, and we need to streamline our permitting process without sacrificing safety.

I introduced the bipartisan SAFE Nuclear Act, H.R. 3448, last summer to spur the construction of new reactors at existing nuclear power plants. Plants that meet certain criteria could be certified in two years. My bill doesn't cut corners on safety, but it does provide a clear path to encourage development.

The level of education directly affects our national prosperity, and if we want to compete in the 21st century global economy, we must ensure that our schools have the right resources. I think that we spend too much on bureaucrats in Washington that try to interfere with decisions best left up to states and local school boards. This week I am reintroducing the Dollars to the Classroom Act to guarantee that 95 cents of each federal education dollar will be spent in the classroom and not in Washington.

Finally, I've recently been spending time touring food banks in the 16th Congressional District. I've met wonderful staffers and volunteers who work hard to ensure that needy families in our community have healthy meals.

To encourage donations during this time of need, I've become a cosponsor of the School Food Recovery Act, H.R. 1403. This bill directs schools participating in the federal school lunch program to donate surplus food to local food banks and charitable organizations. We need to make sure that nothing goes to waste, and I believe that this bill is an excellent way to increase donations across the country.

Just like any election year, there's going to be a lot of politics and partisanship. I don't think that that should prevent us from working together to pass bills that will make our country stronger, cleaner, and more charitable. I'm going to continue looking for new bipartisan ideas and offering constructive criticism. I hope that this year there will be many bills to which both parties can say "yes."

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U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District in Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.