Protecting private property rights

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the Kelo v. City of New London decision, broadened the government’s ability to take your privately owned home, farm, business or place of worship through a process called eminent domain. Prior to this landmark decision, eminent domain laws had been used to take private property for the public good. This has traditionally meant roads, hospitals, etc. However, now we see State and local governments using eminent domain for private purposes, meaning they take over private property and the land goes to a private entity, usually to increase tax revenue.

Earlier this week, I introduced H.R. 6219, the Private Property Rights Protection and Government Accountability Act, legislation which prohibits the government from using eminent domain for private purposes. If governments violate this law, they will not be eligible for certain economic development funds for ten years. In addition, property owners will now have the right to sue the government. No family, business operation or place of worship is safe if the government decides that their property doesn’t measure up and that “public purpose” would be better served and be a better economic gain if it was torn down and replaced by something bigger, glitzier and more taxable.

Honoring our nation’s father’s

On Monday, the House passed H. Res. 1243, a resolution recognizing the immeasurable contributions fathers make to the lives of their children. As we look forward to the celebration of Father’s Day this Sunday, I am proud to have introduced this legislation, which calls on fathers across the nation to use Father’s Day to reconnect and rededicate themselves to their children’s lives. Findings by the National Fatherhood Initiative show that the closer adolescents feel to their fathers, regardless of the type of family structure which they live in, the less likely it is that they will engage in the use of drugs or delinquent behavior. Involved and proactive fathers help to shape confident and productive future citizens. Being a father is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I strive every day to show my children that they are important and loved, and I encourage all fathers to do the same.

Updating health care technology

Recently, I attended an important House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing regarding health information technology (IT). One of the biggest challenges our nation faces is the implementation of health IT on a national scale. Health IT has the potential to save more than $81 billion annually in health care costs, and is critical to reducing the almost 100,000 deaths causes by medical errors each year. By making patient health records electronic, authorized doctors and care givers across the country will be able to have instant access to a patient’s health history. This will drastically reduce medical mistakes and streamline the administration process and the many forms that patients have to go through as they move from one health care professional to the next. As we move toward improving health IT systems in our nation, it is important that we ensure that strong privacy protections for patient records are maintained. Health IT will help make our health care system better and more reliable nationwide.