Recently in Washington 
Last week the House passed H.R. 4849, the Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act of 2010, H.R. 4899, the Disaster Relief and Summer Jobs Act of 2010, and H.R. 1586, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act.


Simpson Receives Commitment that DOE will abide by Settlement Agreement
Congressman Mike Simpson questioned Energy Secretary Steven Chu on DOE’s commitment to abide by the Idaho Settlement Agreement during an Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last week.

The Idaho Settlement Agreement is an agreement between the State of Idaho and the Department of Energy that requires DOE to remove all spent fuel and high level waste by 2035 or face fines for non-compliance. Simpson questioned Chu about maintaining the agreement during the hearing.  “Secretary Chu, whether or not I agree with it, I recognize that you have made a decision to shut down Yucca Mountain. As you know, DOE has an agreement with the State of Idaho to have all the waste of out Idaho by 2035. Given the decision on Yucca Mountain, will you guarantee me that the Department of Energy will abide by the Idaho Settlement Agreement and withdraw all waste from Idaho by 2035?”

Chu responded that DOE fully intends to fulfill its obligation to the Agreement. “My answer is yes,” he said. 

Simpson also asked the Secretary about the DOE loan guarantee program. Areva has applied for a $2 billion loan guarantee from the Department to build a uranium enrichment facility named the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in eastern Idaho. Simpson pointed out that this application has been under consideration for 18 months. “This has been under review long enough to make a decision,” said Simpson. “Could you tell us when you expect to see a decision made?”  Secretary Chu agreed that it was time to finalize the application and make a decision and stated that he expected to see a decision released soon. 

Simpson is a member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over funding for the Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory.

To watch Simpson discuss the Idaho Settlement Agreement with Secretary Chu, visit his YouTube site at:  http://www.youtube.com/CongMikeSimpson


Simpson Promotes INL to Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy
Congressman Mike Simpson questioned the Department of Energy on nuclear energy and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as part of the Department’s FY2011 Budget Request.  Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Pete Miller testified before the Energy and Water Subcommittee, of which Congressman Simpson is a member.

During the hearing, Simpson asked Miller about the importance of funding for infrastructure at the INL and across the DOE complex.  “If we want to retain the best scientists and the best engineers at our national labs, it is important that we provide them with the best facilities and equipment so they can do their jobs,” said Simpson.  “The INL has been upgrading its facilities, and I have seen first-hand what a difference new buildings and infrastructure make.”

In his testimony, Assistant Secretary Miller noted that the INL serves as the center for U.S. nuclear energy and development and recognized the importance of the work being done at the INL on a variety of programs, including NGNP, the Advanced Test Reactor, and Fuel Cycle Research, to name a few.

Simpson also questioned Miller on the Next Generation Nuclear Plant and the need for the Department to work better with industry to move the program ahead.  “It is important that the Department and industry work together and reach an agreement on how to move ahead on this important program,” said Simpson.  “We need to make sure that industry is involved in the beginning of the process so that the money spent by government on research will actually turn into the deployment of new, innovative technologies.”

Simpson is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Energy and Water Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the Department of Energy and the INL.

To watch Congressman Simpson discuss the INL with Assistant Secretary Miller visit his YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/CongMikeSimpson.


Simpson Votes Against Health Care Reconciliation
Congressman Mike Simpson voted no tonight on H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. This legislation passed the U.S. Senate earlier today with a vote of 56-43 and passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a final vote of 220-207. 

“As I have said before, this bill will ultimately damage the health care system in the United States, not to mention adding another $2 to 3 trillion to our national debt,” said Simpson. “It is unfortunate that Congress didn’t act in a bipartisan fashion to pass commonsense reforms that would have actually brought down the cost of health care for our citizens.”

Simpson and 70 of his colleagues have cosponsored H.R. 1086, the HEALTH Act. This bill would implement effective medical malpractice reform and put an end to junk lawsuits by placing caps on non-economic damages and limiting attorney fees. This bill would save as much as $120 billion in wasteful spending by stemming the practice of defensive medicine.

Simpson is also a cosponsor of H.R. 2607, the Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act, which would allow small businesses to band together through associations to buy health care coverage. Large corporations and labor unions already leverage their size and buying power to secure lower premiums and rates when buying health insurance for their employees and members. This bill would give America's small businesses the same advantages to make health care coverage for their employees more affordable.
 
In addition, Simpson supports reforms to prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people because of pre-existing condition as well as reforms to make the purchase of health insurance for individuals tax-exempt like it is for employer-sponsored insurance.  He also supports prescription drug re-importation, which would control prescription drug costs by allowing Americans to buy FDA-approved prescription drugs from places such as Canada and Europe where drugs are sold for much less money.

House Legislative Business This Week 
The House is not in session this week.

In the News
Simpson votes against National health care takeover
Posted: Monday, March 22, 2010 9:36 am | The Idaho State Journal; http://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/article_b3b565ac-35c8-11df-a4ec-001cc4c03286.html?mode=print

Washington, D.C. – Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson voted no tonight on HR 3590, legislation that represents the first step to a government takeover of the healthcare system.  Despite Simpson’s strong opposition and repeated efforts to defeat the bill, this bill passed the House by a final vote of 219-212.

“There is no doubt that this legislation will be challenged in court,” said Simpson.  “Beyond the question of its legality, this bill will ultimately damage the health care system in the United States while adding another $2 to 3 trillion to our national debt. At this time, I encourage all Idahoans to support Governor Otter in his effort to challenge its constitutionality in court.”

Congressman Simpson has supported a number of commonsense health reform bills that have been introduced in Congress, such as H.R. 1086, the HEALTH Act, and H.R. 2607, the Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act, to name just a few.

“Many have said we are the party of 'NO,' but that is simply not the case,” said Simpson. “We have offered several commonsense alternatives that will actually bring down the cost of health care. I am extremely disappointed to see that once again, the Democrats have failed to listen to the American people and chosen to push a partisan takeover of health care instead of passing effective health reform that everyone could support.”

Simpson and 70 of his colleagues have cosponsored H.R. 1086, the HEALTH Act. This bill would implement effective medical malpractice reform and put an end to junk lawsuits by placing caps on non-economic damages and limiting attorney fees. This bill would save as much as $120 billion in wasteful spending by stemming the practice of defensive medicine.

Simpson is also a cosponsor of H.R. 2607, the Small Business Healthcare Fairness Act, which would allow small businesses to band together through associations to buy health care coverage. Large corporations and labor unions already leverage their size and buying power to secure lower premiums and rates when buying health insurance for their employees and members. This bill would give America's small businesses the same advantages to make health care coverage for their employees more affordable.
 
In addition, Simpson supports reforms to prohibit insurers from denying coverage to people because of pre-existing condition as well as reforms to make the purchase of health insurance for individuals tax-exempt like it is for employer-sponsored insurance.  He also supports prescription drug re-importation, which would control prescription drug costs by allowing Americans to buy FDA-approved prescription drugs from places such as Canada and Europe where drugs are sold for much less money.

“I also believe that we need to do more as a country to focus on prevention and early intervention,” said Simpson. “If we truly want to control the cost of healthcare, individuals must be part of the solution by taking an active role in our overall health.”