|
WASHINGTON - Congressman Rick W. Allen (R-GA-12) held a telephone town hall Thursday night to answer questions from residents of Georgia's 12th District. Congressman Allen gave an update on Military Academy nominations, our national defense, the Department of Labor’s proposed H-2A rule, nuclear energy and more.
For those who were unable to participate in the call, here are some of the highlights:
Gene asked about abortion
Congressman Allen: “I currently am the cosponsor for over 22 pro-life bills. As a man of faith, pro-life issues are very important to me. Fighting for those who cannot protect themselves is one of my highest priorities, from preventing late term abortions to defunding Planned Parenthood. I have supported a number of pieces of legislation to protect the lives of innocent children both born and unborn in Congress. During the 116th [congress], I have been an advocate for the unborn by co-sponsoring numbers pieces of legislation to preserve and define the sanctity of life. One of the pieces of legislation… is the Born Alive bill. We have a discharge petition down there, every Republican in Congress has signed the discharge petition and only three Democrats… it takes 218 votes to pass this legislation...Unfortunately it is a very partisan issue. And the Democrats believe in abortion right up until the day of birth, if you can believe what the governor of Virginia said... I agree we must end it and we are working very, very hard to do that but it is a divisive issue.”
Allen from Augusta asked about vocational training
Congressman Allen: “Yes, obviously as a former small business owner I know the challenges in trying to find and keep a skilled workforce. That’s why I worked on legislation that passed the House in June of 2017 which reforms and strengthens federal career and technical education support- it’s the Carl D Perkins Career Technical Education Act. It provides federal support to state and local career and technical education programs. It was bipartisan legislation that will improve current career and technical education policies to help Americans gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the workforce. What this legislation does is empower state and local community leaders by simplifying the application process for receiving federal funds and providing more flexibility to use federal resources to respond to changing educational and economic needs. Again, every area of our state has career and technical education schools and facilities. There are opportunities, I know. For example in the 12th district, we have 160 students that are enrolled in a program for cyber education, because of the huge demand for cyber in our community. Of those 160 young people, 12 of those already have a job as soon as they graduate from high school. So you are able to attend the technical and the high school at the same time and also you also get college credits. I agree with you right now I know college graduates who are looking for work and can’t find work but then every business I go to needs welders designers, engineers-- those professions are in high demand. I am going to be in the district through the month of August, talking to the school systems, and I’ll make sure we are doing what we need to do to make sure that those young people who are looking for this type of education know how to get it. I know it’s available, but will make sure you know how to get it.”
Sandra from Broxton asked about lowering drug prices
Congressman Allen: “Yes Ma’am. If you remember, on May 16 2018, President Trump and Secretary Azar outlined their drug pricing blueprint and that includes four strategies for reform sent out in the administrations drug pricing policy: improve competition, lower out of pocket cost, enhance negotiations and incentives for lowering list prices… We are also talking about getting rid of these middle people that are supposedly saving us money but are actually costing us money-- these PBMs… Again we are working on this, the President has initiated this…We have tried to work in a bipartisan bases on legislation to fix this.”
Bob from Hephzibah asked about what Congress is doing to combat robocalls
Congressman Allen: “Yes sir, I cosponsored H.R 3375 the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act. It passed the House yesterday on a vote of 425 to 3, so now you can call your Senators and tell them to pass it… It is a crucial piece of legislation. It takes a step in the right direction to end this malicious practice that so many people that I come in contact with are concerned about. This bill would require phone carriers to use technology to authenticate whether these calls are legitimate or spam within 18 months after the measure becomes law. It will also allow carriers to provide call blocking to subscribers at no cost unless they opt of the service... Again if you would like to call your Senators’ office and ask them to take up this bill, I am sure the President would sign this bill into law very quickly. Thank you for your question.”
Jeff from Augusta asked about bringing back manufacturing in America
Congressman Allen: “The President negotiated a new USMCA, United States Mexico Canada Agreement. The NAFTA Agreement was terrible-- the President said he was going to do this and negotiations are complete. Right now, the only thing holding up that legislation is the Speaker putting it on the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote. Since this president this president was elected and we held the majority in the House of Representatives, we have brought back about 600,000 manufacturing jobs to this country…. I think you are going to see a rebirth of manufacturing in this nation. The previous Administration said you would have to have a magic wand to make that happen. Well let me tell what makes it happen: a skilled labor force and the right kind of tax policy and these folks will move their facilities back to America.”
###
|
