Dear Friend,
This past week, I reintroduced legislation to help address PFAS contamination in drinking water. I also highlighted National Agriculture Week, hosted many constituent visits, and helped pass the Parents Bill of Rights Act in the U.S. House. Check out my newsletter below for more information!
If you received this newsletter from a friend, and you would like to continue receiving these updates, you can subscribe here or connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
|
Introducing the Healthy H2O Act
I am pleased to announce the reintroduction of the Healthy H2O Act, which I introduced during the 117th Congress as well. If enacted into law, this bill would help those with private wells identify contaminants, such as GenX chemicals, as well as other PFAS/PFOS compounds in their drinking water. Additionally, the legislation would set up a grant program to help offset the cost of purchasing and installing effective water filtration systems to remove these forever chemicals. Click here or on the image below to learn more.
|
Receiving the Drinking Water Leadership Award
I am humbled to receive the Drinking Water Leadership Award. Many residents in Southeastern North Carolina, including myself, rightfully have questions about PFAS contaminants and how they affect our drinking water, personal health, and the environment. Ever since learning PFAS contaminants were discharged into the Cape Fear River from industrial facilities upstream, I have worked to support legislative efforts to help remedy this problem. I will continue working to ensure families in Southeastern North Carolina and across the country have access to clean drinking water.
|
Meeting with Constituent Groups from NC-07
I had a great week meeting with a number of groups that included residents of NC-07 who visited Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of issues important to our community and families. Below are a couple photos from meetings with the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission (TISPC) and JDRF NC. During our meeting, TISPC discussed beach renourishment efforts on Topsail Island along with flood insurance and disaster recovery. I also enjoyed meeting with JDRF advocates to learn more about the exciting progress being made on research for Type 1 Diabetes and policies important to those living with Type 1 Diabetes.
|
Meeting with the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission (left) and advocates from JDRF NC (right) during their trips to DC.
Passing the Parents Bill of Rights Act
This past week, with my support, House Republicans passed H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act, legislation to protect a parent's right to be involved in their child's education and the right to share their concerns about a school's curriculum without fear of persecution. Education is an integral part of every American’s life and every parent should have the right to be involved and to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent by schools. The Parents Bill of Rights is built on five core principles that would apply to all schools nationwide receiving federal funding: - Parents have the right to review their school’s curriculum, reading materials, and state academic standards.
- Parents have the right to lawfully engage with their local school board and educators.
- Parents have the right to see a school’s budget and spending.
- Parents have the right to protect their child’s privacy.
- Parents have the right to keep their child safe and be updated on any violent activity at school.
|
This past week was National Agriculture Week! As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, it is an honor to serve as the voice for farm families in the 7th District and throughout our state. This week, and every week, we give thanks to our nation's farm families for their hard work that benefits our citizens, communities and world. Though National Agriculture week is complete, would should never fail to celebrate and recognize those who work tirelessly to provide our nation with the safest, most abundant food supply in the world.
|
VA Claims Clinics: Veterans can get help filing claims for benefits and services they’ve earned at a series of local events hosted by the VA nationwide. The PACT Act Awareness Events began on March 1st and will continue throughout the month at VA Medical Centers at more than 70 locations. During these events, veterans can participate in toxic exposure screenings, get assistance in filing disability claims, receive information on education and home loan benefits, and more. VA also invited several partners to participate, including Veterans Service Organizations and state-level Veterans Departments. You can find the outreach calendar and event locations, here: www.va.gov/outreach-and-events/events.
Passport Reminders: While many begin to travel internationally again, my constituent services team would like to remind everyone to apply now for a passport even if you are not traveling until later in the year. Also, it's recommended you do not make international travel arrangements until you have your physical updated passport in hand. Regular processing times are taking much longer than usual, as is expedited processing. Due to the unprecedented amount of applications, roughly 560,000 per week during the last few months, processing times have greatly increased. Also, it's important to remember processing time begins when the application is received at the passport agency or center, not when it is mailed or when the check is cashed. Therefore, processing time can start up to 2 weeks after an application is mailed, and mailing times may add several weeks on the door-to-door time it takes to receive a passport. For more information, please visit travel.state.gov.
|
For this week's good news story, I'm proud to honor a U.S. Navy Veteran from Lumberton who recently celebrated his 100th birthday! James B. Prevatte, of the Clybourn Pines community in Lumberton, achieved the milestone on March 9th. He was born in 1923. According to the Robesonian, "During his time in the military, Prevatte sailed aboard the USS Melvin (DD-680), a Fletcher-class destroyer and the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lt. j.g. John T. Melvin, who was killed while serving on the USS Alcedo in World War I. Prevatte earned three campaign bars and five battle stars and is designated a Tin Can Sailor, due to his service on a naval warship."
Happy Birthday, James! Thank you for everything you have done for our state and country. May this next year bring you happiness and health.
|
"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the cornfield." — President Dwight D. Eisenhower |
|
