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Food Safety; Executive Compensation; Health Care Reform - July 31, 2009

July 31, 2009
Dear Friend,
Thank you for reading another edition of my e-newsletter, the Carson Courier.  For additional information on these and other topics, please visit my website at https://www.carson.house.gov.
 
In this week's Carson Courier:
Promoting Food Safety
Reducing Risky Executive Compensation
Promoting Comprehensive Health Care Reform
 
PROMOTING FOOD SAFETY
While the American food supply is among the safest in the world, public health officials estimate that every year about 76 million people in the United States become sick, and 5,000 of them die, from food-borne illnesses. Over the last few years, we have seen numerous outbreaks of dangerous infections in common foods – from spinach and tomatoes, to peanut butter and ground beef. Today, as our food supply continues to become more global and our farming more industrialized, the risk of food-borne illnesses is rising to unacceptable levels.
 
To better protect Americans against dangerous tainted food, I joined my House colleagues in passing the Food Safety Enhancement Act, which will help protect the public health against outbreaks and update our federal food safety laws to keep pace with the changes in our food production and processing methods.  This legislation begins by strengthening the FDA's notoriously weak authority over food safety by giving new tools and authority to issue mandatory recalls of tainted foods and remove these products from the market safely and efficiently. It also significantly expands the FDA's ability to rapidly identify and trace the history of a tainted food product in the event of an illness outbreak.
 
This legislation also increases the number and scope of inspections for food production facilities and enhances the safety of foreign food imports. It requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue standards for ensuring the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables, and strengthens penalties on food facilities that fail to comply with safety requirements.
 
REDUCING RISKY EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Today, the House took a major step towards a new era of fiscal responsibility by passing the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act.  This important legislation puts an end to the exorbitant incentives that for decades have encouraged executives at large financial firms to take excessive risks at the expense of their companies, employees and shareholders. It requires federal regulators to monitor inappropriate or risky compensation practices and gives shareholders at public companies a say in the pay for top executives.
 
I was an original cosponsor of this bill because I believe it plays a critical role in the broader economic strategy that is being pursued by this Congress—one that will bring about long-term economic stability and return control of our economy to average Americans.  I will continue working to push it through the Senate and to the President's desk so that Americans can finally have a say in the compensation practices that have such a large impact on our nation's economic stability.
 
PROMOTING COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM
This week, as debate in Congress continues on a number of comprehensive health care reform proposals, we are closer than ever before to finally transforming our current insufficient health care system into a system that cuts costs, provides real options for care, and works for all Americans across the socio-economic spectrum.  For the first time, we've got the American Medical Association on board and pharmaceutical companies coming to the table to generate tens-of-billions-of dollars in savings.  And most importantly, we have the American people squarely behind a health-care overhaul, with poll after poll showing more than 2/3 of the public supporting major changes being made to our current system.
 
However, as with most important debates, this too has hit roadblocks in the last few weeks.  I recently joined my colleagues on the Congressional Progressive Caucus to announce our opposition to a compromise that will weaken provisions designed to ensure equal care to all Americans.  Make no mistake—I remain very optimistic about reaching a deal that will pass the House, but this agreement points to the fact that there is still more work to be done. I look forward to joining with my fellow members, conservatives and progressives alike, to shape a bill that will deliver the true reform that so many in my district and across this great nation demand and deserve
 
To discuss these reforms with Seventh District residents, I hosted a conference call to discuss the health care proposal that is currently being debated in Congress.  I was glad to receive some very helpful input from health care consumers and professionals as well as to refute some of the mischaracterizations that are being spread by those opposing health care reform.
 
This call was just another step in ongoing debate of health care reform—a debate that will continue with you input for sometime.  I encourage you to continue submitting stories about the experiences you have had with our current health care system—both good and bad—to be included in my Online Health Care Forum.
 
Please submit a video or written testimonial of your health care experience, and we will begin posting some of these responses on our website. Please email your story or video to in07healthcare@mail.house.gov.
 
I encourage you to visit my website where you can already view many of the submitted stories and opinions.
 
Thank you for reading the Carson Courier.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts and concerns.  I value your views and your input which help me to better represent the people of Indiana's 7th District in Congress.