Rokita Report - School Nutrition, Protecting Health Care, & More

Statement

Dear Friend,

Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.

Free Trade to Help Hoosiers

Free trade helps Hoosiers. Nearly 800,000 Hoosier jobs are linked to trade and the largest market reach is for those countries where the United States has free trade agreements (FTAs). That is why this week, I supported the passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in the House.

TPA allows Congress to set 150 negotiating guidelines for trade representatives who are negotiating FTAs. These guidelines include safeguards against currency manipulation and protections to make sure American workers are competing on a fair playing field. Under the TPA, when an agreement is reached and the text is finalized, the treaty is made public for sixty days of review. After this review period, the FTA must then receive an up or down from Congress. These safeguards are important to ensure that the treaty is the best deal for American workers. It also prevents the President from overreaching and straying from the intended purpose of the trade agreement.

The TPA now advances to the Senate for consideration.

Protecting Health Care

I support free and fair trade in part to help grow the reach of Indiana's medical device industry. I know the international demand that exists for these Hoosier products. Medical devices are one of Indiana's top exports, and thanks to ObamaCare, they are subject to an increased 2.3 percent excise tax.

On Thursday, I helped lead passage of legislation that repealed the medical device tax. The House passed H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act, 280-140 with bipartisan support. Repealing this tax is a win for patients in need of access to the latest medical technology. Instead of making health care more affordable, the medical device tax unduly increases costs on consumers who rely on medical devices for an improved quality of life.

This tax is already hurting Hoosier businesses like Cook Medical, the world's largest privately held producer of medical technologies which employs 5,200 Hoosiers in Bloomington, Spencer, and West Lafayette. Due to anticipated costs with the tax, Cook recently put on hold plans to build five new plants.

As part of the Republican Study Committee Health Care Task Force, I recently co-authored the American Health Care Reform Act. This legislation repeals ObamaCare and restores free-market principles to health care.

Examining Federal Nutrition Rules

As Chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, I know the national problem that new federal guidelines on school nutrition are causing. As your Member of Congress, I have visited local schools and had lunch with the children.

On Tuesday, the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, was testifying before the full Education and the Workforce Committee at a hearing titled "Child Nutrition Assistance: Are Federal Rules and Regulations Serving the Best Interests of Schools and Families?" I shared with him my experiences from Indiana, where these regulations are not serving in the best interest of our schools or families.

Children are notoriously picky eaters and are being subject to regulations that do not consider their appetites. In many cases, they take to social media to share their lunches and highlight concerns about portion sizes and lack of flavor. I tried the food myself and it was awful, not because of the hard-working staff involved in running the school, but because of the burdensome regulations they had to comply with. Whenever I meet with school kitchen staff, they let me know how these regulations are impacting their ability to serve meals students find appetizing. The custodial staff reinforced this concern, pointing out the numerous, unfinished lunches found in the trash.

Next week, the House will hold a hearing titled "Child Nutrition Assistance: Looking at the Cost of Compliance for States and Schools" and I will share what Hoosiers have told me about the costs of these regulations.

Father's Day

The greatest and most important job that I have is being the father to my two boys, Teddy and Ryan. My wife Kathy and I recognize how important it is to have a solid family unit to provide Teddy and Ryan with the best foundation that they can have.

Today, one in three children live in homes without a father. However, 12 percent of children living in married-coupled households are living in poverty, compared to 44 percent for children in homes without a father. These children are 50 percent more likely to live in poverty as adults when compared to children from homes with strong family units. Beyond our national debt and our failing education system, the deterioration of the family unit is the largest crisis that we face as a country and culture. As fathers we must prepare our children for the future and in doing so, can give the next generation the greatest chance of success. Strong families will help us Keep the Republic.

Good fathers deserve praise for the example they set, for anchoring their families, and all that they do for our communities.

I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to all on Sunday. Thank you for all that you do and I hope you're able to enjoy the day with family. I know that I'm looking forward to spending time with Teddy and Ryan.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.

Sincerely,

Todd Rokita

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