As I finish my first term serving you in Congress and prepare for the next Congress, I wanted to share with you what I consider some of the key top priority legislation that we passed. A lot of these issues – like cracking down on human trafficking – are often underreported by the press but are important for our region and our communities. My staff and I have met with stakeholders, local elected officials, and advocacy groups and have had hundreds of meetings throughout our District with constituents to find critical solutions to problems that affect us all. In total, I visited over six hundred local businesses, technology companies, schools, rotaries, charities, and many other different groups in Virginia’s Tenth District over the course of the last two years.
The House just cleared the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which included provisions from my Research and Development Efficiency Act. Our region is home to a significant amount of research professionals and this legislation will limit redundant regulations to allow these researchers to focus on their jobs without being impeded by inefficiencies.
Recently, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which was just signed into law. This is legislation that will have a real and immediate benefit to families and communities not just in our District, but throughout our nation.
Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, which notably gave our troops the largest pay raise they have seen in six years. A strong national defense is essential to the safety and freedom of our fellow citizens. This bipartisan legislation contained two of my amendments and will strengthen our national defense at a time when we must defend against the daily threat of terrorism.
We have worked across the aisle to end human trafficking and a major step in the fight against this scourge was our passage of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. This ongoing battle is one that must be fought at the local and state level as well as the federal level. We will continue to work against human traffickers who have a reckless disregard for the well-being of our children.
A priority of mine has been to honor our veterans for their many sacrifices and improve their daily lives. One such piece of legislation is H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. It must be incumbent upon us to ensure our veterans are taken care of after they serve our nation and we worked in a bipartisan manner to pass this legislation, which was signed into law.
Opioid addiction was recently declared a Public Health Emergency in our Commonwealth and we must utilize every resource available to fight against this disease. I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as a member of the Bipartisan Taskforce to Combat the Heroin Epidemic and we came together to pass the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, landmark legislation that will considerably improve our treatment and prevention services and help those tragically addicted. I also joined with local elected officials and regional representatives in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties to form a Heroin Operations Team that employs a comprehensive approach to battling this epidemic that hits so close to home.
I voted for over $600 billion in tax relief to fuel our economy and our local businesses and to give our hardworking families the much-needed help they deserve. The House passed the PATH Act, which makes the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent and will help unleash innovation and economic growth in the Commonwealth.
My legislation, the INSPIRE Women Act, passed the House earlier this year. We continue to focus on educating our next generation in the new, 21st century skillsets necessary to succeed as our economy increasingly relies on innovative new technologies to advance and grow. The INSPIRE Women Act will encourage young women to pursue skilled STEM careers as we build the next generation of technological entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, the Senate did not take up this bill, but we have high hopes it will be passed by both chambers and signed into law in the 115th Congress.
During the past two summers, we held annual 10th Congressional District Young Women Leadership programs. Over 800 young women participated and learned from successful entrepreneurs, businesswomen, scientists, and other women in a wide range of fields.
Congress passed the FAST Act, legislation that gives assurance to our state and local governments and advances our infrastructure solutions throughout the nation. I was named as a conferee by Speaker Paul Ryan for the House-Senate negotiations and worked with my colleagues across the aisle to include some of my important provisions in this legislation, including Metro reforms, a 5-year strategic plan for transportation R&D, a major traffic congestion study, and more. The FAST Act was signed into law.
In all, 17 of my legislative initiatives were signed into law during the 114th Congress—most of which originated with the meetings we took with constituents. During the next two years, I will continue to focus on direct interaction with constituents and businesses in Virginia’s Tenth, as that is the best way to represent you in Congress.
It is a privilege to serve you in the Tenth District. I may be contacted at my Sterling office at 703-404-6903, or my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-5136. By visiting http://comstock.house.gov, you can sign up to receive my email newsletters and follow my efforts to serve you. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates on my activities in Congress and in the District. If I may ever be of service, please do not hesitate to contact me.