An email from my Congressman: Michael McCaul

March 27, 2009

Dear Friends,

The President has said that digging our way out of this economic crisis won’t be easy and will take time.  While we can agree on the scope of this challenge and the effort it will take to recover, the Republican budget plan will move Americans toward prosperity without spending record amounts of taxpayer dollars and without increasing the tax burden on families and businesses.

Today, our $11 trillion deficit places a burden of $36,000 on every American.  Under the President’s budget, in ten years, our per-person debt will climb above $50,000.  We cannot spend, borrow and tax our way to prosperity.  We cannot pass a budget that will dig a deeper financial hole and impede our country’s long-term progress.  Our plan will balance re-instituting the basic principles of limited government and personal responsibility, with meeting our most critical needs.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Enterprise Award

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce presented me with the prestigious Spirit of Enterprise Award for my continued support of pro-growth legislation during the last session of Congress. I am proud to have received this award for the fourth consecutive year because businesses are the economic engine of this great nation and I am committed to creating a positive pro-growth environment.  Especially during a recession our priority should be to help businesses succeed by ensuring reasonable tax burdens and responsible regulations that won’t stifle job creation.  I am proud to represent small business across District 10.

Omnibus Lands Bill

On Wednesday, the House passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.  This bill contains more than 170 separate natural resources bills—more than 100 of which had not been considered in the House—that create new, federally sheltered wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, and heritage areas.  The bill also included land exchanges, ocean exploration, local water projects, landscape restoration, and underwater research, among a variety of other programs.  The 1,248-page bill was estimated to cost over $10 billion and prohibited natural resource exploration development on millions of acres of land acres.  The legislation passed the Senate on March 19, 2009, and will now be sent to the President for his signature

I wish you and your family a happy and safe weekend.

FLAME Act

On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act.  The bill establishes a Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement (FLAME) Fund within the U.S. Treasury.  The FLAME Fund would be used to pay for emergency catastrophic wildfire suppression.  This would be separate from amounts annually appropriated to the Departments of Agriculture and Interior for wildfire suppression.  The bill also directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to develop a cohesive wildland fire management strategy within one year.  H.R. 1404 establishes a grant program within the Departments of Agriculture and Interior to help communities carry out wildfire education programs, firefighter training, and equipment acquisition. I joined 412 of my colleagues to vote yes and pass this important legislation.

In the News

FOX News- Congressman McCaul Discusses Border Security

http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx10_mccaul/morenews/3_27_09.html

Passport Day in the USA!

Are you planning a trip this summer?  Due to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, all international travel will require a valid passport starting June 1, 2009.  To help citizens be prepared for this change, Passport Acceptance Facilities will be open across the United States on Saturday, March 28, 2009 for Passport Day in the USA.  Please locate your most convenient acceptance facility and review the procedures and rules for applying for a passport.

Free Taxpayer Seminar!

Congressman McCaul will be hosting Taxpayer Seminars on April 7, 2009. Representatives from the IRS will be available to answer your tax questions in Tomball at Lone Star College–Tomball and Community Library from 6:30-7:30 and Pflugerville at the Pflugerville Public Library from 7:30-8:30.  There will be presentations on the IRS resources available to you and an opportunity for you to get your general tax questions answered.  Please contact my Austin district office at (512) 473-2357 for more information and to suggest topics for the Taxpayer Seminars.

NEW WEBSITE!

Please look for our new and improved congressional website which will launch in the first few days of April. The address will remain the same:  www.house.gov/mccaul.   We hope this will serve as a more effective communications tool, allowing you greater options to learn what’s happening in Washington and voice your opinion.

With best regards,

Michael T. McCaul

Member of Congress

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