Lummis Gets The Job Done In First Year

Press Release

U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., has completed her first year as Wyoming's representative to Congress.

"Since being sworn in, I have fought and voted to protect people in Wyoming from the long arm of Washington," Lummis said. "With every vote I cast, the people of Wyoming are my first priority. I believe my job is to hold the line on excessive Washington spending and shield Wyoming families and businesses from government meddling. I have done that by voting against new burdensome taxes, regulations, mandates and more than $3 trillion in bloated spending."

In the past year, Lummis has traveled extensively across the state to meet and listen to thousands of constituents in all 23 Wyoming counties.

In November, Lummis traveled with Senator John Barrasso to Kuwait to thank Wyoming's fighting men and women serving in our armed services.

Lummis' 2009 Accomplishments:

Defending Wyoming's Veterans
Part of a larger movement by our nation's veterans, Lummis sponsored H.Res. 249, a bill which convinced President Obama to abandon his proposal to shift service-connected care to the insurance policies purchased by disabled veterans out of their own pockets.

Fighting for Fiscal Discipline
Lummis has worked to restore fiscal discipline to Washington by not requesting earmarks, cosponsoring a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and advancing alternatives to President Obama's budget resolution that spend less, tax less and borrow less.

She also cosponsored legislation to stop the release of the second $350 billion of bailout funding to the Treasury, and to require repayment of TARP dollars and dividends go directly to reducing the national debt.

Lummis authored and introduced bipartisan legislation to cap earmarks at one percent of congressional spending, divide earmark funds equally among members, allow members to use those funds for deficit reduction, and make the earmarking process more transparent and open to the general public.

Protecting Wyoming's Natural Heritage
Lummis introduced legislation, with Rep. Connolly, D-Va., to provide tax credits for private landowners who create voluntary, qualified conservation easements along corridors of federally designated National Scenic Trails. She also joined her colleagues in introducing legislation to permanently extend tax credits for private land owners who donate land for conservation purposes.

Partnering with Rep. Heinrich, D-NM, Lummis crafted and introduced legislation to reauthorize a program that improves public land management by allowing the sale or exchange of land identified for disposal under BLM's land use plans in order to acquire environmentally sensitive parcels and in-holdings for the public's use.

She also spearheaded efforts in the U.S. House of Representatives to urge USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to develop a comprehensive resource strategy to address the bark beetle epidemic in the West. As a short-term response, Secretary Vilsack committed an additional $40 million in emergency spending toward forest health needs related to the bark beetle epidemic in western forests.

Guarding Wyoming Taxpayers
Lummis successfully secured the support of the House Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Nick Rahall, in halting the President's proposal to cease Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) payments to Wyoming.

Working with Rep. Paul Hodes, D-NH, Lummis introduced legislation to give people from property tax states like Wyoming a permanent property tax deduction of up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples.

Lummis also won unanimous approval in the House Natural Resource Committee to exempt seniors, the disabled, veterans, active military and young people from any future cost increase of the federal Duck Stamp program.

Working for American Energy Self-Sufficiency
Lummis, working in a bipartisan fashion, is asking the U.S. Department of Interior to work with western states to improve electric transmission capacity in the west, with a focus on renewable energy sources.

She is promoting efforts to diversify domestic production, incentivize energy conservation, and promote energy efficiency and new technology development (H.R.2828 & H.R.2846).

She is also pressing the Obama Administration to move forward with oil and gas exploration on the outer continental shelf (OCS) as part of an "all of the above" energy policy, as well as a return to an active and consistent leasing process in the west.

Defending Wyoming Agriculture
As a fourth generation Wyoming rancher, Lummis knows the critical role agriculture plays in Wyoming's economy. Lummis became the first Wyoming Congressman to serve on the House Agriculture Committee since 1941.

She worked closely with Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, D-SD, in introducing a bill to protect Wyoming's cattle herd from the importation of cattle and pigs from Argentina while the threat of Foot and Mouth Disease is still present.

Lummis also won passage of two amendments in the Natural Resources Committee to the Restore our American Mustangs Act. Both amendments improved the bill in an ongoing effort to maintain a thriving ecological balance on Wyoming's rangelands.

Serving Wyoming Students
Lummis spearheaded an effort to prevent the Budget Committee from eliminating the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which provides valuable services to college students across the country, as well as jobs in the State of Wyoming.

Lummis successfully garnered House passage of H.Res. 696, a resolution acknowledging and congratulating Western Wyoming Community College on the occasion of its 50th anniversary of service to the students and citizens of the state of Wyoming.

Protecting Life
Lummis successfully fought for the inclusion of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the House-passed Health Care bill. This amendment prohibits federal funding for abortions in the government-run option and prohibits federal affordability subsidies from going towards health plans that offer abortion services.

Safeguarding Our Second Amendment Rights
Lummis successfully pressed for the enactment of a law to allow states and localities to govern firearm possession on National Park lands, instead of unelected bureaucrats and anti-gun activist judges who have required firearms to be unloaded and encased.

Fighting for Wyoming TV Viewers
Lummis authored bipartisan legislation, passed by the House of Representatives, which will allow satellite television to broadcast Wyoming Public Television to all 23 Wyoming counties. Currently, satellite cannot broadcast Wyoming PTV to 19 of Wyoming's counties.

Source