E-Newsletter - District Connection - 5/19/14

Statement

South Korea and Georgia Working Together

Last week I sat down with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Sung Kim and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States Ho-Young Ahn. The economic partnership between the United States and South Korea is one of the strongest in the world today and will continue to grow in the coming years. Georgia is as large a beneficiary of that relationship as any state in the nation, and our congressional district is particularly involved.

Today, there are more than a dozen South Korean companies in the 7th District, employing over 900 residents in our community. Just this past week, yet another South Korea-based company, Dasan Machineries, chose our community to start a new facility. This new partnership was announced as our Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce members and leaders were abroad in South Korea and engaged with business leaders there in discussions of ways to further strengthen and enhance our economic ties. The results of these efforts are clear: trade between the State of Georgia and Korea has increased from $382.4 million to $806.5 million over the last seven years.

You can count on me to continue focusing on doing everything possible both here and in Washington to expand the jobs and opportunities available right here at home.

Community Leaders Working to Expand Home Ownership Opportunities

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with a tremendous group of professionals with the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) at their Business Development Rally. Though improving, the housing market has undoubtedly gone through difficult times in recent years, and visiting with industry professionals is a great opportunity to discuss practical solution for problems facing local families and homeowners.

Many initiatives come out of Washington to protect and promote homeownership, some of which help and some of which hurt. We have all seen the troubled balance sheet of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, the largest holders of home mortgages, and we must make changes to those programs. We are making progress with reform legislation, and I am grateful to have partners like NAHREP that will share their expertise to help us produce better legislation for the American people.

I often tell you how encouraged and inspired I am by my meetings with our young people. With the school year coming to an end, I tried to maximize that inspiration last week with visits to four different schools in the 7th District: Otwell Middle School in Cumming, Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Hopkins Elementary in Lilburn, and Crews Middle School in Lawrenceville. Thank you to the parents, teachers, and administrators of each of those four schools for being kind enough to host me. If you have any doubt about the future of our nation, you need only find a way to visit with these future leaders. From the 5th graders to the 8th graders to the seniors, these young people and their dreams move me. We are so lucky to have one of the finest school districts in the state to serve our children.

Georgians Celebrate Our Nation's Military Academies

Another place that you can always find pride and inspiration is the Georgia Congressional Delegation statewide Service Academy Day at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Held this past Saturday, there were more than 1,000 folks there who were interested in learning more about the academies and becoming future leaders of the United States Armed Forces. Those attending had a unique opportunity to learn about the process and talk one on one with folks from each service academy. It is inspiring to see so many young folks willing to devote their time and talents to serving their country. Dobbins ARB is always such a great host for this event, and I thank them for helping to make Georgia Academy Day 2014 such a great success.

If you know a young person in our community who is interested in military service, please encourage them to visit my website and consider applying for an academy nomination.

The Week Ahead

This week, the House will consider the National Defense Authorization Act. This bill authorizes our nation's programs within the U.S. Department of Defense, and it is traditionally one of the most bipartisan bills that comes before Congress. In fact, the bill was unanimously approved by the House Armed Services Committee a few weeks ago, and I hope that it will garner significant bipartisan support on the House floor this week as well.

The House will also begin consideration of another appropriations bill this week -- the FY15 Commerce, Justice, and Science bill. This bill provides funding for the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. In keeping with our bipartisan theme this week, this bill was unanimously approved by the House Appropriations Committee on May 8th. All House members are going to have ample opportunity to offer amendments to this legislation, and I am confident that the American people's voices will be heard.

Georgians Go to the Polls This Week

If you've been watching television, listening to the radio, or reading your local paper, you've no doubt seen, heard, or read about Georgia's primary election on Tuesday, May 20th. Voting is not just our right as Americans; it is our honor and our duty, and I hope that every voter turns-out tomorrow to make their voice heard. If you want to know who is on your ballot or where you need to go to vote, please visit the Georgia Secretary of State's on-line office.

Like Me on Facebook

Throughout the week, I'm constantly updating folks on the happenings in Washington and in the Seventh District through my Facebook page. If you want to start seeing these short, real-time updates, please click here and "like" me on Facebook!

Sincerely,

Rob Woodall

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