Blog: The Rokita Report: Top 10 Town Halls in August

Statement

Dear Friend,

Meeting Hoosiers in my home state is one of the most important parts of my job and my favorite. So, as I am every week, I was back in Indiana all of August for a series of Town Halls. My schedule this month ranked among the Top 10 busiest in Congress.

I appreciated every opportunity to hear what's on your minds and how I could help Indiana's Fourth District. As I thought they might be, residents were very concerned about Lake Freeman, where the low water-level was threatening jobs and income, not to mention their summer plans.

So in this week's ROKITA REPORT, I'm pleased to announce a long-term solution to the problem at Lake Freeman. I'd like to tell you, too, about Hayat Nooristani, the Afghan translator who bravely served alongside U.S. troops, whom my office helped to safely, legally reach America.

I also flew with the Veteran's Air Command, a charity providing free air transportation to Wounded Warriors and their families. It was a mission very close to my heart -- making sure our soldiers and veterans get the care they deserve.

ROKITA PUSHES FOR SUCCESSFUL LAKE FREEMAN AGREEMENT

I learned about the trouble at Lake Freeman virtually as soon as Hoosiers in my home state did: The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), acting under the authority of the Endangered Species Act, had ordered Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), operator of Oakdale Dam, to increase flow of the Tippecanoe River. Endangered mussels downstream needed water in drought-like conditions.

So did Hoosiers living and working at Lake Freeman, but USFWS gave its order without notifying them. When the lake dropped precipitously, their surprise turned to worry, not just for their boats, but also for their jobs and property. At the height of August's busy tourist season, twelve lost their jobs, the marina lost sales, and a riverboat business considered canceling cruises and weddings.

Consulting with residents and community leaders, who reported dangerous exposed stumps, my office and I took action to fix Lake Freeman. Our August 4thletter to USFWS' Director in Washington, D.C., emphasized the human cost of agency policy and the need for immediate change. Our phone calls, emails and correspondence created more pressure, and just weeks after we learned of the problem in early August -- light-speed for the federal government -- USFWS relaxed restrictions.

Its agreement with NIPSCO includes long-term solutions that look to prevent water-level drops like the one we saw at Lake Freeman. Taking more accurate measurements of the Tippecanoe, allowing the river to run naturally during times of "low flow," and a notification system to keep Hoosiers informed are all part of the agreement. My office is working to secure it in NIPSCO's next license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee and to make sure the USFWS decision-making process is more open and transparent.

Thankfully, rain finally restored the lake to normal levels, however we also need to look closely at the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the source of this particular problem. Congress passed the ESA nearly unanimously in 1973 but has not amended it in 26 years. The law contains no economic balancing test, and the bureaucrats who enforce it frequently ignore human beings in favor of endangered species, as was the case at Lake Freeman, where a regulatory storm caused more damage than a real one.

AFGHAN TRANSLATOR NOORISTANI SAFELY REACHES U.S.

"I never thought I would be here someday," Afghan translator Hayat Nooristani told Indianapolis Fox 59 News, a day after he arrived in the United States.

After fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan, where the Taliban murdered his cousin and grandmother and threatened his life, Hayat certainly had reason to believe he'd never reach freedom, but his ordeal with our State Department must have proved it. For almost three years, even as my Congressional staff and I advanced his cause, the bureaucracy erected roadblock after roadblock to Hayat's hope for an American visa, part of a program Congress specifically authorized in 2006 to help brave Afghans like Hayat.

Dennis Norris, a military contractor then living in Indiana's 4th District and a friend of mine, originally brought Hayat to my attention in 2011. Dennis had met him in Afghanistan, where Marine Sgt. Matt Massie introduced the two. Hayat was loyal to our country and served with distinction. He had been responsible for the sergeant's safety and other marines'. Dennis and Hayat became close friends, too, and Dennis encouraged him to apply for a visa, not only because Hayat's life was in danger, but also because he would make a great American.

If only the State Department had behaved the same way. Sometimes due to complicated rules, sometimes due to its penchant for changing them at the very last moment, often due to sheer incompetence, the department could rarely account for Hayat's application, after he filed one with his sponsor, Dennis. After waiting a year with no word, he even had to file a second time. Anthony Will, my Constituent Services Representative, who speaks English as well as anybody and was determined to achieve justice, often found the bureaucracy indecipherable. His communications with State, the National Visa Center and Kabul Embassy indicated none knew what the others were doing, or possibly worse. Dennis once told me the process seemed "designed to frustrate the applicant and encourage him to give up quickly."

Confronted with our federal bureaucracy, many must feel the same way. However, Hayat's life was stake. The Taliban was searching for him and had already killed his family members. That was hardly enough to convince the State Department, but we finally won victory on August 12, when Hayat stepped foot in Indiana, after receiving his visa only a week earlier. Hayat is now living with Dennis and his family, who are helping him go to school, and I'm proud to call him a Hoosier.

VETERANS AIR COMMAND GIVES LIFT TO WOUNDED VETS

Higher off the ground, I flew a mission for the Veteran's Air Command. The charity provides free air transportation to our Wounded Warriors and their families. This time, my passenger was the wife of an Air Force Technical Sergeant. Her husband had suffered traumatic injury, the result of a suicide attack in Afghanistan, and a Georgia hospital had accepted him for a medical evaluation. She needed a ride back home to Indiana, where she would wait two weeks for the hospital to decide whether her husband was a good candidate for treatment.

As we took flight, the sergeant's sacrifice weighed on my mind. I hoped his wife, also his full-time caretaker, would be getting good news soon. I also thought about the many veterans, patients at the VA, who had not --- and the bill I voted for, and the president signed in August, that will improve their healthcare outcomes. Denying bonuses, if not their jobs, to administrators who deny veterans care, the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act opens private facilities to those living too far from VA centers or waiting too long for treatment, as well as provides funding for more hospitals, among other solutions.

Hours later, when we touched down in Indiana, my passenger and I were glad to be back home and thinking about her husband in Georgia, I'm sure, who had put his life on the line to protect us here in America. He and his wife have my gratitude for their service and sacrifice, and I look forward to hearing good news soon, too.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care.

Sincerely,

Todd Rokita

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