E-Newsletter
E-Newsletter
May 6, 2005
Honoring Fallen Minnesotans
Minnesota mourns two American heroes this week - two men who put their lives on the line to protect and defend our communities. U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Kelly Hinz served his nation, his community and his family with courage and compassion. His life is the model of service. He loved to fly, was an avid athlete, and followed in his father's footsteps in service to his country. Capt. Hinz graduated from St. Thomas Academy and the University of St. Thomas here in Saint Paul and is a native of Woodbury, MN. He made the ultimate sacrifice serving our nation in Iraq and we will be forever grateful. The sympathies of our nation go to his wife Molly, his daughter Abby, and to all of his family and friends.
St. Paul Police Sgt. Gerald Vick exemplified the great bravery of our city's finest, twice receiving the police department's highest honor, the Medal of Valor. In 1990, Sgt. Vick saved an infant from a burning building and in 1997 he shot and killed an armed robbery suspect who pulled a gun on him. Sgt. Vick served for 16 years on the Saint Paul police force and was a true public servant. He died today doing the job he loved and serving our community. He will be deeply missed by his family, his friends, and his fellow officers.
Covering the Uninsured and Putting Kids First
This is "Cover the Uninsured Week," and the problem of uninsured Minnesotans continues to grow -- rising 30 percent over the last 3 years. 80,000 children in our state lack health care coverage. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and I held a St. Paul town hall meeting this week to discuss his Kids First Act, which would provide critical health care coverage to 11 million uninsured American children. In the U.S. House, I have joined as a co-sponsor of this legislation (H.R. 1688). Click here to read more about putting Kids First. Providing access to affordable and quality health insurance should be a priority in Congress. As part of a comprehensive health care policy, I have co-sponsored the Family Care Act, the Medicare Early Access Act and the Small Business Health Insurance Promotion Act to build on programs that are already working for our familes. To learn more, click here.
Ensuring that quality health care is available to all Americans should be our highest priority.
Sincerely,
Congresswoman Betty McCollum
Serving Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District
http://www.mccollum.house.gov/vertical/Sites/%7B6CD95013-7C42-4AD8-A464-EB8D8679E9C9%7D/uploads/%7B6F30FAB3-E523-44EC-B97B-610D83A004E6%7D.PDF