Straight Talk With Sam - Reflecting on the 108th Congress

Volume 4, Issue 47 November 15, 2004

STRAIGHT TALK WITH SAM
Reflecting on the 108th Congress

As the year winds down into the remaining months, I wanted to highlight some of what the 108th Congress accomplished. Sessions of Congress last for two years. Meaning that bills passed by the House in 2003 have up until the end of 2004 to be passed by the Senate and signed into law.

In this session we passed and the President signed H.R. 2, the Jobs and Growth Act, which encouraged consumer spending to help boost an economic recovery. This bill has led to job creation as 2.2 million jobs have been created since August of 2003. Just last month 337,000 jobs were created, the largest increase in seven months.

We passed H.R. 1, which for the first time created voluntary prescription drug accounts for seniors. Seniors are encouraged to apply for drug cards that can save up to 10% to 25% off their bill. My own grandmother saved nearly $100 off her monthly bill. In addition it created Health Savings Accounts, which allow families to accumulate money tax-free for medial expenses.

We provided our troops with needed body-armor and other tools to win the War on Terrorism. We also provided a pay hike for all of our soldiers. We realigned the way our intelligence services work with the implementation of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.

These bills, plus many others, made this a very productive session of Congress. We have accomplished much, but we have more to do as the next session approaches in January. I hope the upcoming session is as productive as the last one.