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Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Show-Me the Price
October 17th 2018 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Show-Me the Price
Congressman Smith Capitol Report
Show-Me the Price
October 12, 2018
 
Information is power. Unfortunately, current rules and regulations are preventing you from having all the information you need when paying for certain prescription drugs. That’s right, red tape and insider deals meant to benefit bottom lines are preventing your local pharmacy from being able to tell you if you could pay less for the same prescriptions. That all changed last week when President Trump signed into law a ban of “gag clauses,” which had previously benefited health care industry insiders at the expense of Missouri families trying to care for loved ones.
 
At the start of this Congress, I held half a dozen public roundtables and heard directly from local doctors, patients, pharmacists, small business owners, and families who were all concerned about the rising costs of health care services. Premium prices have increased dramatically since Obamacare became law and fewer choices, if any, have been available where the Obamacare markets have failed. At our roundtables many people shared how very few choices they have in the health care market if at all, from their doctor, their premiums, or their prescriptions. Some of the barriers to competition are built in to the health care system– since Obamacare has been law, fewer options are available, especially in rural areas. But some of these barriers are artificial, imposed by companies at the pharmacy, preventing the pharmacist from telling customers if cheaper prescription options are available.
 
I believe in free markets, where the consumer knows all of the products available to them and can make an informed decision that’s best for the individual. ‘Gag clauses’ violate this key principle and cause Americans to pay more for the same prescriptions. By President Trump signing the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act and the Know the Lowest Price Act, we have banned ‘gag clauses’ in Medicare and the individual market and prevented insurance companies from concealing lower cost alternatives. Now you can know what options are available to you at the pharmacy and make the decision that is right for your wallet and your health.
 
Otherwise, allowing companies to ban pharmacists from informing customers moves us closer to the ‘single-payer’ government takeover of the health care system. President Trump and I want Americans to have the freedom of choice – to see the doctor that is right for them, to have the most affordable prescription options available, and the flexibility to choose the health care plan that best fits their needs. I applaud the Trump Administration for putting “everything on the table if it helps deliver a solution,” to lower health costs, as Health and Human Services Secretary Azar said. 
 
President Obama gave the government more control of the health care system, and services declined while costs skyrocketed. President Trump and I believe the power belongs to the people and you should have as many choices as possible in front of you when you are making health care decisions for you and your family. Americans deserve a health care system that places as little as possible between the doctor and the patient – no gag clauses, bureaucracy, or additional red tape. Government control of the health care system is a disease – and the cure is choice, freedom, and transparency.

Last Updated on October 17th 2018 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/vbc2/Congressman-Jason-Smiths-Capitol-Report--ShowMe-the-Price


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Congressman Smith Announces Investment for New Roadway, Jobs
October 15th 2018 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Smith Announces Investment for New Roadway, Jobs
Jackson, Missouri - Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) announced today the DRA will invest $315,277 for construction of a new public roadway in northwest Cape Girardeau County.
 
DRA’s share is part of a larger $623,402 investment for the roadway, which will allow access to a new sandstone mine and manufacturing facility. The plant is projected to create 80 new jobs.
 
“The Delta Regional Authority was created by Congress for this exact purpose – to increase the quality of life for residents in the Mississippi River Delta Region,” said Congressman Smith. “By investing in Missouri’s infrastructure and workforce, this project will help strengthen the local economy and bring good paying jobs to the hardworking families of Cape Girardeau County.”
 
“This is wonderful news for Cape Girardeau County,” said Brian Gerau, Executive Director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber is proud to work with Congressman Smith, who has been an excellent partner for bringing jobs and new investments to southern Missouri.”
 
The new roadway in Jackson was announced as Congressman Smith and DRA announced investments totaling $1.1 million in rural Missouri’s economy and infrastructure.
 
“DRA investments will support the development of new manufacturing facilities, support the expansion of an existing business, and establish training programs that enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Missouri’s workforce,” said DRA Chairman Chris Caldwell. “Our key investments include infrastructure improvements that support economic development and job growth in the state.”
 
The Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership created by Congress in 2000 to help create jobs, build communities, and improve lives through strategic investments in economic development in 252 counties and parishes across eight states. DRA has invested more than $185 million into more than 1,100 projects. Overall, DRA investments have helped create and retain more than 55,000 jobs, train nearly 45,000 workers to advance in the 21st Century, and deliver sewer and water improvements to more than 238,000 residents and businesses.

Last Updated on October 15th 2018 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/vbb4/Congressman-Smith-Announces-Investment-for-New-Roadway-Jobs


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Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Protecting Paychecks, Permanently
September 25th 2018 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Protecting Paychecks, Permanently
Congressman Smith Capitol Report
Protecting Paychecks, Permanently
September 21, 2018
 
For too many years under President Obama’s tenure, the federal government grew while Americans’ paychecks shrank. Millions watched with disgust as their tax dollars flowed to Washington for wasteful programs and pet projects. Last year President Trump and I reversed course and overhauled the uncompetitive, outdated tax code to prioritize families first and put more money in your pocket. We took resources out of the hands of Washington bureaucrats and put it back into your paycheck. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set the conditions for the current economic boom in the United States, but due to outdated Senate rules only understood by the swamp, many of our ideas to support families will eventually expire in the coming years, once again raising taxes on American workers, families, and small business owners.
 
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has done wonders for Missouri’s families, who were failed the most by the old tax code. We aren’t New York or California millionaires who can afford to pay a team of lawyers to comb through complicated loopholes and ways to skirt around our tax bills, and we shouldn’t have to. President Trump and I simplified and lowered rates, and now a family of four making up to $55k owes nothing on Tax Day to the federal government. Because of our pro-growth and family-first policies, middle-class families in the United States are now taking home more money than ever before and saving billions in compliance costs.
 
This is what the tax bill was all about – allowing you and your family to keep more of your hard-earned money. But due to little-understood rules in the United States Senate, these tax cuts are temporary and will eventually expire. Undeterred by the obstructionists, the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting this week to permanently lock in your tax cuts and the new Child Tax Credit. We’re also proposing new ideas to give you more control over your money because it’s yours, not Washington’s, and you should have the flexibility to spend it how you see fit.
 
Tax Reform 2.0 will support families through every stage of life by eliminating arbitrary Washington limits on how you can save and spend your money. As you welcome a new child into your family, you’ll be able to access retirement savings penalty-free. Students will be able to use 529 education accounts to pay for more education expenses, including apprenticeships and paying off student loan debt. New tax-preferred universal savings accounts will be available for everyone, and small businesses will be able to join together to create affordable 401(k) plans for workers. It’s bad enough that Washington takes a sizeable cut of your pay; it shouldn’t also dictate how you can save and spend what the IRS doesn’t take first.
 
Last year’s historic tax reform was about cleaning up the tax code and putting more money in your pocket. Tax Reform 2.0 is about keeping it there, and helping families spend their money how they see fit through every stage of life. We’re planning for the future so more Americans can chase their dreams, and America can continue to compete and win on the world stage.

Last Updated on September 25th 2018 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/vb76/Congressman-Jason-Smiths-Capitol-Report--Protecting-Paychecks-Permanently


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Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Celebrating the Constitution
September 24th 2018 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Jason Smith's Capitol Report - Celebrating the Constitution

Congressman Smith Capitol Report

Celebrating the Constitution

September 14, 2018

 

On September 17th, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention finished months of tense deliberations and compromises. Standing in Independence Hall in Philadelphia where 11 years earlier America declared her independence, 39 delegates signed their names on parchment paper boldly proclaiming, “We the People of the United States…establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This week on National Constitution Day we celebrate the greatest legal document ever written and the bedrock for American government, the U.S. Constitution.

 

The framers of the Constitution didn’t agree on everything, in fact they disagreed constantly. Our founding fathers and the states they represented had greatly differing opinions on the structure of government and how much power to give elected officials. Until they reached the “Great Compromise” calling for proportional representation in the House and equal representation of states in the Senate, there were doubts if they would ever reach an agreement the entire Union could get behind. Ultimately, they established a government with checks and balances, carefully designed to protect states’ rights while dividing power between three equal branches of government and guaranteeing the government does not infringe on individual liberties.

 

At fewer than 4,500 words, the Constitution has a beautiful simplicity to it. It is the shortest and oldest Constitution still in use today, and over 100 countries have used the U.S. Constitution as a model for their own. While it lays out the responsibilities and procedures unique to each branch of government, the Constitution is remarkable because it clearly states what the government cannot do. To the framers of the Constitution, every individual in the world has fundamental rights – not given by the government, but by our Creator. They were disgusted by governments around the world infringing on the rights of the people and established a Constitution which does not grant rights, but rather bans the government from infringing on our God-given freedoms. It’s an important distinction, and one that shows how valuable and inherent our founders believed individual liberties are. In a new government of, by, and for the people, they barred the government from preventing the people from defending themselves, speaking their mind, and worshiping how they choose, among others. President Abraham Lincoln said the Constitution “must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.”

 

Perhaps the most important branch of government for maintaining the Constitution is the judicial branch. We trust justices on the Supreme Court with the incredible responsibility of interpreting laws and telling the government when it oversteps its Constitutional authority. It is vital to have Supreme Court justices who respect the Constitution and the proper role of the judiciary above all else, and I applaud President Trump for nominating fierce defenders of the Constitution like Justice Gorsuch and Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. One of the most revealing parts of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings last week was how often he referred to his pocket Constitution, which he’s carried with him for 25 years. During questioning he pulled out his copy more than 300 times, showing the nation that above all else, his loyalty is to our nation’s founding document.

 

We are blessed to live in a country where our founding fathers crafted a masterpiece of a Constitution to balance our rights and the need for a government with restrained power. I firmly believe every American should study the Constitution because Constitutional issues confront the nation daily, and it’s important for the public to understand the basis on which all American laws are formed. If you would like a copy of the Constitution, my office can help direct you to the most affordable options. Studying our country’s founding document is the surest way to ensure your liberties, granted only by our Creator, will be guaranteed in the United States of America.


Last Updated on September 24th 2018 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/vb5p/Congressman-Jason-Smiths-Capitol-Report--Celebrating-the-Constitution


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Congressman Jason Smith Named “Hero of Main Street”
September 13th 2018 by Dee Loflin
Congressman Jason Smith Named “Hero of Main Street”
U.S. Representative Jason Smith (MO-08) was named a “Hero of Main Street” for consistently supporting small businesses and cutting taxes while serving in Congress. The “Hero of Main Street” Award was presented by the National Retail Federation, which represents the interests of millions of small businesses.
 
“I’m proud to work with President Trump every day to grow the economy and support small businesses, family farmers, and American workers,” said Congressman Smith. “Thanks to tax cuts, regulatory relief, and shrinking the size of the federal government, small business optimism has now reached the highest point in our country’s history.”

Congressman Smith is an original author of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which President Trump signed into law in late 2017. Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted, 1.5 million jobs have been created in the United States and last quarter’s GDP growth in the U.S. was 4.2%, the strongest growth pace in nearly four years.
 
The overwhelming majority of retailers are small businesses, with more than 98 percent of all retail companies employing fewer than 50 people.

“Retailers and consumers are feeling good about the state of the U.S. economy, and a big part of that is the result of lawmakers who have made economic growth and job creation a top priority,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “As a Hero of Main Street, Congressman Smith truly understands that the decisions made in Washington have a real impact on local businesses and communities across the country.” 

The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association. NRF represents discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.

Last Updated on September 13th 2018 by Dee Loflin
https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/vb55/Congressman-Jason-Smith-Named-Hero-of-Main-Street


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