111th Congress:  Action on Family & Social Policy

I am pleased to sponsor legislation and take actions that will support policies to encourage strong family and social structure. This is not a comprehensive list of all the legislation I have co-sponsored related to family and social policy issues. You can view a comprehensive list at the Legislation Co-Sponsored Section of this site or through the Library of Congress Thomas site.

At present, I am still evaluating legislation in the 111th Congress to determine if I should add my co-sponsorship and support.  Updated will be posted here when those decisions are made.  I have agreed to co-sponsor the following measures, which have not yet been introduced in the 111th Congress:

• The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act.
• The Human Cloning Prohibition Act.

Other actions I have taken to support Idaho family and social policy initiatives include:

• Advocated for funding for Idaho projects related to family and social policy in FY2010 budget.

• Co-signed a letter to Dr. Raynard Kington, Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) providing comments regarding NIH’s Draft Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research.  The letter highlights the importance of human dignity, the advancement of science, including ethical stem cell research and the alleviation of disease.

• Co-signed a letter (dated May 8, 2009), with over 20 other Senate Republicans, to Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, to express concerns regarding the Administration’s new policy to permit the sale of levonorgestrel, or the Plan B "morning after" pill, to minors without first receiving care from a physicians.  Click here to read the letter.

• Co-signed a letter, dated March 23, 2009, to the Labor, Health and Human Services, Ecuation and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee in support of continued funding for the Community-Based Abstinence Program.  Click here to read the letter.

• Co-signed a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of the continued inclusion of longstanding pro-life provisions, known as “pro-life riders”, in all Senate Appropriations bills.  These pro-life riders prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to perform or promote abortion policies, protect the consciences of health care professionals and prevent funding for unethical human embryo provisions.  Click here to read the letter.

 

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