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Congresswoman Virginia Foxx spoke at a recent meeting of the Banner Elk Kiwanis Club on May 3. A number of Rotarians attended the meeting as well.

Avery County’s newly redistricted Congresswoman Virginia Foxx made a special appearance on May 3 at a meeting of the Banner Elk Kiwanis to share her vision for representing the High Country in Congress.

After an introduction from Banner Elk Kiwanian Jim Swinkola, Foxx offered a brief history of her service before opening up the floor for questions.

“Virginia has led national movements to reduce government spending and increase federal accountability,” Swinkola said. “She has been known for taking repeated stances on the principals of limited government and individual freedom. She is also recognized far and wide as a champion for improving secondary and post-secondary education.”

Foxx spent her childhood in Crossnore before graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill and receiving a doctorate from UNC-Greensboro. Prior to her election to the NC Senate in 1994, Foxx served as president and later as a consultant at Mayland Community College from 1987 to 1994. Since 2004, she has served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina’s 5th congressional district.

In her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Foxx introduced a “do not call” list for political campaigning as a freshman representative. Foxx has also sponsored legislation which allows veterans to invest in IRAs, a workforce development act and the newly passed “Every Child Succeeds” Act, which replaced the “No Child Left Behind” Act.

One individual asked about the March 15 primary election, where congressional candidates appeared on the ballot. The individual asked whether the election officials were sworn to secrecy as to the results of that race. Foxx answered that due to redistricting, the legislature had to allow for a new election and candidates to re-file for the new election.

Mike Halus asked about the apparent lack of bipartisan cooperation between Republicans and Democrats and what could be done to foster cooperation. Foxx answered that this perception is largely created by the media, and that most bills that are passed have bipartisan support.

“It is really unfortunate that people think that we are just at each other’s throats all the time,” Foxx said. “That is simply not the truth. Now I will tell you that Republicans are the most conservative they have probably ever been, and Democrats are the most liberal that there probably have ever been. So philosophically, we are very different in many ways. But our committees and subcommittees are made up of both parties. We work together, we accept amendments and accept bills. We get along very well. We know each other and are friends with each other.”

Rotarian Ed Neff asked Foxx about Avery’s lack of high-speed Internet, and if anything can be done at the federal level to help facilitate the process. Neff said that lines cannot pass over the Blue Ridge Parkway, and asked if it might be possible to go underneath. Foxx responded that there is money available from many different agencies and that the National Parks Service is one of the most difficult agencies to deal with in the federal government.

Another gentleman asked about felons being allowed to vote under federal law. Foxx responded that she was not on the judiciary committee, but said that the decision should be made on a state-by-state basis to determine a felon’s right to vote.

Avery County Schools Superintendent David Burleson asked what the federal government’s role should be in schools. Foxx responded that she would invite audience members to read the Constitution and see if the word ‘education’ was listed as a responsibility of the federal government. Foxx said that if she had her way, she would have the federal government out of education altogether.

Jeff Davis asked Foxx what she can do at the federal level to help Avery County develop economically. Foxx responded that she has to look at the entire country in her role and work on items like reducing the tax burden on corporations and lifting regulations.

A reporter from The AJT asked Foxx for her opinion on the recent redistricting process and whether she would support an independent, non-partisan redistricting. Foxx said that the Constitution gives responsibility for drawing districts to the legislature, and that states that have independent redistricting still have issues with partisan politics in the process. Foxx went on to say that districts should be drawn as fairly as possible and said that she thought that these were the best districts in a long time. With only 13 counties divided, she said that districts should be formed in terms of “communities of interest.”

Speaking with The AJT after the meeting, Foxx said that she is sponsoring a bill called the “Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act.” The bill has passed the U.S. House and will go to the Senate. Foxx said she will continue her work on the Rules Committee and the Higher Education subcommittee of the Education Committee. Foxx said she will also be working on regulatory and appropriations issues.

http://www.averyjournal.com/news/foxx-visits-banner-elk-kiwanians/article_349d2de8-3354-5a7a-88a7-27219183268a.html