Republicans and Democrats agree that there is a critical need that exists in our country today – the need to help childcare providers reopen their businesses safely. Childcare is a cornerstone of the American workforce. If parents do not have a safe place to send their children, they cannot work. If our nation is going to recover swiftly and successfully from the COVID-19 pandemic, childcare providers must be an integral part of the solution to getting America reopened and back to work.

Unfortunately, the bill H.R. 7027, the so-called Child Care Is Essential Act, is just another messaging bill for House Democrats who are more interested in political posturing than enacting meaningful solutions. This is becoming a recurring theme in Speaker Pelosi’s House of Representatives. The blatant disregard for congressional precedent and proper way of doing our jobs is appalling. Too many pieces of legislation are being written behind closed doors in the Speaker’s Office. This type of back room horse trading is not how the nation’s deliberative body should operate.

On top of this, House Democrats are casting votes and conducting legislative business from the comfort of their own homes, or in some cases a fishing boat, and bringing partisan messaging bills to the House floor without going through the legislative process – all while collecting a taxpayer funded paycheck.

Price Transparency In Hospitals

This week, I spoke on the House floor on increasing price transparency in hospitals. Included in a package of Republican legislation was an amendment I introduced to codify the Administration’s rule requiring hospitals to post the prices they have negotiated with insurers and their cash discounted prices for about 300 common services. This rule is a step forward towards empowering patients by giving them the information they need to make informed decisions and take control of their health care. Pulling back the curtain on hospital charges allows patients to shop around for the best price and will spur competition and innovation among hospitals for these services—and ultimately result in lower prices for patients.

It is a shame that Democrats decided to oppose this commonsense policy which will save money for patients and our health care system.

Robocalls Have Returned, And In Greater Numbers

From February to April, robocalls in North Carolina declined by over 40 percent, but now they’ve returned and more North Carolinians face the prospect of receiving these intrusive calls by the hour. As the economy began to reopen, call centers became active again – leading to a sharp uptick. In North Carolina, robocall laws contain many loopholes which companies can exploit, one of them being a provision where these calls are allowed if there is a live voice preceding a recorded message. Though many North Carolinians report these calls daily, they’re legally protected. By early June, the spam blocking service YouMail, estimated that 45 percent of robocalls in North Carolina were identified as spam.

My stance on this issue has always been clear. Since 2005, I have introduced the Robo Calls Off Phones (Robo COP) Act, legislation that directs the Federal Trade Commission to revise its regulations for the national “do-not-call registry” and allow politically oriented recorded messages to be added to that list. This legislation was spurred by requests from my constituents after they were bombarded repeatedly with unsolicited political calls during the 2004 election year. When I first ran for Congress, I made thousands of personal calls to voters to ask for support. Many of them were relieved to hear from an actual human being but they were frustrated about the number of robocalls placed to their households. They candidly admitted that they would not vote for that very reason. Ever since, I’ve reintroduced this legislation because more action must be taken on this front. Across the United States, families gather at their kitchen tables for an evening meal, but their time spent together is inevitably interrupted by their phones ringing off the hook with robocalls. It’s an enraging scenario we can all attest to experiencing, but that doesn’t mean that these nuisances can’t be put to bed.

New Scam Update

Have you checked your mailbox lately and found a package containing seeds that were postmarked from China? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of Americans have reported receiving these packages without any prior knowledge of ordering them. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), foreign, third-party sellers use your personal address and information from Amazon to create a fake sale to boost their product ratings and online presence.

To the untrained eye, these seeds may seem harmless, but the North Carolina Department of Agriculture says otherwise. According to the Department of Agriculture, these seeds may harbor invasive species of insects or plant diseases that can wreak havoc on crops. Please note: if you have received one of these packages in the mail, do not throw it in the trash. Save the contents of the package, including the shipping label, and contact the Plant Industry Division toll free at 800-206-9333. Following your inquiry, Plant Industry staff will contact you directly to gather further information and to schedule a time to pick up the package.

While this scam is new, and has been reported across the United States, seeds are not the only product you could receive. It’s reported that some Chinese companies will even send other items such as plastic toys, bags, or even rubber bands to random households. Yes, these products may seem harmless, but you must always stay on your guard.

Recent Events

Military promotion ceremony with Matt Jones

Met with Frank and Kathy Hijek at Hillbilly Grill

Floor Debate On The Child Care Is Essential Act