ROY MAKES D.C. WORK FOR YOU
From national security to tax relief, Roy Blunt’s voting record and legislative portfolio reflect the values and interests of Southwest Missourians.

Roy has taken the common sense views and values of Southwest Missouri to Washington. It’s that common sense approach to problems that helped him get a spot on our leadership team, and he now gives Southwest Missouri a voice when the big decisions are made.

Understanding that the federal government needs to adhere to the same budget discipline that American families use, Roy has worked hard to restrain spending and get our budget back on track following the devastating attacks of September 11th and the recession we experienced. Roy knows the best way to do that is to put more money in the wallets of Southwest Missourians, because they know how to spend it better than the federal government does, so he worked to craft a plan to get our books back in balance and to expand our economy.

In the State of Missouri there are more than half a million taxpayers who file their taxes in the lowest 10% bracket. Roy works to make sure these working Missourians don’t see a tax hike.

There are some local problems that only the federal government can solve, though. In July, the House passed legislation sponsored by Roy and Senator Bond to protect private property owners around Mark Twain National Forest from having their land gobbled up by a Forest Service that is rewriting the rules in the middle of the game.

When the mad cow disease scare threatened our cattle producers in Southwest Missouri, Roy immediately organized meetings with producers and agriculture officials. These were the first of their kind in the country, and they went a long way toward quelling fears and solving problems.

After the tornadoes hit our area hard, Roy sponsored the Rural Disaster Liaison Bill, which would require a liaison from the USDA to be a member of future federal disaster response teams. This legislation would bring greater coordination from the USDA’s three major agencies—Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency and Rural Development in response to a disaster. The bill has passed the House.

Roy works to make sure that Southwest Missouri gets a fair share of federal funds—once they’re approved as part of the budget. Federal funding that Roy has secured in appropriations bills has created jobs and improved our community:

· $8 million in funding for Southwest Missouri State University’s Center for Applied Science and Engineering’s (CASE) new home in the Jordan Valley Innovation Center

· $13 million for new CASE research in advanced manufacturing technology, vital to today’s national defense needs

· The Jordan Valley Innovation Center will bring several businesses, 10 full-time jobs and 10 SMSU student positions to the area

· The renovation of the MFA Milling facility, located in Jordan Valley Park, is important to the continued development of downtown Springfield

· Renewable Environmental Solutions plant

· South Missouri Water Quality Office

So many veterans in Southwest Missouri were being hit by the concurrent receipt problem that’s been around since the Civil War. Roy took what he was hearing from them back to DC and, for the first time in 140 years, was able to broker a solution to the concurrent receipt issue for veterans, allowing them to receive both their disability and their retirement benefits at the same time.

Roy worked hard to provide America’s seniors with a prescription drug benefit under Medicare and served on the Speaker’s Prescription Drug Action Team. Now Medicare has finally caught up with modern medicine.

Building on President Bush’s faith-based agenda, Roy sponsored legislation, which passed the House overwhelmingly, to help more charities help more Americans. Our country’s charities face a crunch. Roy’s bill will expand their base of resources, so they can continue to do the good work of helping the hungry, the sick, the addicted, and the elderly.

When the American Medical Association declared Missouri a “crisis state” for medical liability, Roy pushed for House passage of the Medical Justice bill. The skyrocketing costs of malpractice insurance are forcing doctors out of business and forcing families to travel long distances for emergency care.

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