MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Congressman Scott will host a reception to recognize all participating high school students of his Fourth Annual Congressional Art Competition and announce the top winners at the Arts Clayton Gallery. Residents of the District are invited to come out to support area students and view an exhibit of all of the entries.

WHEN: Saturday, March 18, 2006 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. WHERE: Arts Clayton Gallery 136 South Main St Jonesboro, GA 30237 (770) 473-5457

The Congressional Art Competition was created in 1982 as a way to showcase the artistic talents of young people throughout the country. To date hundreds of thousands of high school students from around the nation have been able to participate at the local level. During last year’s reception, scholarships to the Art Institute of Atlanta or the Savannah College of Art and Design were offered as awards to the winners. The Art Institute of Atlanta presented the first prize winner with a $10,000 scholarship, the second prize–a $5000 scholarship, and the third prize–a $2000 scholarship. The Savannah College of Art and Design offered a $3,000 scholarship renewable for up to four years for first prize. The winning entries from last year’s successful competition, including a painting by the 13th District’s Dean Beresford of Mundy’s Mill High School, currently hang in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol. This year’s first-place winner will be invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. For more information about the Congressional Art Competition, including competition guidelines, please contact Scott Goldstein at 770-210-5073.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman David Scott (GA-13)

Rep. Scott to Address Riverdale Kiwanis Club

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

Ahead of the 15th anniversary of President Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement:

“Fifteen years ago, Democrats revolutionized health care in America and proved what’s possible when good governance invests directly in the people. Make no mistake about it: there are countless Americans who are alive today because of the ACA. Nearly 50 million people have obtained affordable health care through the marketplaces since 2014, and over 100 million with pre-existing conditions like cancer and diabetes go to sleep knowing they are protected.

“Under President Biden, Democrats believed again in the possibilities of our people and built on our progress. We expanded tax credits, strengthened the marketplaces, and set a record enrollment of 24 million. We secured Medicare drug price negotiation, capped the cost of insulin and out-of-pocket costs for seniors, and ensured their vaccines come at no cost. Our efforts are working and saving lives. More Americans are covered than ever, and at lower costs.

“Despite 15 years of Republican threats and sabotage, the ACA stands as a pillar of American health care. But we must remain vigilant: our progress remains under siege by Republicans, who continue to be the single greatest threat to Americans’ health. Just this month, the Administration proposed a rule that would strip coverage away and increase premiums for millions. President Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to relentlessly attack Americans and their health care by threatening massive cuts, firing thousands of staff, and jacking up costs. If Republicans get their way, people will see their livelihoods decimated, their protections vanish, their premiums skyrocket, all while they watch big corporations collect fat checks from the ashes. A poorer, sicker America is their plan.

“Ways and Means Democrats will keep fighting for our progress and sounding the alarm at every Republican attack. We will always stand strong to preserve, protect, and expand the possibilities of the Affordable Care Act. The stakes are life and death.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

Amber James has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for over two decades.

When she learned last week that Louis DeJoy, postmaster general, is working with the Department of Government Efficiency, the new federal agency that oversees government spending, on plans to cut jobs and funding from the USPS budget, “it was one of the worst days in USPS history,” she said.

“It is horrifying,” she said.

James, who works in the vehicle department, managing parts for delivery trucks, said, “I fear that I will lose my job.”

Her concerns are a part of a larger issue: President Donald J. Trump has a plan to take control of the USPS, meaning the agency, which has been independent since 1970, would exist under the executive branch.

“We want to have a Post Office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money,” Trump told The Associated Press in February. “We’re thinking about doing that. And it’ll be a form of a merger, but it’ll remain the Postal Service, and I think it’ll operate a lot better.”

James was one of dozens of people who attended a protest in front of the USPS on Main Street in Springfield on Thursday, alongside many of her colleagues and management, all of whom are opposing Trump’s plan.

“What the Trump administration is doing is illegal and hostile,” said Dave Bogacz, clerk craft director for the American Postal Workers Union of the Springfield area, while standing in the bed of a pickup truck outside of the post office.

James said one of her biggest worries is that a privatized postal service would mean people who rely on daily deliveries won’t have access to their mail anymore.

“They could pick and choose who to deliver to. What about elderly people? What about rural residents? What will they do?” she said.

In a letter sent to DOGE, which is led in part by Elon Musk, DeJoy asked for the federal department’s help in addressing “big problems” at the $78 billion-a-year agency, which has sometimes struggled in recent years to stay afloat. The agreement also includes the General Services Administration in an effort to help the Postal Service identify and achieve “further efficiencies.”

USPS delivers to 167 million addresses nationwide on a daily basis, said Bogacz. Privatizing the postal service, which employs nearly half a million people nationwide, would not only eliminate jobs, but it also would mean that people would not get mail that they rely on, he said.

“We are a service for the people, not a business for the billionaires,” he said.

The USPS has historically hired with preference to veterans and minorities, touting the value of diversity in its workforce.

One of the protesters, Pat Bagnall, a longtime Springfield resident, said she is opposed to Trump’s plan to change things at USPS. A relative, she said, worked for the USPS for a long time.

“Elderly people and disabled people rely on USPS for their Social Security checks, their medication,” she said. “It’s a service that many are dependent on, especially in rural areas.” She agreed that privatization could end delivery in rural parts of the country.

Bagnall was standing next to a fellow protester, Karen Casavant, of Ludlow.

“I support the union. The USPS should stay a government service,” she said. “Everything will be more expensive when the USPS is privatized, and there will be less congressional oversight.”

In the background, protesters walked up and down Liberty Street, holding their signs and chanting slogans like, “U.S. mail is not for sale.”

Midway through the protest, a man dressed as Musk, wearing a mask of the tech billionaire’s face and a black trench coat that Musk has been seen wearing in several photos, dragged a cardboard Cybertruck behind him and held a chain saw as he made his way to the front of the post office.

The man declined to give his name to the press, insisting that he was “Elon Musk” and was at the protest to bribe supporters of the postal service with $100 bills.

“Do you want a job?” he asked a reporter.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, visited the protest, as well. On the drizzly afternoon, he said, the postal service’s staff have “the confidence of the citizenry.”

Earlier this week, a U.S. postal worker reported a fire in Springfield’s Forest Park neighborhood while delivering mail.

“The (postal service) provides another set of eyes and ears in neighborhoods. You take care of the shut-ins. They look forward to seeing you,” Neal said. “When they see you, they’re reminded of that security blanket that you’ve provided.”

Of the proposed plan to privatize, Neal said, “This is an offense to the American people.”

“There is no rhyme or reason to threaten to privatize one of America’s most essential and popular services, the United States Postal Service,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

Design work for track and station projects needed to make Pittsfield-to-Springfield-to-Boston passenger rail work proceeds despite worries that the Biden-era federal funding might not last in the Trump administration.

“Well, I tell you this, I’m going full steam on east-west rail,” Gov. Maura T. Healey told reporters this week following her speech to more than 400 people at the Governor’s Conference on Travel and Tourism in Springfield. “I’m glad to see we’ve got designs going for the Palmer station. We’ve got funding now for Springfield.”

Healey spoke at the tail end of a series of stops for her “Transforming Transportation Roadshow” in Lenox and in Becket for a culvert replacement at Bonny Rigg Hill Road over Walker Brook. She’s building support for a proposed $8 billion transportation plan and Chapter 90 bill.

The Republican minority leader in the state Senate, Sen. Peter Durant of Spencer, told the Daily Hampshire Gazette that he’s “not a huge fan” of west-east rail. His office didn’t respond to calls Wednesday.

Appearing on a Boston television station Sunday, Durant said he’ll make the call on a 2026 Republican bid for governor “relatively shortly,” but there are some people he needs to talk to first, including his wife.

The Trump administration has already announced an investigation and possible withdrawal of about $4 billion in federal funding from California’s high speed rail project. And it has talked about tying transportation funding to birth and marriage rates.

“I’m always concerned again about what the Trump administration might do with basic funding for infrastructure and transportation.,” Healey said. “But we are going to continue moving forward in Massachusetts. It’s important to me.”

The plan is, after necessary track and station repairs, for Amtrak to add the first two new daily round trips from Springfield to Boston and back beginning in 2029 or early 2030.

“We are going to use the funds that we have,” Healey said.

For west-east passenger rail, those funds include CRISI — Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements — of $108 million in federal funding announced two years ago and another $37 million for rail improvements reliving a “chokepoint” at Springfield Union Station announced in October.

MassDOT also previously received a $1.75 million CRISI grant for preliminary engineering for the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project.

The federal government has a contractual obligation to reimburse those expenses, said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.

“Well, it’s the law. It was passed by Congress,” Neal said.

Neal said the state was in contact with transportation officials in the closing day of the Biden administration, safeguarding funds.

And projects from the state’s $6 billion share of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding are beginning this construction season.

Tying spending to birth and marriage rates is unlikely, Neal said.

“I don’t think that stands up in court, never mind any other place,” he said.

He said the Massachusetts population is increasing.

As for capturing additional funding?

“I intend to stay with it,” Neal said “Republicans like infrastructure as much as Democrats do. I think these are achievable goals,”

Amtrak, the national rail carrier, had bipartisan support serving GOP districts.

Speaking last month, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, sound less optimistic when discussing the possibility of federal funds for increased passenger service across the state’s northern tier.

“It is going to be challenging here, with the Trump administration,” McGovern said.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

Neal on the Five-Alarm Fire at the Social Security Administration

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

After Ways and Means Democrats commanded the attention of the American people, rightfully hearing their concerns over DOGE’s illegal access to their most sensitive data, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA), along with all the Democratic members of the Committee, wrote to Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) demanding Musk appear before the Committee.

“We understand that members of DOGE have accessed, and are attempting to access, millions of Americans’ personal and confidential tax, worker, Social Security, health, child custody, and other private information located at departments and agencies within this Committee’s jurisdiction,” Ways and Means Democrats emphasized. “Our Committee owes a duty to our constituents and the American people to determine what data has been accessed and copied, how the data is or will be used, where the data has been shared, and the names, clearance levels, and training levels of the individuals who have accessed, or are accessing, this data.”

The lawmakers reminded the Majority: “The unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information is a felony…Given the history of this Committee, we assume it would want to protect the confidential tax returns and return information of all citizens regardless of the agency possessing the data.”

Finally, the lawmakers called for: “the Committee to hold a hearing immediately to examine the breadth of DOGE’s actions and require Elon Musk and members of DOGE to appear as witnesses before the Committee.”

Read the full letter HERE.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 27, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement regarding Elon Musk and DOGE gaining access to the confidential personal information of alleged victims of housing discrimination through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):

“With every passing day, Elon Musk’s disturbing control over our federal agencies grows deeper and continues to threaten the livelihoods of Americans. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is only the latest victim of his severely troubling overreach and, as a result, the confidential personal information of victims of housing discrimination has fallen into an oligarch’s hands. Once again, he and DOGE have exceeded their stated mission of increasing efficiency in the federal government. I am incredibly concerned by what the world’s richest man plans to do with data he has no right to hold, particularly in the context of his ongoing campaign against agencies and individuals who believe in fair treatment for all. The very last place American lives belong is in Elon Musk’s hands.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 27, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — This week, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) joined Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) to reintroduce the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. It would also include recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries. The legislation has been cosponsored by 201 Members of Congress, including all the bill leads, and has been endorsed by nearly 120 organizations. 

Dreamers have spent nearly their entire lives here in the United States. They have attended school, earned degrees, built careers, and contributed billions to our economy, all while calling this country home. Many have started families and raised children who are U.S. citizens. For example, it is estimated that the average DACA recipient came to this country at the age of six and has been here for 20 years. Likewise, TPS holders have been living and working in the United States for decades. They have built their families here and contribute significantly to their communities and our nation’s economy. 

Dreamers and TPS recipients make major economic and fiscal contributions each year. DACA recipients pay approximately $6.2 billion in federal taxes and $3.3 billion in state and local taxes annually. The Center for American Progress estimates that the national GDP could grow by $799 billion over the next decade if Dreamers were provided a pathway to citizenship. 

Economic models show a pathway to citizenship would increase wages for all workers in the U.S. and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. It is estimated that DACA recipients in 2022 collectively earned nearly $27.9 billion and contributed nearly $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare, despite not being eligible for these benefits under current law. 

“I am proud to reintroduce the American Dream and Promise Act alongside my colleague, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. This bipartisan legislation is a step forward in addressing commonsense immigration reform—strengthening protections for TPS recipients and defending Dreamers from deportation. As a daughter of Jamaican immigrants and the representative of a district that is a cultural melting pot, I will always fight to ensure the American Dream is obtainable,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. “As long as good people and their families continue to be denied the freedoms and liberties necessary to live that dream and remain economic drivers for our nation’s growth and development, our work to pass this essential legislation must persist.”

“Dreamers are American in every way but on paper. For decades, they have contributed to and shaped the fabric of America. Yet, they are currently denied their place in the American story,” said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. “Our nation cannot afford to lose the small business owners, the talent, the artists, the aspiring public servants, and the drive that Dreamers bring. If that’s not American, I don’t know what is. The American Dream and Promise Act writes them into the American story—a part that has been missing for too long.”

“Twelve years ago, the Obama-Biden administration took a bold and necessary step by creating DACA to protect undocumented young people who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own. This program has allowed more than 800,000 Dreamers to live, work, and contribute to their communities,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez. “But for too long, courts have put their futures at risk, forcing them to live in uncertainty. That is why I was proud to be one of the original authors of the bipartisan Dream and Promise Act, a common-sense solution that will provide permanent protections and a path to citizenship for Dreamers and recipients of Temporary Protected Status. These are our neighbors, colleagues, and friends, and it is long past time we give them the security they deserve.”

“This country has no better opportunity than now to give the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who have lived among us as friends, family, and members of our communities the dignity they were promised many years ago,” said Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar. “I am proud to co-lead the American Dream and Promise Act because it’s time for Dreamers and their families to live in the Promised Land as Americans.”

“I am proud to join Congresswoman Garcia in support of the American Dream and Promise Act for the 119th Congress in support of the newly 3.4 million Dreamers who strengthen our communities, fuel our economy, and deserve a pathway to citizenship,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat. “Today, we are standing united to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the American dream remains viable for all who are seeking opportunities in our nation.”

“As an immigrant who came to this country at 16 years old and founded the largest immigrant rights organization in Washington State before coming to Congress, I’m proud to stand with Dreamers as they pursue a roadmap to citizenship. For far too long, Dreamers have had to live in the shadows as they do essential work in communities across the country,” said Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. “Now, under President Trump’s cruel immigration policies, many are terrified that DACA could be struck down, Dreamers could be deported, and their families could be torn apart. But Dreamers are Americans and Dreamers are home . It’s past time that we give them citizenship and pass legislation to protect them from cruel mass deportation campaigns and anti-immigrant stunts.”

“DACA, TPS, and DED status holders have made invaluable contributions to our nation, and our immigration system should give them the option to continue to make these contributions and pursue their dreams,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu. “On this thirteenth anniversary of DACA, I urge the President and my congressional colleagues to join our bipartisan coalition and finally provide a pathway to citizenship for these individuals through the American Dream and Promise Act.”

“Dreamers are an essential part of our communities. They are our nurses, police officers, and soldiers. They follow the law, pay taxes, and have built their lives in this country—graduating from American schools, growing in their careers, and starting their families here in America,” said Congressman Lou Correa. “They’re deeply embedded in the fabric of our communities. They’re our neighbors and friends, and are a part of the economic fabric of this great country. They deserve the opportunity to be Americans. It’s past time that Congress passed the American Dream and Promise Act and delivered an earned pathway to citizenship for Dreamers—to keep their families together and keep our economy alive.”

“Democrats and Republicans alike must prove to every Dreamer and immigrant who calls our nation home that we know they are part of the fabric of our nation. At a time when Dreamers are under attack, it is more imperative than ever that Congress finally act,” said Congresswoman Delia Ramirez. “In co-leading the American Dream and Promise Act, I promise I will keep fighting for Dreamers. For my husband, my family, my friends, my community, we must deliver a pathway to citizenship for every immigrant.”

The bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 would:

1. Protect and grant eligible Dreamers conditional permanent residence for ten years and cancel removal proceedings
2. Provide a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers by granting full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status
3. Provide individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforcement Departure (DED) with LPR status
4. Protect Dreamers and individuals with TPS or DED during their application for relief under the American Dream and Promise Act
5. Provide eligible Dreamers with access to federal financial aid
6. Allow eligible Dreamers located abroad to apply for relief
7. Prevent penalizing states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented students based on residency

Before his inauguration, President Donald Trump indicated he wanted to work with Democrats to protect Dreamers and that Republicans were open to getting something done on this issue. Congresswoman Garcia and her colleagues extend an open invitation to President Trump to get this done by passing the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025, which the American public strongly supports. Polls have consistently shown the majority of Americans support Republicans and Democrats working together on legislation that would enable Dreamers to earn legal status and eventual citizenship. 

The bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act has been endorsed by nearly 120 organizations, including: United We Dream, Home is Here Coalition, FWD.us, Immigration Hub, CASA, AFL-CIO, Working Families United (WFU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), UNITE HERE, International Association of Ironworkers, United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Hispanic National Bar Association, University of California System, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Santa Barbara, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Education Association (NEA), Center for Popular Democracy, MoveOn, American Immigration Council, America’s Voice, UnidosUS, NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Hispanic Federation, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), CHIRLA, American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), National Partnership for New Americans, Center for American Progress (CAP), League of Women Voters of the United States, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), Association of American Universities, EdTrust, Immigration Project, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights First, President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Children’s Defense Fund, Children’s Defense Fund-Texas, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, Church World Service, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, National Council of Jewish Women, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Global Refugee, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Amnesty International, Make the Road Pennsylvania, Make the Road Nevada, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Columbia Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Voices for Utah Children, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Nicaraguan American Legal Defense and Education Fund (NALDEF), Haitian Bridge Alliance, NM Dream Team, Friends Committee on National Legislation, The Children’s Partnership, People Power United, Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN), African Communities Together, People for the American Way, The Clinical Social Work Association, Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Immigration Equality, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), Women’s Refugee Commission, MomsRising, Ayuda, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Children’s HealthWatch, American Council on Education (ACE), Freedom Network USA, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Child Welfare League of America, SchoolHouse Connection, Prevention Institute, National Center on Adoption and Permanency, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Central American Resource Center of Northern California (CARECEN SF), Foster Care Alumni of America, Immigrants Act Now, Omaha Together One Community, ImmSchools, National Association of Counsel for Children, Children’s Advocacy Institute, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts at the University of Baltimore School of Law, Sull and Associates, Hope Border Institute, Immigrants Rising, New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, UndocuBlack Network, Muslim Advocates, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Hindus for Human Rights, Arkansas United, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, African Public Affairs Committee, Hindus for Human Rights, American Families United, Texas Equal Access Fund, Lilith Fund, Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, Union for Reform Judaism.

The American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 is identical to the version that passed the House in the 117th Congress and reintroduced in the 118th Congress. Here is a copy of the bill text.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke (9th District of New York)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 25, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, D.C. — This week, Reps. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) and “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) introduced the bipartisan Dental and Optometric Care Access (DOC Access) Act to help lower dental and vision care costs and put control of important health care decisions back into the hands of patients and their doctors.

The legislation addresses the increased consolidation and vertical integration among dental and vision insurance providers, which is leading to higher prices, fewer options for patients and providers, and diminished community access to needed care.

“Every year, countless Americans are forced to confront inordinate roadblocks to the vision and eye care they need due to unnecessary restraints on their optometrists. People should always be empowered to make their own healthcare decisions, just as good doctors should always be available to carry them out. I’m proud to support this bipartisan legislation that puts power back in the hands of the patients, preserves their access to care, and creates a more equitable, more sustainable healthcare industry,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke.

“It is important that we continue to work towards affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care for all Americans. The DOC Access Act moves us in the right direction by ensuring dentists and optometrists can make decisions that are best for them and their patients, not the insurance company,” said Rep. Carter.

“Patients Rising is so thankful that Reps. Carter and Clarke are leading the charge on such an important issue to patients across the country,” said Terry Wilcox, CEO and Chief Mission Officer for Patients Rising. “Like we see with pharmacy benefit managers, dental and vision benefit managers are out of control – and patients are literally paying the price. With only a handful of insurers dominating the market, their middlemen are hard at work setting prices and rigging a system that benefits only them at the expense of patients and our communities. The last place your insurer should be is in the exam room with you and your doctor. That’s why we’re thankful for this effort and we’re committed to continue working hard to expose and put an end to the costly, controlling, and care-limiting schemes of insurers and their benefit managers.”

“The AOA, doctors of optometry, and patients across the country applaud the introduction of the bipartisan DOC Access Act, introduced by Reps. Carter and Clarke and supported by hundreds of visionary House and Senate health policy leaders,” said Steven Reed, O.D., AOA President. “This legislation provides a clear, patient-focused solution to put a stop to abusive practices by Vision Benefit Managers (VBMs), including price fixing for items and services not covered by the plan and steering patients and doctors to VBM-owned labs, which too often results in higher costs, inferior products, and unacceptable wait times. From statehouses across the country to the U.S. Capitol, legislators are taking commonsense action to address the increasingly harmful effects of growing VBM market concentration and vertical integration, and this bill is a pivotal step in continuing that momentum.”

“I would like to thank Representatives Carter and Clarke for their leadership to bring more balance to contract negotiations to address abusive practices of large dental insurance companies and the impact on small business owners and their patients,” said Brett H. Kessler, D.D.S., president of the American Dental Association. “Our patients are being negatively impacted when dental insurance companies interfere with care delivery by dictating how much a doctor may charge a plan enrollee, even though they choose not to cover those services in the plan. The DOC Access Act will play a crucial part in curbing the anti-patient and anti-competitive practices of dental insurance plans.”

Read the full bill text here.

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