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U.S. Representative Darin LaHood visits Christian Village
 

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[January 23, 2016]  On Thursday, United States Representative for the 18th Congressional District, Darin LaHood, paid a visit to residents at Christian Village. The informal meeting was held at the Senior Apartment/Congregate building.

LaHood arrived shortly after 10 a.m. and spent a few minutes visiting with residents who were in the congregate dining area. He then moved on to the meeting location where he was introduced by Village Administrator Jo Hilliard to about a dozen seniors in attendance.



LaHood began by giving the residents a little bit of information about himself. His hometown is Dunlap, located in Peoria County. He earned his seat in the House of Representatives through a special election (after the resignation of Aaron Schock) held in September of 2015. As a freshman Representative, LaHood witnessed the first ever visit to Washington D.C. by the Pope. Also since, his election to the office, Speaker John Boehner has resigned, something LaHood would later say was an event that needed to happen.

To date, LaHood said two of the biggest legislative events he has been involved in are the passing of the Transportation and Education Bills. LaHood voiced that, in his opinion, the largest issues before the federal government are the economy and national security. He said that ISIS and Jihad were serious concerns. He also supports implementing a higher level of scrutiny concerning who is allowed to enter the United States from foreign countries. He told the group that public safety has to be the number one concern.



And finally, with tongue in cheek, he asked the group to please not ask him any questions about Donald Trump, which drew light chuckles from the attendees.

LaHood then opened the floor for questions. The first question from the group was how can Washington do away with gridlock? LaHood said it was time for Boehner to move on, and the new speaker (Paul Ryan) was an improvement. LaHood said the new speaker is committed to “Regular Order,” which means that any member of the House, regardless of party, will be able to offer legislation and amendments to bills, something they have not been permitted to do in the past. LaHood said Ryan will also bring greater transparency to the House, which is vital.

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LaHood was then asked how long it takes to pass a bill. He said it depended on the bill. He explained that bills such as Tax Reform were complicated, take a lot of work, and a lot of time to pass, while other bills are less complex and can be passed quickly and easily. He added that the government does need to do a better job of simplifying and explaining issues so that the American people can understand and follow along in the process.



In fielding a question about the agricultural industry, LaHood said that he currently does not serve on the Ag Committee. As a freshman representative, he was appointed to the Natural Resources Committee; and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He does want to be on the Agriculture Committee and is hopeful that if/when he wins his next election, he may have the opportunity to serve on that committee as well as the Transportation Committee.

LaHood noted that there is a great deal of anxiety in the agricultural industry right now. He noted that District 18 is the ninth largest agricultural district in the United States, so it is important to him that he be a part of the process there.

He talked briefly about a new bill being introduced, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would open up a new market in the Southeast Asia territory. LaHood said he intended to study the bill, and there would be committee meetings with testimony from the agricultural organizations such as the Farm Bureau and the Corn Growers Association.

LaHood noted, “When we have free and open trade, our farmers can compete with anybody in the world. We have the best, most efficient and effective farm operations anywhere in the world. And, the most important part of it is making sure that we have fair and open trade, that people aren’t manipulating the currency like the Chinese have done.”

As time was running out, LaHood did comment on a very controversial issue for farmers throughout the country, the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rules that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is trying to implement. (In recent days, both the U.S. House and Senate have voted against the WOTUS. However, on January 20th President Obama vetoed “Senate Joint Resolution 22, disapproval of the EPA’s Waters of the United States rule.”)

LaHood said he was opposed to the WOTUS movement, and would continue to fight against it.

During the conversation, LaHood said that he was attending another meeting in Lincoln on that day, Thursday. He would be at the Logan County Extension office for a meeting of the 18th District Ag Advisory Committee. There he would speak with producers and others in agriculture-related fields about issues that are impacting farmers in the district.

When the question and answer session was over, LaHood spent a few minutes speaking with residents one-on-one before moving on to his next appointment.

LDN will have coverage of the Ag Advisory Committee meeting in its Monday edition.

[Nila Smith]

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