(575) - HR 985: Concrete Masonry Promotion – Passage November 14, 2016 – Burgess, R-Texas, motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill that would allow concrete masonry producers, through Commerce Department orders, to establish a program of research, generic promotion and education to improve, maintain and develop markets for concrete masonry products. Motion agreed to 355-38 Vote: Yea (576) - HR 2669: Caller Identification Information – Passage November 14, 2016 – Burgess, R-Texas, motion to... Read more

Just days after President Obama gave another speech touting the success of his health care law while blaming Republicans for its failures, the Obama administration confirmed premiums for the average insurance plan on the exchange will increase an average of 22 percent. Additionally, roughly 1 in 5 consumers will have only one health insurance provider to choose from. In Tennessee, things are looking even worse. Exchange beneficiaries will see their premiums increase an average of 56 percent if t... Read more

This week, the White House announced that the U.S. high school graduation rate for the 2014-2015 school year reached a record high at 83.2 percent. In Tennessee, the rate is even higher at 88.5 percent, up almost one percent from last year, and more than half of Tennessee school districts saw their graduation rates increase or hold steady. This is great news, and a direct result of the hard work of students, parents, educators and school administrators. A quality education is one of the most eff... Read more

Last Friday, October 7th, we observed Manufacturing Day. Despite the difficulties the manufacturing industry has faced over the last several years, manufacturing accounts for more than 8 percent of U.S. employment. The industry employed roughly 12 million Americans in 2013. According to the Economic Policy Institute, more than 45,000 Tennesseans in the First Congressional district are employed in the manufacturing industry. Statewide, more than 300,000 Tennesseans have jobs in the industry. Ther... Read more

Last May, the Department of Labor released their finalized overtime rule, a misguided regulation that is set to wreak havoc on employers throughout the state of Tennessee, particularly small businesses, nonprofits and schools. This rule, set to take effect December 1, would be particularly detrimental to Tennesseans, as the average annual wage is $41,300 in Tennessee. In my district, the median household income is even lower at $39,081. The Department’s proposed threshold for overtime is $47,476... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) and Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) sent a letter to VA Secretary McDonald regarding a recent Associated Press story alleging that employees of the VA’s crisis hotline routinely ask to leave early and rarely spend their time “engaged in productive activity.” The claims were made by the former director of the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line, Greg Hughes. The letter, found here, requests an explanation from the secretary detailing how the VA plans to hold... Read more

This week brought more bad news for President Obama’s health care law. BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) of Tennessee, the state’s largest insurer, announced they were pulling out of the exchanges in three Tennessee regions: Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville. BCBS provides coverage to roughly 83 percent of Tennesseans in the individual market, and roughly 131,000 across the state are losing their coverage because of this announcement. I find this deeply troubling, and I am working to find a solution fo... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) released the following statement after BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee announced they are pulling out of the exchange in three Tennessee regions: “This is deeply troubling news, and – on top of BlueCross’ proposed 62% rate increase for 2017 - the latest sign that the Affordable Care Act is in need of wholesale reform. At the end of the day, many Tennesseans are worse off, not better, than they were before Obamacare. Today’s news further prov... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Reps. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced H.R. 6122, the Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM-HE) Act. The bill would establish an independent commission to develop voluntary guidelines for accessible postsecondary electronic instructional materials and related technologies to ensure students with disabilities have access to the same educational materials as non-disabled students. The commission will be comprised of repres... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) voted in support of two bills related to Iran. Roe released the following statement: “There are a few things we know for certain about the political and institutional leadership in Iran: they are corrupt; they hate the United States; and they cannot be trusted. This week, I was glad to support two important bills to protect American interests in dealings with the Iranians. First and foremost, the American people deserve to know if relievin... Read more