Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for helping out before our fundraising deadline — because of your support, we reached our goal! I can’t thank you enough!
Here is the latest edition of my Monthly Update. I hope you can take a look!
Budget Deal
I was glad to see both sides of the aisle finally come together in December to pass a budget. I have always advocated for bipartisanship and this was a step in the right direction. While not a perfect bill, this budget agreement was good for AZ01. Avoiding another government shutdown benefits national parks and monuments, tribal communities, highways and schools that are all vitally important to our district’s local economies.
Helping Rural Veterans
In December, I introduced the Rural Veterans Mental Healthcare Improvement Act. I represent a large part of rural Arizona and there are veterans in our district that are not receiving the proper care they deserve. This bill is designed to bring better healthcare services to the approximately 65,000 veterans in our district by expanding counseling to rural areas and family members of veterans, as well as fund medical device replacement and improve medical information systems.
District Work Period 
I was able to spend a lot of time travelling the district and talking to folks in December. It’s important to me to hear about the issues that matter most to my constituents, so we held house meetings in Oro Valley, SaddleBrooke, Flagstaff and Sedona in addition to attending the Navajo Nation’s Western Agency meeting. I was also able to attend Northern Arizona University’s graduation. Go Lumberjacks!
Aside from these great opportunities to meet with my fellow residents of AZ01, December is one of my favorite times to be home because of all the holiday lights parades. Check out this photo of our entry in the Flagstaff parade.
Protecting the Grand Canyon 
I recently voted against a bill that could have opened up the Grand Canyon to uranium mining by forgoing the 20-year ban that is currently in place. Exposing our national park to this type of activity would be detrimental to the economy in Arizona. The Canyon creates 12,000 jobs every year and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually. The Grand Canyon must be protected!
Improving Healthcare
Last month, I introduced a very important piece of legislation, the Coverage Protection Act of 2013, that would allow for continuous health insurance coverage for those who were unable to enroll in a plan via the website due to technical glitches.
This was the right thing to do and a commonsense fix for those who were making a good-faith attempt at enrolling in coverage. The glitches in the launch of the website were unacceptable and I will keep fighting to make sure the Affordable Care Act works properly for AZ01.
Read more about my bill in the Eastern Courier by clicking here!
Thank you for reading my Monthly Update! For day-to-day updates, follow me on Facebook and Twitter!
Best,
Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick
Speak Your Mind