Are Congressional earmarks good or bad?
They can be both, according to local Congresswoman (D OH-13) Betty Sutton. Sutton cited several examples at the Akron Chamber of Commerce’s forum at the Martin Center on the University of Akron’s campus.
“In the House, we earmarked $600,000 for the Bio-Innovation Institute,” said Sutton. “The Senate is looking at earmarking $400,000 for the Institute. Potentially, this is good for this area. It is unique and could lead to the entrepreneurial spirit. If we can leverage our strengths and secure Federal funding for the area, these monies can help create jobs.”
Other earmarked projects for Summit County include: $100,000 for Oriana House; $100,000 for the Sheriff’s Department; $500,000 for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park System; $1 million for the University of Akron’s Polymer Center; $500,000 for Akron Metro to name a few. In total, if and when Congress approves the budget, $21 million will come to Summit County for projects – projects that will create jobs.
Sutton said many people question why we need earmarks and if we didn’t have earmarks, we could save money.
“The money that is spent in earmarks will be spent whether it is marked as earmarks or not,” said Sutton, the youngest of six children. “Without earmarks, agencies would spend the money. With earmarks, we can bring the money back to the area’s that need the money the most.”
Recently, Sutton authored a bill that is making national news – Cash for Clunkers.
“A tour guide giving a tour in the House passed me in the hallway the other day,” said Sutton. “He called me the “Clunker Woman” in front of the group.
“This program is doing exactly what it was set out to do,” said the Barberton native. “It is putting people back to work. Just today (Aug. 19), the Lordstown plant recalled 1,100 workers. That in turn is putting steel workers back to work in Cleveland. Along with that, the consumers are winning as well. With the car trade in, consumers will save $800 to $1,000 a year in fuel. This program has spurred the economy in Ohio and is protecting the environment.
Another topic Sutton touched on was health care reform.
“Health care touches every American,” said Sutton. “It is said healthcare will increase $1,800 a year for a family of four. Health care is crippling our local, state and national budgets. Health care costs $2.6 trillion a year.”
Here are the highlights of bill HR3200: It protects current coverage if you like it; health insurance exchange, where you can compare public/private insurers with a public health option; you can’t be refused insurance; can’t be denied insurance based on a pre-existing condition, and it will cap out-of-pocket expense. Sutton added we are already paying for everyone to have health insurance by people going to the emergency room or paying for people who don’t have insurance. She also said small employers with payrolls less than $250,000 (probably get raised to $500,000) could get a tax credit by offering employees insurance.
Many of the topics Sutton talked about are bills that are still pending. She encouraged individuals who do not like something in the bills to contact her and see what can be done. Over and over again, Sutton emphasized, the responsibility does not end with the passage of a bill.
Each bill needs to be followed through on the administration end.
