Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), Chair of the House Rules Committee celebrated the House’s passage of the historic health care legislation noting that after a year of debate, this legislation passed is good for Western New York.

The vote on the Senate bill and the legislative fixes known as reconciliation passed the House by votes of 219-212 and 220-111 respectively.

“In my district, more than 12,000 small businesses and up to 180,000 families will receive a tax credit to help them afford health care coverage,” said Slaughter. “9,000 seniors in my district fall into the Medicare Part D donut hole each year. That will end, as will preventing 7,600 of my constituents with preexisting conditions from getting the care they deserve.

“Today’s bill has something in it for everyone. We make it easier to get insurance if you don’t have it, and for the 338,000 of my constituents who have private insurance, they will no longer be susceptible to lifetime or yearly caps that would deny them the treatment they need. This reform is good for Western New York and it’s good for America.”

For a detailed breakdown of benefits to the residents of the 28th district, click here.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28), chair of the House Committee on Rules, opened the historic debate on the urgent need for health care reform as she brought the stories from her constituents to the House floor.

“This bill is the right thing to do and the time to act is now,” she said. “Our bill covers an estimated 32 million Americans in a fiscally responsible way that improves Medicare benefits, holds insurance companies accountable and helps small business owners with coverage. We are finally gaining ground against insurance special interests.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) released the following comment after the independent Congressional Budget Office confirmed that the health care legislation to be voted on this weekend will make the largest reduction of the deficit in 17 years.

“Today we received good news from the Congressional Budget Office when they confirmed that the health care bill we intend to pass this weekend will reduce the deficit by $130 billion over the next decade, and $1.2 trillion in the second ten years,” said Slaughter.

“As much as this effort will provide health care to millions of Americans that need it the most and finally regulate the insurance companies, this is also about the financial security of our nation. This is the right prescription for our economy.

“We need to think about the economic benefits of this important reform, not just as a cost savings for our country, but also realize that this will help small business and let them create jobs. There are more than 12,000 small businesses in my district that will qualify for a tax credit when they provide health insurance to their employees. We want to help those small businesses and give their workers the health care they deserve."

This afternoon the full text of the health care bill was posted online.

I'm excited to announce the final health care reform bill has been posted online. In keeping with my commitment to transparency, the full text will be available for 72 hours before the final vote on the bill.

• Click here to view the final health care bill.
• Click here to learn about how the bill will help the 28th district.

The President recently released a health care reform proposal based on the reform legislation passed by the House and the Senate. The President's proposal will make health care affordable for the middle class, provide security for seniors, and guarantee access to health insurance for the uninsured - while reducing the federal deficit by over $100 billion over the next decade.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) congratulated Xerox CEO Ursula Burns on her appointment by President Obama to lead the group tasked with increasing U.S. exports.

Burns, who lives near Rochester, was selected by Obama this week to serve as Vice Chair of the President’s Export Council.

“It is outstanding to see an impressive woman appointed to such as important position” said Slaughter. “I have known Ursula for many years and everyone in this community is aware of the outstanding work she has done at Xerox.  I’m so proud that she’s been selected to do great things for our country.”

“As a Western New Yorker, Ursula will bring valuable perspective to our national trade challenge. She and I both know that America needs to reduce our trade deficit and increase exports. We’ve lost our competitive edge in manufacturing and I strongly believe that a nation can’t be a superpower if they don’t make anything.”

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) voted to support new research projects that will help address the problem of harmful algae blooms. The bill, which was approved overwhelmingly, authorizes $41 million annually to research the harmful effects of algal blooms, which affect waterways across the United States, including the Great Lakes.

“The Great Lakes represent 20 percent of the world’s fresh water supply, and are critical to the economies of Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and Rochester,” said Slaughter. “Our beaches are often closed when algae accumulates and decays causing bacteria growth and foul odors. This legislation will help us address this problem so that families can safely use our beaches and our communities can better leverage this natural resource.”

Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (NY-28), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Rules, issued the following comment on the House voting down a resolution that would have directed President Obama to bring troops out of Afghanistan within 30 days. The resolution was defeated 356-65.

“To try and tell the Administration to pull troops out of Afghanistan within 30 days is not just irresponsible - it’s physically and practically impossible,” Slaughter said. “I am pleased that the vast majority of the House voted against this resolution. I have long expressed my strong opposition to this ill-conceived war and I strongly believe that the best thing we can do is move to bring our efforts there to a close shortly. I do not support spending unlimited funds to rebuild that nation and I think that a sensible timeline for drawing down our effort there is the best way Congress can act on this issue.”

Reps. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) and Michael H. Michaud (D-ME) led a meeting of the House Trade Working Group’s meeting with United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk regarding continuation of U.S participation in talks for a Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The meeting focused on the House Trade Working Group’s key issues, which include labor and environmental standards, food safety and agricultural terms, procurement rules, democracy clauses, services deregulation, access to medicines, and foreign investor rights.

“Our goal here today was to begin to find a path forward in achieving reform of our trade policy, and I think our discussion was very positive,” said Slaughter. “But a lot more is needed than words. If other countries are going to try to get their foot in the door for expanded trade here than these nations must respond by opening their markets to the United States. There must be fair and reasonable reciprocal access to all markets to bring our trade policy to a place where workers are not the primary losers.”