{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://rokita.house.gov/editorial/12-2-17-rokita", "12-2-2017 Rokita Report", "2017-12-02", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "IN", "Todd Rokita", "R000592", "rokita.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nThank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 115th Congress.\u00a0 I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.\nFor daily updates, please take a moment to \"Like\" my Facebook page by clicking here \u00a0or follow me on Twitter if you prefer \u00a0@ToddRokita.\n In this week's Rokita Report \n Protecting Taxpayers from Secret Settlements\nIndianapolis Service Club\nStopping Human Trafficking on Our Roads\nRokita Reading\n \nProtecting Taxpayers from Secret Settlements\nAmericans are sick and tired of the special treatment given to members of Congress.\u00a0 Taxpayers should never fund hush money used to protect the careers of politicians faced with allegations of sexual harassment.\u00a0 That is why I worked with Congressman Ron DeSantis of Florida to write bipartisan legislation that would put an end to taxpayers footing the bill to cover up harassment allegations against members of Congress.\nOur bill, the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act, includes\u00a0common-sense reforms such as:\n Prohibiting the use of public funds to pay settlements or awards for sexual harassment or assault claims.\nDisclosing all payments previously made by the Office of Compliance on its website (the name of the victim is expressly prohibited from being disclosed).\nRequiring perpetrators to reimburse the taxpayers with interest.\nProhibiting non disclosure agreements as a precondition to initiate procedures to address sexual harassment or assault claims.\nPermitting victims of sexual harassment or assault to make public statements about their claim, regardless of any previously signed non disclosure agreement.\n This week, the House passed a resolution by voice vote that requires all Members of the House and our staff to undergo training for anti-harassment and anti-discrimination.\u00a0 I strongly supported this resolution and cosponsored it.\u00a0\nIndianapolis Service Club\nOn Monday, I addressed the Service Club of Indianapolis.\u00a0 Members of the club are Hoosiers who served in the armed forces and seek to sustain high standards of patriotism and service in our society.\u00a0 I shared with them my gratitude for their service.\u00a0 They not only served our nation, but continue to have a guiding hand in shaping our nation today with their civic engagement.\nBefore my remarks, I made sure to meet with members of the Service Club of Indianapolis to hear directly from them on their concerns.\nI spoke about how when they served in the armed forces, they protected our American Exceptionalism.\u00a0 In defense of our nation, they defended the rights that we still stand for - freedom, the American way of life, and the self-governance that is built into our system.\u00a0 Our Constitution exists to protect, not grant, these rights and remains the best document to do so that the world has ever seen.\u00a0 After their military service, members of the Service Club of Indianapolis have engaged in civic service \"to foster and perpetuate the principles of Americanism.\"\u00a0 They engage in the some of the free activities made possible only by their service and sacrifice.\u00a0 We honor all service-members by preserving our freedoms and keeping our Republic.\nStopping Human Trafficking on Our Roads\nHuman trafficking is a horrible crime.\u00a0 It denies people their\u00a0freedoms and\u00a0tries to deprive\u00a0them of their dignity.\u00a0 According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it is the fastest-growing and the third-largest criminal activity in the world.\u00a0 In the House, we are addressing this issue\u00a0with great urgency.\u00a0 The full\u00a0House has\u00a0passed over a dozen bills this year that address this topic.\u00a0 This week, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved two more bills on this issue.\nThe No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act would prohibit felons who have used a commercial vehicle to commit a human trafficking felony from operating a commercial vehicle.\u00a0 This is a common sense reform that prevents bad actors from returning to their crimes.\nThe Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act focuses on the prevention of human trafficking.\u00a0 The bill would designate a human trafficking prevention coordinator at the U.S. Department of Transportation.\u00a0 This individual would be tasked with increasing outreach, education, and reporting efforts on human trafficking at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.\nBoth bills passed committee\u00a0by voice vote and I look forward to supporting them before the full House of Representatives soon.\nRokita Reading  A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to \"Keep the Republic.\"\nAs Vice Chair of the House Budget Committee, I recognize the importance of being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.\u00a0 As such, we should\u00a0focus our assistance on helping elevate our fellow citizens and not creating dependence on government.\u00a0 An informative article on this topic is this week's Rokita Reading.\u00a0 What FDR Knew About Welfare was published in the Wall Street Journal and was written by James Payne of the Independent\u00a0Institute.\nPayne discusses his experience at a symposium of social workers and how the title of one session for at-risk youths,\u00a0\"A Hand Up Not A Handout,\" provided a \"jarring reminder of how far the country has traveled in thinking about welfare.\"\u00a0 According to Payne, \"handouts can leave recipients less capable of taking care of themselves by lowering the drive to work.\"\u00a0 This is because \"to thrive, human beings need healthy expectations and\u00a0purposeful challenges.\"\nGood policy, doesn't leave people dependent on government but elevates them by solidifying\u00a0the dignity of work.\u00a0 Older generations understood this.\u00a0 Octavia Hill, who spent a lifetime helping London's poor in the late 19th century, said that personal relationships and quid pro quo arrangements were vital.\u00a0 Franklin D. Roosevelt said that \"continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber.\"\u00a0\nThank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\tSincerely,    \n\t\t\t\t\tTodd Rokita", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://rokita.house.gov/editorial/12-2-17-rokita"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9633640293031931, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}