{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://kelly.house.gov/press-release/rep-kelly-releases-year-end-report-constituents", "Rep. Kelly Releases Year-End Report for Constituents", "2013-12-31", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Mike Kelly", "K000376", "kelly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) released the following letter today, to be e-mailed to his constituents throughout Pennsylvania\u2019s Third Congressional District, to serve as a year-end overview of his office\u2019s legislative achievements and constituent relations throughout 2013.\nDear Constituent:\nOver the past twelve months, I have had the enormous privilege of continuing to represent you in our nation\u2019s capital during the first session of the 113th Congress. As with my first term in office, all of my work in the House of Representatives is guided by your values, your voices, and your priorities.\nYour goals are my goals, and every day I work hard to accomplish them. The most important of these, of course, is creating an environment that strengthens our economy and generates more jobs with family-sustainable wages for our region and our country. I\u2019ve proudly supported every measure to secure this outcome, and opposed any obstacle to reaching it. You can learn more about every jobs bill passed in the House and follow their status here.\nWith every new challenge that 2013 brought us \u2013 and there were many \u2013 there also came many opportunities. My staff and I worked diligently to meet all of them head-on.\nFighting the IRS, Restoring Trust & Accountability in Washington\nWhen the news broke that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was targeting and harassing Americans based on their political leanings, I joined the nation in outrage. As member of the House Ways and Means Committee (and member of the Subcommittee on Oversight), I made it my personal responsibility to get answers about what went wrong and hold those responsible fully accountable for abusing the American people\u2019s trust in such an unthinkable manner. Watch my remarks at two memorable committee hearings here and here.\nAs a result of this scandal, during the summer I re-introduced the Government Employee Accountability Act. The legislation would give all federal agencies the power to effectively deal with delinquent Senior Executive Service employees (such as disgraced former IRS official Lois Lerner), including the ability to conduct \u201cinvestigative leave without pay\u201d and to carry out immediate termination. In other words, no more paid vacations for violating the taxpayers\u2019 rights. The House eventually passed the legislation by a bipartisan vote of 239-176.\nStopping Asian Carp, Protecting Jobs & Families in Western Pennsylvania \nBack home in the Third District, the threat of Asian carp are constantly on everyone\u2019s minds \u2014 and rightly so. This 70-pound invasive species threatens our regional economy, the fishing industry, and the wellbeing of all of us who rely on the water for work or recreation. This is a fish that is so aggressive and voracious that it can sometimes eat up to four times its own weight. When it emerges out of the water \u2013 flies, is more like it \u2013 it can inflict serious physical harm upon anyone it strikes, especially toddlers and young children.\nAs the co-chairman of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, and as a grandfather to eight beautiful young grandchildren, I take this threat extremely seriously. This is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. This is an American issue, and the stakes are dangerously high.\nIf drastic action is not taken, this invasive species will utterly devastate the Great Lakes and Western Pennsylvania waterways and thereby cripple a $7 billion commercial and recreational fishing industry \u2014 along with all the jobs and livelihoods that go with it.\nThat is why this past fall I was proud to offer a bipartisan amendment to the Water Resources Reform & Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA) which will establish a multiagency effort to slow the spread of Asian carp in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River basins and tributaries, including the assistance of\u00a0 the Army Corp of Engineers. In a stunning display of people before party, the House passed WRRDA \u2013 with my amendment attached \u2013 by an astounding bipartisan vote of 417-3.\nProtecting Americans from Obamacare, Standing up for a Patient-Centered Alternative\nEven before the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) became law, most Americans had a bad feeling about the federal government taking over one sixth of our economy. Now, after the first few months of its horrific implementation, and after hearing personal stories from countless constituents, there is no mistaking it: Obamacare is a national disaster.\nAs you know, since coming to Congress in 2011, I have seized every opportunity to repeal or at least reduce Obamacare so that fewer Americans are harmed by its mandates. I have also sought to shed light on areas surrounding the law that are uncertain, if not downright murky. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve sent the Obama administration two separate letters demanding to know why the construction process for Obamacare\u2019s official website was so poorly overseen and executed. American taxpayers, whose hard-earned money funded the website, deserve to know.\nAt the same time, I have long believed that effective health care reform is indeed a national imperative that, with the right guiding principles, can and should still be achieved. After all, the mantra \u201crepeal and replace\u201d only holds water if \u201creplace\u201d has a meaning. That is why I am co-sponsoring the American Health Care Reform Act, a patient-centered alternative to Obamacare that would make health insurance more accessible and affordable to the most vulnerable among us \u2014 and do so in a way that wouldn\u2019t damage the economy or disrupt anyone\u2019s existing plans. You can read more about this commonsense bill here.\nDefending the Second Amendment & National Sovereignty\nAll year long, I was proud to lead the congressional opposition to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an outrageous agreement which forces the United States \u2013 the world\u2019s most important defender of peace and democracy \u2013 onto equal footing with the world\u2019s worst dictatorships and terror-sponsors. Ominously, the treaty excludes any specific protection for, or even mention of, the fundamental right of individuals to keep and bear arms, which only opens the door wider to future gun control impositions.\nEarlier this year, I introduced a concurrent resolution (existing in both houses of Congress) to oppose the ATT and helped it earn the co-sponsorship of more than a third of the House and the Senate. We later sent two letters to President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry explaining our opposition and vowing to block ATT with every tool at our disposal.\nIn anticipation of the treaty being signed by the Obama administration (which ultimately occurred), I introduced an amendment to prohibit any federal funding for the implementation of the ATT in the Defense Departments\u2019 annual appropriations bill. On December 26th, President Obama signed the bill, with my amendment, into law. Needless to say, this fight will continue in 2014.\nMeeting the Needs of the Third District All Year Round\nHere is a run-down of how my offices and staff were able to help me assist and communicate with my constituents in 2013. We\u2026\n Expanded my social media presence, earning more than 5,000 \u201cfriends\u201d and 4,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter respectively; and\nToured more than 25 local businesses and factories to talk with both employers and employees about issues affecting their industries;\nHelped more than 1,900 constituents with their challenges to navigate the federal bureaucracy;\nAnswered more than 68,000 pieces of mail, email, faxes and calls;\nMaintained 3 full time constituent offices and 3 satellite offices;\nHeld 5 Tele-Town Hall Meetings to address a range of issues including help with filing tax returns and Medicare\u2019s Open Enrollment Period;\nOrganized or attended dozens of outreach meetings with constituency groups;\nSent more than 1,500 American flags to constituents and assisted with 242 tours of the U.S. Capitol;\nConducted hundreds of interviews with local, regional, and national press.\n As I\u2019ve said time and again, representing you and your neighbors in the House of Representatives is the honor of my lifetime. Anytime my staff can help you with a federal matter in any specific way, please do not hesitate to contact me via the information and locations listed below. I humbly thank you for the opportunity to serve you, and look forward to having your back in Congress in 2014.\nHappy New Year!\nSincerely,\nMike Kelly\n\u00a0\nERIE DISTRICT OFFICE\n208 E. Bayfront Parkway\nSuite 102\nErie, PA 16507\nPhone: (814) 454-8190\nFax: (814) 454-8197\n\u00a0\nBUTLER DISTRICT OFFICE\n101 East Diamond St\nSuite 218\nButler, PA\u00a0 16001\nPhone: (724) 282-2557  \n\tFax: (724) 282-3682\n\u00a0\nSHARON DISTRICT OFFICE\n33 Chestnut Street\nSharon, PA\u00a0 16146\nPhone: (724) 342-7170\nFax: (724) 342-7242\n\u00a0\nWASHINGTON, DC OFFICE\n1519 Longworth HOB\nWashington, DC 20515\nPhone: (202) 225-5406\nFax: (202) 225-3103\n\u00a0\nCRAWFORD COUNTY OFFICE\nEvery Wednesday\n9:00 a.m. \u2013 4:00 p.m.\n908 Diamond Park\nMeadville, PA 16335\n\u00a0\nARMSTRONG COUNTY OFFICE\nEvery Thursday\n9:00 a.m. \u2013 4:00 p.m.\n300 South McKean Street\nKittanning, PA 16201\n\u00a0\nLAWRENCE COUNTY\nEvery Friday\n9:00 a.m. \u2013 4: 00 p.m.\nLawrence County Courthouse\n430 Court Street\nNew Castle, PA\u00a0 16101\n\u00a0\n###", 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": ["http://kelly.house.gov/press-release/rep-kelly-releases-year-end-report-constituents"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1087678615003824, "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"}