{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://rokita.house.gov/editorial/12-23-2016-rokita-report", "12-23-2016 Rokita Report", "2016-12-23", "2016", "2016-12", "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 114th 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 \u00a0 \n   In this week's Rokita Report \n Another Congressman Gets\u00a0a Lump of Coal - And Celebrates Fossil Fuels\nBill of Rights Day; Honoring Our First and Second Amendments\nIndiana Thank You Tour\nOffice Open House for the 115th Congress\n  \u00a0 \n  Another Congressman Gets a Lump of Coal - And Celebrates Fossil Fuels\nIn Mooresville, I was presented with a lump of coal for Christmas from Carolyn whose father was a coal miner.\nDuring my Thank You Tour, I visited Ralph and Ava's Caf\u00e9 in Mooresville and\u00a0was given a bag of coal.\u00a0 Children may get coal when Santa knows they haven't been well behaved in the course of a year, but I recognize the value of coal and other fossil fuels.\nCoal is Indiana's primary energy source.\u00a0 More than three-fourths of our electricity comes from coal-powered plants and nine of our state's ten largest power plants are coal-fired.\u00a0 It is a local energy source too with about 60% of the coal we burn coming from Indiana.\u00a0 We use other fossil fuels for our electrical and transportation needs - including natural gas, oil, and propane.\nBecause fossil fuels are an important part of our lives, I support smart policies on their use.\u00a0 I have opposed the Clean Power Plan because it would drive up electric prices by 16% per year.\u00a0 They also represent an important component for all of the above energy policy - coal is abundantly found in Indiana.\u00a0 I am excited that next year, we will have a pro-coal administration.\u00a0 President-elect Donald Trump has made clear his support for fossil fuels.\n  Bill of Rights Day\nOn December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was\u00a0adopted.\u00a0 The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.\u00a0 These amendments were written by James Madison and provide\u00a0constitutional protections for individual liberties and places specific prohibitions on government power.\nOn Bill of Rights Day, I was reminded of the news from Knightstown, Indiana.\u00a0 Hoosiers in Knightstown are witnessing an\u00a0attempt to undermine our constitutional protections.\u00a0 The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sued the town over a cross displayed\u00a0on the top the Christmas Tree.\u00a0\u00a0The First Amendment is meant to protect the practice of religion, not hide it.\u00a0 This lawsuit is ridiculous.\u00a0 The accurate meaning of the First Amendment must be reapplied in our schools and civic institutions.\u00a0\u00a0\nThe text of the amendment says that \"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.\"\u00a0 The return of the cross to the three this week is a positive step, but the ACLU continues to prevent the cross from being displayed at the top of the tree.\u00a0\nThe Knightstown Christmas Tree before the ACLU sued to remove the cross.\nAs part of Bill of Rights Day, I took my Thank You Tour to Fort Liberty Firearms in Avon.\u00a0 Our Second Amendment states that \"a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.\"\u00a0 In fact, I read our Second Amendment on the floor of the U.S. House in January to remind Washington that the Second Amendment\u00a0protects a right that cannot be taken away by an executive pen.\u00a0 The crowd at Fort Liberty Firearms was ready for President-elect Donald J. Trump to work with a Republican\u00a0Congress to defend the Second Amendment.\nThanks to Doug Hunter, owner of Fort Liberty Firearms, for hosting me on Bill of Rights Day.\n  Indiana Thank You Tour\nOn Thursday, I visited\u00a0Hendricks and Morgan Counties as part of my Thank You Tour.\u00a0 The Thank You Tour included stops in 16 cities, covering over 626 miles of travel within Indiana\u2019s Fourth Congressional District.\u00a0 At each stop, I met with Hoosiers to take their questions and thank them for the opportunity to continue representing and serving\u00a0them in the U.S. House of Representatives.\nRepresenting Hoosiers as a Member of Congress has been the highest honor of my life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving them.\u00a0 As an elected official, I get my marching orders from my constituents, and meetings like those on this tour\u00a0are a great way to hear the needs and thoughts of Hoosiers from across the district.\nThank You Tour Stops\nNovember 21  \n\t\t\t\t\tBrownsburg  \n\t\t\t\t\tGreencastle  \n\t\t\t\t\tCrawfordsville  \n\t\t\t\t\tLafayette  \n\t\t\t\t\tMonticello  \n\t\t\t\t\tDelphi  \n\t\t\t\t\tFrankfort  \n\t\t\t\t\tLebanon\nDecember 12  \n\t\t\t\t\tRussiaville  \n\t\t\t\t\tLogansport  \n\t\t\t\t\tRensselaer  \n\t\t\t\t\tKentland  \n\t\t\t\t\tFowler\nDecember 13  \n\t\t\t\t\tKokomo\nDecember 15  \n\t\t\t\t\tAvon  \n\t\t\t\t\tMooresville\nBe sure to keep up with the Rokita Report to find out about upcoming public meetings in 2017.\n \u00a0 \n  Office Open House for the 115th Congress\nOn Tuesday, January 3, 2017, I invite you\u00a0to celebrate my swearing-in to\u00a0the 115th Congress.\u00a0 I will be hosting an Open House in\u00a0my Washington, DC office.\u00a0 Light refreshments will be served.\nSwearing-In Open House  When: Tuesday, January 3, 2017 from 10:00 AM ET to 2:00 PM ET  Where: 2439 Rayburn House Office Building\nHope to see you there!\n \u00a0 \n  Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.\u00a0\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": ["http://rokita.house.gov/editorial/12-23-2016-rokita-report"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.525297062471509, "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"}