Accomplishments from the 115th Congress

Fred remains focused on the issues that matter to folks in Southwest Michigan: Health care, jobs and economic growth, taking care of our military personnel and veterans, education, protecting our Great Lakes, delivering real results for families and businesses here at home, and much more.

Below are some highlights from this Congress:

Results for MI-06

Announcement of new designation for two Superfund sites in Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor.

Announcement of two loans equaling $1.55 million for housing projects in Van Buren County.

Announcement of budget proposal including robust funds for harbor dredging in St. Joseph and Holland.

Announcement of affordable housing tax credits for Niles, Portage, and Kalamazoo.

Announcement from the National Association of Police Athletic League, Inc. supporting mentoring programs in South Haven.

Announcement of assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration to deal with flood recovery costs in Allegan, Berrien, Cass, and Kalamazoo counties.

Announcement of Opportunity Zones in Southwest Michigan thanks to tax reform law.

Announcement of $4.65 million grant for Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International airport. 

Announcement that Ibrahim Parlak's application for deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture has been granted. 

Announcement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allocates funding for recreational dredging for the Saugatuck Harbor, South Haven Harbor, and New Buffalo Harbor. 

Commercial dredging of the St. Joseph outer harbor begins. 

Legislation passing the U.S. House including full funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Statement on Pfizer's $500M investment in Kalamazoo County. 

Announcement of two rural development investments in Berrien and Van Buren counties. 

Announcement of Great Lakes grant in Allegan.

Announcement of new Community Development Block Grant for Portage.

Announcement of two local opioid grants for Allegan and Kalamazoo. 

Announcement of workforce development grant in Van Buren County. 

Recent stories:

WWMT Channel 3: Kalamazoo airport receives $4.65 million federal grant to improve runway 

Herald Palladium: Upton praises $2.5M more for SWM harbors

WSJM: $1.2 Million in federal funding going to Niles housing development

MLive: Upton seeks answers from EPA on Kalamazoo River Superfund designation

WSJM: Upton pleased with funding to dredge local harbor

Ripon Advance: Upton, Snyder ensure Michiganders financially recover from February floods 

The Peninsula: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act leads to private investment targets across Michigan 

WSJM: Rural development grants for SWM

Holland Sentinel: Program raises millions to restore Great Lakes habitat

WWMT Channel 3: Upton announces grant awarded to Portage to improve housing community 

WWMT Channel 3: Rep. Upton announces workforce development grant in Van Buren Co

MLive: Rep. Upton, Michigan Press Association applaud paper tariffs reversal

Moody on the Market: New business development money headed to Van Buren County from USDA

MLive: Grants issues to fight drug abuse in Kalamazoo, Allegan counties

Health care

The FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017 (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation, championed by Fred, will improve public health and protect Southwest Michigan jobs. More information available here.

• This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever taken up by Congress. More information available here.

Extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (Signed into law).

• This legislation includes a six-year extension of CHIP and a two-year extension of Federally Qualified Health Centers (Community Health Centers). More information available here.

New funding to help those with mental health issues (Signed into law).

• This funding, signed into law as part of the March omnibus appropriations agreement, provides new funding authorizations for mental health care made possible through the 21^st Century Cures Act. More information available here.

New funding to fight the opioid epidemic (Signed into law).

• Signed into law as part of the March omnibus appropriations agreement, new funding – nearly $4 million – was allocated to help bolster prevention, treatment, and law enforcement efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.
• Additionally, the first round of grants to help states and territories combat the opioid epidemic, made available from Fred’s 21^st Century Cures Act, were allocated in 2017 and are to be used towards the prevention and treatment of opioid abuse. Michigan received more than $16 million. More information available here.

The Right to Try Act of 2018 (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation will improve access to experimental treatment for patients with terminal diseases or conditions. More information available here.

• This bipartisan legislation better allows the National Institutes of Health to partner with innovative companies to get non-addictive pain medications to those in need. More information available here.

The Prioritizing the Most Vulnerable Over Lottery Winners Act of 2017.

• This legislation, sponsored by Fred, would strengthen Medicaid by ensuring taxpayers aren’t on the hook for Medicaid costs when Lottery winners hit it big. More information available here.

Working together to fix our health care system.

• Fred has a long record of bipartisan achievements in health care. He will continue to work with the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of his colleagues evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, to find consensus on ways to improve our health care system and insurance markets.
• Additionally, as part of the March omnibus appropriations agreement, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was issued a $3 billion increase for innovative medical research.

Recent stories:

WHTC: Upton joins bipartisan "Problem Solvers" to fix healthcare

MLive: U.S. Rep. Fred Upton joins bipartisan caucus aimed at ‘fixing the healthcare mess’

Detroit News: Bill would boost efforts to find opioid alternatives  

MLive: U.S. Rep. Fred Upton listens to opioid concerns with Kalamazoo panel

WWMT Channel 3: Upton discusses mental health concerns with area experts 

WDET: Rep. Fred Upton and Rep. Debbie Dingell team up to battle opioid addiction 

Jobs & economic growth

The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (Signed into law). 

• This historic legislation reforms our tax code, delivering fairer taxes, more jobs, and bigger paychecks for all Americans. More information available here.
• It also creates new Opportunity Zones in Southwest Michigan to help economically distressed areas with spurring private investment, economic growth, and jobs. More information available here.

14 Congressional Review Act resolutions that ended burdensome Obama-era rules and regulations (Signed into law).

• The American Action Forum estimates these actions save $70 billion in costs reductions.

Targeted tariff action.

• Fred joined colleagues in urging President Trump to take targeted action against China and other unfair trading partners to minimize negative consequences for Michigan jobs, manufacturers, and consumers. More information available here.

Recent stories:

WSJM: Upton remains opposed to Trump tariffs 

Leader Publications: U.S. Rep. Fred Upton visits Niles to tour Indeck project site

Fox17: Pfizer unveils new warehouse, ready to hire 200 new employees

WWMT Channel 3: Upton meets with local business leaders about tax reform

Leader Publications: Tax Cuts & Jobs Act benefits employees at Shelton’s Farm Market 

Detroit News opinion: Tax reform works for Michigan

National security & veterans

The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation will hold Russia, Iran, and North Korea accountable for their destabilizing actions and hit them where it hurts the most: their wallets. More information available here.

The National Defense Authorization Act (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation will improve military readiness, reform the Pentagon, and support our troops. More information available here.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation creates real accountability for the Veterans Affairs employees, ensuring our veterans receive the highest quality care they deserve. More information available here.

The Forever G.I. Bill (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation is a transformational expansion of GI bill benefits granted to veterans, their surviving spouses, and dependents. It is critical to give our veterans the tools to transition into civilian life and have long, prosperous careers. More information available here.

The FIX NICS Act (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation would greatly improve the sharing of mental health and criminal record information between state and local agencies and the federal background check database. More information available here.

The North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act of 2017 (Passed the House).

• These measures will address urgent threats posed by North Korea. More information available here.

Package of anti-human trafficking legislation (Passed the House).

• This package of bipartisan legislation will give our law enforcement more tools and resources to fight this heinous crime. More information available here.

Recent stories:

WSJM: Upton pushes for missile defense site 

MLive: Upton pushes for Michigan as missile defense site, expects answer soon 

WNDU: Congressman surprises WWII veteran with service medals

Battle Creek Enquirer: Michigan Congressional delegation pushes Battle Creek for new missile defense project

Ripon Advance: Walden, Poliquin, Upton help push House approval of VA healthcare reforms 

Education

The STOP School Violence Act (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation addresses flaws in the system that fail to prevent violence in our schools. It provides a historic investment in school safety plans including prevention training for teachers and administrators, the formation of crisis intervention teams with mental health professionals, and better coordination between schools and law enforcement. More information available here.

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Passed the House).

• This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Act to help prepare high school students for a wide-variety of careers. More information available here.

Introduced STEM education legislation.

• This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Fred and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, would help support Michigan FIRST Robotics teams. More information here.

Recent stories:

WWMT Newschannel 3: Upton and Google team up to talk to students about internet safety

Detroit News: Upton, Dingell lead panel on school shootings

MLive: School safety measures passed by U.S. House aim to curb violence

Great Lakes

Full funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) as part of the March omnibus appropriations agreement

Additional actions to prevent nuclear waste from being stored on the Great Lakes, prevent the spread of Asian Carp, continued vigilance of the Line 5 pipeline, and the Soo Locks jobs and economic development project.

Recent stories:

Herald Palladium: Upton supports funding Great Lakes study

WOODTV: Bipartisan effort to release Asian Carp study

MLive: Michigan lawmakers announce federal Soo Locks legislation ahead of tour

The Peninsula: House approves nuclear waste amendment 

Additional results

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (Signed into law).

• This bipartisan legislation provides new tools for law enforcement officials to prosecute criminal websites that knowingly facilitate illegal prostitution and sex trafficking and allow victims to keep much-needed restitution. More information available here.

The Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2017 (Passed the House).

• This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Fred, will strengthen Michigan’s energy security and infrastructure. More information available here.

Package of 10 energy construction, infrastructure, and efficiency legislation (Passed the House).

• These bipartisan energy bills will reduce emissions, lower costs, and create jobs. More information available here.

Kate’s Law (Passed the House).

• This legislation will toughen the punishment for illegal immigrants who re-enter our country.

No Sanctuary for Criminals Act (Passed the House).

• This legislation cracks down on dangerous sanctuary cities.

The Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced legislation to spur self-driving car innovations.

• This bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Fred, would help spur self-driving car innovations without sacrificing safety. More information available here.

The Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced legislation to modernize the nation’s water infrastructure.

• This bipartisan legislation, championed by Fred, will authorize funding for the Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund. More information available here.

$100 million emergency grant awarded to the city of Flint, Michigan, to fund drinking-water infrastructure improvements.

• The grant, made available as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act – championed by Fred, provides much needed funds to the people of Flint. More information available here.

Fuel Economy Harmonization Act introduced to help our automakers.

• This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Fred and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, would help deliver the promise of a strong national fuel economy standard, replacing the current patchwork of federal and state laws. More information available here.
  

Private legislation introduced for Ibrahim Parlak.

• This legislation would prevent Parlak from being unjustly deported. More information available here and here.