Reflecting on my 1st year in Congress

Friday, January 27, 2012

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January has been quite a month. New Hampshire enjoyed the national spotlight as Americans were reminded how much Granite Staters cherish our first-in-the-nation presidential primary tradition, and how seriously we take our responsibility of getting to know the candidates.

I reached a personal milestone this month as your congressman. Jan. 5 marked one year since I took office. So this is a good time to update you on what I’ve done over the last 12 months.

When I went to Capitol Hill, I made fulfilling my promise to stay in touch with Granite Staters a top priority. I’m pleased to report my office has received and responded to more than 105,000 pieces of correspondence (e-mail, letters and faxes). On average, most correspondence is answered within 48 hours. My staff held open office hours in every town in the 1st Congressional District in 2011.

I have stayed connected with Granite Staters through this bimonthly column, my weekly e-newsletter and frequent letters and fliers that update people on what is happening in Washington. I have held traditional Town Hall meetings, District Discussion meetings (where anybody can talk to me about any subject they wish), and frequent Tele-Town Hall conference calls while I’m working in Washington (with an average of 7,000 participants on each call).

But it doesn’t end there. When I’m working in New Hampshire, I visit schools, police and fire departments, nursing homes and senior centers, hospitals and small businesses from Portsmouth to Conway and everywhere in between. The best way to effectively serve Granite Staters is by staying in touch with them and listening as they share with you what they want the federal government to do, and in many cases, what they don’t want it to do.

I’m particularly pleased with the job fairs held last year in Rochester, Derry and Manchester, including a special one for military veterans and their families on the day before Veterans Day. They’re part of my ongoing “Getting Granite Staters Back to Work” jobs initiative, which also included a survey of small business owners, a roundtable with job creators and several small business forums. (I’ll tell you more soon about another job fair that is already in the works.)

In Congress, I’ve sponsored multiple pieces of major legislation (most of which enjoy bipartisan support), including the Government Results Transparency Act, the Great Bay Community Protection Act, the Veterans Health Equity Act, the Auto Enroll Repeal Act, the Fighting Fraud in Transportation Act and the Bluefin Tuna Fishermen Employment Preservation Act. In addition, I have also co-sponsored 110 pieces of legislation on a wide array of issues. (You can read more about them by visiting www.guinta.house.gov.)

I was honored in 2011 to receive several national recognitions for my work, including “Legislator of the Year” from the American Building Contractors, and the “Guardian of Seniors Rights” award from the 60 Plus Association. In addition, my office was the only one of 94 House freshmen to receive the non-partisan Congressional Management Foundation’s “112th Congress Gold Mouse Award” for my Web site.

I’m actively working to change the way Washington operates. For example, I’ve voted twice to cut my own office’s budget by a total of 11.4 percent. I also voted multiple times to freeze members of Congress’ pay and have co-sponsored H.R. 431, which would end automatic pay raises for them.

That was 2011. The second session of the 112th Congress is getting underway, and many new challenges await our attention. Unemployment remains too high, job creators are still crying out for relief from the stranglehold of overzealous federal regulation, plus the Senate still needs to do the right thing and pass a federal budget for the first time in nearly 1,000 days.

Thank you, New Hampshire, for the privilege of representing you in Washington. Looking back on all that was accomplished in 2011, I only have one thing to say: “You haven’t seen anything yet!” Believe me, the best is yet to come.

I look forward to reporting back to you in two weeks on the latest developments in Washington. In the meantime, if I can be of service to you, or if you want to share your thoughts, suggestions or concerns with me, please contact me. Until next time, please know that I am always on your side and am actively fighting for New Hampshire’s interests in Washington.

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta represents New Hampshire District 1 in Washington D.C. His column, “Frankly Speaking” can be read in the Merrimack Journal and Bedford Journal twice a month. He can be contacted in Washington at 1223 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C., 20515 or by phone at 1-202-225-5456. His New Hampshire office is at 33 Lowell St., Manchester, NH 03101 or 641-9536. Guinta can also be reached via e-mail by visiting https://guinta.house.gov/contact-me. You can also follow what he’s doing 24/7 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repfrankguinta and on Twitter at @RepFrankGuinta.