(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. today said that $2.3 billion in tax rebate checks are going right where they belong — into the pockets of local taxpayers, including nearly 206,000 households in Northeast Wisconsin.

“I supported these rebates because Wisconsin families need a little relief from soaring gas prices and other costs,” Kagen said.

Starting May 2, Kagen said, the U.S. Treasury Department will issue economic stimulus checks totaling $112 billion nationwide. The typical Northeast Wisconsin household will receive $885, an amount that is above the national average.

Kagen voted for the Economic Stimulus Act, which was signed into law by President Bush several weeks ago. The law provides targeted relief in the form of a tax-rebate check to middle- and lower-income households, some seniors, and disabled veterans.

“These checks will provide a little lift as we continue to work toward lower gasoline prices, more affordable health care coverage, higher-wage jobs, and guaranteed benefits for veterans and seniors,” Kagen said.

The tax rebate checks will be issued over a period of months through the spring and early summer, with the initial round of payments completed by early July.

Citizens are eligible if they filed income tax returns reporting tax liability or have earned income, Social Security income, or disabled veterans’ benefits of more than $3,000 last year. Most taxpayers are required to simply file a 2007 income tax return. There is no additional form needed for the stimulus check. For more information, visit the IRS Web site at http://irs.gov/.

Congressman to Report Strong Support From Nearly 940 Individual Donors

(APPLETON) — Saying that his fundraising success will help him keep working for positive change, Congressman Steve Kagen M.D. announced that he will report more than $1.1 million raised to date in his re-election campaign, including $230,000 from nearly 940 individual donors during the first quarter of this year.

“Wisconsin voters agree with our record of helping to build a better nation for all of us,” Kagen said. “I appreciate their generosity in making sure we have the resources to continue our progress and to prevent a return to the failed policies of the past.”

In quarterly fundraising reports due today, Kagen will show a total of $230,000 raised from 939 individual donors, 82 percent of whom live in Wisconsin, including 619 donors who gave $200 or less.

Kagen’s strong support shows that he has more than $760,000 cash on hand as of March 31.

A native of Appleton, Kagen serves on the Agriculture and Transportation Committee and has sponsored legislation to defend Wisconsin jobs against China’s trade practices. He met earlier this month with China’s Ambassador to the U.S. to express the concerns of Northeast Wisconsin families and businesses over that country’s dumping of illegal paper products into the domestic marketplace.

Kagen has also urged the Bush Administration to take action against the increasing ownership of key U.S. assets by foreign interests, arguing that other countries and distant corporations should not be
allowed to control the U.S. economy.

(GREEN BAY, WI) — Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. joined area veterans and local leaders to announce that funds to expand the Veteran’s Administration Ambulatory Surgery/Outpatient Diagnostic Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinic have been included in the in the President’s 2009 budget request to Congress.

“Our veterans have earned the the right to have the best care available as close to home as possible,” Dr. Kagen said. “We are pleased to have the chance to make that goal a reality sooner rather than later.”

Kagen commended VA Deputy Under-Secretary for Health William Feely, Brown County leaders, and the administration in Washington, D.C. for working together to improve the facility and guarantee more convenient coverage for Northeast Wisconsin veterans.

“Wisconsin’s soldiers and their families have done what we asked of them, and it’s important to make sure that they receive the very best medical services available,” Dr. Kagen said.

Dr. Kagen and VA officials moved the medical center request forward in time to FY 2009 to address the significant need for both surgical and medical veterans’ services. The funding was originally scheduled for FY 2010. The VA center will increase the total square feet available from 12,000 to 70,600 and will increase patient enrollment capacity from 2,500 to 15,000 patients.

“We are dedicated to guaranteeing access to affordable care for every citizen as soon as possible, and this new Community Based Outpatient Clinic and Ambulatory Surgery Center is a great step in that direction,” Dr. Kagen said.

The new facility will be located in Brown County and will offer specialty services previously available only in Milwaukee, including orthopedics, mental health, laboratory, radiology physical therapy, pharmacy, dietetics, social services, hospice care, compensation benefit exams, and some outpatient surgical procedures.

Brown County Executive Tom Hinz said he is optimistic about what the new VA clinic will mean for the local economy.

“Having this expanded VA clinic here will create jobs, bring in revenue for our county and save so many of our veterans time and money by having their treatment facility right next door,” Hinz said.

(GREEN BAY, WI) — Continuing their work to find ways to improve veterans’ lives, Gayle Kagen and the Brown County United Way today spread the word about 2-11 call centers serving as a single national point of contact for veterans and their families seeking counseling and other services.

“We are working hard to make sure that those who have served our country bravely and their families receive the benefits they deserve,” Mrs. Kagen said. “Brown County United Way and Brown Country Veterans Services provide incredible support for our local veterans. With 2-11, that support is just a phone call away.”

Mrs. Kagen was joined at the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Green Bay by Lisa Clark from the Brown County United Way.

Gayle Kagen, the wife of Congressman Steve Kagen, is president of the Freshman Congressional Spouses Class of the 110th Congress. After visiting Walter Reed Hospital, she brought together the United Way and the National Military Families Association to discuss how 2-11 could provide resources for veterans and their families.

“I’m very excited to be part of a program that’s helping the families of our service personnel get access to the help they need,” said Ms. Clark, 2-11 manager for the Brown County United Way. “This is exactly what 2-11 is all about, providing an easy gateway to services in our community.”

2-11 is an easy-to-remember, nationwide, non-emergency telephone number that connects people with community services and volunteer opportunities. Mrs. Kagen and the Freshman Congressional Spouses are promoting the Military Families Program as part of the menu of services available through Brown County 2-11. A subsection of the local 2-11 website is also dedicated to offering services for military personal and their families and can be seen at http://www.get211.org/.

Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. Applauded the efforts of his wife and the other spouses, as well as local advocates like the Brown County United Way.

“Our community here in Northeast Wisconsin does an incredible job of working together to meet the needs of our veterans and their families,” Dr. Kagen said. “Dialing 2-11 is an easy way to connect our soldiers with these much needed resources.”

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. said today that testimony to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from whistleblowers, investigators, airline, and labor representatives was “disappointing” and called on the Federal Aviation Administration to impose higher safety standards to protect the public and airline personnel.

“Outrageously incompetent and unprofessional people have been in charge of our nation’s air transportation safety,” Kagen said. “Clearly, we need to establish higher safety standards at the FAA.”

Kagen is a member of the committee and participated in a hearing to explore the Federal Aviation Administration’s airline partnership programs and their effect on aircraft inspections.

“Vigorous oversight by our committee will re-establish safety standards and lead to a thorough house cleaning at the FAA,” Kagen said. “Safety, not corporate or personal profits, should be the guiding principle at the FAA.”

(WASHINGTON, DC) — Joined by a number of fellow lawmakers, Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. met yesterday with Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the United States Zhou Wenzhong and urged him to support measures to make trade between their two nation freer and more balanced.

“I welcomed the opportunity to express our concerns about trade,” Kagen said. “I expressed in the strongest terms possible that what we need is balanced trade, not free trade.”

Kagen said Northeast Wisconsin is concerned that Communist China is dumping illegal paper into the domestic marketplace.

“The Chinese Ambassador and I had a frank discussion,” Kagen said. “I let him know that we cannot afford to continue to ship our jobs overseas to Asia. We must have balanced trade and ship our values overseas — not our jobs.”

(APPLETON, WI) — Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. today said that the Bush Administration should take a close look at the increasing ownership of key U.S. assets by foreign interests, saying that a bipartisan U.S. Competition Commission could help evaluate the implications of putting domestic industries in the hands of foreign governments and countries.

“Foreign states — and distant corporations — should not be allowed to control our economy,” Kagen wrote in a letter to President George W. Bush.

Dr. Kagen has been a fierce advocate for making current trade and competition rules fairer to U.S. Corporations.

“No one should be allowed to determine or control the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we grow, the size and strength of our military, or the health of our environment and our people,” Kagen said.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Congressman Steve Kagen, M.D. Today announced that a grant of more than $632,000 for the Grand Chute Fire Department from the Department of Homeland Security to hire new personnel under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.

“This grant will allow us to double our responding staff of frontline personnel,” said Timothy Bantes, Chief of the Grand Chute Fire Department. “It will aid in the overall expansion of our department and staffing our new station.”

Kagen said the exact amount of the grant is $632,550 to hire more staff for a new fire station, scheduled to be completed later this year. The department currently has 11 employees.

“Our first responders work hard everyday to keep us safe,” Kagen said. “The goal here is to make sure they have the personnel and resources they need for 24-hour staffing to guarantee our communities protection in the case of an emergency.”

Since 2001, Assistance to Firefighters grants have helped firefighters and other first responders with equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources, Kagen said.

“I am proud to say that now the Grand Chute Fire Department will be able to do its job even more effectively,” Kagen said.

“It is an honor to serve everyone in Northeast Wisconsin, a duty I take very seriously. Last evening, I had the opportunity to speak with both presidential candidates Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton to express my appreciation for their great efforts to build a better nation for all of us. They are both great public servants, and I applaud their efforts.

This is a phenomenal and exciting election year, and we are very fortunate to have so many talented individuals who have sacrificed their personal and family lives to seek public office.

As a strong believer in representative government, it is my responsibility to support the winner of Wisconsin’s 8th District, and that candidate is Senator Barack Obama.

Senator Obama has inspired a new generation of voters, everywhere in these United States, and right here in Wisconsin. Senator Obama has earned my strongest support, and I look forward to working with him to guarantee access to affordable health care for all of us.”

Steve Kagen, M.D.
Member of Congress
Wisconsin

Appleton, WI — Veterans will have easier access to valuable social services thanks to the efforts of Gayle Kagen and the United Way. As President of the Freshman Congressional Spouses Class of the 110th Congress, Gayle brought together the United Way and the National Military Families Association in support of 2-1-1, a national effort to make the three digit call centers a single point of contact for veterans and their families seeking counseling and other services.

“After a visit to Walter Reed Hospital, we decided, as a group, to dedicate ourselves to meeting the needs of military families,” said Gayle. “These social services were available, but many veterans were not taking advantage of them. We sought to simplify the process by creating a national hotline.”

Gayle Kagen contacted United Way Fox Cities, to discuss how 2-1-1 could provide resources for veterans and their families. The local contact led to discussion on a national level with United Way of America’s Director of 2-1-1, Linda Daily.

The 2-1-1 call centers offer access to resources for counseling, shelter, food banks, health resources, child care, financial literacy and job training programs. Almost two out of every ten U.S. soldiers who have faced combat in Iraq may return with serious symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study released by the New England Journal of Medicine. Currently, less than 40% of the returning soldiers in need and afflicted by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder seek help.

The Congressional Spouse class is also working with the National Military Family Association (NMFA), which was founded by wives of soldiers in order to create a resource and support system for spouses and children of the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Congressman Kagen applauded the project, “Our veterans have served our country honorably, and we must do everything we can to help them and their families. Gayle has done a tremendous job in bringing together these two organizations. The 2-1-1 program proves that by working together, we will build a better nation for all of us.”

Rep. Kagen is a co-sponsor The 2-1-1 Act which will extend this service nationwide and the author of the Rural Veterans Mental Health Improvement Act, which would provide eligible veterans with vouchers to pay for necessary mental health services at local private facilities if they live more than 30 miles from a VA facility.