IMPORTANT UPDATES from CONGRESSMAN SMUCKER

Thanks for subscribing to my E-Newsletter. In this edition, I provide updates on honoring our veterans, National Apprenticeship Month, my statement on the election, the fight against COVID-19, and National Adoption Month.

I enjoy hearing from you and responding to questions from your emails, phone calls, and letters. If you’d like to share your concerns or opinions with me, or if you have questions about legislation or specific votes, you can send me an email here.

Honoring our Veterans
On November 10, 2020, the United States Marine Corps celebrated 245 years of service to our nation. To every Marine who has served or is currently serving: thank you for your selfless service to a grateful nation.

We are all fortunate to be living in the greatest country in the history of the world, with God-granted rights and liberties enshrined in our Constitution. Those rights and liberties are preserved, protected, and defended by those who selflessly serve in the United States Armed Forces.

We are fortunate to have many in our community serve in uniform and to those brave individuals: thank you for your service. My commitment to serving area veterans will never waver; I will always fight for you in Congress. On November 11, 2020, I was honored to join our area veterans and the Lancaster County Commissioners for a ceremony marking Veterans Day.

Below are excerpts from an article I wrote about Honoring Our Veterans in the November 11, 2020 edition of the Ephrata Review, Elizabethtown Advocate, and the Lititz Review. Click here for the full article.

After hearing and speaking with veterans in our district, I learned of problematic experiences too many of them had with the Department of Veteran Affairs and their billing practices. I introduced legislation to ensure that veterans would not be required to make copayments if they were not billed in a timely manner, which passed the House last session.  A similar piece of legislation to prevent veterans from being forced to pay surprise bills, introduced by one of my colleagues, passed the House earlier this year.

Additionally, I introduced the Warrior Wellness Act, a straightforward piece of legislation to ensure that the VA has the information and tools needed to provide the high-quality mental health services our veterans deserve. I introduced this legislation with bipartisan support and it was passed by the House as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. These are just two pieces of legislation that I've worked on to support veterans in Congress, but there always remains more work to do.

For assistance with veterans' benefits or issues with other federal agencies, please contact my Lancaster office at 717-393-0667, Hanover office at 717-969-6132, Red Lion office at 717-969-6133 or Washington, DC office at 202-225-2411.

November is recognized as National Military and Veteran Families Month. Our Veterans and their families make brave sacrifices for our nation. While our patriotic veterans are serving, their families are making sacrifices of their own to support our nation’s freedom. We recognize those families and thank them, too, for their bravery in helping preserve our freedom.

National Apprenticeship Week 
November 8, 2020 marked the start of National Apprenticeship Week. Apprenticeships offer great opportunities for Americans to achieve their American Dream. As the Ranking Republican of the House Education and Labor Committee Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment, I have worked to expand apprenticeship opportunities. While this week marks the importance of apprenticeships in our nation’s workforce development efforts, it is important to recognize the need to reform our current apprenticeship model. 

As a former small business owner, I have lived through trying to navigate the federal guidelines to establish an apprenticeship program. The current model is truly unworkable for countless small businesses across our community and nation. In September, I discussed the need for House Democrats to work with republicans to reform the National Apprenticeship Act. Read more about my efforts.

President Trump’s Administration has fought to expand apprenticeships opportunities and in his proclamation on National Apprenticeship Week highlighted that in Fiscal Year 2019 nearly 250,000 new apprenticeships were registered. 

By creating new opportunities for apprenticeships, businesses can start to hire for good paying, family-sustaining jobs across the country.

Statement on the Election
Every American wants to be confident that our elections are secure and that all eligible votes are counted efficiently and in a transparent manner. From what I have witnessed, this is certainly true in our congressional district, Lancaster County and southern York County.

Any candidate, including President Trump, is well within their right to request a recount, call for investigation where evidence presents itself, and utilize legal options, consistent with our elections’ process. As a society that respects law and order, allegations of misconduct and fraud are to be vigorously investigated.

It is in the interest of all Pennsylvania voters for Attorney General Joshua Shapiro and Secretary of State Kathryn Boockvar to recuse themselves from election-related investigations. Both have made highly partisan statements regarding President Trump; additionally, AG Shapiro is himself a candidate on the current ballot. Pennsylvanians need an independent and non-partisan official to conduct these reviews. Secretary of State Boockvar also has issued contradictory guidance to counties, including the last-minute change in guidance for the pre-canvass and canvassing of mail-in votes received after 8 p.m. on Election Day.

In light of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision and actions taken by Secretary of State Boockvar, the Pennsylvania General Assembly should reevaluate their recent election law reform legislation to ensure that ballots can be counted in a timely fashion and whether it opened the door to potential fraud or misconduct.

While some races have yet to be called, I would encourage everyone to have patience as the final results are tabulated and released. Regardless of party, all Americans must accept the results of the election once they are certified, including President Trump and former Vice President Biden.

Last weekend, I joined my PA House GOP colleagues in calling on Gov. Wolf, AG Shapiro & Sec. Boockvar to make certain that all legal ballots are properly counted.

Combating COVID-19
It is important, especially as we approach flu season, to continue to practice social distancing, wash your hands, wear masks in public, and follow CDC guidelines. You can always visit the dedicated coronavirus page on my website for additional information.

The news of Pfizer being close to developing a vaccine brings us one step closer to restoring our way of life. I applaud everyone working to bring a safe, effective vaccine and therapeutics to all Americans.

National Adoption Month
During National Adoption Month it is important to highlight the needs of supporting families and children through the adoption process. Since entering Congress, I have been an advocate for fighting to expand adoption opportunities. In July 2019, I introduced the Improving Adoption Outcomes and Affordability Act (H.R. 3690) to enhance medical support services for birthmothers that have made the selfless decision to place their unborn child for adoption to provide them a loving home. Learn more about this legislation on my website.

Here to Help
If you have any questions or issues with a federal agency, please know that my office is here to assist you. You can call our district or Washington, DC offices for assistance or visit my website for any issue with a federal agency or department.

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter! To stay up-to-date on my work in the district and Washington, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also check out my YouTube page where there are 100+ videos, many of which are direct responses to your questions.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Smucker
Member of Congress