Bill Flores Discusses Last Week in Washington

by Bill Flores on September 23, 2019 at 12:56 PM

I released the following statements regarding Speaker Pelosi’s proposal on drug pricing; and H.R. 1423, the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act. I also paid a special tribute to four exceptional residents of the 17th Congressional District on the House floor.

Speaker Pelosi’s Proposal on Drug Pricing
This week, Speaker Pelosi unveiled her plan to ignore bipartisan solutions by forcing an inflexible, socialist, government-controlled approach to nationalize the prescription drug industry. Her plan will ration life-saving medicines by federal bureaucrats and crush America’s position as a global leader of innovation and cures. Addressing prescription drug prices can and should be done in a bipartisan manner, particularly under divided government. We have proven, real-world solutions ready to go, which create affordable and competitive marketplaces for prescription drugs and which ensure patients continue to benefit from research, new discovery and medical innovation. It is time that Pelosi and her squad stop playing political games and focus on bipartisan solutions that can truly help hardworking American families. We did this effectively during the 115th Congress of 2017-2018, and it is possible to do it again.

Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act
Arbitration provides consumers, employees and businesses a fairer, simpler, faster and lower cost option to resolving disputes as compared to lawsuits and litigation. I voted against the misguided and mis-named Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act because it takes away a proven, effective and efficient arbitration process and replaces it with a process that invokes lawsuits, legal battles and expenses that leave individuals, particularly lower-income families, on the losing end. Workers today are protected by contractual rights to seek arbitration to settle disputes. This bill in turn, strips those rights and forces claimants into more costly courthouse litigation.

Once again, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat majority are wasting time on misguided priorities like this effort to simply line the pockets of trial lawyers. Instead, we should be working on the issues that protect and matter most to hardworking American families – securing our border, fixing our broken immigration system, approving the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), addressing prescription drug prices, improving our health care system and continuing America’s energy dominance while improving the environment.

Honoring Sergeant Major James Gregory “Ryan” Sartor
Sergeant Major James Gregory “Ryan” Sartor, of Teague, was killed on July 13, 2019, after he sustained injuries from enemy fire in Faryab Province, Afghanistan. Sergeant Major Sartor was a fearless leader and a decorated soldier who was devoted to protecting our country. He will be forever remembered as a husband, a father, a son, a soldier, a selfless-servant and a loyal friend to many.

Click on the image above to watch my tribute honoring the life of Sergeant Major Ryan Sartor.

Honoring Dr. John Joseph Koldus III
Dr. John Joseph Koldus III, of College Station, passed away on August 12, 2019. Dr. Koldus’ life was defined by his service to his family, to our country and to Texas A&M University. He will be forever remembered as a husband, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, a veteran, a mentor, a selfless servant and a friend. On a personal note, he was a dear friend and incredible mentor to me when I was a student at Texas A&M. I will never forget his friendship or lessons he taught me.

Click on the image above to watch my tribute honoring the life of Dr. John Koldus III.

Honoring Matthew Randell Gurule
Matthew Randell Gurule, a China Spring High School graduate, passed away on August 17, 2019. Matthew's life was defined by his service to our country. He will be forever remembered as a son, a brother, a veteran, a selfless servant and a friend. It is also important to recognize the tireless efforts of his mother, Sandra Miller, to determine the details of his murder and to identify the killers.

Click on the image above to watch Congressman Flores’ tribute honoring the life of Matthew Gurule.

Recognizing Burma Beal’s 100th Birthday
On September 15, 2019, Burma Beal, of Bryan, celebrated her 100th birthday. Burma is living a long life filled with love, joy and service to others. I wish Burma many more years of health and happiness.