Rep. Rick W. Allen, R-Ga.,-12, has had a busy term in the U.S. House of Representatives so far in 2021 and has introduced legislation that touches on the Augusta canal, federal funding for education and immigration.
Allen has introduced legislation to extend recognition of the Augusta Canal as a National Heritage Area.
“The Augusta Canal played a critical role during the Industrial Revolution and is currently the nation’s only industrial power canal still in use for its original purpose,” Allen said in a Feb. 5 press release. “I’m proud to introduce legislation to extend its authorization as a National Heritage Area, to commemorate not only its historical significance, but its continued impact to economic development in the CSRA today.”
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Congress initially designated the Augusta Canal a National Heritage Area in 1996.
Additionally, Allen introduced an amendment to the House Democrats’ budget reconciliation scheme that would require K-12 school districts to offer in-person instruction if they receive additional COVID-19 relief funds, according to a Feb.12 press release from Allen’s office.
Allen believes schools should safely reopen with proper precautions, the press release said.
“Families around the country are desperate for their children to return to the classroom, yet President Biden and the Democrats are prioritizing their teacher union allies over the education of our students,” he said according to the press release. “The science remains clear that students and teachers can return to the classroom, and if the Biden administration is serious about listening to science, they must put the well-being of our students first by reopening schools immediately.”
Some Republicans argue that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s highest estimates include a total cost of implementing COVID-19 mitigation strategies to reopen schools safely of approximately $25 billion.
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“To date, Congress has allocated nearly $70 billion in K-12 funding for coronavirus relief, more than double the CDC’s highest funding estimate,” according to the Republican Committee on Education & Labor’s website.
Allen, also a member of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced the Better Agriculture Resources Now Act. The legislation proposes reforms that strengthen the H-2A visa program, allowing agriculture employers to hire workers for temporary labor, according to a Feb.16 press release.
“American farmers rely on the H-2A program to hire temporary workers during critical planting and harvesting seasons,” Allen said. “Too often, unnecessary delays in the application process and overall neglect of the program hurt the very people that the program was designed to help, our agriculture producers who provide our nation’s food security.
Allen’s bill proposes that responsibility of H-2A certification transfer from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture.
“In 2020 we saw unprecedented uncertainty in the H-2A visa application process due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions; in turn, the continuity of our food supply chain was put at risk,” Allen said. “We must not let this happen again. H-2A certification must be managed by an agency with a deep understanding of the food supply chain, like USDA.”
Shellie Smitley is a staff writer for The Augusta Press. Reach her at shellie@theaugustapress.com
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