Palmer speaks about congressional work at chamber luncheon

As he continues to campaign for re-election in November, U.S. Representative Gary Palmer visited the Homewood Chamber of Commerce to speak at its Oct. 18 member luncheon.

Palmer has represented Alabama's 6th Congressional District since 2014, and this is his first term in office. He is running for re-election against David J. Putman.

Palmer was the president of the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years and currently serves on the U.S. House of Representatives' budget committee, oversight and government reform committee and space, science and technology committee.

His speech to the chamber was focused on a recap of what Palmer has done in his term and what he sees as the path for the country going forward. In his point of view, the U.S. is facing a multitude of challenges including the national debt, economic growth, current regulations on business, the Affordable Healthcare Act and lack of accountability in government agencies.

"My upbringing and my faith define who I am and how I approach these issues," Palmer said.

The bills that Palmer has put forward and supported in his term have been geared toward changing how the government is run in ways that he believes will "unleash the potential of our country," he said.

These have included the Stop EPA Overreach Bill, which would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gasses; the ICD-10 "Grace Period" Bill, which gave medical practices an additional two years to learn new Medicare and Medicaid claim codes without being penalized for coding errors; and the Agency Accountability Act, which would require government agencies to deposit collected fees and fines into the Treasury general fund, where they could not be used without an appropriations bill.

A one year delay was given for the ICD-10 requirements for medical practitioners instead of the two years Palmer requested. The other two bills listed are in House subcommittees according to Congress.gov.

These and other legislative decisions he has made, Palmer said, are part of his goal to clearly define where power in the government lies and move toward what he believes would be a more constitutional way to run the government.

"What I want to do is get the lawmaking back in Congress where you can hold us accountable," Palmer said.

While he feels the nation is facing tough times, Palmer said he thinks honest communication between the people and their representatives will help the U.S. make progress.

"We need to raise our expectations of each other," he said.

Palmer briefly commented on the presidential election, stating that it was rare to see both parties' nominees with high unpopularity ratings in national polls. 

"What you think about us matters, and it's happening right in front of our eyes," Palmer said.

Also at the luncheon, Jeff Downes briefly spoke on behalf of the United Way of Central Alabama's 2016 fundraising campaign, "Together There Will Always be a Way." Downes, who is also the city manager of Vestavia Hills, said the United Way is seeking individual donors and businesses to donate their time and money to the organization's work in Birmingham.

"If you're thinking about the community, please think about the United Way," Downes said.

For more information on the United Way, visit uwca.org. Visit homewoodchamber.org for news on upcoming chamber events.