MASS GOP & "R" VOTERS ! PAY ATTENTION TO THE ISSUES!

 MAGA GOP are continuously introducing legislation that undermines progress and seek to impose it nationally, regardless of STATES' RIGHTS! 

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE DRACONIAN PROPOSALS! 

MASSACHUSETTS VOTED ITS SUPPORT ON THESE ISSUES!

THIS IS ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH, FOOD SAFETY & HUMANE STANDARDS.

SLAUGHTERING HORSES FOR FOOD HAS BEEN IGNORED BY MAGA GOP! 

ANIMAL TESTING IS YET ANOTHER ISSUE BEING IGNORED BY MAGA!

THE MAGA GOP SPENT AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME ADDRESSING APPLIANCES, FIGHTING FOR DISHWASHERS BECAUSE THEY'RE INCAPABLE OF GOVERNANCE.....LEGISLATION GENUFLECTS TO LOBBYISTS, PROFITABLE CORPORATIONS AND IGNORING AMERICANS! 

 

July 19, 2024

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act.

Driven by consumers, farmers, and food companies, 15 states, including Massachusetts, have recently enacted public health, food safety, and humane standards for the in-state production and sale of certain animal products. In 2016, Massachusetts residents voted in favor of Question 3 to create a law preventing the sale of eggs, veal, and pork in Massachusetts from animals who were inhumanely confined.  

Unfortunately, Republicans have introduced H.R. 4417, the EATS Act, both in the House and Senate. If signed into law, this legislation would overturn local agricultural and animal welfare regulations by prohibiting states and local governments from passing laws that interfere with the production and distribution of agricultural products in interstate commerce. I strongly disagree with this bill as it would set a dangerous precedent by preventing voters and state governments from enacting laws that address local concerns. In August, I signed a letter to the House Committee on Agriculture expressing my strong opposition to including the EATS Act in the 2023 Farm Bill. It is critical that states and localities are able to pass common-sense laws that improve animal welfare and regulate the quality of agricultural products coming into their state. 

Throughout my time in Congress, I have consistently supported legislation that promotes and expands animal welfare protections.  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 3475, the SAFE Act of 2023. This bill would amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption and prohibit  transporting, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. Sadly, tens of thousands of horses are exported internationally from the U.S each year for consumption. 

Further, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 5399, the Humane Cosmetics Act of 2023, which would ban the use of animal testing for cosmetic products and disallow the sale of cosmetics developed using animal testing in the U.S. Every year, thousands of animals are subject to cosmetic product safety testing, however, animals testing is unnecessary as scientific advancements now allow for the use of alternative methods to ensure the safety of cosmetic products. 

Although these bills are a step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done to expand animal welfare protections in the U.S. As a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and a life-long animal lover, I remain committed to supporting measures that improve both animal welfare and food safety requirements, and I oppose any legislation that interferes with a state’s ability to determine the quality of agricultural products being sold in the state.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or any other matter of concern. Additionally, you may find my website ( www.keating.house.gov ) to be a useful resource for keeping up with my work in Washington and the Ninth District of Massachusetts.

Sincerely,

William R. Keating
Member of Congress                                               

 

 

 

 

Protecting Medicare

 

June 27, 2022

Thank you for contacting me regarding Medicare expansion. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue, and I welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

As the Member of Congress who represents the largest senior population in the Commonwealth, it has always been my priority to protect and preserve Medicare. Since first being elected, I have introduced and supported several bills to improve and expand healthcare access, including  H.R. 1976, the Medicare for All Act of 2021. With so many Americans uninsured or underinsured during the pandemic, the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would create a national health insurance program to provide comprehensive benefits to every American, covering all medically necessary services and items, including hospital services, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, dental and vision services, and long-term care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the importance of healthcare access was only further underscored, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily expanded access to telehealth services, allowing Medicare beneficiaries to receive healthcare services from home and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Since the pandemic, many have now come to rely on telehealth. 

To prevent Medicare’s temporary expansion of telehealth services from expiring, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1332, the Telehealth Modernization Act and H.R. 366, the Protecting Access to Post-COVID–19 Telehealth Act of 2021. These bills would extend flexibilities authorized during the pandemic, including the suspension of originating site restrictions to allow patients' homes to serve as the originating site and federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site. Telehealth has proven not only to be cost-effective and efficient, but also to help close gaps in Medicare access by making quality healthcare more accessible to more Americans. 

Please be assured that I will continue to fight to protect and strengthen access to Medicare in the 117^th Congress . Should any of these bills or similar legislation come before the full House of Representatives for a vote, I will be certain to keep your thoughts in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or any other matter of concern. Additionally, you may find my website ( www.keating.house.gov ) to be a useful resource for keeping up with my work in Washington and the Ninth District of Massachusetts. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Sincerely,

William R. Keating
Member of Congress