U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) this week sent a letter urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator to follow language included in H.R. 1471, the FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act, when evaluating Governor Rauner’s request for federal assistance. H.R. 1471 passed the House unanimously last week and includes Davis’ language that requires FEMA to “give greater weight and consideration to severe localized impact.” “This legislation passed unanimously with this provision in...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today announced that Horizon Hobby, a Champaign-based company that develops and manufactures micro drones for recreational and commercial use, will serve on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). Horizon Hobby has been asked to help develop recommendations for operating certain UAS. “Private companies like Horizon Hobby know this technology and its potential better than anyone,” said D...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) released the following statement celebrating Read Across America Day, a day supported by more than 50 education organizations to promote reading. Last week, Davis read ‘House Mouse, Senate Mouse’ to second graders at Jerseyville East Elementary School in anticipation of Read Across America Day. “My wife Shannon and I read to our three kids nearly every night when they were younger – being able to recite some of their favorite books by heart,” said Davis. “By encou...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today announced that his provision to bring fairness to the federal disaster declaration process passed the House with unanimous support. His provision, included in H.R. 1471, the FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act, requires FEMA to give greater weight and consideration to the localized impact of a disaster when determining the need for federal assistance. “The recent flooding caused road closures, evacuations, power outages, several fatalities, and more than $15...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), along with members of the St. Louis-area congressional delegation, today urged Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald to appoint a permanent director of the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, which has been vacant since March of 2013 and is currently on their eighth interim director. “This is indicative of an overall system that is failing our veterans,” said Davis. “Veterans in my district who rely on the St. Louis VA for care deserve better. The...
Read more
U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Mike Bost (R-Ill.), and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) releashed the following statements after the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter urging President Obama to support Governor Rauner’s request for federal assistance to help 21 of the hardest-hit counties recover from recent severe flash and river flooding. While the state did not meet FEMA’s population-based threshold, the members have urged FEMA to put greater weight on the localized impact of a disaster ...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today released the following statement on president’s plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison and transfer up to 60 detainees to the United States and 91 others to foreign countries: “The president’s plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison not only lacks the support of the American people, but it fails to provide critical details about how he would deal with current and future detainees,” said Davis. “This is especially concerning because not long ago the president propos...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today announced his support for restoring inurnment rights for Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) at Arlington National Cemetery. Recently, the Secretary of the Army rescinded eligibility for WASP members. Davis has cosponsored H.R. 4336, the WASP Arlington Inurnment Restoration Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, which would overturn the Army’s decision. “Members of the WASP provided an invaluable service to ou...
Read more
U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), and Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) today led a bipartisan group of 74 House members in requesting that the Department of Veterans Affairs grant read-only access to congressional offices working to help veterans receive the benefits they have earned. With roughly 70,000 pending cases and the VA missing its goal of eliminating the claims backlog by the end of 2015, allowing this access will help congressional staffers alleviate some of the frustrations...
Read more
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), at a recent House Agriculture Committee hearing, urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to implement provisions he authored in the 2014 Farm Bill to help the administrator’s goal of gaining trust among farmers. (Click here to view video) During the hearing, Administrator McCarthy admitted the agency had ‘a lot of work to do’ to improve relationships with the agriculture community. Davis’ provision to create an agriculture subc...
Read more