Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally, who represents Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, introduced a bill intended to help create more opportunities for the nation’s veterans in addition to her continued work on issues aimed at helping the region and the nation to grow economically.
One of McSally’s recent accomplishments was the addition of the Sonoran Corridor highway to the upcoming federal interstate legislation that will soon be debated and voted upon by Congress.
The corridor highway, which would connect Interstates 10 and 19, aims to cut down on the amount of travel time to Mexico and facilitate more trade with Arizona’s crucial economic partner to the south.
The measure has received support from the entire state of Arizona’s congressional delegation and was successfully attached to the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015.
As a result, the proposed highway would be eligible to receive federal funds to help provide for its construction and maintenance.
In addition to this, the Border Jobs for Veterans Act of 2015, a bill that McSally sponsored, was signed into law on Oct. 16.
The Border Jobs for Veterans Act was McSally’s first piece of legislation to become public law. The act became the first measure—excluding the renaming of the Douglas Port of Entry—to be introduced by an Arizona House member that would be signed into law this year.
The bill requires cooperation between the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in order to enhance efforts to recruit members of the Armed Forces who are looking to serve as Custom and Border Protection officers.
“This new policy will help fill the vacancies at our ports of entry with qualified, trained service members, helping them transition to civilian life while addressing the staffing shortages at our ports,” McSally said in a press release on Oct. 19. “I’m proud to be part of this bipartisan effort to get results on a local problem, and will continue to work to advance common sense, achievable solutions on the issues important to Southern Arizonans.”
These recruiting efforts include more opportunities for CBP field offices to partner with military bases, identify shared activities in order to expedite hiring qualified candidates and outreach efforts to educate qualified members of the Armed Forces about CBP officer positions.
Another measure that McSally voted on was the potential reauthorization of the now-closed Export-Import Bank of the United States.
McSally voted in favor of bill H. Res. 597, which calls for the reauthorization of the bank, on Tuesday.
The bill, proposed by fellow Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher, passed in the House and had previously passed as an amendment to the Senate and will still require further action in order to end up on President Barack Obama’s desk. The upcoming national highway bill could be an opportunity for the House to attach the Export-Import Bank to must-pass legislation.
Many of the Export-Import Bank’s critics cite that it is harmful because it provides major corporations with large sums of guaranteed loans but does not actually help to stimulate the economy.
However, the measure has been able to garner bipartisan support among House Democrats and Republicans.
“Without the Export-Import Bank thousands of jobs will be put in jeopardy and local economies will pay the price,” Fincher wrote in a tweet on Monday.
McSally has worked across the aisle over the past weeks to promote several pieces of legislation that she said she believes will help the people and the economy of Southern Arizona and will grow the economy of the nation as a whole.
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