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New $4.5 million Jackson County Health Department facility opened 
August 31, 2010
By April M. Havens - The Mississippi Press, August 31, 2010

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(Mississippi Press/April Havens)
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor speaks during the grand opening of the $4.5 million
Jackson County Health Department. The new building, on Vega Street in
Pascagoula, was paid for mostly by federal grants after Hurricane
Katrina ruined the old building on Hospital Street.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Mothers will go there for their children's life-saving vaccines. Young, amorous couples will use it for pre-martial blood testing.

The new Jackson County Health Department will "tie the county together" and play a role in many of residents' milestones, Supervisor Melton Harris Jr. said Thursday, as leaders celebrated the $4.5 million building's grand opening.

During Thursday's ceremony, U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, recalled the emotion surrounding Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. When he first saw his family's homes destroyed and learned close friends had died in the storm, "I just kept saying to myself, 'There's a reason for everything,'" [Congressman] Taylor said, voice trembling. "I'd like to think that this building is one of those reasons," he said, "that something good came from it."

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Sun shines on Biloxi service 
August 30, 2010
Rain holds off as ‘moment that changed us’ is remembered
By Mary Perez - Sun Herald, August 29, 2010
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Congressman Gene Taylor

BILOXI — On Aug. 29, 2005, Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway stepped out onto the second floor balcony of City Hall and saw parts of his city wash by on Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge.  Five years later and a block away, he and other officials remembered those who didn’t survive Katrina during a memorial service at the Biloxi Town Green on Sunday.

The past several days the Coast focused on progress and milestones since the storm, said Holloway. On Sunday, the actual anniversary of the storm, he said it was time to reflect on the 168 friends and neighbors in South Mississippi who died during the storm. Each name was read by high school students, and several were family members who died together. Their names were etched into the Katrina Monument built on the Town Green by the crew of the “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” TV show.

“This monument stands as a quiet reminder of the lost, the found and the moment that changed us forever,” Holloway said.

“Like these trees we still bear the scars of Katrina and we probably always will,” [Rep. Taylor] said. “But we’re coming back better than ever.”

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U.S. Rep. Taylor wants Navy, Northrop to speed up contract for 2 ships 
August 30, 2010
By Harlan Kirgan - The Mississippi Press, August 30, 2010

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(The Mississippi Press/Jon Hauge) U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis: Taylor, seen here in a file photo, said Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010, that he wants the Navy to expedite contract discussions with Northrop Grumman to finalize a deal to build 2 Navy vessels in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A meeting this week may help expedite a contract between the Navy and Northrop Grumman to build 2 ships at the Pascagoula shipyard, said U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis. Taylor, speaking Sunday after a Hurricane Katrina commemorative event outside Gulfport City Hall, said, "I'm just incredibly frustrated."


Taylor, chairman of the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, said he called Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who agreed to send Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, to Mississippi to discuss ongoing shipbuilding contract negotiations between the Navy and Northrop Grumman. Taylor said he expects the meeting will take place this week.


"This is just inexcusable," Taylor said. "I can't think of any other business in America that would be sitting on $5 billion worth of potential work and can't find a way to get those contracts signed."


The Navy and Northrop have not had serious negotiations since June, he said.


"We need to get this resolved. Number one, the Navy needs the ships. Number two, folks down here need the work," Taylor said.
"If we have to take the initial step to get all those guys in the same room, we are going to do it," he said.
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Leaders retrace path of Katrina’s destruction 
August 30, 2010
By Leigh Coleman - Special to the Sun Herald, August 28, 2010

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LEIGH COLEMAN/SPECIAL TO THE SUN HERALD
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor and Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant lunch on seafood gumbo during their pilgrimage along the path of Katrina.
BAY ST. LOUIS — A group of former and current members of Congress, religious leaders, scholars and other friends of The Faith & Politics Institute passed through coastal Mississippi on a pilgrimage across the path of Katrina.
The group left New Orleans early Saturday, stopping for lunch at the newly rebuilt Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church. The leaders ate their fill of seafood gumbo and other Gulf delights, saying, “See? This seafood is safe to eat.”

Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., shared some untold stories about Katrina with Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and other leaders.

“When Katrina hit we truly expected to see that our home had the roof blown off and some windows out,” Taylor said. “But we were wrong. It was gone. The entire neighborhood was gone.

“I think what got to me most though was when I heard that we lost a National Guardsman the night of the storm. He had just returned from Iraq.”

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Hancock Medical Center to get a half million dollar grant 
August 30, 2010
By Rebecca Powers - WLOX-TV 13, August 27, 2010

BAY ST. LOUIS, MS (WLOX) - On Friday, Congressman Gene Taylor announced a big economic boost for Hancock Medical Center. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $495,000 grant to Hancock Medical Center.

At Taylor's request, the funding for this project was included in the 2010 Human Health and Services appropriations bill. The $495,000 grant will help with construction and medical equipment costs for the hospital that was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

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5 years after Katrina, property insurance woes stifle Mississippi rebuilding efforts 
August 30, 2010
By Kaija Wilkerson - The Mississippi Press, August 30, 2010

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Five years after Hurricane Katrina changed the south Mississippi landscape forever, the cost and availability of property insurance continue to have a stranglehold on the economy.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the most recent entity to come out against adding wind to the NFIP, a measure championed by U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis. 
And the end is nowhere in sight, insurance reform proponents said, as the consumer-friendly legislation they write and advocate gets delayed or outright shot down.

"Millions of homeowners and business owners are required by their mortgages or lenders to buy windstorm coverage, but private insurance companies are not required to sell it to them," Taylor said in the letter. "Since Hurricane Katrina, insurance companies have abandoned coastal communities, creating an urgent insurance crisis along the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast."

Taylor has cited statistics from the Hancock County chamber that show rates that have increased exponentially for small businesses -- up to several hundred percent in some cases. Jackson County leaders said the situation is similar here and across the coast.

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Hundreds gather in Gulfport to remember Katrina 
August 30, 2010

By Geoff Pender - Sun Herald, August 29, 2010

GULFPORT — Gov. Haley Barbour became, uncharacteristically, choked up Sunday as he spoke to hundreds gathered in downtown Gulfport to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

He remembered what he saw in his first helicopter ride across the Coast: “It looked like the hand of God had wiped away the Coast.”

U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor and Sen. Roger Wicker praised the fortitude of South Mississippians.

“For those of you who stuck it out, those who stayed to rebuild this Gulf Coast,” Taylor said, “thank you and God bless you all.”

Sen. Thad Cochran could not attend, but Taylor thanked the senior senator, who played the lead role in Mississippi securing unprecedented amounts of federal relief from Congress after Katrina. He recalled an event he, former Sen. Trent Lott and Cochran attended in Biloxi at the first anniversary of Katrina.

“Trent leaned over to me, pointed at (Cochran), and said, ‘That’s our hero.’” Taylor said. “I’m in total agreement.”

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Insurance woes remain post-Katrina priority problem 
August 30, 2010
By Steve Phillips - WLOX-TV 13, August 27, 2010

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Rep. Gene Taylor
BAY ST. LOUIS, MS (WLOX) - Five years after Katrina, the lack of affordable insurance remains the biggest problem slowing our recovery.

Participants in an economic conference in Hancock County heard that message Friday from an insurance executive and from Congressman Gene Taylor, who's made the fight for affordable insurance a priority issue.

Congressman Taylor is passionate about the issue because he speaks from experience.  Katrina destroyed his home in Bay St. Louis. His insurance company claimed it was water, not wind, and the congressman was forced to file suit to recover damages.

He's pushed hard for a national "all perils" insurance program, to no avail, and is still fighting to add wind coverage to the national flood insurance program.

"By and large, the only thing you can say about the insurance industry after the storm is, they screwed everybody equally," Congressman Taylor told the group, "And I do mean that."

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Taylor to Discuss Shipbuilding Contracts with Navy Acquisition Chief  
August 27, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              Contact: Ana Maria Rosato
August 27, 2010 202-253-1308

Gulfport, Miss.—Today, Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) announced that at his request Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has agreed to send Sean Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, to Mississippi to discuss ongoing shipbuilding contract negotiations between the Navy and Northrop Grumman.

"Congress has authorized and appropriated full funding for two ships that will be built at Ingalls, DDG 113 and LPD 26, but those contracts have not yet been signed," Taylor said. "We also have approved advance procurement funding for engineering design and materiel procurement for three more ships, LPD 27, LHA 7, and DDG 114. Our nation and the Navy need these ships as soon as possible. I welcome the opportunity to work with the Navy and Northrop Grumman to speed up the negotiations to get these contracts signed."

Taylor is the Chairman of the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

###

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Rep. Taylor Secures $495,000 for Hancock Medical Center 
August 27, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        Contact: Ana Maria Rosato
August 27, 2010 202-253-1308

Gulfport, Miss.—Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $495,000 grant to the Hancock Medical Center. At Rep. Taylor’s request, the funding for this project was included in the 2010 HHS appropriations bill. The $495,000 grant will help with construction and medical equipment costs for the hospital.

“Hancock Medical Center had a lot of damage from Katrina,” Rep. Taylor said. “I remember calling from the hospital after the storm to request medical supplies to replace those that were ruined. The Navy quickly sent helicopters of supplies from the Bataan in the Gulf. The hospital has worked hard to restore services to the community. This grant is an important step in the recovery for the hospital and the residents of Hancock County.”

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Fact vs. Fiction: W-2 Form and Affordable Care Act
Starting in tax year 2011, the Affordable Care Act requires employers to report the value of the health insurance coverage they provide employees on each employee's annual Form W-2. This reporting is for informational purposes only, to show employees the value of their health care benefits so they can be more informed consumers. The amount reported does not affect tax liability, as the value of the employer contribution to health coverage continues to be excludible from an employee's income and it is not taxable.

IRS confirms that employer-provided health coverage is not taxable. This information can also be found in the links below.


ACA Tax Provisions
page on IRS.gov.
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Rep. Taylor Signed on "Friend of the Court" Brief Supporting Arizona's Immigration Law

"As a supporter of SB 1070, I am firmly against the Federal government suing Arizona. Along with 76 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives, I have signed the amicus curiae, or friend of the court brief, supporting Arizona in the lawsuit. The brief states in part that Congress has passed various bills which recognize and support state and local governments' cooperation in enforcing immigration laws with the Federal government.

I wholeheartedly support the efforts of the State of Arizona to assist the federal government in enforcing our immigration laws. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law on April 23 and the act is scheduled to go into effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session on July 28, 2010. As you know, the act makes it an Arizona state misdemeanor for an alien to be in the state without registration documents required by federal law." -- Rep. Gene Taylor

U.S._v_Arizona_Amicus_
Brief_7_20_2010

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CLAIMS AND ESCROW FACT SHEET
INDEPENDENT CLAIMS FACILITY
A new, independent claims process will be created with the mandate to be fairer, faster, and more transparent in paying damage claims by individuals and businesses.

·        To assure independence, Kenneth Feinberg, who previously administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, will serve as the independent claims administrator.

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