More Work Ahead

I think I've been so used to Herb Kohl having such busy weeks, that finding only two brand new things that he's doing this week seems like a week off for him. Still, Kohl has been hard at work in order to improve things in Wisconsin. For those of you that were in Thursday's class, I mentioned how much of a true Wisconsinite Kohl is. Kohl's new fight revolves around the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program which faces major budget cuts in the new House Budget Proposal.

Kohl, along with 16 other senators has lead the effort to include the COPS program in the Senate Budget Resolution for the 2012 Fiscal Year. The program which has been around since 1994, would need $600 million in funding in order for it to stay functioning like it has been in the past. The COPS program which is facing major budget cuts has but more than 120,000 policemen in local communities. In Kohl's recent survey that he has conducted with the Wisconsin law enforcement he has found these results when it comes to problems in the areas of law enforcement. The results come from the link above.

   " 64.2% cited budget cuts as a primary concern. 63.3% listed inability to hire enough staff to properly function, 56.7% listed equipment purchase and upkeep, 39.4% listed drug abuse in their jurisdictions, 19.3% cited lack of access to grant funding and 14.8% cited lack of officer training programs."

At the very beginning of the 112th Congress, Kohl has introduced a bill to help improve the COPS program. The bill would provide enough funding to hire up to as much as 50,000 new law enforcers to protect our neighborhoods and communities. Again, this bill demonstrates the strong ties that Kohl has with Wisconsin, and his continuing abilities in order to improve our state.

On a side note, the FDA has been under much scrutiny this week for failing to give high-risk medical devices the attention that they deserve.  Kohl, who is the committee chairman for the Special Committee on Aging, has a very difficult task ahead of him. The article outlines how Kohl has a tough choice to choose between innovation and safety. The FDA has been conducting a series of tests on technology such as pacemakers, artificial hips, and hip joints since 2009. The part which puts FDA under extreme criticism is based around the argument that despite some recalls, there are still some parts that the FDA has allowed hospitals to use possible faulty technology that could put the patients at risk.

It seems as if those are not the only people to have complained about the FDA lately. FDA has had very low approval among most Americans and this case only gives us more to complain about. Hopefully Kohl can find that fine balance between safety and innovation, and our safety will be more important than the newest technology advancements that are not proven yet.

Have a great Sunday everyone, and don't forget to Thank Herb Kohl for defending the Clean Air Act.