“We have a long and distinguished agricultural heritage in our region, and I am confident that this industry will continue to play a vital role in our economic future. We must continue to find new and innovative ways to expand this staple of our economy.”

“In the United States today, we enjoy the safest, cheapest, most abundant food supply of anywhere in the world, and we owe that to the hard work of our agricultural producers. The ideas generated today will help ensure we are able to expand this necessary industry as we find ways to create jobs for our region.”

– Rep. Zack Space

Space also sent out a column to area newspapers about his view on illegal immigration. You can find it after the jump.

As many of you will remember, I traveled to the US-Mexico border last year to inspect the state of our border security and what I found was shocking. I knew from reports that the border offered little resistance to a determined illegal immigrant, but only after I saw the border first hand did I fully understand how bad things are. The brave men and women who patrol that border must be commended for what they do. Unfortunately, they are not able to do it all.

I returned with some specific plans to alleviate this problem. I signed on to legislation that I felt would go a long way in combating this crisis. This bill, The Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007 (H.R. 4088), would take care of a number of problems we currently face.

First and foremost, we cannot stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming into this county if we do not make significant investments in the security of our border. The SAVE Act will provide 8,000 new Border Patrol agents – reinforcements for the front line of this fight.

Secondly, this bill will diminish the pull that draws many here by greatly reducing the job opportunities that are available for illegal workers. This bill makes mandatory a program of worker verification that is currently voluntary. By utilizing the E-Verify system, employers will be able to quickly prove that the information being provided by a potential worker is accurate. This bill will crack down on fraud and mandate that employers use this system.

Finally, the SAVE Act will dramatically step up interior enforcement to help deal with those who have already broken the law to get here. It increases the capacity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by providing more agents, as well as providing additional training for local and state law enforcement. The SAVE Act will also increase detention capacity and expedite the deportation process.

A number of my colleagues and I are tired of waiting for this vital piece of legislation to come up for a vote. That is why we are demanding that House leadership address this issue and give us an up-or-down vote on the bill. It is my hope that our pressure will bring the SAVE Act up for a vote as quickly as possible so we can begin to deal with this crisis.

Congressman Zack Space

Early this morning it was announced that there would be an entire series of summits on a variety of topics, including one on rural broadband. The series, titled Renew Ohio 18, will also hold summits on healthcare, agriculture, and alternative energy. Two additional meeting will be held in Zanesville to both start things off and wrap things up.

“As we all know, Ohio has been devastated by the loss of many jobs in recent years.A large number of the lost jobs have been in the manufacturing sector, where unfair trade deals have debilitated our region and our state.  I strongly believe that we must prepare ourselves to capitalize on opportunities for new industries and jobs.”

“I believe strongly that the time has come to undertake this endeavor.  No issue deserves our attention more than preparing ourselves to attract new businesses with the jobs that our residents so greatly deserve.”

– Rep. Zack Space

The full summit schedule can be found below. These events are open to the public, but I don’t have addresses or times for any of them. 

• January 25: RENEW OH-18 Ohio Kickoff, Zanesville, OH
• February 29: RENEW OH-18 Broadband Working Group Meeting, New Philadelphia, OH
• March 21: RENEW OH-18 Agriculture Working Group Meeting, Coshocton, OH
• April 11: RENEW OH-18 Alternative Energy Working Group Meeting, Nelsonville, OH
• April 25: RENEW OH-18 Healthcare Working Group Meeting, Chillicothe, OH
• May 23: RENEW OH-18 Summit, Zanesville, OH

“President Bush has vetoed legislation that offers hope for a cure to diseases such as diabetes, legislation that would provide health insurance to underprivileged children, legislation that would provide vital water control projects, legislation that would bring our troops home from Iraq, and now Administration officials are threatening to veto programs our farmers and rural communities rely on.  Is there nothing safe from the veto pen?

“This bill is too important to be subject to the Administration’s misguided effort to score a few political points.  This veto threat represents a slap in the face to farmers in Southeastern Ohio.

“I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to continue to work for the best interests of farmers in Ohio and across the United States.  Those of us in Congress will strive to ensure we continue to have the safest, cheapest, most abundant food supply on the planet.”

– Rep. Zack Space