Press Releases

Today Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced legislation to protect our nation's children from preventable illnesses, which he believes will help save lives and reduce health care costs. The bill requires individual and group insurers, employee benefit plans, and health savings accounts to cover preventive benefits for children without copayments or deductibles.

Congressmen Mike Thompson (D-CA), Bart Stupak (D-MI), Lee Terry (R-NE), and Sam Johnson (R-TX) introduced bipartisan legislation that would significantly increase the availability of telemedicine for all Americans. Currently about 80% of Americans do not have access to telemedicine facilities because of restrictions that limit funding for these types of facilities to rural areas. The “Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act,” (H.R. 2068), would expand Medicare reimbursement to urban and suburban areas and include more facilities. It will also allow doctors to monitor patients remotely.

Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT-AL) and Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA-01) today introduced legislation in the U.S. House that would require every soldier to have a face-to-face mental health screening before they are deployed on a combat mission, upon their return, and every six months for two years following their return. The bill is the companion legislation to a measure introduced in the Senate by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT).

Today, Representative Mike Thompson (D-North Coast) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect and restore the healthiest remaining wild Pacific salmon ecosystems in North America. A companion bill was introduced earlier this month by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), with co-sponsorship from the entire West Coast Senate delegation.

Today, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA01) launched an interactive Google Map on his web site (https://mikethompson.house.gov/) to highlight the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 at work in our district. The map reflects funding that has been announced to date, and it will be updated continuously.

Today, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) introduced a bill that will aid in the protection of thousands of acres of our nation's shrinking agricultural lands and open space. The bill will permanently allow landowners to get significant tax deductions if they place a conservation easement on their property. These conservation easements allow property owners to continue using the land, while protecting the land from future development.

Congressman Mike Thompson is pleased to announce the annual Congressional Art Competition. He invites all high school students in the First Congressional District to submit their original artwork for consideration.

The winner's artwork will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year. In addition, the winner will be invited to a ceremony in Washington, D.C. this June and will receive three roundtrip airline tickets to Washington from either San Francisco or Oakland.

After receiving the finalized data, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) reflected on the successful telephone town hall held Wednesday night. Over 9,100 constituents in the First District participated in the town hall.