113th Congress
A 100-mile stretch of Northern California back country may be one of the state's least noticed and appreciated slices of nature. Filled with steep mountains, seasonal creeks and wildlife including bears and elk, this land runs through five counties north of Lake Berryessa in Napa County.
It's a rugged region dotted with ranches, rural homes and hamlets. But it also contains 350,000 acres of land run by federal agencies that don't often coordinate policies on this wild area.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is gathering health and business experts to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act with a series of town hall-style meetings, beginning with an event in Santa Rosa last Friday for small businesses and nonprofits.
Not only is he seeking to inform residents of the Fifth District about the changes coming under the new health care legislation, he's hoping to dispel lingering myths that continue to confuse consumers.
U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Gene Green (TX-29) have introduced H.R. 2791, the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA) of 2013.
The legislation promotes the U.S. Recycling industry by prohibiting the exportation of some electronics whose improper disposal may create environmental, health, or national security risks. This helps bring recycling jobs back to the U.S.
Solano County's biggest conservation group is cheering a bipartisan push to continue a tax deduction for landowners who chose not to develop their property.
The current federal tax incentive for preserving farmlands and open spaces is set to expire at year's end, creating uncertainty for ranchers considering establishing a conservation easement.
The Pathway Home and other centers treating military service members with combat-related brain injuries could become eligible for new federal funding under a congressional bill approved by the House of Representatives, Rep. Mike Thompson announced Thursday.
HR 2397, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2014, includes $10 million for a five-year pilot program to support health care centers outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs that treat combat veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and a Napa County rancher testified before a congressional subcommittee Tuesday in support of Thompson's proposal to designate 350,000 acres of Northern California wilderness as a national conservation area.
The area would stretch from Snow Mountain in the north to Lake Berryessa in the south, with portions of Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Solano and Yolo counties. Thompson has sponsored a bill that would create the designation.
U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA) on Tuesday announced that they will introduce the bipartisan Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2013.
The legislation provides a permanent tax incentive to family farmers, ranchers, and other landowners who chose not develop their land and instead preserve their property for conservation.
By providing tax benefits to landowners who choose conservation, the bill helps preserve our nation's farm lands and open spaces for future generations.