Smith rep visits county commissioners

A community liaison for U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith visited with the Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday to provide an update on Smith’s legislative efforts in Washington D.C.

“This has been a very interesting year,” Phillip Black said.

Smith’s major agenda items, shared by fellow House of Representative Republicans, Black said, are health care reform and tax reform.

House Republicans passed a health care reform bill, though further efforts foundered in the Senate during the summer.

The focus now is on tax reform. Black provided a one-page summary to the commissioners.

“We don’t have legislative text yet,” he said, “but the objective is to simplify the tax code.”

Other aims include “lowering rates,” “making our corporate tax rate more competitive” and “easing the tax burden on small businesses.”

Smith also hopes to repeal the “death tax,” Black said, referring to the federal estate tax.

“We just have to get to the point where we’re getting feedback from constituent groups,” he said.

Under this plan, small businesses, “would see a dramatic decrease in their tax rate.”

“There is support, not only in the House, but in the Senate, as well,” Black said. “Not just from the Republican party, but from some moderate Democrats.”

The Farm Bill expires next year, Black said, and Smith’s offices have been getting feedback on the bill from rural districts throughout the year.

Crop insurance has received positive support, Black said.

“It seems to be working well, and everybody who has taken advantage of it wants to keep it,” he said.

Commissioner Philip Sanders said, “We can’t survive without it.”

“People have to understand, ag affects everyone in the United States,” he said. “Without it, they don’t eat. It’s that simple.”

Sanders added that “the media” prints lies about how farmers are wealthy.

“The large majority aren’t,” he said. “They’re just doing all they can to keep their head above water and they’re disappearing quickly. Something’s got to change and it has to happen quick.”

An achievement this year, Black said, is reducing the Japanese tariff on American beef.

“We’re seen that there is the demand in Japan for American beef,” he said. “But we’re not competitive with other beef-producing countries.”

In other business:

Commissioners approved a bid from Pine Bluffs Gravel for armor coat aggregate.

Two bids were received, with Pine Bluffs providing the lowest bid at $16 per ton delivered, for a total of $80,000.

“That’s not much more than we paid last time,” Doug Hart, highway superintendent, said. “Should be a little better aggregate, a little courser.”

Western Materials Co. of Scottsbluff provided a bid totaling $112,400 at $22.48 per ton.

Commissioners also approved a request from National Guard to use Cheyenne County Fairgrounds for training on Oct. 21.