(Above: Bradley Byrne delivers his first House floor speech)

Newly elected Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Mobile, received a standing ovation from his colleagues yesterday after delivering his first speech on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

“To the people of the first district o fAlabama, I promise that I will work hard every day to serve you and build upon the trust that you have placed in me to represent you in the nation’s capital,” Byrne said in his remarks. “To the members of this House, I’m ready to roll up my shirt sleeves and work with you as a problem solver, not a problem maker — as a work horse, not a show horse. This is a great country, Mr. Speaker. But over the last several years we have failed to live up to that greatness. I come to this House ready to work together with each of you to find solutions to find solutions that will make thsis country truly great again. … Now it’s time for me to get to work.

After his swearing in, Byrne immediately announced his first legislative act as a congressman: co-sponsoring H.R. 3121, the American Health Care Reform Act. This bill, championed by Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (LA-1) and cosponsored by 118 House conservatives, repeals and replaces ObamaCare with what Republicans are calling “common-sense, market-based solutions.”

“This bill spurs competition by working through the market, instead of government mandates, allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines, reforming medical malpractice laws, providing tax relief for families, and safeguarding individuals with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against while barring all federal funding for abortion,” Byrne said.

He also announced that he would join the House Armed Services Committee and House Natural Resources Committee. Byrne’s office said he had aggressively courted House leadership for these two committee assignments because of their direct relevance to issues important to South Alabama.

“These assignments are a victory for South Alabama jobs,” Byrne said. “After speaking with friends and neighbors in our community, we concluded that these were the two avenues where we could do the most good for our home. I could not be more pleased to join these two Committees, and I look forward to working together with my colleagues to represent our community’s voice.”

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