Congressman Gregg Harper (MS-3) to give weekly GOP address

HARPER TO GIVE WEEKLY GOP ADDRESS

U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) has been selected by House Speaker John A. Boehner to deliver the Weekly Republican Address on Saturday, January 4, 2013. Harper serves as chairman of the Fragile X Caucus and is the author of the House-passed “Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act,” a bipartisan bill that he will highlight in his remarks.

“As the father of a 24-year-old son living with Fragile X Syndrome, I understand the challenges families raising special needs children face,” said Harper. “But I also recognize the value of expanded and improved medical research.”

The legislation, H.R. 2019, reallocates $126 million to the National Institutes of Health for children’s research from an account set aside for taxpayer funding of party conventions. The House advanced this bill on December 11, 2013, by a vote of 295-103. Harper praised House leaders for moving the bill, but noted that there is still work to be done.

“I am thrilled that our Republican leadership, particularly Speaker Boehner and Leader Eric Cantor, recognize the urgency of creating hope and opportunity for some of our most vulnerable kids,” Harper said. “But we are not done yet. I urge the Senate to act swiftly and advance this important legislation to the president’s desk so that our nation’s children can experience the full benefits of promising clinical trials and medical advancements.”

Prior to his service in Congress, Harper practiced law for twenty-seven years, including serving as the prosecuting attorney for the Mississippi cities of Brandon and Richland. He now sits on the influential House Committee on Energy and Commerce as well as the Committee on House Administration.

Harper was first elected in 2008 and lives in Pearl, Miss., with his wife of 34 years, Sidney, and their two children, Livingston and Maggie.

Speaker Boehner’s office will release the text and the audio of the Weekly Republican Address this afternoon, embargoed until tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. EST, when it will be available on Speaker.gov to be watched and download.

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Gregg Harper is a third-term Republican lawmaker from Mississippi.

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