Chet Edwards For Congress - Honors and Awards

Chet Edwards to Receive VFW Congressional Award

Kat — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:28:28 -0700

January 24, 2008

Chet Edwards to Receive VFW Congressional Award

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2008--America's oldest major veterans' organization has selected Texas Rep. Chet Edwards (D-17th) to receive its 2008 Congressional Award for his outstanding service to veterans, servicemembers and their families. The congressman, who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, will be presented the award March 3 at the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. Community Service and Legislative Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in northwest Washington.

"This award is extremely important to the VFW," said VFW National Commander George Lisicki, a Vietnam veteran from Carteret, N.J., "because it recognizes a champion who is in our corner in Congress."

The VFW Congressional Award has been presented annually since 1964 to one member of the House or Senate for significant legislative contributions on behalf of those who have worn the uniform. Past recipients include strong national security and veterans' advocates, such as Mississippi's Sen. John Stennis (D) and Rep. "Sonny" Montgomery (D), and South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond (R), among many others. Last year the award went to Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (I).

Edwards, now in his ninth term, has been a staunch supporter of the 50,000 veterans within his district, and for the tens of thousands of soldiers and family members at nearby Fort Hood. His successful fight to keep the Waco VA Medical Center from closing served not only his constituency, but is now benefiting those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through a a research partnership with the Army to examine post-traumatic stress disorders. He helped block Pentagon efforts to raise military retiree Tricare medical premiums, eliminated the Survivor Benefit Plan reduction for military widows, and is working to ensure every disabled military retiree receives their VA and military pay concurrently without offset. And, according to Lisicki, the congressman was a driving force behind the record $6.6 billion increase to VA's discretionary budget this year.

"Our military, our veterans, and our families of past and present have no better friend in Congress than Chet Edwards," said Lisicki. "I am honored to present this prestigious VFW national award to him."

Edwards is the fourth Texan to receive the VFW Congressional Award. The others were Rep. Olin Teague (D-6th) in 1969, Rep. George H. Mahon (D-19th) in 1974, and Sen. John Tower (R) in 1983.

Edwards honored at luncheon

Kat — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 09:35:54 -0700

July 10, 2006
Edwards honored at luncheon

The Battalion
By Katy Hicks | Battalion staff writer

Lee Peddicord, vice chancellor for research and federal relations, welcomed professors, researchers and elected officials to a luncheon Friday honoring U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, Class of 1974, for his dedication in securing funds for research at Texas A&M.

"This is an opportunity for all of us at the A&M system to say thank you to Congressman Edwards for the wonderful things he does for us in Washington D.C.," Peddicord said.

Edwards has secured more than $115 million in federal funding for projects in various fields including but not limited to energy, defense, health care and nutrition and agriculture, said John White, chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and keynote speaker at the luncheon.

White said A&M will gain from current research projects. The University's Ocean Drilling Program, for instance, is the largest research program at A&M and is estimated to bring in $500 million over the next two years, he said.

Edwards said he supports research at A&M and that he feels enthusiastic about his abilities to foster the various projects.

"I proudly consider myself a water boy on the Texas A&M research team," Edwards said. "I don't do the research, the faculty are the real players in the game. My job is just to provide a little sustenance from time to time to make sure the real players don't get dehydrated."

Edwards said research is priority and that he finds excitement in learning about the research at A&M.

"Research is going to make our state better and our country better and … if I can continue to play just a small part in opening up the financial resources of the federal government, it would be an honor," he said.

It can be difficult to secure funds for future research due to the increasing national deficit, Edwards said. However, he said he feels confident that the challenges will be overcome through cooperation.

Edwards said he is working on more than $40 million worth of projects that he added on to the house appropriations bill that were not in the A&M administration budget request.

They will continue to push these programs through the Senate until they are passed into law, Edwards said. This money will go to fund homeland security, national defense, energy, health care and agriculture projects, he said.

Ron Lacewell, assistant vice chancellor for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Edwards' colleague, said Edwards does what he can to help the University.

"(Edwards) does love A&M and works hard to get us research money and he's very effective at it," Lacewell said. "He got the money, there's no question it came directly from him, people need to understand what he does (for A&M)."

Working to secure funding goes along with what it means to be an Aggie, Edwards said.

"Winston Churchill said 'we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' That is the spirit of Aggieland, giving back," Edwards said.

Keene chamber hears of gas, SIFE ...

Kat — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 20:57:28 -0700

March 24, 2006
Keene chamber hears of gas, SIFE, Edwards' business votes

Cleburne Times Review
By Matt Smith | Staff writer

KEENE - Thursday's Keene Chamber luncheon attracted the monthly event's largest crowd in recent memory, said chamber president Janet Goodman.

The program included three speaking segments and ran longer than usual. Audience members didn't appear to mind, given the chance to hear from Southwestern Adventist University's Students In Free Enterprise team, First State Bank Texas Keene Branch President Peter Bennis and U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

SIFE is a nonprofit organization active throughout the world. It establishes student teams on university campuses to develop community-outreach programs using business skills and education.

Five members from SWAU's SIFE team presented an overview of projects they undertook during the year and will present in competition against other schools April 12.

Some of the team's projects included educating seventh-grade students on the concepts of outsourcing, teaching advertising principles to Chisholm Trail Academy seniors, initiating an annual career day at SWAU, giving a seminar on job-interviewing techniques, working with Superior Concrete Company to develop methods to improve employee morale, a Hurricane Katrina relief auction and other projects.

Bennis spoke on area oil and gas exploration. He discussed the history of exploration in the Barnett Shale, tax issues concerning royalties and the reality of declining well production rates.

“Just because you have a good well right now, know that those results are going to go down,” Bennis said. “But also, companies are constantly working on new technical means to get more gas out of the ground.”

Bennis explained how to calculate royalties on well ownership interests based on production numbers.

Edwards followed Bennis to accept the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Spirit of Enterprise award from John Gonzales, U.S. Chamber of Commerce regional manager.

“The chamber is dedicated to supporting congressional leaders who support pro-business legislation,” Gonzales said, “and who understand that small business is the backbone of America.” Following the luncheon, Gonzales said the chamber scores what they consider to be important business legislation and those representatives and senators scoring above a 70-percent favorable rating are recognized each year.

Edwards praised the afternoon's other speakers and said SIFE should also be known as SISS, or Students In Service to Society, for its work helping children and local businesses at risk of failing.

Edwards went on to discuss his hope that politicians of both parties will work together toward a balanced budget and reduced trade deficit.

“It's time for Democrats and Republicans to get together for the good of the country,” Edwards said.

Edwards also spoke on the health care challenges facing small business owners and the need for them to be able to bargain collectively with big insurance companies for more favorable health insurance rates.

Edwards ended with the story of a taxicab driver who worked 17 years to bring his family to America.

“I still think, despite imperfections, that we still have the best democracy and country in the world,” Edwards said.

Champions of liberty

Kat — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 22:20:37 -0700

January 26, 2006
Champions of liberty
Chet Edwards, seven-term U.S. representative out of Waco, was in tall cotton on Jan. 19.

Fort Worth Star Telegram
By Editorial Staff | Star-Telegram

He was one of three people honored by the Council for America's First Freedom, which annually celebrates Jan. 16 as National Religious Freedom Day and, for 12 years, has honored distinguished advocates of religious freedom around the world at a banquet in Richmond, Va..

Edwards received the National First Freedom Award.

The international award went to Vaclav Havel, former Czech president, award-winning playwright and what the council described as "a global champion of interfaith dialogue and freedom of conscience."

The Virginia award went to Robert S. Alley, professor emeritus of humanities at the University of Richmond, whom the council described as a "noted author and scholarly authority on religion, government and education."

"These three honorees have dedicated much of their professional lives to the defense of religious liberty," Tommy Baer, president of the Council for America's First Freedom, said in a news release when the names were announced in December.

The quote at the beginning of this editorial is from the American law that first guaranteed religious liberty and eventually developed into the guarantee of religious freedom in the U.S. Constitution.

When the Virginia General Assembly acted, the issue was whether the state should levy taxes to support all recognized religions, says the Council for America's First Freedom Web site.

"Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, both of whom would later be president of the United States, argued that religious beliefs should be solely matters of individual conscience and completely immune from any interference by the state," the Web side article says.

"Moreover, religious activity of any sort should be wholly voluntary. Not only did they oppose taxing people to support an established church, but they also objected to forcing people to pay taxes even for their own church."

The council reported in October that its most recent survey found Americans to be conflicted on church-state separation.

One in three Americans believe that freedom of religion ranks behind only freedom of speech as the single most important Constitutional guarantee, but half of those polled in a national survey are ambivalent about separation of church and state, the Council said in a news release. The survey also found that "a combined 50 percent of respondents said the separation between religion and government should either be less strictly interpreted (27 percent) or is not necessary at all (23 percent)," the council said.
Jefferson, Madison and others would disagree.

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom noted what it called "the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others."

The statute also observed that "truth is great and will prevail if left to herself, that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them."

Those words were 220 years old last week -- and as fresh as today's headlines.

Modern politicians tempted to use religion as a political tool or a weapon would do well to join Edwards -- and others -- in the effort to see that they do not mix improperly.

* * *
Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.
-- Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, enacted Jan. 16, 1786, by the Virginia General Assembly