Taxpayer advocacy group brings state lawmakers to Washington to meet President.
WASHINGTON – This week, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) hosted a delegation of twenty key state legislators from across America on a visit to Washington, DC. Over three days, the legislators visited key members of Congress, including House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), officials from the Pentagon, and on Friday morning met with President George W. Bush.
The legislators came as part of the Americans for Tax Reform Legislative Advisory Project. The project, which began in 1998, is an effort to give state lawmakers and locally elected officials a voice in national politics. Those state lawmakers invited on the trip sponsored or backed resolutions supporting the President\’s economic agenda and the War on Terrorism.
Those legislators who participated in the events are:
Alaska Senate President Rick Halford
Arizona Senator Brenda Burns
California Senator Rico Oller
Florida State Rep. Mike Haridopolos
Idaho Asst House Majority Leader Lawerence Denney
Idaho Senate Caucus Chair Bart M. Davis
Iowa State Senator Larry McKibben
Iowa State Rep. Chuck Larson
Iowa State Rep. James Van Fossen
New Hampshire Rep. Peter Batula
North Carolina Senate Minority Leader Patrick J. Ballantine
Pennsylvania Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
Pennsylvania Rep. Samuel Rohrer
South Carolina Senator Jim Ritchie
South Carolina Speaker Pro Tem Doug Smith
South Dakota Senate President Pro Tem Arnold Brown
South Dakota Speaker Scott Eccarius
South Dakota State Rep. Matt McCaulley
Virginia Rep. Allen Louderback
New Mexico State Rep. Joe Thompson
"Federal issues affect states more and more every day," said Grover Norquist, who heads ATR in Washington, "and I commend the bold leadership of these legislators in making their positions known to both the public and the nation."