I would like to thank Ms. Fhtagn for coming to this hearing and look forward to working with you in Nyman.
Many moons ago, I also served in this position for a short time but found the possibilities for action quite broad. However, I've come to believe that for a Secretary to be successful, he or she must be proactive in their actions in developing regulations, directives, and proposed laws.
So, my first question is do have an agenda of sorts which you plan to begin working on regardless of how active the GM or other officerholders might be? And if so, would you be able to take us through your priorities in administering your remit?
Thank you for the question, Senator Barnes (and apologies for the delay in my response).
I have a few examples in mind of policies I intend to hit the ground running with based on generated interest at the regional and federal levels. Some broad examples of this are energy and the environment, transportation and infrastructure, and health care.
It is no secret that at the regional levels, clean energy and energy independence are one of the top issues being campaigned on (both at the regional levels and higher) and discussed in their respective legislatures. As a member of the Southern Chamber of Delegates, I myself have sponsored legislation that laid the groundwork for a transition to nuclear energy, for example. There is also a candidate running for Senator in Fremont who is running on nuclear and hydroelectric power. One of the things I would love to tackle as SoIA, is working with regional leadership to ensure that there is progress being made on these sorts of proposals, and any proposals that have been passed are being appropriately implemented.
Transportation and infrastructure are another set of big issues that we are starting to see as a major topic at all levels of government. With the (fairly) recent announcement of the high speed light rail system to connect the regions, I want to use this as an opportunity to ensure that the heads of all regions are still on board with this proposal, and get a gauge on what steps are being made to get the ball rolling on this plan, and what is needed from the federal government to ensure that this can be done. There has also been a lot of discussion on infrastructure in the regions, but little in the way of observable progress in these ideas. Another example from my experience in the South, is during this legislative session, there was a bill that eventually ended up being tabled due to budget issues that would rebuild infrastructure, offer job training for inexperienced workers, and hire additional contractors, surveyors, etc. to oversee the development of infrastructure management. I want to take the time to work with regional officeholders to determine what may be needed to ensure potential programs like this do not come to light and die as quickly as they are introduced. I want to work with officeholders to develop a plan to continue implementing this legislation, as it not only solves the issue we are facing nationally with crumbling infrastructure, but also tackles the issues we are facing with unemployment.
And lastly, upon my election into the Atlasia House of Representatives, I have come to find more of an understanding of the health care situation, as we are looking to get a new health care bill rolled out and implemented this session. While this is still a work in progress and something being monitored, if this bill passes, my goal is to make sure that regional officeholders are fully aware of their responsibilities upon it's passing. I fully intend to come up with an action plan and method of tracking progress on making sure this legislation is being acted on in a timely manner, and properly executed at the respective regional levels, and setting up a way to ensure that any inaction on their part is something that they are reasonably held accountable for.