WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Chris Murphy (D-5) was appointed to the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, it was announced last week. 
Murphy, interviewed by telephone from Washington, was enthusiastic about the assignment. “I had to wage a whole second campaign,†he said.
“Normally members have to wait until their third or fourth terms, but it just so happened that four or five members retired, so I had a better shot. And it’s been a while since Connecticut had a representative.â€
Murphy anticipates being very busy, very quickly. “The stimulus plan has a major health-care component,†he said, referring to the economic plan observers expect incoming President Barack Obama to present to Congress. “A big part of that will be Medicaid dollars for states, to help states close their budget gaps.
“And we’re looking at $28 billion for health-care technology, things like electronic medical record-keeping and prescribing.â€
But those items are just the beginning. “I see the technology spending as a down payment for the major debate. Health-care reform and energy are the next two major conversations coming up.
“I don’t expect a single-payer system, but there will be some kind of universal health-care guarantee.â€
Spending more to end addiction
Murphy was critical of Connecticut’s performance in the area of substance abuse treatment, saying that while most states that are eligible to do so use some of their federal Medicaid funding for drug and alcohol treatment, Connecticut does not.
And he is aware of the stubborn presence of drugs in the state, describing a recent trip to Waterbury. “In the troubled areas, there wasn’t an abandoned building we saw that didn’t have footprints in the snow, leading inside†for presumed drug activity.
As a member of the health subcommittee he plans to try and get more funding for treatment. “Our current policy is nonsense. We lock [addicts] up but we don’t treat them. Then they get out, with an ex-con tag, and what happens then?â€
Murphy anticipates a “180-degree turn†on national energy policy, with an emphasis on establishing renewable energy requirements and assessing a “true cost for carbon usage,†meaning a cap-and-trade system in which industries essentially pay to pollute beyond a certain point.
“It’s just a guess,†he said, “but I think Obama will put a big energy bill in Congress early in his term, and I think it will get a lot of bipartisan support.â€
On the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have receded somewhat from the public consciousness as the economy falters, he said, “I take Obama at his word about redeployment in Iraq.
“I think the Iraqis are only going to take the next political steps when they know we’re not going to be there,†he said, adding he expects Obama to set a timetable for withdrawal over a 12-to-18 month period, with a shift in focus to Afghanistan.
Affordable housing help
Murphy also plans to find funding to help affordable housing initiatives in the district. “I think of what someone working at Becton-Dickinson can afford, or someone who works at one of the big homes in Lakeville, and I think that those people should be able to afford to live in those towns.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be subsidized housing,†he said, adding he sees the federal role as providing “gap funding†to help local housing trusts cover the difference between construction of affordable housing stock and the desired purchase price.
How committees happen
The congressman then took a brief detour into history and anecdote. Initially Congress had three committees — Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Commerce. “They had three duties: To tax, to spend — and everything else.â€
So when he showed up last week for his new assignment, he was a little confused about where he was going. A couple of members took pity on him, and guided him into a public waiting room, dominated by an enormous photograph of the Earth, taken from space.
“They asked me if I knew what the photo was,†he said. “I said, ‘Uh, it’s the Earth.’
“And they said ‘No, that’s this committee’s jurisdiction.’â€
Harney & Sons tea book at Noble Feb. 7
SALISBURY — Michael Harney of Harney & Sons Tea will speak about and sign his new book, “The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea,†on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m. in the Learning Center at Noble Horizons.
A guide for tea neophytes to tea lovers, the book explains the complex agricultural, historical and cultural significance of tea. It also includes a compendium of 56 guided tea tastings, as well as tasting menus that pair tea with food. Following the book discussion, Harney will offer a tea tasting with Harney & Sons teas.
For more information on this event, call 860-435-9851, extension 190, or visit noblehorizons.org.
