This week has been a good one for the Eighth District. We’ve seen important legislation signed into law that will have a positive impact on the lives of folks here at home. 
First, President Obama signed the Agriculture Appropriations bill Wednesday afternoon. Included in the bill was a $1 million appropriation to create a Human Nutrition Center at North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.
I requested this appropriation, even though many told me it would be an impossible fight. Others had tried to get funding for the Center through the USDA, but had failed. It is a good thing I’ve never put much stock in naysayers.
Earlier this year, the House passed the bill with $500,000 for the Center. My colleagues, Senator Richard Burr and Kay Hagan, helped protect the funding and were able to help it pass the Senate with $1 million for the Human Nutrition Center. 
In addition to ground-breaking research into nutrition and the ways in which our bodies use it, the Center will begin much-needed jobs to our district. I couldn’t be happier to see this funding secured. Not only is this funding good for Kannapolis and our District, but all taxpayers as the USDA will now have access to the more than half a billion dollars in state-of-the-art equipment and resources available at the NC Research Campus to help improve its research.
I’m also pleased to report that the House unanimously passed H.Res 660. This was a bill I introduced to honor the distinguished history of the Laurinburg Normal Industrial Institute.
The Laurinburg Institute was founded on Sept. 15, 1904, by Emmanuel McDuffie and his wife Tinny Etheridge McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute and William Edwards of the Snow Hill Institute. It is the oldest of only four historically African-American boarding schools still remaining in the United States. It was founded to help to provide suitable education and training in common pursuits of life for African-Americans in the area of Laurinburg years before the Civil Rights Movement. 
It was a wonderful moment to see my colleagues offering up their support to honor this important part of the Eighth District’s history.
On Thursday, President Obama also signed another bill which will have a great impact in our District. The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 will ensure sufficient, timely and predictable funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs health care program.
We owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who’ve served our country with such honor and distinction. The bill authorizes Congress to approve the Department of Veterans Affairs medical care appropriations one year in advance. This will help the VA make better decisions in regards to hiring, procuring equipment and better manage the health of our veterans because it will not have to go through the yearly appropriations process which faces delays in Congress.
I hope to soon be able to report that Congress has passed legislation to help seniors by correcting the lack of cost of living adjustments to Social Security. There is significant support for giving a $250 one-time allowance for seniors to help weather this recession. The checks would benefit 57 million seniors.
This check would be equivalent to a two percent increase for most Social Security retiree recipients. It will help bridge the gap for most seniors as they struggle with no COLA adjustment this year. It is important that we do what we can to help this most vulnerable community.
It was a busy week in Washington. There is still much work to be done to get our economy back on track, but this week was a good step in the right direction.