This spring, NLBMDA presented the inaugural Legislator of the Year award to Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), for his 100 percent voting score on key industry issues in the 108th Congress as well as his ongoing leadership and support for free trade of Canadian softwood lumber. Congressman Kolbe has served in Congress for more than 20 years, and is the acknowledged Republican leader for free trade and open markets, an impassioned advocate of Social Security reform, a leader and proponent of immigration reform and strengthening border security, and a fierce proponent of smaller government, lower taxes, and more individual responsibility.
As chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Kolbe oversees funding for most U.S. foreign aid programs, including the Agency for International Development; the Peace Corps; development banks including the North American Development Bank; and the Overseas Private Investment Corp. And even with all this on his plate, the congressman has been the champion for our industry in the softwood lumber battle. Congressman Kolbe has led the charge to build congressional support for lumber-consuming industries, advocating on our behalf to the administration and the White House, and fighting new export taxes or quotas that would harm our industry and reduce the availability of affordable housing.
