CONGRESSMAN NEAL TO SPEAK AT
MOUNT HOLYOKE, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29

South Hadley, MA---Leading Democratic Congressman Richard Neal will speak on the Mount Holyoke campus on Monday, November 29, as part of a semester-long look at this year's presidential election sponsored by the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Liberal Arts. Neal will speak at 7:30 pm in the New York Room in Mary Woolley Hall. The event is free, accessible, and open to the public. A reception will follow.

"Congressman Neal has dedicated his career to serving both his district and the nation and is a leader in the Democratic Party," said Weissman Center co-director Karen Remmler. "His perspective on what happened in the recent election will present the nuts and bolts of what both candidates did right---and wrong---to bring about a Republican victory in this fiercely contested election. As a elected official who has been involved in many campaigns at every level of government, Congressman Neal brings great insight and knowledge to these issues."

Richard E. Neal was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1988. He represents the Second District of Massachusetts, which includes cities and towns in western and central Massachusetts, including South Hadley. He is a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where he continues to play an active role in public policy debates relating to tax, trade, health care, welfare, Medicare, and Social Security.

Congressman Neal is the lead sponsor of legislation to prevent American companies from moving offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes. He continues to lead the effort to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), a tax that penalizes many middle class Americans. He has sponsored legislation that would increase the national savings rate by encouraging the use of individual retirement accounts, and has worked to make health care and tuition expenses tax deductible for middle class people. He is a member of the Trade Subcommittee. The At-Large Whip for the House Democrats, Neal is also a co-chairman of the New England Congressional Caucus, where he continues to advocate for the unique regional interests of the six New England states. Congressman Neal serves as a Co-Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs and has been recognized repeatedly by Irish America Magazine as one of the Top 100 Irish Americans.

This semester, the Weissman Center has sponsored a series of talks and symposia focusing on "The Road [Not] Taken: The Real Choices of the 2004 Presidential Election." For more information on the Center, please see: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/programs/wcl/

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