Bill Huizenga RSS Articles

Holland Sentinel: West Ottawa student wins 2013 Congressional Art Competition

Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The Holland Sentinel - May 18, 2013

West Ottawa senior Kylee Panse won the Second Congressional District Art Competition on May 11.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, had a reception celebrating the 2013 Congressional Art Competition finalists.

Panse’s piece, "Vanity," will join winners from across the nation and be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the next year.

Theresa Wierenga, of Fremont High School, took second place for her work, titled "Fremont Lake" and Jaydon Lindeman of Tri-Unity Christian High School with his work "American Eagle" took third place.

The Congressional Art Competition started in 1982 as a way to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of young constituents. Since then, more than 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.

"This is an event I look forward to every year, and this year we received more entries from more schools than ever before,” Huizenga said in a prepared statement. “I am encouraged by the competition's continued growth and look forward to see what the imagination and creativity of Second District students come up with in the future."

Other finalists from the area:

West Ottawa High School

Dana Bauer "Hand Directions"

Saray Ortiz-Tapia "Gator"

Michael Pierce "Home"

Blake Kata-Carlson "A Tolerant Tomorrow"

Danielle Shurlow "Still Life Study in Color"

Littlenor You Thach "Standardized Resting"

WWMT: Local Group Claims IRS Abuse

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Ottawa County Patriots president Jim Chiodo was on Capitol Hill Thursday meeting with other tea party members and congressional representatives. He was invited to the event to share his story about what he calls harassment by the IRS. He says he applied with the IRS for 501-c3 status in 2011 to qualify as a non-profit organization. But it still hasn't gone through and he says the IRS has only put up roadblocks. "90 days went by, another 90 days went by, we began calling again, we called, we didn't get an answer, didn't get through no one returned our calls," says Chiodo. Officials have said conservative tea party groups across the country were targeted by the IRS for heightened scrutiny when applying for non-profit status. Thursday some congress members met with those groups and held a news conference offering their support. Chiodo says some chapters are considering suing the IRS. President Obama has said he was unaware of what the IRS was doing but Chiodo says he's not convinced. "I believe the message President Obama has given to every agency is win at whatever cost, attack, do whatever you have to do to fight these bad tea party and conservative groups," says Chiodo. Representative Bill Huizenga was also there at the meeting and news conference Thursday, he says this is an example of government run amok and called for a full investigation. Chiodo says he is going to work with Huizenga to try to finally get his non-profit status.

Huizenga Grills SEC Chair Over Regulatory Red Tape, Roadblocks To Small Business Job Creation, & Budgetary Expenditures

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, during a Financial Services Committee hearing, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) questioned the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairwoman Mary Jo White. During the exchange, Huizenga peppered the new agency head over the regulatory hurdles put in place by the SEC that make it more difficult for employers large and small to grow, expand, and create jobs. At the end of his questioning, Congressman Huizenga also asked the SEC Chair to evaluate her agencies budgetary expenditures by raising the point that over 85% of her employees make $100,000 or more annually.

Huizenga Discusses H.R. 1135, His Legislation To Reform Dodd-Frank and Remove Burdensome Regulations That Serve No Benefit To Investors and Cost Employers Both Time and Capital:

• Huizenga: Neither one of us were around this institution when Dodd-Frank came into effect, but we're both dealing with the echo effects of it and I want to explore that a little bit. I've got to tell you I was thrilled earlier, I think in one of your responses to my colleague, Mr. Neugebauer from Texas. You said, I believe the quote was, it's one of your highest priorities to simplify reporting requirements. Well, we've got one of those solutions for you, all right? It's called HR-1135. Myself and my colleague Mr. Garrett from New Jersey. It's dealing with the pay ratio, and section 953 of Dodd-Frank has been labeled by some a logistical nightmare because of all the different factors that are having to be put in place to consider calculating total compensation. And I'm curious, there's a lot of questions out there, you know, would transit benefits or employee-paid health care cost be a component of compensation. Should domestic and multinational employees be a part of the calculation? What about part-time employees or independent contractors? It seems to me it's a vague statue. If you would agree or disagree with that. And what factors do you believe must be considered to issue and determining this calculation. Have you looked at that at all?

• White: I have looked at that, and again, there are, you know, others who feel very strongly that that needs to be done as quickly as possible. The complication with that is in the definition of total compensation, under specific definition of that which applies when you're disclosing your top executives' compensation. That is the statutory definition leads to all the others issues you've just, you know, keyed up in terms of some of those complexities.

• Huizenga: I guess ultimately my question is, to what end? To what good? And that, you know, when Center on Executive Compensation did a survey, they believe that's an estimate of three months, in some cases longer, to calculate and gather all these pay ratios. I'd love to know whether the commission staff has taken any effort to identify the cost to business for this when there is, in my view of it, absolutely no benefit to the health and well-being and safety and soundness of either a corporation or the investors of it. It seems to me it's trying to turn it into a political football, And I'm curious and we can -- would love to submit these as well, get maybe a further, more full answer from you. But it seems to me we need to find out from you whether you believe that it's worthwhile, the significant amounts of time and money that are going to be spent on developing it.

• White: Very quickly. I mean, it's a mandated rule-making for us, so as a regulator --

• Huizenga: Well, 1135 will take care of that, and we'll alleviate you of that burden.

Huizenga Previews New Legislation To Reform The Merger and Acquisitions Regulatory Process In Order To Boost Small Business Growth, Expansion and Job Creation:

• Huizenga: We're working on some draft legislation regarding mergers and acquisitions, and earlier you were talking about small businesses and trying to focus and concentrate on that. Our proposal is to right-size federal regulation of MNA intermediaries and business brokers, and it's been one of the top recommendations for the government-industry forum on small business capital formation which the SEC annually holds. It's been a recommendation in 2005, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10 and '11. Do you see that this is an important small business capital formation concern, and under your leadership what priority are you going to be giving to these small business issues?

• White: You know, I certainly appreciate the concerns of that issue and I will give a very high priority to small business issues during my tenure.

• Huizenga: OK, just to clarify right now, presently broker-dealer registration is a one-size-fits-all approach and 90 percent of the requirements are totally irrelevant to a broker-dealer engaging in a limited capital-raising activities. And this could be something as small as selling an LLC because it has membership shares and those kinds of things.

• White: I will commit to reviewing that specifically.

Huizenga Questions SEC Fiscal Responsibility, Points Out That Over 85% Of SEC Employees Make Over $100,000:

Huizenga: We're talking budgets. According to my calculations, about $550 million of your budget goes to folks that make a hundred thousand dollars or more on your staff. And I understand a hundred thousand dollars in Washington, D.C., isn't it same as in Zeeland, Michigan. But you've got 85.75% of your employees making a hundred thousand dollars or more. I'd like you to review that as well.

Huizenga Joins West Michigan Conservatives, Elected Officials From Across the Nation To Demand Answers on IRS Targeting

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) joined Jim Chiodo of the Ottawa County Patriots, targeted conservative groups and legislators from around the country to demand answers on the IRS abusing its authority and discriminating against conservative organizations across Ottawa County, the Second Congressional District of Michigan and the United States.

"The fact that the IRS has been selectively stone-walling, slow-walking and essentially denying conservative applications for the past two years because their beliefs run counter to the Administration's agenda is beyond unacceptable. No one should be intimated into silence by the government as part of our political process," said Huizenga. "Steven Miller's resignation as acting head of the IRS does not come close to actually solving problem. A full investigation of the IRS, with cooperation from the Obama Administration, is both necessary and required. West Michigan is witnessing 'Big Government' run amok. Government should work for the people, not against them and I hope President Obama will join the bipartisan call for action."

Pictures from today's event can be found HERE on Congressman Huizenga's website.

MLive: West Ottawa senior's triptych illustration wins spot at U.S. Capitol

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

West Ottawa senior's triptych illustration wins spot at U.S. Capitol
MLive - Kyle Moroney - May 15, 2013

HOLLAND, MI -- A West Ottawa High School senior’s triptych graphic illustration will join a Rockford student’s painting on the walls of the U.S. Capitol this year.

Kylee Panse’s art piece, “Vanity,” won the 2013 Congressional Art Competition for Michigan’s second district.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, awarded Panse with the honor during a reception on Saturday, May 11.

"I want to congratulate Kylee and all of the students who entered this year's Congressional Art Competition,” Huizenga said. “I also want to thank all of the teachers and parents who continue to encourage these young artists to stay involved and develop their talents. This is an event I look forward to every year, and this year we received more entries from more schools than ever before. I am encouraged by the competition's continued growth and look forward to see what the imagination and creativity of Second District students come up with in the future."

Panse will join other winners from the country, including Rockford High School senior Elise Shierbeek, in having their art on display for a year at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

“It’s a really big honor and I’m really excited because I worked really hard on it,” Panse said. “I was so surprised because all the pieces were really good. I loved all the pieces that were there.”

The 17-year-old’s triptych illustration – a three-part piece viewed as one – was an assignment in her digital art and design class earlier this year. For inspiration, she took photos of nearby lakes, her backyard and finally, three different pictures of the vanity in her bedroom.

“I came to realize how vain a vanity really is,” Panse said.

While Panse describes herself as not being “artsy,” she enjoys creativity. Over the course of a month, Panse used Adobe Illustrator to transform the vanity pictures into graphic works of art.

“Something that I’ve always liked about the piece is the double meaning behind the title,” said Brian Kelly, Panse’s art teacher at West Ottawa High School. “The piece has such depth to it and how each mirror plays off each other.
“I’m really excited for Kylee,” he added.

Panse will fly to the U.S. Capitol to see her displayed piece in mid-June, she said. The Holland teen plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall.

“It’s really cool that people can see them and I hope they like it,” she said of the high school art that will be on display at the U.S. Capitol.

Grand Haven Tribune: Huizenga Announces Congressional Art Competition Winner

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

On Saturday, Congressman Bill Huizenga announced the 2013 Congressional Art Competition Finalists at a gallery in Grand Haven.
Grand Haven Tribune - 5/14/13

Kylee Panse, a senior from West Ottawa High School, was the winner of the competition. Kylee's piece "Vanity" will join winners from across the nation and be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the next year.

Theresa Wierenga of Fremont High School took second place for her work titled "Fremont Lake." Jaydon Lindeman of Tri-Unity Christian High School with his work "American Eagle" took third place.

"I want to congratulate Kylee and all of the students who entered this year's Congressional Art Competition,” said Huizenga, R-Zeeland. “I also want to thank all of the teachers and parents who continue to encourage these young artists to stay involved and develop their talents.”

Muskegon Chronicle: Veterans Jobs Fair Friday in Muskegon!

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Veterans job fair, Armed Forces remembrance service set for May 17, 18
Muskegon Chronicle - Stephen Kloosterman - May 12, 2013

MUSKEGON, MI – It’s a good time to be a veteran. The Veterans Job Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 17, and Armed Forces Day will be observed starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18 in Muskegon. Both events will be held at the USS LST 393, docked at 560 Mart St.

New last year, the job fair was a success, with about 1,200 people showing up to the fair on the deck of a retired tank carrier. About 120 people -- or one in 10 -- left the job fair hired, said Jesse Mikaelsen, a Muskegon-based veterans’ employment representative with Michigan’s Workforce Development Agency. Another 178 people left the event with interviews lined up, he said.

The success of last year’s fair has drawn a lot of attention this year from companies.

“We had employers calling us up,” Mikaelsen said. “We’re drawing employees and organizations from about a 10-county area.”

More than 60 companies and veteran’s groups have committed to attend the event. Norris Ellis, also a veterans’ employment representative with the state, said that veteran’s are attractive hires for many businesses.

“There are multiple reasons,” he said. “Veterans are accustomed to taking instructions -- working as a team. They’re disciplined.”

The free job fair is geared toward veterans, but anyone can attend, said Dave Eling, executive director of the Muskegon County Department of Veterans Affairs.

“We don’t want the title to dissuade anyone from coming,” he said.

Armed Forces Day will be observed the next day.

Events will start at 10 a.m. There will be free tours of the LST and entrance to the ship’s museum will be free all day. The Grand Rapids Accordion Ensemble will perform from 11 a.m. to noon.

The formal program beginning at noon will include music from the U.S. Army 146th Field Band Brass Quintet and the Leffring Sisters. State Sen. Goeff Hansen, R-Hart will speak. The program will end with a 21-gun salute, taps, and a fly-over of rare World War II-era aircraft.

“The music portion of it is just phenomenal,” said Dan Weikel, curator of the LST museum.

The ceremony this year will have a special focus on World War II veterans. Veterans are asked call to contact organizers at (231) 288-4012 prior to Saturday so they can receive a certificate of appreciation at the event.

Huizenga Announces Winner of the 2013 Congressional Art Competition

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

On Saturday, Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) held a reception celebrating the 2013 Congressional Art Competition Finalists and announced Kylee Panse, a senior from West Ottawa High School, as the winner of the competition. Kylee's piece "Vanity" will join winners from across the nation and be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for the next year. Theresa Wierenga of Fremont High School took second place for her work entitled "Fremont Lake" and Jaydon Lindeman of Tri-Unity Christian High School with his work "American Eagle" took third place.

"I want to congratulate Kylee and all of the students who entered this year's Congressional Art Competition. I also want to thank all of the teachers and parents who continue to encourage these young artists to stay involved and develop their talents," said Huizenga. "This is an event I look forward to every year, and this year we received more entries from more schools than ever before. I am encouraged by the competition's continued growth and look forward to see what the imagination and creativity of Second District students come up with in the future."

2013 Congressional Art Competition Winner:

Kylee Panse - "Vanity"

2013 Congressional Art Competition Finalists:

Fremont High School

Theresa Wierenga - "Fremont Lake" - Second Place
Shelby Taylor - "Michigan Made"
Alexis Kamphorst - "Winter Farm"

West Ottawa High School

Dana Bauer - "Hand Directions"
Saray Ortiz-Tapia - "Gator"
Michael Pierce - "Home"
Blake Kata-Carlson - "A Tolerant Tomorrow"
Danielle Shurlow - "Still Life Study in Color"
Littlenor You Thach - "Standardized Resting"

Kellogsville High School

Lizbeth Aguirre - "Lost in Spirit"

Tri-Unity Christian High School

Jaydon Lindeman - "American Eagle" - Third Place

Additional pictures from Saturday's event can be found on Congressman Huizenga's Website

The Congressional Art Competition started in 1982 as a way to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have participated in the nationwide competition.

Holland Sentinel: Huizenga Joins Carter's Kids, Lake Michigan Credit Union At Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Carter's Kids, Lake Michigan Credit Union install playground at Windmill Island
The Holland Sentinel - Brian Vanochten - May 11, 2013

Any reason for Carter Oosterhouse to return to Michigan is a good one.

His latest trip to his home state Saturday morning ended up being a special occasion since it involved dedicating a new children’s playground at Windmill Island.

“I love any reason to get me back to Michigan,” said Oosterhouse, 36, a Traverse City native, who is host and producer of HGTV’s “Million Dollar Rooms” and the face of Voyage by Nautica men’s fragrance. “To do this was something special.”

The playground project was a collaborative effort between Oosterhouse’s foundation, Carter’s Kids, which erects one playground each month in the U.S., and Lake Michigan Credit Union. He is the statewide spokesperson for LMCU.

The City of Holland donated the land for the playground.

It was manufactured by Sinclair Recreation of Holland, which supplies the equipment for all of Carter’s Kids playgrounds, and installed by 37 volunteers from LMCU’s staff.

“It was not part of the initial plan,” Holland Mayor Kurt Dykstra said, “but when we heard about this opportunity, I was ecstatic. Putting this playground in this park helps bring families to this park more than anything else we could do.

“I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”

Dykstra and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Oosterhouse before turning loose a swarm of kids on the playground.

“As the father of five kids, I know how important places like this are in the community. It just becomes a gathering spot,” he said.

The project got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from LMCU officials.

“I think it’s awesome because it’s so bright and it really fits with the island,” said Jeremiah Kossen, vice president of operations. “We started scouting locations here in Holland, and the playground builders are located right here in Holland.

“They told me they’ve wanted to build one here for 10 years.”

The Carter’s Kids playgrounds first began being installed in 2008.

It is an effort Oosterhouse plans to continue at the rate of one per month. He thanked organizers for making his first visit to Windmill Island such a pleasant experience.

He and his wife, actress Amy Smart, live in Los Angeles, but Oosterhouse insisted he plans to retire to Michigan in the future. He and his brother, he added, are preparing to open a winery in Traverse City, which should help him get back home more often.

“It’s extremely important to me to do projects in Michigan,” he said. “My Dutch roots. I’ve never been to the island before, but this is great. The kids are naturally going to be attracted to this playground. It’s going to be here for a very long time.”

Rep. Huizenga: State Department 'Hijacked' Truth on Benghazi

Fri, 10 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Rep. Huizenga: State Department 'Hijacked' Truth on Benghazi
Newsmax - David Yonkman - May 10, 2013

The State Department hijacked the truth for political purposes by scrubbing the talking points for mentions of terror ties to extremists to the Benghazi attacks, Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga tells Newsmax.

"The fact that they are trying to pull the truth out of these things while the families — not to mention the American people — are looking for answers is ridiculous," the sophomore Michigan congressman says.

"The truth just ought to be out as the truth, not the State Department hijacking this for political purposes," he said.

Emails between administration officials show that the talking points were edited extensively to remove references to al-Qaida and terrorism, ABC News reports.

The network says that there were 12 different versions of the talking points first written by the CIA and later distributed to Congress and United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, who appeared on five Sunday morning talk shows days after the attack, which took place on Sept. 11, 2012.

In particular, reports ABC, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland objected to a paragraph drafted by the CIA in earlier versions of the talking points that read, "The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qaeda in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador’s convoy."

In an email to the White House and intelligence agencies, Nuland said the information "could be abused by members [of Congress] to beat up the State Department for not paying attention to warnings, so why would we want to feed that either? Concerned . . . "

The State Department removed the paragraph, according to ABC, a move Huizenga called "outrageous."

"My recollection is that at the time there were military leaders and leaders in different agencies who were casting doubt on this whole notion of this being a spontaneous response to protests and characterizing it as a terrorist attack," Huizanga said.

"Pretty clearly the State Department wanted that out for political reasons," he continued.

"Can you imagine being a State Department contractor, you just watched your buddies getting killed, and knowing that the State Department is obfuscating the truth?"