Starting in January, the Republican-controlled Congress will have a rare chance to reform the tax code, Social Security and immigration laws in 2005 and '06, said Congressman-elect Mike Conaway, R-Midland, here Tuesday.
He underwent a weeklong orientation in Washington last week, learning regulations and meeting other freshmen congressmen, Republicans and Democrats, with whom he hopes to form good working relationships. "We can make better decisions if we do so in a way that is less contentious," he said.
"The 109th Congress has a window to do things on a grand scale until presidential politics rears its head in two years. Leadership has made the commitment to replace income taxes with a national sales tax next year, and we'll take up Social Security and immigration reform, I'm sure."
Describing how beautiful Washington is and the deferential treatment and palatial surroundings he and his wife Suzanne experienced last week, Conaway said, "It's an intoxicating environment. If you weren't really grounded in who you are as a human being, this could go to your head real quick."
He was amused to see himself on the front page of USA Today with the 40 congressional freshmen.
Conaway has applied for assignments on the Agriculture, Armed Services and Financial Services committees. He expects to be in his second or third two-year term before reaching the powerful Ways & Means, Energy & Commerce, Appropriations or Rules committees.
His goal is membership on Ways & Means or Energy & Commerce.
The freshmen had lunch last Tuesday at the White House with President Bush, who noted Conaway's Nov. 2 win over Briggs Democrat Wayne Raasch and congratulated his former Midland oil business associate. All 435 House members and 33 U.S. senators will be sworn in by Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., at noon Jan. 4.
A 56-year-old certified public accountant, Conaway said his habitual attention to detail will help in evaluating such documents as the new $388 billion Omnibus Appropriations Bill. "There is no shortage of detail in that bill," he said, laughing.
"It's really no different than panning gold. You go through an awful lot of slag before you find those nuggets. It's amazing how brilliant you look if you put the sweat equity into what you're doing."
Members who exceed their $1.1 million annual operations budget must repay the House from their own pockets, so not surprisingly, no one went into the red this year, Conaway said. He's been assigned to Office 511 in Cannon House Office Building, adjacent to the Capitol.
Campaign manager Jeff Burton will be his chief of staff and campaign worker Ricky Wright, a Comanche native, district director. There will be congressional offices in Midland, Odessa and San Angelo along with two in cities on the east side of the 400-mile-wide 11th Congressional District that have not been selected.
The district has 34 counties and parts of Sutton and Taylor counties. The south sides of Sutton and Taylor are represented by Congressmen Henry Bonilla of San Antonio and Randy Neugebauer of Lubbock, but Conaway's staff will respond to people there whether they are in the district or not. He is allowed 18 full-time staff members and four part-timers but expects to hire no more than 15 or 16 full-timers.
"We're going to be Texas-friendly," Conaway said. "Congress has been criticized because it's only in session 104 days a year, but that doesn't include all the trips back to the district, town hall meetings and meetings with businesses."
He said his 650,000 constituents may sign up for free e-mail updates on the work of his office and Congress.
Conaway said he has no ambition other than to be a congressman and will continue to serve for the forseeable future. He doesn't think Democrats' court challenges to statewide congressional redistricting last year will change his district.
