U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, spent his first day Tuesday as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives with about 70 friends and relatives on hand to watch his swearing-in ceremony.
Late in the afternoon, well-wishers packed his small office in the Longworth House Office Building across the street from the Capitol building for a congratulatory reception.
Bost has spent weeks getting ready. He's gone through training for new members, hiring staff and finding his way through the tunnels that connect his office to the Capitol.
Bost won the seat after defeating former U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart, D-Belleville, in last November's mid-term election. He's the newest member of the local congressional delegation.
On Bost's first day, he voted for U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, for speaker and co-sponsored legislation to help veterans get jobs with small businesses.
The Hire More Heroes Act allows small businesses to hire veterans with health insurance through the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs, without having to pay for additional health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The measure passed with unanimous support.
Bost co-sponsored the bill.
Grandson Spencer Fred joined Bost on the floor of the House as the two took in the day’s events from the second row on the Republican side of the chamber.
Bost has been assigned to the committees on agriculture, small business and veterans affairs, something he sees as a good fit for himself and Illinois’ 12th Congressional District. “With the Veterans Affairs building in Marion, naturally agriculture is very good, and my background in small business, each one of those is very appropriate committees and I’m looking forward to serving on them.”
Bost says he’s working with the leadership team to develop his initial legislative package. One piece of legislation he wants to work on would reduce federal regulations on the coal industry. He’s also a strong supporter of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
