Legislators representing Rowan County in U.S. Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week, with some of the top issues being the Keystone XL Pipeline, free community college and the amount of hours in a work week.

Sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 6, all of Rowan County’s U.S. Representatives had taken the oath of office before. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5, first took office in 2005, making the latest swearing in the start of her sixth term. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8, was sworn into his second term this week. Rep. Alma Adams, D-12, was sworn in this week to her first full term in office. Adams finished the remainder of former Rep Mel Watt’s seat last year.

Just like last year, the U.S. House started off the 114th Congress by passing the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Hudson and Foxx, again, voted in favor of the pipeline and Adams, again, voted against it.

Many legislators who favor construction of the pipeline say the proposal would create jobs, while those against the idea say it could harm the environment in a major spill.

“Despite findings from the State Department that the Keystone XL pipeline will not have a significant environmental impact and the fact that the majority of Americans support this critical project, President Obama continues to block construction,” Hudson said in a emailed statement. “This is further proof that this administration is not focused on America’s priorities. Today’s vote to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is just one part of my commitment to focusing on an all-of-the-above energy strategy that enables us to take advantage of our resources in a responsible way, create jobs and lower costs for everyone.”

Another significant proposal brought up by President Barack Obama during the first week of the new congressional session would make two years of community college free. In response to the proposal, Foxx brought up budgetary concerns.

“President Obama has a bad habit of creating programs without identifying a way to pay for them, and the price tag for this initiative, which is bound to be incredibly expensive, has yet to even be revealed,” Foxx said in an emailed statement. “Increasing the number of students who have access to higher education must be a priority, but this is the wrong approach for the federal government to take.”

Adams expressed support for the idea, mentioning high rates of student debt and workforce development.

“As an educator, I know all too well the significant benefit that comes to students who receive a college education,” she said. “Programs like the president’s proposal would address the great need of work force development and the high unemployment rate that exists in my congressional district. It also highlights the great impact that community colleges have in our communities.”

The U.S. House this week also passed legislation, called the “Save American Workers Act of 2015,” to change the definition of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 hours. Foxx and Hudson again sided with each other, voting to change the work week to 40 hours, while Adams expressed opposition to the change. Foxx said the proposal restored the traditional work week, which she said was undermined by the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full time as 30 hours. Adams, on the other hand, said increasing the number of hours needed for full-time work made it easier for employers to deny healthcare to employees.

“We should be passing legislation that provides more people access to health insurance not making it harder to obtain,” Adams said.

One piece of legislation introduced this week by Rowan’s U.S. Representatives included a proposal that was a joint effort by Foxx and a Democrat from California that focused on expanding the scope of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.

Hudson also introduced two pieces of legislation focused on accountability. The first was named “The Federal Sunset Act of 2015.” The second was called “Farmers Against Crippling Taxes Act.” Hudson’s Sunset Act would put an expiration date of 12 years on budgets and programs of federal agencies. Hudson’s second proposal would eliminate a form of double taxation on farmers.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246