Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate UK Trade Caucus, today introduced the Securing Privileged Economic, Commercial, Investment, And Legal Rights to Ensure Longstanding Atlantic Trade and Investment Opportunities and Nurture Security, Happiness, Innovation, and Prosperity Act, or the SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Act. The new legislation would give the president five years to take advantage of “fast-track” authority, and secure an up-or-down vote in Congress on any comprehensive trade agreement negotiated with the United Kingdom.

“The United Kingdom is one of our oldest trading partners and strongest allies. Negotiating a robust, comprehensive free trade agreement with the UK is in the interest of Delaware workers, businesses, and consumers,” said Senator Coons. “The Biden administration has advanced our engagement through the U.S.-UK Dialogue on the Future of Atlantic Trade, and by passing this bill Congress can demonstrate bipartisan support for a new trade deal that includes ambitious international standards for our shared priorities on climate, labor protections, digital trade, and intellectual property rights.” 

“As one of our oldest trading partners, resuming trade talks with the United Kingdom is a no brainer. We are close allies and trading partners and a trade agreement would strengthen our relationship and economic competitiveness, especially with respect to non-market economies,” said Senator Portman.  “We need to get back into the business of expanding trading relationships around the world so we can export more American-made products and create jobs here at home.  Reaching a bilateral trade agreement with the United Kingdom will benefit U.S. workers and businesses and strengthen the economic and security ties between our two countries.”

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2020, set high standards in areas of labor rights, environmental protection, digital trade, and intellectual property rights, and the SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Act encourages the executive branch to build on those standards in negotiations with the UK. As the bill notes, the robust labor and environmental protections enforced in both countries would reduce the risk of businesses offshoring operations to take advantage of laxer regulations and ensure that U.S. workers and companies can compete on a level playing field.

While the UK government has recently moved to override the Northern Ireland Protocol, which sets the post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland, the SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Act emphasizes that any U.S.-UK trade agreement must uphold peace and stability in Ireland and Northern Ireland.  

 

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Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

06.22.22

(Click here to download and here to watch on YouTube.)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) led today’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing today on students’ learning losses as a result of school closures and remote learning during the pandemic. Cassidy discussed how the state of Connecticut is addressing students with dyslexia who have fallen behind due to remote learning with the Connecticut State Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker. Cassidy also spoke to Erin Wall, a mother of three children who moved her son to private school when his public school refused to have in-person learning.

“While the evidence was clear that it was in fact safe to return to the classroom, teachers’ unions forced shutdowns to continue and in many cases, this was enabled by politicians,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We know it was safe to reopen because others in the United States did reopen and it was indeed safe. Child care facilities and private schools were able to safely remain open even during the height of the pandemic. When the interest of the student was truly put first, rather than the interest of the union or a politician pandering to the union, a way to reopen was found and the students got the education and support they need.”

On the impact of remote learning on children with dyslexia… 

Cassidy: “One in five children are affected by dyslexia. So…the first part of the question is if you screen for dyslexia and secondly do you have specific data as regards to how those children did during the remote learning period, subsequent to the remote learning period, did they fall further behind than their peers independently of the income level of the family?”

Russell-Tucker: “So we’ve looked at a student with disabilities, we can disaggregate, I don’t have the information specifically for the students identified with dyslexia, but those students with disabilities in general certainly were disproportionately impacted.” 

Cassidy: “And does Connecticut screen and then subsequently test to confirm if someone is dyslexic? Do you screen children for dyslexia?” 

Russell-Tucker: “That is occurring, it is an area for concern for us. This past session an office of dyslexia and reading disabilities was placed by our legislature in our office to really get closer to those issues to work with also higher education, to make sure our teachers…”

On Republicans push to safely reopen all schools…

Cassidy: “In these packages that we passed to give financial aid to school, it was a battle for Republicans to get resources for parochial and private schools. And once we allocated it, some Democratic governors refused to give it. It was incredibly frustrating. That probably points to a difference of perspective. From the Republican standpoint, we take it from the perspective of the student and his or her family, not from the school itself. That is distinctly a different perspective.” 

On the importance of school choice…

Cassidy: “Ms. Wall, you spoke about taking your children to the private setting. You implied, you were very delicate, that that cost you a fair amount of money, but your family could afford it. There are a lot of families out there who cannot afford. Any comment on that, Ms. Wall?”

Wall: “We had every intention to send all three of our children to public school. I went to public school, my husband went to public school. However, when it was clear that public school was not going to provide in-person instruction for our children, we chose to send our middle son to private school. Now had they had in-person instruction, he would have been in public school. We made that decision for him because we knew it was best for him. He had more or less a normal year, and we’re grateful for that…”

Cassidy: “He had essentially a normal year?” 

Wall: “Yes.” 

Cassidy: “And you’re about to say most families could not afford such an arrangement?”

Wall: “Correct.”

Cassidy: “And I suspect if you had to send all three, it would have been difficult for your family?”

Wall: “Yes.” 

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Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

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Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded the following three grants totaling $6,541,557:  

• $2,808,827 to Grand Forks Public School District for Head Start projects.
• $1,912,666 to Bismarck Public School District for Head Start projects.
• $1,820,064 to the North Dakota Department of Health to improve Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke Prevention programs.

The funds for Grand Forks Public School District and Bismarck Public School District come through the Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which promote school readiness for young children and toddlers from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development as well as early learning, health, and family well-being. 

The funds for the North Dakota Department of Health come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

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Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

June 22, 2022

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Representative Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.-04) introduced bicameral legislation to help working families afford their first mortgages. The Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act makes improvements to the Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) and Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) programs that make first-time homeownership possible for thousands of families every year. Since the programs’ inception, nearly 4 million families who earn below the area median income have become homeowners for the first time.

This legislation would allow families to receive MRB loans to refinance their homes or make health and safety improvements. It also simplifies administration and makes it easier for lenders to use these programs while increasing Congressional oversight by requiring annual reporting.

“I want to make sure that as many Nevadans as possible can own their own homes and create security for their families. These federal tax breaks make mortgages more affordable so that families can have security, stability, and the chance to build wealth,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m working in the Senate to increase both our supply of affordable housing and access to homeownership, and my legislation will give Nevadans vital support in buying or renovating a home.”

“The Mortgage Revenue Bond and Mortgage Credit Certificate programs have helped make possible the dream of homeownership for millions of Americans,” said Representative Moore. “To address the stark racial homeownership gap in Milwaukee, we must use every tool in the toolkit to put the goal of homeownership in closer reach to our residents. These programs have been around for decades and are due for reforms to make them more effective. I am sponsoring this legislation to make homeownership more affordable for eligible households, giving more Americans, in Milwaukee and across the nation, the opportunity to own a home and build generational wealth for their families or make needed modifications to their home.”

Congress provides each state an amount of private activity bonds (PABs), which include MRB and MCC programs issued by housing finance agencies to support homeownership for families earning below 115% of area median income. MRBs are tax-exempt bonds that help fund below-market-interest-rate mortgages for qualifying homebuyers. MCCs are issued directly to qualifying homebuyers, who are then entitled to a nonrefundable federal tax credit annually. MCCs and MRBs lower costs for low- and moderate-income homeowners, which can make sustainable homeownership possible.

The Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act is supported by the National Council of State Housing Agencies, LISC, Prosperity Now, and the National Association of REALTORS.

Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader in building more homes for Nevadans. Cortez Masto’s support of the American Rescue Plan helped deliver $800 million in affordable housing funding to the state of Nevada. Her support for federal housing investment has helped preserve or build more than 17,000 affordable homes in the state in the past five years. She has also successfully passed legislation to ensure that state and local governments consider manufactured housing when prioritizing their housing investments and require transportation agencies to consider housing in their plans. She has secured protections for homeowners and renters and led multiple bills to increase federal and private funding for housing, prevent housing discrimination, and hold lenders accountable for discrimination in mortgage lending. In addition, she has secured a commitment for a targeted affordable housing fund for Nevada from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.  

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Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04) and Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden sent a bicameral letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) about their significant concerns with the ongoing siting process for offshore wind facilities off the southern Oregon coast.

BOEM has issued Call Areas for potential offshore wind leasing off Coos Bay and Brookings. These Call Areas are the first step in the leasing process and are meant to assess commercial interest and public input on offshore wind leasing activities in the designated areas. However, stakeholders have raised critical issues that need to be addressed before the process should move forward.

In the letter, DeFazio and Wyden urge BOEM to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for wind energy off the entire Pacific Coast to address critical data gaps on environmental impact, to move the Oregon Call Areas beyond a 1300-meter depth to minimize the impact on sustainable fishing operations, formally consult with all relevant stakeholders throughout the siting process, and fully collaborate with federal partners. The letter calls on the agency to take a thorough and collaborative approach to ensure that economic, environmental, and safety impacts of the nascent technology of floating offshore wind facilities in the Coos Bay and Brookings Call Areas are understood and mitigated before moving any further in the siting process.

The Oregon Members express concern that the Call Areas would significantly disrupt sustainable fishing operations. They write, “The seafood industry is economically critical to Oregon as a whole, and especially Oregon’s coastal communities. . . Fishing grounds have been steadily shrinking for decades and coastal communities up and down the Pacific coast continue to suffer economic and cultural loss. Further limiting Oregon’s fishing industry from the productive fishing grounds in the current Call Areas could spell economic disaster for these towns that have relied on harvesting seafood for generations.”

“I strongly support the use of renewable energy alternatives, like wind, solar, wave, and thermal energy, to address the climate crisis, but the installation of these alternatives cannot be to the detriment of vitally important fisheries, mariner safety, near- and on-shore habitat, and endangered marine species. Any offshore wind leasing near Coos Bay and Brookings will have a significant impact on these coastal communities and the Pacific Coast ecosystem, but BOEM has a troubling history of ignoring the most immediate stakeholders on this issue,” said Representative Peter DeFazio. “BOEM needs to seriously revise its decision-making process to ensure that stakeholders have a full seat at the table and that the cumulative impact of Pacific coast offshore wind leasing is understood and mitigated before moving forward.”

“Fishing is an integral and iconic part of the coastal economy with job-creating benefits that ripple into communities throughout Oregon,” Senator Wyden said. “That’s why I’m working to make sure federal officials listen to concerned coastal officials and don’t inadvertently damage this core Oregon industry so it can continue to provide economic and recreation opportunities for generations to come.”

“Oregonians and coastal users have spoken, calling for more comprehensive analysis to address data gaps for wildlife, fisheries and user conflicts with the call areas. It’s important that BOEM’s process meets these concerns and builds trust and transparency through opportunities for engagement and collaboration at the ground level,” said Charlie Plybon, Oregon Policy Director, Surfrider Foundation.

“It does not make sense to risk an environmental catastrophe and create a food security issue trying to solve the climate crisis.  BOEM must slow down this process and the environmental and economic impacts must be known and understood upfront before leases are issued – at the end of the process, which is the current plan, is too late,” said Heather Mann, Executive Director, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative.

The Oregon members also call on BOEM to consult with all relevant stakeholders and federal partners including NOAA, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, and the United States Coast Guard to make sure the most relevant expertise is included in each step of the decision-making process.

The full text of the letter is here.