Category: US Senate

Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) voted against the final passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act, which he slammed for cutting tariffs on China and failing to put American workers first or crack down on multi-billion-dollar corporations that are heavily invested in China.

Senator Hawley said, “I can’t support a bill that harms American workers and cuts tariffs on products made in China in the name of ‘increased competition.’ For decades, US policy makers have watched as millions of American jobs were shipped overseas, corporate America sold out to the Chinese Communist Party, and our industrial economy was replaced by slave labor in Xinjiang. We must correct the failed Washington consensus that has allowed Beijing to thrive at the expense of working Americans.”

Senator Hawley previously called for amendments to impose a duty of 100 percent on goods made in the Xinjiang Autonomous region, require certain businesses to monitor and disclose the use of forced labor in their supply chains, and prohibit the transfer or licensing of certain intellectual property rights of goods funded by American taxpayers.

Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin

June 08, 2021

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on his vote for the Paycheck Fairness Act. The Paycheck Fairness Act would remove obstacles that currently allow employers to discriminate against their employees, specifically their female employees, by paying them on average 18 cents less per hour than their male colleagues. The bill also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who discuss their wages with their colleagues, limiting their ability to determine pay disparities within staff.

“Every American deserves to have a good-paying job with a livable wage in order to provide for their family and contribute to their community, and being a woman shouldn’t impact being able to make ends meet. The first vote I took in the Senate was for paycheck fairness, and it is far past time for these inequalities to be addressed. As an original cosponsor of this bill I am disappointed that the Senate was unable to pass this much needed legislation, but I will continue the fight for equal pay across the United States,” said Senator Manchin.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would:

·   Require employers to prove that pay disparities exist for legitimate, job-related reasons. In doing so, it ensures that employers who try to justify paying a man more than a woman for the same job must show the disparity is not sex-based, but job-related and necessary.

·   Ban retaliation against workers who discuss their wages.

·   Remove obstacles in the Equal Pay Act to facilitate a wronged worker’s participation in class action lawsuits that challenge systemic pay discrimination.

·   Improve tools for enforcing the Equal Pay Act. To help the Department of Labor (DOL) better uncover wage discrimination, it will speed up the collection of wage data from federal contractors, direct the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to conduct a survey of available wage information and create a system of wage data collection, and instruct DOL to conduct studies and review available research and data to provide information on how to identify, correct, and eliminate illegal wage disparities.

·   Provide assistance to all businesses to help them with their equal pay practices, recognize excellence in pay practices by businesses, and empower women and girls by creating a negotiation skills training program.

·   Prohibit employers from seeking the salary history of prospective employees.  

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development (SHRED) Act to invest in outdoor recreation in mountain communities. This bicameral, bipartisan legislation would ensure National Forests retain a portion of the annual fees that ski areas operating within their boundaries pay to support local recreation and community priorities. U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), and Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) introduced a companion bill. 

“Skiing is a vital component of Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry, creating jobs and boosting local economies,” said Bennet. “The partnership between ski areas, the Forest Service, and mountain communities is critical – especially in areas like the White River National Forest. This bill will rightfully keep funds where they are generated and help local communities tackle their own priorities, like making trailhead improvements or increasing staffing. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this done for mountain communities in Colorado and across the country.”

“Wyoming is home to world class skiing. The resorts in the Jackson area and across the state are critical to our economy,” said Barrasso. “Right now, Wyoming ski communities are sending money to Washington but not receiving the full benefits from those fees. Our legislation will help make the Forest Service a better partner. By creating a specific dedicated account for these fees, Wyoming skiing communities will get more bang for their buck. They will be able to provide an even better experience for visitors by improving their facilities, protecting the forests, and supporting the local economy.”

In exchange for using some of America’s most stunning forestlands, the 122 ski areas operating on Forest Service lands across the country pay fees to the Forest Service that average $39 million annually. The SHRED Act would establish a framework for local National Forests to retain a portion of ski fees to offset increased recreational use and support local ski permit and program administration. The SHRED Act also provides the Forest Service with flexibility to direct resources where they are needed the most.

The SHRED Act would:

• Keep Ski Fees Local: By establishing a Ski Area Fee Retention Account to retain a portion  of the fees that ski areas pay to the Forest Service. For National Forests that receive less than $15 million in ski fees annually, 75% of the fees are retained. For forests that receive more than $15 million in ski fees annually, 60% of the ski fees would be retained. The retained funds are available for authorized uses at the local National Forest.

• Support Winter Recreation: In each National Forest, 75% of the retained funds are directly available to support Forest Service Ski Area Program and permitting needs, process proposals for improvement projects, train staff, and prepare for wildfire. Any excess funds can be directed to other National Forests that host ski areas for the same uses. After all of the winter recreation uses have been addressed across the country, excess funds are carried over to the pot of funding that supports broad recreation needs.

• Address Broad Recreation Needs: In each National Forest, 25% of the retained funds are available to support a broad set of local recreation management and community needs, including special use permit administration, visitor services, trailhead improvements, facility maintenance, and affordable workforce housing. This set-aside would dramatically increase some Forest Service unit’s budgets to meet the growing visitation and demand for outdoor recreation.

The SHRED Act is supported by: National Ski Area Association and its 122 member ski areas operating on public lands, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, Colorado Ski Country 

USA, Colorado Association of Ski Towns, America Outdoors Association, Vail Resorts, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

The SHRED Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). 

The bill text is available HERE. A one-page summary of the bill is available HERE. 

Statements of Support

“Ski areas across the country appreciate Senator Bennet’s leadership in the Senate and unwavering support for outdoor recreation.  Retaining a portion of ski area permit fees with the Forest Service will help boost the agency’s recreation capacity, improve visitor services and expand access to our nation’s forests for all Americans,” said Kelly Pawlak, President/CEO, National Ski Areas Association.

“What the bill’s Ski Area Fee Retention Account does for ski areas is a solid model for all facilitated recreation experiences. Outdoor recreation permit fees should be reallocated at the site, should be used to improve and enhance facilitated recreation experiences, and should be made available to help other sites address recreation programming needs that may not have the resources necessary at the local level,” said Aaron Bannon, executive director of America Outdoors.

“The SHRED Act will bring much-needed resources to the United States Forest Service to address the needs of not only ski areas, but the broader recreation management needs of the public lands on which ski town economies are so dependent. This Act will offer ongoing support to the public lands that are so critical to the recreation-based economies of resort communities,” said Margaret Bowes, Executive Director, Colorado Association of Ski Towns.

“This bill is not only critical to maintaining the active management of our national forests by providing much needed support to the United States Forest Service, but it also greatly aids in the sustainability and vibrancy of our mountain communities and local recreational opportunities. By allowing local national forests to retain the fees generated from the ski areas in which they originate, forest managers are better equipped to address the many impacts creating a crisis in our forests. Northwest Colorado Council of Governments fully supports the 2021 SHRED Act as drafted and is hopeful its implementation will provide our local United States Forest Service with the overdue and necessary support imperative for its operations to run successfully and efficiently for decades to come,” said Alyssa Shenk, Northwest Colorado Council of Governments Council Chair.

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today announced the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act will receive a hearing in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. The CORE Act hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 16 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. MT.

“In Colorado, we believe protecting public land drives economic growth,” said Bennet and Hickenlooper. “We are grateful for the diligence of community leaders across Colorado who developed the CORE Act over the last ten years, and we look forward to finally getting this bill across the finish line.”

“Eagle County is pleased that the CORE Act will have a hearing in the Senate. Our public lands define the American spirit and continue to be a place where people go to gain strength and resiliency. The CORE Act will designate Camp Hale as a National Historic Landscape and preserve important wildlife habitat prized by local hunters and anglers. We are hopeful that the locally-supported CORE Act passes the U.S. Senate so current and future generations can always have a place to go for reflection, growth, and adventure,” said Kathy Chandler-Henry, Eagle County Commissioner. 

“This hearing represents the culmination of a decade-long process by stakeholders in Ouray County to protect Mt Sneffels and Sneffels Range one of Colorado’s most iconic mountain ranges.  We are ready to get this bill passed into law and are excited for this hearing. We are grateful for the years of work by our Senators to advocate for this important legislation,” said Ben Tisdell, Ouray County Commissioner. 

“The CORE Act would enact lasting benefits for future generations of Coloradans by preserving lands, communities, and our cultural heritage. I want to thank our leaders, including Senator Bennet and Senator Hickenlooper, who have had the diligence and patience to see this to the finish line. A Senate committee hearing is a welcome positive step forward,” said Hilary Cooper, San Miguel County Commissioner.

“Gunnison County has strongly supported the CORE Act with its provisions to protect Curecanti National Recreation Area and Thompson Divide in our county. We are excited to see this hearing announced so that we can move this important legislation forward to protect the public land that drives our recreation economy. We are thankful for the dilegence and work of Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper to move this Gunnison County priority forward,” said Roland Mason, Gunnison County Commissioner. 

Background

Bennet and Neguse introduced the comprehensive CORE Act for the first time in January 2019, following years of work in Colorado to develop, draft, and negotiate the four individual titles in the bill. The CORE Act combines four previously introduced Colorado public land bills, which have been in development over the past decade: the Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness, and Camp Hale Legacy Act, the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, the Thompson Divide Withdrawal and Protection Act, and the Curecanti National Recreation Area Boundary Establishment Act.

In January 2021, Hickenlooper joined Bennet and Neguse to reintroduce the CORE Act. Hickenlooper is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill. The CORE Act passed the House in February, along with other public land provisions. 

Of the land protected by the bill, about 73,000 acres are designated as new wilderness, and nearly 80,000 acres are designated as new recreation and conservation management areas that preserve existing outdoor uses, such as hiking and mountain biking. The bill also includes a first-of-its-kind designation for Camp Hale as a National Historic Landscape, to honor World War II veterans and Colorado’s military legacy, and prohibits new oil and gas development in areas important to ranchers and sportsmen in the Thompson Divide.

The CORE Act is supported by a broad coalition of counties, cities, towns, local leaders, conservation groups, sportsmen, and a wide range of outdoor businesses.

Resources

The following CORE Act resources are available below:

See frequently asked questions, maps, letters of support, and more at www.bennet.senate.gov/COREAct.