Sen. Markey, Rep. Huffman Announce Legislation to Crack Down on Crypto Energy Consumption as Markey Holds First-Ever Senate Hearing Focused on Industry’s Environmental Impacts

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Lawmakers reintroduce Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act ahead of Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee hearing scrutinizing skyrocketing energy consumption of cryptomining industry

Across U.S., Bitcoin crypto-asset mining facilities produce greenhouse gas emissions equaling emissions from seven million gasoline-powered cars

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington (March 3, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, and Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) today announced the reintroduction of the Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act, legislation to require cryptomining companies to disclose their emissions for operations that consume more than five megawatts of power and to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the impacts of U.S. cryptomining. Bitcoin crypto-asset mining companies in the United States are estimated to use enough electricity to light up every home in the nation, and their facilities produce as much greenhouse gas emissions as seven million gasoline powered cars. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is a cosponsor.

Next week, Senator Markey will chair the first-ever Senate hearing focused on the urgent need to crack down on the growing environmental impacts of cryptomining. At the hearing, titled “Air, Climate, and Environmental Impacts of Crypto-Asset Mining,” Senator Markey will speak with experts on the crypto industry’s energy consumption, the environmental consequences of crypto emissions, alternatives to cryptomining, and claims made by industry leaders.

“The crypto industry is growing, and so is a plume of pollution around their mining facilities,” said Senator Markey. “While we’re working together as a nation to face down an existential crisis that puts the health and safety of our people and our planet in jeopardy, crypto miners are sucking megawatt after megawatt from our public grids and emitting skyrocketing greenhouse gasses, just so they can make a buck for themselves. We can’t afford to let this industry run roughshod over our communities any longer.”

“As we look to slow the effects of climate change, it makes no sense to continue ignoring cryptomining’s skyrocketing energy demands and planet-polluting emissions,” said Representative Huffman. “Granting this industry impunity to run rampant is a risk to the health and safety of our communities and planet, and we need to understand the full harm this industry presents. It’s past time for serious government oversight and regulation of these cryptocurrency schemes.”  

A copy of the bill text can be found HERE.

The Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act is endorsed by Environmental Working Group, Sierra Club, Earth Justice, Greenpeace USA, Food and Water Watch, National Stop Crypto Coalition, Public Citizen, Change the Code Campaign, Natural Resources Defense Council, Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, Seneca Lake Guardian, Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes, Concerned Citizens of Navarro County, Cherokee County Citizens Against Crypto Mining, FrackBustersNY, and Concerned Citizens of Cook County.

Last December, Senator Markey introduced the legislation—Crypto-Asset Environmental Transparency Act—to hold cryptomining companies accountable and reduce their energy-intensive operations that undermine U.S. climate change efforts. In October, Senator Markey joined his colleagues in writing to Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the operator of Texas’ electrical grid, requesting information on the company’s subsides for cryptominers and how their subsides impact climate change, consumers, and the energy grid. Senator Markey and his colleagues sent a letter to the EPA and Department of Energy (DOE) in July 2022 on what they discovered in their comprehensive investigation of cryptomining’s environmental impacts while requesting that the EPA and DOE collaborate in requiring cryptominers to disclose their emissions and energy use.  

###

To Combat Opioid Epidemic, Sen. Markey Leads Colleagues in Urging HHS to Expand Access to Life-Saving Medication Treatment

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (March 3, 2023) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representatives Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), David Trone (MD-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Kuster (NH-02), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Becca Balint (VT), and Andy Kim (NJ-03) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use (SAMHSA) Miriam Delphin-Rittmon expressing their support for regulations that would expand access to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) medication treatment, including methadone, while highlighting barriers that will continue to face those seeking access to methadone medication treatment under SAMHSA’s rules. Currently, people being treated for OUD must go to an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) to receive methadone.

“But while the proposed rules increase individuals’ autonomy, they still leave those with OUD tethered to OTPs, often miles away from where they need treatment most. Under the proposed rules, some people will still be forced to travel to an OTP every day and face the stigma that comes with it. And in states and territories with very few or no OTPs, patients will still not be able to get methadone for OUD prescribed by their doctor and available to pick up at a pharmacy,” lawmakers wrote. “Allowing addiction specialist physicians outside of OTPs to prescribe methadone for OUD for pick-up at pharmacies would result in more people safely getting the medication they need where they can received it – in their communities.

“SAMHSA’s proposed rules are a necessary and long-awaited step forward, but we cannot tolerate any barriers to treatment, as more than 200 people die from overdoses each day,” continued lawmakers. “The status quo of relegating methadone medication for opioid use disorder behind the walls of OTPs leaves this highly effective medication underutilized and stigmatized. Now is the time to do everything in our power to give people access to the medications they need to live healthy and productive lives.”

Ahead of the President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Senator Markey led his colleagues in a letter urging the President to announce that he would restore the Director of the Office of National Drug Policy (ONDCP) to a Cabinet-level position to improve drug control efforts across federal agencies and strengthen the Biden administration’s response to the opioid crisis. Last February, Senator Markey introduced the Opioid Treatment Access Act, legislation that would make COVID-19 flexibilities for methadone access permanent and improve access to live-saving methadone treatment for OUD by allowing patients to take-home doses of medication and by authorizing pharmacies to dispense methadone for the first time. In July 2021, Senator Markey reintroduced two pieces of legislation—the Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act and the Lessening Addiction by Enhancing Labeling (LABEL) Opioids Act—to improve education on the risks associated with prescribed opioids and to require warning labels on addictive opioid medications.

###

ICYMI: Sen. Cramer Op-Ed: Discrimination Has No Place in Our Society, and Big Banks Are No Exception

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

BIMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Banking Committee, penned an op-ed in the National Review on his Fair Access to Banking Act. In an effort to advance their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, too many financial institutions are categorically excluding constitutionally-protected industries from accessing services. Senator Cramer’s legislation does not require anything of banks, but rather prohibits them from discriminating against legally-operating businesses in the fossil energy and firearms sectors, among others.

“Banks were not created to be arbiters of public policy. They receive deposits, make loans, and process payments. This has been the backbone of American free enterprise for decades, but now far-left activists are upsetting the system by inserting their political preferences into the equation,” wrote Senator Cramer.

“In response to the aggressive growth of the ESG movement, some states have decided to pull their investments in firms that cut off funding to businesses important to their constituents. After all, why should West Virginia, Texas, or Alaska keep sending money to firms focused on cutting investments to the very resources funding their local economies and state budgets? Together, these state-level actions and my bill can help conservatives and all freedom-loving Americans to build a bulwark against this ESG nonsense and get real results. For example, BlackRock can’t remind us enough how much it supports fossil energy now that it has suffered major blows to its bottom line. Similarly, when asked if JP Morgan would defund fossil-fuel projects, Jamie Dimon rightly retorted that would be the ‘road to hell,’” continued Senator Cramer.

“All of these actions have contributed to the growing effort to keep financial institutions out of the political fray. When I reintroduced my bill again this Congress, it had even more support from my Senate colleagues than before. Today I believe there is a real opportunity to change course, turn away from discriminatory tactics, and embrace fairness and access to financial services for all legal commerce,” concluded Senator Cramer.

Discrimination Has No Place in Our Society, and Big Banks Are No Exception

By Senator Kevin Cramer

National Review

3.3.2023

In recent years, especially since President Biden’s election, the “woke” Left has exerted immense pressure on financial institutions to wade into social and political issues, such as gun control, energy policy, and abortion advocacy. Activists have taken these ancillary issues and inserted them into the daily business of many firms under the guise of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).

As a result, businesses now engaged in legal commerce are being unfairly denied access to financial services. Brandon Wexler, owner of Wex Gunworks, a family-owned gun shop in Florida, received a letter from Wells Fargo in December 2022 announcing that it was terminating his account with the bank, even though his financial standing was sound. The bank denies politics played a role in its decision, but the letter clearly states: “Banking guidelines exclude lending to certain types of businesses.” This is one egregious example of banks moving to categorically exclude entire classes of legal business.

Even projects specifically authorized by Congress, such as Alaska’s 1002 area — which representatives voted to open for oil and gas drilling in 2017 — can’t catch a break. In fact, every major U.S. bank has committed to barring financing projects in the area. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Citigroup’s gun policy actually supersedes federal law, and its ESG policy includes a plan to phase out coal lending. None of these industries’ legal status has changed or even been in question, yet they’re being blackballed by financial institutions backed by taxpayer-funded insurance.

At a Senate Banking Committee hearing in September, I asked the CEOs of America’s largest retail banks whether their companies would process all transactions for legal goods and services in response to the creation of a new merchant category code for gun stores. Under oath, each one swore they would not limit or restrict such purchases even though gun-control activists have stated they intend to use these codes to pursue their own objectives.

Banks were not created to be arbiters of public policy. They receive deposits, make loans, and process payments. This has been the backbone of American free enterprise for decades, but now far-left activists are upsetting the system by inserting their political preferences into the equation.

Last Congress, when Democrats had free rein, they and their allies exerted maximum pressure against industries they deemed politically unfavorable. In response, I introduced the Fair Access to Banking Act with one-third of my Senate colleagues. The bill is simple: If a financial institution benefits from FDIC backing, it must make decisions on creditworthiness and financial health, not arbitrary factors pushed by liberals.

I also started my “Bully Pulpit” series in 2021, which brings business leaders to North Dakota and allows for a thoughtful and balanced discussion on critical issues like domestic energy production and Second Amendment rights. Our state has been able to show off its innovative clean-energy solutions and challenge the narrative of most climate activists. For example, to the surprise of many CEOs who attend, we are a national leader in Carbon Capture, Use and Sequestration technologies, which produce even cleaner oil, ethanol, and coal power. To his credit, Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan has engaged with North Dakota leaders and invested in forward-focused projects that use carbon to produce net negative oil. Unfortunately, many of his colleagues haven’t done the same.

In response to the aggressive growth of the ESG movement, some states have decided to pull their investments in firms that cut off funding to businesses important to their constituents. After all, why should West Virginia, Texas, or Alaska keep sending money to firms focused on cutting investments to the very resources funding their local economies and state budgets? Together, these state-level actions and my bill can help conservatives and all freedom-loving Americans to build a bulwark against this ESG nonsense and get real results. For example, BlackRock can’t remind us enough how much it supports fossil energy now that it has suffered major blows to its bottom line. Similarly, when asked if JP Morgan would defund fossil-fuel projects, Jamie Dimon rightly retorted that would be the “road to hell.”

All of these actions have contributed to the growing effort to keep financial institutions out of the political fray. When I reintroduced my bill again this Congress, it had even more support from my Senate colleagues than before. Today I believe there is a real opportunity to change course, turn away from discriminatory tactics, and embrace fairness and access to financial services for all legal commerce.

Sen. Cramer: HHS Awards Over $3.3 Million to North Dakota Head Start, Department of Health and Human Services

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

BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced $3,347,586 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding to be awarded to North Dakota for childhood programs.  

The HHS Administration for Children and Families awarded $3,156,936 for Head Start programs, which provide services for low-income families with young children and encourage communities to support the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers. The funding was dispersed as follows:

  • $1,902,036 for Head Start projects through Southeastern North Dakota Community Action Agency
  • $1,254,900 for Head Start projects in Devils Lake, North Dakota

The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services was also awarded $190,650 in Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Partnership Grants, which support projects to expand and improve emergency medical services for children.

Bennet, Hickenlooper Introduce Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper introduced the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act to protect over 68,000 acres of public lands in Southwestern Colorado.

“Over millions of years, the Dolores River carved a canyon renowned – not just in our state, but across the country – for its majestic red rock walls that tower over the ponderosa pines. For the people of Southwest Colorado, the river is more than just a landmark – it’s the lifeblood of their communities and way of life,” said Bennet. “This bill was written in Colorado, by Coloradans who live, work, and depend on the Dolores River. It represents a balanced, sensible way forward to resolve many of the long-standing disagreements, protect the river for all parties, and provide long-term certainty for generations.”

“Southwest Colorado leaders have worked for years to protect and invest in the Dolores River. This bill turns their work into commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will pass in a divided Congress,” said Hickenlooper.

In 2008, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management requested that the Dolores River Dialogue – a coalition of diverse interests in the region – convene a broad-based community group to study pressing management issues in the Dolores River corridor from McPhee to Bedrock, including the possibility of a Wild and Scenic River federal designation. Through consensus agreement, the working group, known as the Lower Dolores Plan Working Group, decided to explore the possibility of an NCA and appointed a Legislative Subcommittee, which included counties, water managers, conservation groups, landowners, recreationists, energy companies, and staff from federal elected officials’ offices, to draft a legislative proposal for further vetting. 

For over a decade, Senator Bennet led the congressional engagement on this process with local stakeholders to craft a piece of legislation that could garner broad support. As a result, more than two dozen stakeholder groups and local and Tribal governments have sent letters to Senator Bennet in favor of the Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act. 

“Here in Colorado, we are preserving and protecting our world-class outdoors, supporting our thriving agriculture industry, and expanding opportunities for outdoor recreation, and legislation to protect our treasured land in the Lower Dolores River canyon is a great step towards achieving these goals,” said Governor Jared Polis.

“Our Dolores Project allocations are the centerpiece of our Colorado Water Rights Settlement. The Dolores Project provides clean drinking water for our people and the businesses that sustain our economy including our 7,700 acre Tribal Farm, cow herd and corn mill. The NCA legislation protects our Dolores Project allocations by legislatively resolving the conflicting authorities of the Bureau of Reclamation to manage McPhee Reservoir allocations and Forest Service/BLM authorities below McPhee Reservoir.  The legislation also protects Tribal cultural rights and practices in the NCA, and involves the Tribe in collaborative efforts to manage for sensitive native fish below McPhee, another key to protecting our Dolores Project allocations. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe thanks Senator Bennet for his leadership on bringing these issues to a successful resolution in this legislation.” said Manuel Heart, Chairman, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

“San Miguel County has been actively participating for over a decade in regional stakeholder discussions to determine the best locally driven long-term management for the Dolores River. Collaboration with Dolores and Montezuma Counties and the Ute Mountain Utes has been one of the most rewarding projects for me as an elected official. The Dolores County NCA is a locally built and broadly supported proposal that protects the natural resources and existing use. We are grateful to Senator Bennet for working with us over the years and to Senator Hickenlooper for supporting our efforts to ensure the protection of this endangered landscape and enshrining local participation in ongoing management,” said Hilary Cooper, San Miguel County Commissioner.

“Dolores County has worked diligently on the NCA legislation since its beginning as the Lower Dolores River Working Group.  Through the years of collaboration of many varied interest groups we have a working product that shows how a bipartisan group of stakeholders can come together to provide local support and legislative efforts to protect a remarkable and adored landscape.  This protection will keep the Dolores River that flows through Montezuma, Dolores, San Miguel Counties and has increased farming techniques for the Ute Mountain Utes as a life sustaining and economic resource.  Knowing that the Dolores River with all of its outstanding remarkable values, natural resources and existing uses will be under local legislative control for years to come is a worthwhile feat.  We are so grateful to all we have respectfully worked side by side with over the years and especially to Senator Bennet’s office and his aide John Whitney for their continued support in this process,” said Dolores County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Steve Garchar.

“The proposal is the result of a long-standing collaborative effort to protect the Dolores River and the interests of the various stakeholders that it serves, including water users, agricultural entities, local governments, OHV users, conservation groups, and recreationalists. ln crafting the NCA proposal, Montezuma County, San Miguel County, Dolores County, and other partners sought to address a myriad of concerns, including those arising from the finding that the Dolores River is ‘suitable’ for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act,” said the Montezuma County Commissioners. “lt is the position of Montezuma County that designating the Dolores River as Wild and Scenic would result in significant consequences for water users and other groups seeking to access natural resources along the river corridor. By supporting the proposal for an NCA, it is Montezuma County’s intent to ensure that portions of the lower Dolores River that run through Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties will not be designated as Wild and Scenic, and it is our position that the NCA proposal sets forth an acceptable compromise between the various stakeholders interested in utilizing water and land resources in and along the Dolores River.”

“I have worked continuously on this proposal since 2008. I believe local participation in the management of the area will provide better benefits for the native fish, scenic area, recreation, permitted federal land uses, private land values and water rights than a wild and scenic designation. I have ranching and farming operations in all three counties involved. I appreciate your continued support and hope this can go forward in the bipartisan way we have shown is possible with the diverse local groups that put this proposal together,” said Al Heaton, local rancher that operates in the proposed NCA. 

“A rapidly changing climate highlights the urgent need for better protections for some of our wildest public lands in the state. The lands in this legislation are a key piece of a broader landscape scale conservation effort to connect important wildlife corridors and protect the biodiversity in the greater Dolores River canyon country. Years of science-based collaboration helped move these efforts forward and we are excited that these lands near the Dolores are getting the attention they deserve,” said Jeff Widen, The Wilderness Society.

This bill is supported by: the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Montezuma, San Miguel, Dolores Archuleta, and La Plata Counties; the city of Cortez; the towns of Dove Creek, Norwood, and Dolores; Dolores River Boating Advocates, The Wilderness Society, American Rivers, Conservation Lands Foundation, American Whitewater, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Conservation Colorado, Sheep Mountain Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Alliance, Outdoor Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association, Jagged Edge Mountain Gear, Trout Unlimited, San Miguel Watershed Coalition, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Colorado, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Southwestern Water Conservation District.

The bill text is available HERE. A summary of the bill is available HERE. A map of the proposed National Conservation Area and Special Management Area is available HERE.

Bennet Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce PRO Act to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and bipartisan House and Senate Members to introduce the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

“Too many Coloradans feel left out of our economy, which works really well for the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations, but does not support working people and their families,” said Bennet. “Strong unions are key to building an economy that when it grows, it grows for everyone. We need to pass the PRO Act to ensure workers have the freedom to unionize and attain more economic opportunity for themselves and their families.”

“The PRO Act is how we level the playing field. It is how we stop the intimidation, the lies. This is how we let workers, not wealthy corporations, decide for themselves if they want the power of a union,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

Large corporations and the wealthy continue to capture the rewards of a growing economy while working families and middle-class Americans are left behind. From 1979 to 2020, annual wages for the bottom 90 percent of households increased just 26 percent, while average incomes for the wealthiest 1 percent increased more than 160 percent.

Unions are critical to growing a strong middle class and creating an economy that rewards hardworking people. Studies show that union members earn, on average, 10 percent more than those with similar education, occupation, and experience in a non-union workplace.  

 Specifically, the PRO Act:

  • Holds employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by authorizing meaningful penalties, facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements, and closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.

  • Empowers workers to exercise their right to organize by strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, protecting workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers can collect “fair share” fees, and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.

  • Secures free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from interfering in union elections, prohibiting captive audience meetings, and requiring employers to be transparent with their workers.

According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 71 percent of Americans approve of labor unions—the highest that Gallup has recorded since 1965. Despite growing support for unions, decades of anti-union attacks have made it harder for workers to organize. Union membership has fallen to a new low of 10.1 percent in 2022. The PRO Act restores fairness to the economy by strengthening the federal laws that protect workers’ right to join a union and bargain for higher pay, better benefits, and safer workplaces.

The text of the bill is available HERE. A summary of the bill is available HERE. 

Duckworth, Durbin Help Introduce Bill to Protect Workers’ Right to Organize

Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth

March 03, 2023

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined the bipartisan and bicameral Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces.

“Every American deserves to work in a safe, good-paying job that allows them to support their families and save for a secure retirement, and it is unacceptable that in some states with anti-union laws—so-called ‘right to work’ laws—some workers aren’t given that same chance,” said Duckworth. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the PRO Act to support workers by protecting the right to unionize, and I’ll continue to do all I can to support hardworking Illinoisans and all Americans against corporate greed.”

“Our country was built on foundational labor rights—fair wages, safe working conditions, and access to health care.  As someone who grew up in a union household, I know how important it is to working families to have the backing of a union,” said Durbin.  “I’m standing up for our nation’s unions by supporting the PRO Act, which will push back against harmful anti-worker attacks and ensure that workers have a right to collective bargaining.”

Unions are critical to growing a strong middle class, reducing racial income disparities and creating an economy that rewards hardworking people. Studies show that unions also raise wages for both union and nonunion workers.

Public support for labor unions is also surging. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 71 percent of Americans approve of labor unions—the highest that Gallup has recorded since 1965.

The PRO Act restores fairness to the economy by strengthening the federal law that protects workers’ right to join a union and bargain for higher pay, better benefits and safer workplaces. This legislation would:

  • Hold employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by authorizing meaningful penalties, facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements and closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.
  • Empower workers to exercise their right to organize by strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, protecting workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers can collect “fair share” fees and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.
  • Secure free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from interfering in union elections, prohibiting captive audience meetings and requiring employers to be transparent with their workers.

For the bill text of the PRO Act, click here.

For a fact sheet on the PRO Act, click here.

For a section-by-section summary of the PRO Act, click here.

-30-

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined the bipartisan and bicameral Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023a comprehensive proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces.

 

“Every American deserves to work in a safe, good-paying job that allows them to support their families and save for a secure retirement, and it is unacceptable that in some states with anti-union laws—so-called ‘right to work’ laws—some workers aren’t given that same chance,” said Duckworth. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the PRO Act to support workers by protecting the right to unionize, and I’ll continue to do all I can to support hardworking Illinoisans and all Americans against corporate greed.”

 

“Our country was built on foundational labor rights—fair wages, safe working conditions, and access to health care.  As someone who grew up in a union household, I know how important it is to working families to have the backing of a union,” said Durbin.  “I’m standing up for our nation’s unions by supporting the PRO Act, which will push back against harmful anti-worker attacks and ensure that workers have a right to collective bargaining.”

 

Unions are critical to growing a strong middle class, reducing racial income disparities and creating an economy that rewards hardworking people. Studies show that unions also raise wages for both union and nonunion workers.

 

Public support for labor unions is also surging. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 71 percent of Americans approve of labor unions—the highest that Gallup has recorded since 1965.

 

The PRO Act restores fairness to the economy by strengthening the federal law that protects workers’ right to join a union and bargain for higher pay, better benefits and safer workplaces. This legislation would:

 

  • Hold employers accountable for violating workers’ rights by authorizing meaningful penalties, facilitating initial collective bargaining agreements and closing loopholes that allow employers to misclassify their employees as supervisors and independent contractors.
  • Empower workers to exercise their right to organize by strengthening support for workers who suffer retaliation for exercising their rights, protecting workers’ right to support secondary boycotts, ensuring workers can collect “fair share” fees and authorizing a private right of action for violation of workers’ rights.
  • Secure free, fair, and safe union elections by preventing employers from interfering in union elections, prohibiting captive audience meetings and requiring employers to be transparent with their workers.

 

For the bill text of the PRO Act, click here.

 

For a fact sheet on the PRO Act, click here.

 

For a section-by-section summary of the PRO Act, click here.

 

-30-



Biden’s Student Loan Bailout: Costly, Shortsighted, and Wrong

Source: United States Senator for South Dakota John Thune

President Biden and Democrats’ reckless spending knows no bounds. In August, President Biden announced his nearly trillion-dollar student loan bailout. His plan has two parts: canceling up to $10,000 in federal student debt ($20,000 for Pell Grant recipients) and revamping the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) program. These proposals do nothing to address the root cause of soaring college costs, but the price tag threatens to drive up inflation for all Americans and could lead to higher college costs.
The president claims mass debt forgiveness is warranted to make borrowers whole after the pandemic. The reality is that Americans with college degrees have fared well recently, experiencing employment and wage growth, and borrowers with federal student loans haven’t had to pay a nickel in three years. Now the president wants American taxpayers to foot the bill for a misguided bailout that simply transfers student debt from those who voluntarily took on the debt to the backs of taxpayers, including those who didn’t go to college, already paid off student loans, or scrimped and saved to put themselves or their kids through school. On top of that, he envisions transforming the IDR program from a program designed to help borrowers pay back their loans based on their income into another form of loan forgiveness with the average borrower paying back only 50 percent of their total loan.
No one disputes that a college education is valuable and a good investment for many Americans. But it’s an investment and it should be treated as one. While some Americans may choose to invest in a college degree, others may choose to seek another professional credential or learn a trade. These Americans shouldn’t be forced to pay for the decisions of others who choose higher education, take out student loans, and agree to pay those loans back.
Recognizing that college is costly and many young professionals have loans to pay back, there are things we can do to help pay off loans without putting taxpayers on the hook. My bipartisan Employer Participation in Repayment Act became law in 2020 and has been extended through 2025. It allows employers to make tax-free payments toward their employees’ student loans. It’s a win-win: Employees get help paying off their loans and employers have another option to attract and retain talented workers. It’s no silver bullet, but it helps ease the burden of student debt without transferring it to taxpayers.
President Biden’s student loan bailout is costly, unfair, and shortsighted. The president is putting taxpayers on the hook for a nearly trillion-dollar giveaway to college-educated Americans who are often better off than many of the Americans who would shoulder the burden of their debts under the president’s plan. There are actions we can take to ease the burden of college costs without needlessly spending taxpayer dollars. This is another disastrous economic plan from the Biden administration and American taxpayers will pay its true cost.

Congressional Members Announce $7 Million in Federal Funding for Maryland Universities to Invest in Improving Transportation Research and Development

Source: United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen

March 03, 2023

The lawmakers fought to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to secure this federal funding

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie B. Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) announced $7,000,000 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for three Maryland-based University Transportation Centers to advance cutting-edge transportation research and education. This funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation will support state-of-the-art transportation research and technology at three Maryland universities to empower and educate the next generation of transportation professionals. The lawmakers worked to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Congress to make historic investments in modernizing our infrastructure, spurring job creation, enhancing U.S. competitiveness, and creating more sustainable and equitable transportation systems. 

“Safe and reliable transportation is essential to getting people and products where they need to go on time. This Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding we fought to deliver will position Maryland universities as hubs of innovation to lay the groundwork for more reliable, sustainable, and efficient transportation systems in our state. This investment is a win-win-win: supporting our universities, strengthening our workforce, and building a better transportation future for Maryland,” said the lawmakers.

These federal funding awards include:

  • $3,000,000 for Morgan State University’s Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility Regional Transportation Equity Research Center, in consortium with Howard University, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and West Virginia University.
  • $2,000,000 for Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Climate-Smart Transportation, in consortium with Diné College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Morgan State University, University of Texas Austin, and University of Utah.
  • $2,000,000 for University of Maryland’s Center for Multi-Modal Mobility in Urban, Rural and Tribal Areas, in consortium with Morgan State University, North Dakota State University, San José State University, and White Earth Tribal and Community College. 

The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program is a Congressionally-mandated program that has been in place since 1987 to help address our nation’s ever-growing need for the safe, efficient, and environmentally sound movement of people and goods.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a once-in-a-generation investment in American infrastructure that will provide more than $7 billion in federal funding directly to Maryland over five years to strengthen transit systems, roads and bridges, water infrastructure, broadband connectivity, and more. The law also includes measures on workforce development, equity, and climate change.



HYDE-SMITH AGAIN JUMPS AT CHANCE TO END ‘SPRING FORWARD’ ‘FALL BACK’ RIGMAROLE

Source: United States Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss)

HYDE-SMITH AGAIN JUMPS AT CHANCE TO END ‘SPRING FORWARD’ ‘FALL BACK’ RIGMAROLE

Cosponsors Senator Rubio’s New ‘Sunshine Protection Act’ to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

WASHINGTON, D.C. – While the nation prepares to change their clocks next weekend, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) this week again threw her support behind the effort to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent across the United States.

Hyde-Smith is an original cosponsor of the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 (S.582) introduced by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a renewed legislative effort to negate the need for Americans to “spring forward” and “fall back” every year.  This year, DST begins at 2:00 a.m., Sunday, March 12.

“Many Mississippians, especially those in agriculture, agree that ending the disruptive practice of re-setting our clocks would bring public safety improvements, economic benefits, and even mental health benefits to our nation,” Hyde-Smith said.  “I’m proud to again cosponsor the Sunshine Protection Act in an effort to make permanent Daylight Saving Time a reality.”

“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid.  Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support.  This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio said.

Technically, S.582 would repeal the current eight-month “temporary” DST period mandated in the Uniform Time Act of 1966.  Its enactment would allow 21 states—including Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama—to implement laws and resolutions for year-round DST.

The bill would not:  alter or change time zones, change the number of hours of sunlight, or mandate the adoption of DST by states that do not currently observe DST (American Samoa, most of Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands).

Additional S.582 original cosponsors include U.S. Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ron Wyden (R-Ore.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).

In March 2022, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 and sent it to the House of Representatives.  However, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi never brought the legislation up for a vote, despite broad support among lawmakers and the American people.

Additional background:  The United States enacted Daylight Savings Time (DST) following Germany’s 1916 effort to conserve fuel during World War I, and its period of observance has since been lengthened.  Originally mandated for six months, Congress in 2005 extended DST to begin the second Sunday in March and end the first Sunday in November.  As a result, the United States now enjoys eight months of DST, and only four months of Standard Time (November-March).  The United States has also gone through periods of year-round DST, including 1942-1945 and 1974-1975.

###