[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3680-S3682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. DAINES (for himself, Mr. Lankford, and Mr. Blunt):
S. 1487. A bill to require notice and comment for certain
interpretative rules; to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs.
Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I often hear from Montanans how
Washington, DC, regulations stifle the ability to create jobs and
prevent our small businesses from reaching their full potential. Too
many Montana businesses face regulatory burdens that hinder innovation
and block opportunities for growth. In fact, when I drive around
Montana, I have yet to hear a small business owner stop me and say: You
know, we would like to see more regulations from Washington, DC.
In today's environment, business owners are left with few options.
They either struggle to keep up with frequent regulatory changes or
they suffer the penalty of regulatory fines. That is unacceptable.
There is something fundamentally wrong when your business owners spend
more time adapting to Washington regulations than focusing on their
business's growth and their job creation.
We need to reduce the redtape that is holding our small businesses
back and work towards commonsense regulations that don't place
unnecessary burdens on Montana families and small business. Today, I
have introduced legislation to help fix the regulatory burdens facing
Americans. My bill facilitates public input on Federal rulemaking and
provides a more predictable regulatory environment so that businesses
can make plans to expand and have a predictable environment to create
good high-paying jobs.
Currently, bureaucrats in Washington, DC, can issue interpretative
rules without warning and without public input. In fact, oftentimes,
interpretative rules are dramatically changed at the whim of the
President.
I would also like to thank Senators Lankford and Blunt for joining me
in introducing this critical piece of legislation. The Regulatory
Predictability for Business Growth Act will ensure that Americans'
voices are heard in the rulemaking process, providing a crucial
planning period for individuals and businesses. I want to give a
special thanks to Senator Lankford and his staff for his leadership on
the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Regulatory
Affairs and Federal Management Subcommittee. Our staffs worked closely
[[Page S3681]]
to make this piece of legislation possible today.
For far too long, government bureaucracy has stifled our small
businesses' potential. With commonsense reforms such as this bill, we
can encourage both innovation and job growth. The Regulatory
Predictability for Business Growth Act will decrease regulatory
uncertainty, and it will empower Montanans and their businesses to grow
again.
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By Mrs. MURRAY:
S. 1494. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize
and update the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative for grants to
address the problems of individuals who experience trauma and violence
related stress; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am here this afternoon to talk about an
issue that is so important to my State and to communities nationwide;
that is, how do we help children and families rebuild and recover when
they face serious trauma? As we have seen all too often in recent
years, traumatic events can impact children at any time and in any part
of our country. If children don't get the support they need in the wake
of a hardship such as a natural disaster or violence at school or
stress related to a family member's military deployment, those
experiences can be even more difficult to recover from and they can
leave our children with serious and long-lasting challenges such as
depression, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining employment.
An estimated two-thirds of our children experience traumatic events
before the age of 16. Their need for support and treatment after trauma
is something that simply cannot go unmet. That is why I am very proud
to introduce the Children's Recovery from Trauma Act. This bipartisan
legislation would continue support for child trauma centers across the
country which help make sure that as children in families face
difficult times, our Nation's health care system is better prepared to
provide support and help ease that burden.
Child trauma centers have played an important role in my home State
of Washington. For example, when the State Route 530 mudslide caused
unthinkable devastation in Oso and Darrington, the Washington State
University CLEAR Center stepped in to help children and families who
were impacted by that horrific tragedy. Staff at the CLEAR Center held
parent nights at Darrington Elementary School and worked with the
teachers there to help make sure students got the right kind of support
they needed. They even helped teachers explain to students how the
brain operates under stress and how that might influence their
behavior. As a mom and former preschool teacher, a school board member,
and a Senator from the great State of Washington, I believe this
support can make a world of difference in this kind of scary and
stressful time for our kids.
I am very proud that under the Children's Recovery from Trauma Act,
the CLEAR Center would continue to receive critical Federal investment.
In addition, I am very proud that other child trauma centers, such as
those that mobilized after the 2001 terrorist attack and natural
disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Sandy and the shootings at
Virginia Tech and in Newtown, would continue to get those investments
as well.
As I have said before, I am inspired by the strength and resilience
of communities in Washington State that were impacted by the tragedy of
the State Route 530 mudslide and the shootings recently at Marysville-
Pilchuck High School. Children in these communities and communities
like them across the country face hardships that can't always be
predicted or prevented, but they do need and deserve our support. The
Children's Recovery from Trauma Act would take some critical steps
forward in this effort, and I hope all of my colleagues will join me in
supporting it.
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By Mr. WYDEN:
S. 1498. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to require
that military working dogs be retired in the United States, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, since World War I, military working dogs
have worked side-by-side with our men and women in uniform in various
roles and operations. Today military working dogs routinely assist U.S.
troops on dangerous front-line assignments, helping to detect roadside
bombs and improvised explosive devices, saving hundreds of American
lives and preventing countless injuries. Moreover, both on and off the
battlefield, these dogs represent critical partners, invaluable team
members, and cherished companions.
Unlike traditional soldiers, a canine's service does not necessarily
end when it reaches retirement. Instead, military working dogs often
continue to support our nation by acting as service dogs for veterans
suffering from mental and physical disabilities. Because of the close
bond forged by their shared experiences in the military, these dogs can
play a unique and important role in for our veterans--quite literally
saving lives even once they return to the home front.
Unfortunately, it is not always so easy for former dog handlers to be
reunited with their four-legged comrades-in-arms. Because of the way
the law is currently written, the Department of Defense is not required
to bring military working dogs back to the United States upon
retirement. As such, most military working dogs end up being retired
overseas wherever they end their service. As a result, former handlers,
veterans, and other members of the military community wishing to adopt
a dog may be forced to cover the cost of transporting the dog halfway
across the world.
Our Nation's veterans deserve to be reunited with their canine
counterparts and they should not have to shoulder the official costs
and fees associated with doing so. To correct this situation, I am
introducing the Military Working Dog Retirement Act. By requiring the
Department of Defense to arrange and pay for the transportation of
retiring military working dogs to the United States, this bill is a key
step to ensuring former military dog handlers may benefit from the
continued partnership and service of these loyal canines. It is my hope
that the Senate will pass this legislation swiftly.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1498
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REQUIREMENT FOR RETIREMENT OF MILITARY WORKING
DOGS IN THE UNITED STATES.
(a) In General.--Section 2583 of title 10, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections
(g) and (h), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new
subsection (f):
``(f) Retirement of Military Working Dogs Within the United
States.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
retirement of a military working dog under this section shall
occur at a location within the United States.
``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the retirement of a
military working dog abroad if a United States citizen living
abroad adopts the dog at the time of retirement.
``(3) Amounts available to the military department
concerned shall be available for the costs of the transport
of military working dogs to the United States for retirement
in accordance with the requirement in paragraph (1).''; and
(3) in subsection (g), as redesignated by paragraph (1)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``the Secretary of the military department concerned'' and
all that follows through ``may'' and inserting ``a military
working dog is to be retired in accordance with the
requirement in subsection (f)(1) and no suitable adoption is
available at the military facility where the dog is located
at the time of retirement, the Secretary of the military
department concerned shall''; and
(B) by inserting ``within the United States'' after
``another location''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act,
and shall apply to retirements of military working dogs
pursuant to section 2583 of title 10, United States Code,
that occur on or after that date.
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By Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Mr. Grassley):
S. 1501. A bill to promote and reform foreign capital investment and
job creation in American communities; to the Committee on the
Judiciary.
[[Page S3682]]
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce the
bipartisan American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act of
2015, which will extend and significantly improve the EB-5 Regional
Center program. Since its inception in 1993, the EB-5 Regional Center
program has generated billions of dollars in capital investment and
created tens of thousands of jobs across the country, much of which has
occurred in areas that traditionally struggle to attract investment and
jobs. The program's authorization is set to expire at the end of
September. My legislation would reauthorize it for 5 years while
enacting broad reforms to enhance the program's integrity. I am proud
to be joined by Senator Grassley in this effort.
The EB-5 Regional Center program faces significant challenges. I have
always been supportive of its ability to create American jobs but the
program has experienced some problems in recent years. There have been
troubling reports of fraud and abuse, concerns regarding onerous
processing delays for developers and investors, and questions over
whether the program is truly benefiting those that Congress intended.
These concerns can overshadow the many success stories, and have led
some to understandably lose faith in the program.
I have not seen any flaw inherent to the EB-5 Regional Center program
that could not be remedied, and I strongly believe that this is a
program worth fixing. Over the last two decades this program has proven
it can result in significant investment and jobs in communities that
desperately need both, all at no cost to American taxpayers. While our
immigration system as a whole is broken, and only comprehensive reform
will remedy its many injustices, reforming and reauthorizing the EB-5
Regional Center program warrants our immediate attention because the
program is set to expire in a matter of months.
In Vermont, this program revitalized rural communities during the
worst of economic times. At the height of the recession, Country Home
Products was able to speed up its engineering initiative to develop a
new line of equipment in the power tool market. Sugarbush ski resort
invested in new facilities and resources to increase visitors and keep
its doors open. Without EB-5 capital, these manufacturing,
construction, and hospitality jobs would likely not exist in Vermont.
The state-run Vermont Regional Center continues to attract substantial
capital investment and--with the Department of Financial Regulation now
joining the Agency of Commerce and Community Development in overseeing
the program--also provides unparalleled oversight of EB-5 projects.
I have long sought substantial reforms to the EB-5 Regional Center
program at the Federal level. Last Congress, my EB-5 amendment to
Comprehensive Immigration Reform provided the Department of Homeland
Security the authority to revoke suspect regional center designations
or immigrant petitions. This amendment, which was unanimously approved
by Senate Judiciary Committee, also provided for increased regional
center reporting, background checks, and oversight related to the offer
and sale of securities. Sadly these improvements have all had to wait,
as the House of Representatives failed to allow a vote on the
bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last
Congress.
Fortunately, however, the agency that administers EB-5 has not stood
idly by waiting for Congress to strengthen the program. I credit
Alejandro Mayorkas, the former Director of United States Citizenship
and Services, with bringing many concerns to light. The agency has
since transformed its review of EB-5 applications. Staff levels have
increased nearly ten-fold, in-house economists now analyze proposed
business plans, and fraud detection and national security staff now sit
side-by-side with adjudicators. These actions have all helped the
agency to guard against abuses.
However, as Congress now faces reauthorizing this job-creating
program, I have listened to concerns raised about how the program
functions. I believe we must do more, which is why I have been working
for over a year to further reform and modernize the Regional Center
program. The bill I introduced today builds upon what the Senate passed
last Congress as part of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
This legislation, if enacted, would provide the Department of
Homeland Security additional, much-needed authorities, including
further expanding background checks, conducting a more thorough vetting
of proposed investments earlier in the process, and providing for the
ability to proactively investigate fraud, both in the United States and
abroad, using a dedicated fund paid for by certain program
participants. The bill would also provide investors with greater
protections and more information about their investments. It would
provide project developers clarity and shorter processing times in
order to make the program more predictable and functional. It would
raise minimum investment thresholds so more money goes to the
communities that need it. It would help to restore the program to its
original intent, by ensuring that much of the capital generated and
jobs created occur in rural areas and areas with high unemployment.
Taken together, the oversight tools, security enhancements, and anti-
fraud provisions included in this legislation provide the framework for
a complete overhaul of the EB-5 Regional Center program. These reforms
will instill both confidence and transparency in the program.
I look forward to continuing to work with all Senators and
stakeholders to improve and reauthorize this important program. I am
confident our work will result in a secure EB-5 program that will
create American jobs and promote economic growth throughout our
country, particularly in the rural and distressed communities that need
it most.
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