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Latta Condemns President’s “Compromise” on Contraception Coverage

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement after President Obama announced a policy revision to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate that requires all employers to pay for health insurance with contraceptive coverage:

“President Obama’s announcement is an affront to freedom. The new rule doesn’t change anything from the initial regulation that demands employers cover contraception; the burden is now being placed on health insurance companies, who inevitably will shift the cost to employers who buy health insurance, and individuals who pay premiums.

“President Obama’s so called compromise still forces religiously affiliated entities who have conscience objections to provide health insurance coverage that will offer free contraception directly to the individual. Employers will still be required to pay for something that violates their religious beliefs.

“This regulation will cause religious organizations to stop offering health insurance to their employees if the government is going to force them to violate the beliefs of their faith.

“Plain and simple, President Obama’s decision is an assault to the First Amendment. It is an accounting gimmick that ignores the conscience rights of Americans.

“The Obama administration has gone against 30 years of federal conscience protections with this rule. I am extremely disappointed that this regulation departs from that tradition and the religious liberty that is enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution.”

Latta Protests HHS Contraceptive Mandate in Letter to President

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) along with 154 of his pro-life colleagues, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking the Secretary to suspend the contraceptive coverage mandate until HHS can ensure both employers and individuals are provided their constitutionally protected conscience rights.

“Members of Congress are using every means possible to make sure the administration doesn’t continue to ignore the conscience rights of Americans,” said Rep. Latta. “It is my hope this letter, in addition to other congressional efforts, will pressure the administration to change their contraceptive coverage mandate decision,” added Latta.

The Obama Administration, through the HHS Department, is mandating employers, including religious-affiliated entities, to offer health insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs with no cost-sharing, despite their conscience objections.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

Latta Statement on President’s Failure to Meet Budget Deadline

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling) issued the following statement after President Obama failed to submit a budget request today for Fiscal Year 2013. By law, presidents have to submit their budgets no later than the first Monday in February. The White House budget is expected on February 13.

“With trillion-dollar budget deficits, it behooves the President to submit a budget on time. This marks the third time in four years that President Obama has missed his deadline to submit a budget to Congress on time. One of the President’s fundamental duties is to present a budget to Congress, and doing so on time will then give both the House and Senate ample time to pass a budget.”

The House Budget Committee has compiled a chronological review of Presidential budget submissions dating back to 1923. Several key points from the data:

In just one term, President Obama has missed the budget deadline more than any other President.
In the 90 years covering FY1923 through FY 2013, President Obama is the only President to miss the deadline two years in a row. He is the only President who has missed the deadline in three of the four years of a term.
All Presidents from Harding through Reagan’s first term met the statutory budget submission deadline in every year. In five of these years, a change in the law was requested and passed to extend the deadline, and the President always met it.
Since the budget process moved the date of submission to the first Monday in February, the incoming President’s first budget submission has been delayed for practical reasons (the President’s inauguration is less than three weeks before the budget submission’s deadline). Yet President Obama’s first budget in his first year set a new record with a 98-day delay for his FY2010 budget.
Since the statutory deadline was extended to the first Monday in February, with the exception of the first budget for a new President, this deadline has only been missed three times: Clinton FY1998; Obama FY2012; and Obama FY 2013.

Help House Republicans pass 27 jobs bills

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Data reported by POLITICO shows our economy isn't improving.

• The Federal Reserve has announced it will keep interest rates low through 2014, a sign of its pessimism about the pace of the economic recovery.

• The Commerce Department found the nation’s economy grew at a 2.8 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2011, a faster pace than the rest of the year but worse than expected. If the economic growth slows in the next quarter, it will be tough to keep unemployment down.

• The Congressional Budget Office projected a wider budget deficit and rising unemployment for the rest of the year, with the jobless rate expanding to 8.9 percent by the end of the year.

• Housing remains a problem. The Case-Shiller index again found that home prices across the country fell 1.3 percent in November from October in its most recent survey.

The House is passing bills to spur the economy and help create jobs but the Senate and White House aren't supporting our efforts. Help us pass these bills by contacting your Senator.

Latta Statement on Labor Department’s Announcement to Re-Propose Parental Exemption for America’s Farm Families

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Facing pressure from farmers and lawmakers, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would reconsider its rule proposal, which significantly narrows the parental exemption on American farms. The original rule proposal made it illegal for youth family members to work on family farms owned by other relatives, and further would have prohibited them from working on their family farm if the farm was held as a corporation or partnership.

“I am relieved that the Labor Department realized the negative effects its narrowly tailored parental exemption would have on families who want to train the next generation of farmers,” said Congressman Latta. “It is important for the agricultural community to remain vigilant and continue to pressure the Labor Department to seek a broader interpretation of the parental exemption,” added Latta.

The re-proposed portion of the rule is expected to be published for public comment by early summer.

On December 13, 2011, Congressman Latta sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis regarding the proposed Department of Labor rule aimed at the agricultural industry that would threaten family farms.

Three years later: Stimulus hasn't worked

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

On February 1, 2009, President Obama said when speaking on the economy, “If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

Three years later, the results couldn’t be clearer. The failed policies and broken promises of the President’s trillion-dollar stimulus have made things worse. As the chart below illustrates, the policies of the Obama Administration have left Americans worse off now than before Obama took office.

Post courtesy of Ways and Means

Latta Statement on Repealing Obamacare’s CLASS Act

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement after voting in support of the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act (H.R. 1173), which would cut a financially unstable long-term care insurance program under the President’s health care law.

“During congressional hearings on the program it was revealed from administration witnesses that the CLASS program was unworkable, and yet the administration continued to plow ahead with implementation of the program for 19 months and even requested $120 million for fiscal year 2012. Given what we know about the administration pushing an insolvent program, their word isn’t sufficient, we need legislative action to ensure the program will definitely be suspended,” said Rep. Latta

On October 14, 2011, the Obama administration admitted the program is unworkable and halted efforts to establish the program, which would cost $81 billion over the next ten years. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said this was not “a viable path forward for CLASS implementation at this time.”

“It is not enough that the Administration has stated that they are ‘suspending’ the program – the CLASS Act must be fully repealed in the law,” added Rep. Latta.

Unless, the Senate repeals the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act before its implementation date of October 1, 2012, courts could force the administration to implement the program.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues toward health care solutions that are patient-centered and fiscally viable,” added Rep. Latta.

A congressional working group’s investigative report revealed that the law’s authors and the White House were warned by CMS Chief Actuary Rick Foster that “this program would collapse in short order.” A copy of the report can be found here.

Let's not give up on ending taxpayer-funded abortions

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

On Monday, hundreds of thousands of Americans came to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life rally to exercise their freedoms of speech, assembly and religion. Individuals of all ages braved the cold, rainy January weather for hours to support the rights of the unborn and remember the over 52 million lives that have been lost by abortion.

This number is staggering.

Imagine the talent that has been lost to humanity from the loss of these lives. With modern technology, it is impossible to ignore the ultrasound picture of a developing child or listen to a fetal heartbeat and believe that a child should not have the opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

A nation will be judged by the way it protects its most vulnerable, thus it’s imperative that we continue to fight and support initiatives that protect the sanctity of life.

I believe the 1973 Supreme Court Case, Roe v. Wade, should be overturned. However, this isn’t going to happen overnight.

Nevertheless, we have made progress since the Supreme Court ruling 40 years ago.

Just in the past year, Americans United for Life reported that over 460 abortion-related measures were considered by 47 states and 70 of them were enacted. In my home state of Ohio, seven pro-life provisions were signed into law, including a late-term abortion ban.

These pro-life gains are to be commended, and the U.S. Congress should follow suit.

That’s why we must urge our Senate Leaders to take action on the House-passed No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. This bipartisan bill would end taxpayer-funded abortions and would prevent the federal government from discriminating against health professionals who choose to abstain from participating in abortions.

Numerous news stories over the past year demonstrate that conscience protection is needed for health care providers. For example, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey recently attempted to force nurses to violate their religious beliefs by participating in abortion procedures against their will.

The rights of the unborn and conscience rights of others should not be violated, that’s why we must restrict abortion funding. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it saves lives.

The pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute reports that policies such as the Hyde Amendment – a legislative provision that bans federal funding for abortions through Medicaid – prevent abortions by 20 to 35 percent. This isn’t just my belief but an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose public funding of abortion by a margin of 61 to 35 percent, according to an April 2011 poll by CNN.

Currently, the Hyde amendment and other funding bans constitute a patchwork of policies, and don’t cover certain funding streams in the President’s new health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. For this reason, we must continue to pressure Congress to enact laws like the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.

We must remain vigilant in protecting the unborn and I will continue to be an unyielding supporter of legislation that affirms the sanctity of human life.

War Veteran Joins Congressman Latta for the State of the Union

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Today, Congressman Latta announced that Army Sergeant First Class (SFC) Jeremiah Gorsuch and his wife, Rebekah Gorsuch, will be his guest to President Obama’s third State of the Union address. A native from Wauseon, Ohio, SFC Gorsuch has served two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist. SFC Gorsuch's awards and decorations include a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, an Army Commendation Medal with Valor, two Army Commendation Medals, and two Army Achievement Medals.

Latta Statement on President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union Address

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement after President Obama’s State of the Union address, which marks the 1000^th day since the Democrat-controlled Senate passed a budget.

ON THE ECONOMY

“In order for President Obama’s proposals to work and turn around the economy we can’t repeat the last three years. The President needs to end our debt problem by supporting initiatives that reduce spending, as well as enacting comprehensive budget and tax reforms that help shrink government. Otherwise, we can anticipate credit rating downgrades and fiscal instability that damages the already-vulnerable economic security of hardworking taxpayers, seniors and the poor.”

ON JOBS

“Tonight, we heard many different tax and funding proposals to boost jobs, however, a better approach to high-paying jobs is to have fundamental tax reform. Creating a tax system that lowers rates, simplifies the tax code and isn’t eroded with loopholes. Plain and simple, to level the playing field we can’t have government pick winners and losers through creative tax structures.

“Additionally, President Obama must support private sector led investments, like the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline, which would create 20,000 good paying jobs - not government funded experiments, like Solyndra that cost taxpayers $535 million dollars and led to 1,100 Americans losing their jobs."

ON BIPARTISANSHIP

“After 35 consecutive months of unemployment at or above eight percent, President Obama needs to realize that government-led initiatives will not bring back hiring by small businesses. The private sector must lead the way. This can only happen if the President works together with Congress in removing burdensome regulations that hurt businesses. We must mimic what we did in April, when House Republicans worked with Democrats and the President on repealing Obamacare's 1099 IRS filing requirement on businesses.”

ON ENERGY SECURITY

“I welcome the President's statements on expanding domestic drilling, but it must be accompanied by a reasonable regulatory structure that allows states like Ohio to maximize the job creation potential of their natural resources while ensuring the protection of human health and the environment."