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Latta Provision Signed into Law in FAA Reauthorization Bill

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) issued the following statement after the President signed into law the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, which blocks new regulations on air shipments of lithium batteries by the FAA. The bill, among other things, funds the FAA through fiscal year 2015.

“After a five-year delay and 23 temporary extensions, I commend my colleagues in the House and Senate in passing legislation that helps meet the future needs of the airline industry. Specifically, I am pleased the law blocks federal transportation agencies from placing stricter rules than the international standards on the shipment of lithium batteries on aircraft,” said Rep. Latta.

Previously, the FAA proposed classifying lithium batteries as hazardous goods, preventing the transport of lithium ion batteries on cargo planes. Millions of batteries are shipped everyday that follow the International Civil Aviation Organization standards for air transport of batteries without any incidents.

Congressman Latta brought attention to the issue back in 2009 when he introduced an amendment in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee prohibiting the FAA from imposing regulations on air shipments of lithium batteries.

“The safety of the airline industry is extremely important; and this language included in the bill ensures that costly and unnecessary regulations aren’t imposed on the transport of lithium batteries, which would only cripple America’s manufacturing competitiveness,” added Latta.

Latta Sends Letter to President on Religious Liberty Violation

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) sent a letter to President Obama requesting the President rescind the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that requires all health insurance plans to include contraception coverage.

“The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of speech,” said Rep. Latta. “A mandate requiring all employers to provide contraception, despite conscience objections, is an assault to religious liberty,” added Latta.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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.

Obama doesn’t back up his energy rhetoric

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

“We need an all-out, all-in, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every source of American energy — a strategy that’s cleaner and cheaper and full of new jobs,” President Obama said during his State of the Union address.

I welcome Obama’s newly found commitment to developing every available source of American energy. This “all-in” strategy for U.S. energy should have an end goal of bolstering growth, creating jobs and increasing American competitiveness while ending wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars and reducing our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

What might such a strategy look like?

A comprehensive energy policy would look similar to the energy resolution I introduced last session, which calls for expanding the use of renewable and alternative energy sources — when economically competitive — increasing our domestic refining capacity, promoting conservation and energy efficiency and expanding domestic exploration.

But the past three years indicate that his approach isn’t an “all-in” strategy.

The Obama economy picks winners and losers through subsidies and blocks access to privately funded development of traditional sources of energy while regulating plants that provide low-cost electricity to families and small businesses out of existence.

Case in point: Solyndra, a government-backed solar panel maker, versus Keystone XL, a 1,700-mile pipeline that would bring 830,000 barrels per day of oil to the United States from Alberta, Canada.

The Obama administration expedited the approval of a Department of Energy loan guarantee for Solyndra, a California solar company favored by Obama campaign contributors. Due to the speedy loan approval, and despite warnings from Department of Energy and Treasury officials, a number of risk factors were ignored. Now taxpayers are short $535 million, and 1,100 Americans lost their jobs after the company filed for bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, the president delayed and subsequently rejected a permit application for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that has been under review by administration officials for the past three years.

When Obama announced his Keystone XL decision in mid-January, he cited time constraints as the reason for rejecting the project. But when House Republicans passed the North American-Made Energy Security Act, a bill that required the president to make a decision on the Keystone XL permit application by November 2011, the Obama administration issued the following statement: “The bill is unnecessary because the Department of State has been working diligently to complete the permit decision process for the Keystone XL pipeline and has publicly committed to reaching a decision before December 31, 2011.”

The contrast between Solyndra and Keystone XL paints a clear picture of White House policies: Postpone decisions and scrap energy projects funded by the private sector while rushing approval for projects that win political favors with green enthusiasts and campaign contributors, regardless of the company’s market viability.

By rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, Obama destroyed 20,000 new American manufacturing and construction jobs.

This means Canadian workers and Chinese firms, which are investing in the promise of energy security and jobs, will benefit instead of American workers. Also, there is now the likelihood that Canadian oil will be shipped to China — not the United States, where it would help lower energy bills for struggling families and small businesses, whose gas prices have doubled since Obama entered office. According to The Associated Press, “the typical American household … spent $4,155 filling up” in 2011 — “a record.”

But Americans shouldn’t be surprised by his actions, because Obama’s plan is not an “all-in” vision for U.S. energy. During the 2008 campaign, then-candidate Obama told editors at the San Francisco Chronicle that his plan was to make energy prices “skyrocket,” saying, “… under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”

Although a cap-and-trade plan is not in place, the president clearly continues to push its intent — to crack down on fossil fuels to increase the cost of power.

To meet our nation’s growing long-term energy demands and maintain our economic viability in the world marketplace, Obama must embrace all of America’s energy resources. This must be done through actions, not words, if he expects to fuel the prosperity Americans seek for future generations.

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.