Dear Oklahoma Friends and Neighbors,

Every August, the U.S. Senate begins a month-long state work period. During this time, I will travel across the state to hold town-hall style Community Conversations to hear from you. I have listed the remainder of the Community Conversations for this month below. I hope you’ll join me when we are near your hometown. 

On a personal note, last week, we received news of Oklahoma State Labor Commissioner Mark Costello’s death. I send my deepest condolences and prayers to Mark’s family as they deal with this unbelievable tragedy. He was a friend to all Oklahomans, and we all dearly miss him.

#CutRedTape – First Report

Two weeks ago, I released the first #CutRedTape Initiative report since it’s launch in March. The #CutRedTape Initiative is a project of the Subcommittee which I chair that serves as an online portal for American families and businesses to communicate with the Senate about federal regulations that impact them. Since March, we have received 260 submissions with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Medicare, and the Department of Transportation mentioned most frequently.

Here are some notable submissions from Oklahomans: 

• One Oklahoman described how a mortgage disclosure requirement regulation from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will severely harm small community banks. The rule was set to take effect on August 1, 2015, but was later delayed until October 2015. This regulation, along with many others stemming from the Dodd-Frank Act, places excessive paperwork burdens on our nation’s community banks, which provide Americans with local affordable and stable mortgages. 
• In another example, an Oklahoman detailed how certain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations require vehicles transitioning from conventional gasoline to natural gas must obtain slow and costly certifications demonstrating greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The EPA’s costly certification requirements prevent more drivers from adopting natural gas as a transportation fuel.

To make a confidential submission to the Subcommittee, please visit www.lankford.senate.gov. With your submissions, Senators will have the ability to review first-hand experiences to determine areas where the federal government can cut red tape and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. 

To read the full report, CLICK HERE. 

Iran Nuclear Agreement – Read it here

The Iran Nuclear Agreement is a bad deal for America. This deal greatly impacts every American, and everyone should have an opportunity to review the document. I have provided the full Iran Nuclear Agreement text on my website for you to read and decide for yourself. As you do, I hope to hear your thoughts. The Senate is scheduled to vote on this agreement before September 16. In early August, I spoke on the floor of the Senate about my concerns, you can watch the floor speech HERE.  

CLICK HERE to read the full Iran Nuclear Agreement and annexes. Click on each line to access the PDF document below:

Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

Annex I Nuclear Related Measures

Annex II Sanctions Related Commitments

Annex III Civil Nuclear Cooperation

Annex IV Joint Commission

Annex V Implementation Plan

Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015

On Wednesday, August 5 the Representative Payee Fraud Prevention Act of 2015, a bill I sponsored that would crack down on federal retirement benefit fraud and misuse, passed the Senate by unanimous consent. 

Primarily, the bill will provide the US Attorneys statutory authority to prosecute retiree representatives who misuse funds from the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Legislative solutions were necessary to prevent the misuse of retirement funds because of an increase in embezzlement of government benefits by dishonest representatives of retirees.

Just as millions of Americans do, many individuals across the country work for decades as federal employees to earn a living and save for retirement. We must fight against the embezzlement of federal government civil worker benefits to ensure a stable retirement for them and their families.

To read the full release, CLICK HERE. To review the legislation, CLICK HERE.

Community Conversations

Community Conversations are town-hall style forums about the issues most important to you. These events are free and open to the public. I look forward to connecting with you in the days ahead. I have already held several across the state, but here are some upcoming events:

Tuesday, September 1

Alva Chamber of Commerce Community Conversation, 7:00am - 8:00am, NWOSU, Ranger Room, 709 Oklahoma Boulevard, Alva, OK 73717

Cherokee Small Business Roundtable, 8:45am - 9:30am, Random Art Gallery, 718 Kansas Avenue, Cherokee, OK 73728

Medford High School Community Conversation, 10:30am - 11:15am, Medford High School, 301 North Main Street, Medford, OK 73759

Ponca City Chamber of Commerce Community Conversation, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, Ponca City - City Hall, 516 Grand Avenue, Ponca City, OK 74601

Owasso Community Conversation, 6:00pm – 7:00pm, Tulsa Tech, Owasso Conference Center, 10800 North 140 East Avenue, Owasso, OK 74055

Friday, September 4

Rush Springs Community Conversation, 8:30am – 9:30am, Rush Springs Senior Center, 215 Blakeley Avenue, Rush Springs, OK 73082

Marlow Community Conversation, 10:00am – 10:30am, Marlow High School, 407 West Seminole, Marlow, OK 73533

Duncan Chamber of Commerce Community Conversation, 11:30am – 1:30pm, Simmons Center, 800 Chisholm Trail Parkway, Duncan, OK 73533

Keeping You In The Loop 

• The Subcommittee I chair on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management has scheduled a hearing entitled, “Agency Progress in Retrospective Review of Existing Regulations,” for September 10 at 8:30am. The hearing was originally scheduled for August 6 but was cancelled due to an update to the Senate calendar. 
• The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan analysis office for Congress, on Tuesday released our economic projections, including the national deficit, debt, GDP growth, and unemployment. This year’s deficit will be about $426 billion, the lowest since 2007. However, the long-term entitlement spending and debt is very dangerous. To read the full report from CBO, CLICK HERE. 
• If you are an organization that supports veterans in the Tulsa area, the Mayor of Tulsa Veterans Advisory Council is a remarkable resource that allows the community to share information, combine resources and network among the different organizations working to better serve veterans in Tulsa and surrounding areas. The Council meets the third Thursday of each month at the VFW Post 577. If you would like more information regarding the Council or veteran’s resources, please contact Sandy Oxford, chair of the Veteran Advisory Council, at 918-628-2760. 
• Defense: Last week, the Secretary of Defense honored Oklahoma’s own Devon Energy with the National 2015 Employer Support Freedom Award for their efforts supporting the National Guard and Reservists. Congratulations, Devon Energy! To check out the story of the 10,000 men and women serving the Oklahoma National Guard, CLICK HERE. 
• Attention Veterans! Did you know the VA provides educational assistance for qualifying dependents? CLICK HERE to check your eligibility. 

Stay Connected! 

If you would like more information on these topics or any other legislation currently before the U.S. Senate, please do not hesitate to call my D.C. office at (202) 224-5754. My Oklahoma City office can be reached at (405) 231-4941 and my Tulsa office at (918) 581-7651. You can also follow me on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram for updates on my work in Congress.

Notice: If you wish to stop ALL electronic communications from my office, visit this link to opt out permanently from this list. If you have any questions about this Notice or your right to decline future electronic mail from this office, please contact us at United States Senate, 316 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510.