Dear
Oklahoma
friends
and
neighbors,
October
is
as
busy
as
September.
I
was
glad
to
travel
to
Tulsa,
Piedmont,
Grove,
El
Reno
and
Kingfisher
this
week
during
the
few
days
I
was
home
from
DC.
The
task
in
Washington
over
the
next
few
weeks
will
focus
on
cutting
spending
and
funding
the
federal
government
for
fiscal
year
2016,
a
bill
to
authorize
the
nation’s
highway
programs,
and
a
replacement
bill
for
the
failed
"No
Child
Left
Behind"
federal
education
policy.
Healthcare
Cost
and
Small
Business
Many
Oklahomans
have
experienced
the
painful
effects
of
Obamacare,
but
last
week
we
took
an
important
step
to
remove
another
harmful
regulation
on
small
businesses
caused
by
the
law.
The
Senate
passed
and
the
President
signed
the Protecting
Affordable
Coverage
for
Employees
(PACE)
Act,
a
bill
to
protect
small
businesses
from
healthcare
premium
increases
under
Obamacare.
Currently,
the
definition
of
the
state-based
small
group
markets
was
scheduled
to
change
on
January
1,
2016.
The
PACE
Act
will
allow
states
to
maintain
the
current
small
group
market
definition,
meaning
businesses
with
up
to
50
employees.
The
change
of
this
definition
for
small
businesses
will
prevent
premium
increases
and
disruption
for
small
and
mid-sized
companies,
because
they
are
not
held
to
the
same
mandates
as
large
companies.
I
am
still
committed
to
protect
Oklahomans
from
the
harmful
effects
of
Obamacare,
and
the
PACE
Act
is
one
of
many
solutions
I’ve
co-sponsored
to
work
toward
that
goal.
Earlier
this
month,
I
co-sponsored The
Middle
Class
Health
Benefits
Repeal
Act
of
2015 to
eliminate
Obamacare’s
High
Cost
Plan
Excise
Tax,
also
known
as
the
“Cadillac
Tax.”
I
also
co-sponsored
the Obamacare
Repeal
Act
(S.339),
which
would
repeal
the
entire
healthcare
law.
National
Defense
Authorization
Act
is
on
the
President’s
desk
Last
week,
the
Senate
passed
a
bill
with
strong
bipartisan
support
to
set
a
clear
national
defense
policy
for
our
nation,
commonly
known
as
the
National
Defense
Authorization
Act
(NDAA).
Each
year,
the
NDAA
authorizes
budget
authority
for
the
Department
of
Defense
and
some
of
our
national
security
programs.
There
is
a
lot
of
concern
in
Oklahoma
that
the
spread
of
extremists
and
military
actors
who
seek
to
harm
us
has
spun
out
of
control.
Just
this
week,
Iran
launched
another
ballistic
missile
test,
Israel
faces
increasing
threats,
the
Russians
are
on
the
move
and
Syria
is
absolutely
on
fire.
Americans
want
to
know
their
government
will
uphold
its
primary
responsibility
to
maintain
security
and
protect
Americans.
The
National
Defense
Authorization
Act
provides
a
clear
security
plan
in
a
chaotic
world.
The
NDAA
bill
passed
270
to
156
in
the
House
and
70
to
27
in
the
Senateyet
the
President
issued
a
clear
veto
threat.
Congress
understands
the
critical
need
to
set
defense
policy
and
guidelines
to
support
America’s
national
security.
It
is
hard
to
believe
the
President
would
push
for
deals
with
Iran
but
veto
the
bill
to
fund
our
troops. The
bill
is
on
his
desk,
it
is
now
time
for
the
Commander-in-Chief
to
sign
the
bipartisan
bill
to
support
our
troops.
Last
week,
I
spoke
about
the
nation’s
need
to
set
a
clear
plan
for
the
Department
of
Defense.
To
watch
the
floor
speech, CLICK
HERE.
To
read
a
recent
opinion
piece
I
wrote, CLICK
HERE.
PTC
Elimination
Act
Oklahoma
has
a
very
diverse
energy
portfolio.
We
use
oil,
gas,
coal,
wind,
solar,
hydroelectric,
and
geothermal.
That
mix
of
energy
solutions
is
good
for
the
consumer
and
good
for
our
energy
security.
Twenty-three
years
ago,
the
federal
government
put
in
place
a
Production
Tax
Credit
(PTC)
to
help
wind
power
and
some
other
renewables
get
started.
That
mission
has
been
fulfilled
in
a
dramatic
way
with
the
tremendous
expansion
of
wind
power
in
Oklahoma.
We
are
a
leader
in
wind
energy
and
the
United
States
has
expanded
from
three
million
MegaWatts
of
wind
energy
to
167
million
MegaWatts
of
wind
power.
Since
the
wind
industry
is
much
more
efficient
and
well
established
now,
therefore,
it
is
time
to
phase
out
the
"temporary"
tax
credit
that
was
put
into
place
two
decades
ago
to
help
them
get
started.
On
Wednesday,
October
7,
I
introduced
the
Production
Tax
Credit
(PTC)
Act,
a
bill
to
phase
out
federal
renewable
energy
tax
credits.
The
cost
to
taxpayers
for
the
PTC,
has
increased
substantially
since
its
adoption.
Another
two-year
extension
of
the
subsidy
is
estimated
to
cost
taxpayers
$10.5
billion
over
the
next
ten
years,
and
nearly
all
of
the
funding
is
attributable
to
the
wind
industry.
If
the
PTC
Elimination
Act
is
signed
into
law,
businesses
producing
wind
energy
will
continue
to
have
the
same
business
tax
deductions
that
are
available
to
all
other
energy
producers,
they
will
just
lose
the
additional
subsidy.
Thirty-seven
states,
including
Oklahoma,
have
production
incentives
in
place
through
renewable
portfolio
standards
or
renewable
portfolio
goals.
The
federal
PTC
is
a
redundancy
that
subsidizes
polices
which
states
already
pursue
for
local
resources
and
utility
markets.
I
support
an
all-of-the-above
energy
strategy,
and
I
certainly
support
wind
as
a
large
part
of
that
goal.
The
wind
industry
has
made
major
strides
over
the
past
two
decades,
and
they
have
proven
their
industry
to
be
successful
without
federal
tax
credits.
While
Congress
works
to
find
$13
billion
in
savings
to
fund
the
highway
program,
it
is
inconsistent
to
send
$10
billion
to
help
wind
production
get
started
in
markets
where
they
are
already
well
established.
Trusting
our
Farmers
and
Ranchers
When
I
travel
through
Oklahoma,
I
consistently
hear
from
farmers
and
ranchers
about
the
expanding
burden
they
face
from
federal
overreach
and
mountains
of
cumbersome
regulations.
Time
and
time
again,
they
ask
me,
"how
can
we
stop
the
government
intrusion?"
I
have
made
it
a
priority
during
my
time
in
Congress
to
address
the
burdensome
regulatory
barriers
on
the
private
sector,
especially
on
the
agriculture
industry.
My
proposal
to
involve
more
Americans
in
the
regulatory
rulemaking
process,
push
regulations
back
to
the
states
whenever
possible,
and
allow
more
consistency
in
regulations
is
detailed
in
a
recent
opinion
piece
I
wrote, We
Must
Trust
Farmers
and
Ranchers.
Bottom
line:
Washington,
DC
should
trust
farmers
and
ranchers
to
best
utilize
technologies
and
strategies
that
work
for
them
on
their
land.
Department
of
Labor
Regulatory
Actions
In
September,
I
sent
a
letter
to
the
Department
of
Labor
(DOL)
to
question
the
Occupational
Safety
and
Health
Administrations
(OSHA),
a
department
within
DOL,
on
their
practice
of
using
"guidance
documents"
to
create
new
rules.
On Wednesday,
September
23,
the
subcommittee
I
chair
held
a
hearing
to
examine
whether
federal
agencies
have
used
regulatory
guidance
appropriately.
The
Administrative
Procedure
Act
(APA)
allows
agencies
to
produce
guidance
documents
to
clarify
issues
in
an
existing
regulation
without
publication
in
the
Federal
Register
and
without
the
public
notice
and
comment
process.
The
hearing
revealed
that
some
agencies
might
improperly
issue
guidance
documents
instead
of
regulations,
in
order
to
avoid
public
input
and
take
advantage
of
the
APA’s
exceptions
and
relaxed
procedures.
To
read
the
full
letter
to
the
Department
of
Labor's
office
of
Occupational
Safety
and
Health
Administration, CLICK
HERE.
Keeping
You
In
The
Loop
- The
National
Labor
Relations
Board
(NLRB)
created
a
new
decision
that
significantly
changes
how
every
business
franchise
operates
in
America.
The
goal
of
the
Obama
Administration
to
promote
union
membership
in
America
destroys
the
American
small
business
model
and
further
slows
the
economy.
I
have
co-sponsored
a
bill
to
reverse
the
ruling
and
have
worked
with
the
Appropriations
Committee,
where
I
serve,
to
cut
off
funding
for
the
implementation
of
NLRB's
harmful
decision.
For
more
information
on
the
bill,
CLICK
HERE.
- On
Wednesday,
September
30,
I
spoke
on
the
Senate
floor
about
the
Land
and
Water
Conservation
Fund
(LWCF),
which
was
set
to
expire.
The
LWCF
is
a
program
in
desperate
need
of
reform.
Despite
the
federal
government
owning
nearly
one
third
of
all
property
in
the
US,
Congress
continues
to
spend
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars
every
year
acquiring
more
land.
Yet,
Congress
neglects
to
take
care
of
the
lands
we
already
own,
which
currently
needs
more
than
$20
billion
in
maintenance.
To
watch
my
speech
on
the
floor, CLICK
HERE.
- On
Wednesday,
October
7,
the
Homeland
Security
and
Governmental
Affairs
Committee,
on
which
I
serve,
passed
three
bipartisan
regulatory
improvement
bills
I
introduced
along
with
my
subcommittee
counterpart,
Senator
Heidi
Heitkamp.
The
bills
aim
to
facilitate
greater
transparency
and
accountability
in
the
federal
rulemaking
process.
To
review
the
bills, CLICK
HERE.
- When
the
Obamacare
bill
passed,
the
Congressional
Budget
Office
assumed
21
million
Americans
would
enroll
in
a
health
plan
by
2016,
but
on
Thursday,
the
Obama
Administration
announced
that
only
10
million
people
will
actually
enroll
by
the
end
of
2016.
This
is
yet
another
warning
that
Americans
do
not
like
the
health
care
law.
- On
Friday,
October
9,
the
House
voted
to
lift
a
40-year
ban
on
US
crude
oil
exports.
I
have
been
vocal
in
my
support
for
lifting
the
ban.
The
President
has
threatened
to
veto
the
bill,
but
it
passed
the
House
with
overwhelming
bipartisan
support.
It’s
time
to
remove
barriers
for
domestic
energy
production,
as
the
US
is
now
the
only
country
to
have
a
ban
on
crude
oil
exports.
Lifting
the
ban
would
not
increase
domestic
fuel
prices,
but
would
encourage
exploration,
production
and
promote
more
industry
employment.
For
more
information
on
HR
156, CLICK
HERE.
To
read
my
full
statement, CLICK
HERE.
- On
Friday,
October
9,
the
US
Court
of
Appeals
for
the
Sixth
Circuit
issued
a
nationwide
stay
against
the
EPA’s
controversial
Waters
of
the
US
Rule
(WOTUS).
This
hold
by
the
6th
Circuit
is
an
important
step
in
the
effort
to
have
the
EPA
and
the
Army
Corps
clarify
the
inherent
overreach
of
their
federal
regulatory
jurisdiction.
I
will
continue
to
work
to
protect
Oklahomans
from
this
unjust
interpretation.
To
read
more
about
the
Court’s
full
publication, CLICK
HERE.
- On
Friday,
October
9,
I
sent
a
letter
to
Secretary
of
State
John
Kerry
to
question
the
Obama
Administration’s
commitment
to
promote
international
religious
freedom
through
diplomatic
relations,
as
is
stated
as
a
“key
objective
of
US
foreign
policy.”
To
read
the
full
letter
to
Secretary
Kerry, CLICK
HERE.
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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
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or
Twitter
or
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for
updates
on
my
work
in
Congress.
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