Dec. 20, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement praising introduction of SB 13 in the Texas legislature, which will block government collection of union dues for agencies besides police, firefighters and first responders:

“Texas is setting an example to other state governments across the country with introduction of legislation, SB 13, that will start to block some government collection of union dues. Governments don’t collect dues for other political and non-profit organizations, and there’s no reason it should happen here. Government unions should collect dues just like every other non-profit, on a voluntary basis, without the instrumentalities of the state involved. Americans for Limited Government praises Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for making this a top legislative priority in 2017. This is a step in the right direction.”

Attachments:

Texas Senate Bill 13, Dec. 16, 2016 at https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB13/2017

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this statement said Sec. 167 of the continuing resolution covered pension and health care benefits of the United Mine Workers of America, but it only covers health care benefits.

Dec. 12, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement blasting inclusion of a bailout for the United Mine Workers of America union in Sec. 167 of the continuing resolution at the last minute:

“Americans for Limited Government is disappointed that at the last possible minute, a bailout for the United Mine Workers of America health care plan was included in the continuing resolution. Senators Joe Manchin, Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, and Mark Warner publicly promised to deny unanimous consent on a lot of bills that were left to the last minute of the lame duck session unless the United Mine Workers of America’s pension and health care plans were bailed out — and they got some of what they wanted with the health care benefits being covered through April. The bailout was included in the continuing resolution on the House side. House leadership had to consent to this, an unbelievable decision. How about saying no for a change?

“This is why lame duck sessions of Congress are evil and should be abolished. They create more govern-by-crisis scenarios where, under the threat of government shutdowns and more, bills that might never pass an up or down basis are shoved into legislation or passed unanimously as a grab bag at the last minute with no oversight or even public knowledge. Just look at all the bills that passed unanimously in the Senate on Dec. 9 and 10 but are not listed under so-called ‘votes’ on Senate.gov that constituents could hold their senators accountable for. If these bills are so popular why not bring them up under regular order? And supposed serious think tanks actually support lame duck sessions as ‘the best time to make tough decisions, especially those that are likely to rub special interests the wrong way’? Who are they kidding? What a joke.

“There was no oversight, no conversation about this bill prior to its inclusion in the continuing resolution, which passed the House and Senate overwhelmingly. It was simply Manchin threatening other favored bills at the last minute that compelled taxpayers to issue another bailout to a defined benefit plan that was in over its head by $5.6 billion. How many other defined benefit plans will be getting bailed out? Or will it just be the ones Manchin selects? Or just the ones that might hold up unanimous consent of other taxpayer subsidized pet projects? Either way, taxpayers are getting screwed.”

Attachments:

“Senators Vow to ‘Use Any Means Necessary’ to Ensure Taxpayer Bailout of Private Union Pension Plan,” by Rachel Greszler, Dec. 7, 2016 at http://dailysignal.com/2016/12/07/senators-vow-to-use-any-means-necessary-to-ensure-taxpayer-bailout-of-private-union-pension-plan/

“Why a Coal Miner Pension Bailout Could Open the Door to a $600 Billion Pension Bailout for All Private Unions,” by Rachel Greszler, Aug. 2016 at http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/08/why-a-coal-miner-pension-bailout-could-open-the-door-to-a-600-billion-pension-bailout-for-all-private-unions

Section 167 of the Continuing Resolution, Dec. 8, 2016 at https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2028/text

“Sec. 167. Miners Health Benefits.

“(a) In general.—This section may be cited as the “Continued Health Benefits for Miners Act”.

“(b) Inclusion of certain retirees in the Multiemployer Health Benefit Plan.—Section 402(h)(2)(C) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1232(h)(2)(C)) is amended—

“(1) by striking ‘A transfer’ and inserting the following:

“ ‘(i) TRANSFER TO THE PLAN.—A transfer’ ;

“(2) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, and moving such subclauses 2 ems to the right; and

“(3) by striking the matter following such subclause (II) (as so redesignated) and inserting the following:

“ ‘(ii) CALCULATION OF EXCESS.—The excess determined under clause (i) shall be calculated—

“ ‘(I) except as provided in subclause (II), by taking into account only those beneficiaries actually enrolled in the Plan as of December 31, 2006, who are eligible to receive health benefits under the Plan on the first day of the calendar year for which the transfer is made; and

“ ‘(II) for purposes of the transfer made for fiscal year 2017, as if, for the period beginning January 1, 2017, and ending April 30, 2017, only—

“ ‘(aa) those beneficiaries actually enrolled in the Plan as of the date of the enactment of the Continued Health Benefits for Miners Act who are eligible to receive health benefits under the Plan on January 1, 2017, other than those beneficiaries enrolled in the Plan under the terms of a participation agreement with the current or former employer of such beneficiaries; and

“ ‘(bb) those beneficiaries whose health benefits, defined as those benefits payable directly following death or retirement or upon a finding of disability by an employer in the bituminous coal industry under a coal wage agreement (as defined in section 9701(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986), would be denied or reduced as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding commenced in 2012 or 2015,

were taken into account, and for any other period during such fiscal year, only the beneficiaries described in subclause (I) were taken into account.

“ ‘(iii) ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN RETIREES.—Individuals referred to in clause (ii)(II)(bb) shall be treated as eligible to receive health benefits under the Plan for the plan year that includes January 1, 2017.

“ ‘(iv) REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSFER.—The amount of the transfer otherwise determined under this subparagraph for fiscal year 2017 shall be reduced by any amount transferred for the fiscal year to the Plan, to pay benefits required under the Plan, from a voluntary employees’ beneficiary association established as a result of a bankruptcy proceeding described in clause (ii)(II).

“ ‘(v) VEBA TRANSFER.—The administrator of such voluntary employees’ beneficiary association shall transfer to the Plan any amounts received as a result of such bankruptcy proceeding, reduced by an amount for administrative costs of such association.’ .

“(c) Preservation of payments to States and Indian tribes.—Subparagraph (B) of section 402(i)(3) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 1232(i)(3)) is amended—

“(1) by striking ‘so that’ and inserting ‘under paragraph (1) so that’;

“(2) by striking ‘each transfer’ in clause (i) and inserting ‘each such transfer’; and

“(3) by striking ‘this subsection’ in clause (iii) and inserting ‘paragraph (1)’.

“(d) Budgetary effects.—

“(1) STATUTORY PAYGO SCORECARDS.—The budgetary effects of this section shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

“(2) SENATE PAYGO SCORECARDS.—The budgetary effects of this section shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section 201 of S. Con. Res. 21 (110th Congress).

“(3) CLASSIFICATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.—Notwithstanding Rule 3 of the Budget Scorekeeping Guidelines set forth in the joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying Conference Report 105-217 and section 250(c)(8) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, the budgetary effects of this section shall not be estimated—

“(A) for purposes of section 251 of such Act; and

“(B) for purposes of paragraph (4)(C) of section 3 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 as being included in an appropriation Act.

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 8, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 2028, the continuing resolution that will keep the government funded until April 28, 2017:

“The short-term continuing resolution should have been the first and last thing the House dealt with this lame duck session. Instead, the House has been on a marathon passing bills on suspension the past few days, easily surpassing the two-thirds majorities needed to suspend House rules. The margins for passage on these bills are not even close. If these bills are so popular, why couldn’t they have been passed months ago, before the election? Then at least voters could have held their representatives accountable for their votes. Maybe they were too busy campaigning.

“As it is, now that the spending bill is done, the House should get the heck out of town. Stop passing legislation. Go home already.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 8, 2016, Fairfax, Va.–Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 4919, that authorizes the Attorney General to approve human tracking devices for Alzheimer’s, autism and other patients in a $2 million grant program:

“Although slightly improved, Americans for Limited Government cannot embrace the House’s passage of the human tracking device bill. It is unnecessary government overreach, and attempts to involve the Justice Department in technology better left to the health care sector, doctors and patients. Indeed, non-invasive tracking devices like Angel Sense are already available in the private sector, without any need for legislation or Attorney General approvals. This needless legislation now heads back to the Senate, but it should just be left on the table. There is absolutely zero reason the Attorney General should be overseeing a federal human tracking device program.”

Attachments:

“Human tracking device bill vote in House today?” By Robert Romano, Dec. 7, 2016 at http://netrightdaily.com/2016/12/human-tracking-device-bill-vote-house-today/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 7, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement noting the proposed changes that have been made to H.R. 4919, legislation governing the Attorney General’s role in administering a human tracking device program:

“Americans for Limited Government was advised by the Judiciary Committee last week that language in the human tracking device bill was being altered to exclude the possibility of inserted tracking chips, markings or anything else deemed ‘invasive’ from being pursued as an option by the Attorney General under the $2 million grant program.

“Now, viewing the new language available on the House’s calendar page, the legislation has been altered from the Senate bill, meaning further action would still be required to get the bill to the President’s desk. The new language calls for ‘non-invasive and non-permanent types of tracking devices.’ But that is still not good enough. There shouldn’t be any bill, because there shouldn’t be a program no matter how well-intentioned overseen by the Attorney General electronically tracking people in this manner.

“The legislation still represents vast overreach by the federal government as none of this is necessary, when individuals, families and doctors can decide to use such non-invasive products on their own, like Angel Sense, under individual, limited circumstances when it is medically necessary to track patients who may become lost due to lack of mental capacity. You don’t need a bill from Congress or any approvals from the Attorney General to get that done. These types of non-invasive devices are already available in the health care sector, meaning the only action the government should take is to do nothing.”

Attachments:

“Human tracking device bill vote in House today?” By Robert Romano, Dec. 7, 2016 at http://netrightdaily.com/2016/12/human-tracking-device-bill-vote-house-today/

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Dec. 6, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement urging the House to reject legislation, H.R. 4919, a bill that would allow the Attorney General to determine “which types of tracking devices can be used” on humans, which is now reported to be coming up under suspension of the rules:

“While the human tracking device law is well-intentioned to help locate those with Alzheimer’s or who are autistic who become lost, it creates a power for the Attorney General to determine what types of devices can be used to track humans, creating the possibility that surgically implanted chips could become authorized in the future on an involuntary basis. This is not only unnecessary, but affordable, non-invasive devices are already available via the private sector, like Angel Sense, which is fully developed and even works on your smart phone. This was done without any federal legislation or any need for the Attorney General to approve a darned thing, proving that this legislation, which has already passed the Senate is unnecessary overreach. The House postponed a hearing on this bill due to concerns, and now House leadership wants to push it through under suspension of the rules. What’s the rush to get this done during the lame duck session?”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Dec. 2, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government senior editor Robert Romano today issued the following statement in response to the latest jobs numbers:

“During the Christmas shopping season when seasonal hiring should be ramping up, it is troubling to see the labor participation rate actually dropped in November, which is one of the reasons the unemployment rate has dropped markedly today. More people left the labor force than found jobs in the household survey. The fact is, if the more than 8.5 million working age adults 16-64 who have left the labor since 1997 were included in the unemployment rate today, it would be well north of 9 percent. The incoming Trump administration has a lot of work to do to get the economy moving again and help Americans get back to work.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Nov. 30, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today praised the selection by President-elect Donald Trump of billionaire investor Wilbur Ross to be the nation’s next Secretary of Commerce:

“Donald Trump hit another home run in his appointment of Wilbur Ross as Commerce Secretary.  Secretary-designate Ross is committed to paving the way back for robust, domestic economic growth through creating the environment where manufacturing and other industries can thrive. Once again, President-elect Trump has shown that he was serious when he stood up for American workers during this past election campaign as Mr. Ross has a lifetime of turning around seeming failing businesses, and now he will help tackle the challenge of a lifetime, the United States’ lagging economy.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Nov. 29, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning and Americans for Limited Government Foundation President Nathan Mehrens today issued the following joint statement praising President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Elaine L. Chao as the next Secretary of Transportation:

“President-elect Trump has made a wise choice in nominating former Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao to be his Secretary of Transportation.  We both worked for Secretary Chao at the Labor Department and know her commitment to excellence that will serve this Administration well as it moves forward with plans to grow our nation’s economy and rebuild our infrastructure. The nation will be well-served by a rapid Senate confirmation of Elaine Chao as the next Transportation Secretary.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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Nov. 29, 2016, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging opposition to H.R. 4919, a bill that would allow the Attorney General to determine “which types of tracking devices can be used” on humans:

“It is almost too absurd to believe that it is true, but the House Judiciary Committee is considering H.R. 4919 that would allow for the Attorney General to authorize tracking chips to be inserted involuntarily into people who are incapacitated with Alzheimer’s and other fatal dementias. That is not the least restrictive means of tracking patients, of course, when a simple GPS tracking bracelet for example might do the trick, if a doctor thought one would be helpful for a specific patient.

“In this case, Congress would be granting the Attorney General the power to regulate when human chips are used. But if this is about patient needs, why is this under the Department of Justice and not under the Department Health and Human Services? That alone makes the program suspicious. But the real question is why the government would have any role whatsoever in regulating the circumstances under which tracking devices are to be used on a mandatory basis, when such a system could be established by the private sector, and only ever used after private consultations between doctors, patients and patients’ families, when it is appropriate.

“If Congress has learned nothing else from Obama’s pen and phone rule over the past administration, they should have learned not to pass legislation giving the executive branch open-ended authority in such an area. This Congress needs to pass a short term continuing resolution and fade gracefully into the night, doing nothing else. It’s time to let the Obama administration end, not grant a few more Orwellian powers on the way out the door.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.

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