Dr. Boozman's Check-up
Helping Arkansans is one of the most rewarding parts of being a Senator. Fortunately, I have a talented team of people who are all working toward the same goal. My staff in Arkansas and Washington is dedicated to working to resolve the problems that result from the red tape of the government.
When I receive a compliment about a member of my staff, it shows their level of dedication to helping Arkansans. You know you have a good team in place when organizations outside of the office recognize their commitment to helping others. I am proud to recognize Zach Hartman, my senior legislative assistant who handles veterans’ and military issues for our office, for the honor he received from the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS). He was awarded the association’s Militia Award for his exceptional service to our enlisted Guardsmen.
“Zach’s tenacious efforts on behalf of Senator Boozman to support the citizen-soldiers of Arkansas and the rest of the United States should be an inspiration to all public servants. His passion to preserve the mission and jobs associated with the 188th Fighter Wing and his sustained efforts on ensuring that nearly 290,000 retired citizen soldiers are recognized as veterans of the armed forces show that he is truly deserving of the EANGUS Militia Award,” EANGUS President John Helbert said.
Zach is great crusader for Arkansans and we are very appreciative for his work on behalf of our veterans and enlisted personnel.
E-Verify Bill Reintroduced
Feb 01 2013
Yesterday, I posted my thoughts on the immigration reform proposal unveiled this week in the Senate. In that post, I noted that Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) would soon be reintroducing his E-verify bill this session of Congress and that I would once again join him in this effort.
Soon came faster than we thought it would.
In fact, before the day was over, Senator Grassley introduced the Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act of 2013. I followed through with my commitment to sign on as a cosponsor once again.
The bill seeks to require all employers to confirm the legality of their employees through a federally approved system known as E-Verify.
Employers need the right tools to ensure they are hiring a legal workforce. E-verify has a proven track record of combating the hiring of illegal immigrants and is currently used by nearly 270,000 employers nationwide.
Among other things, the Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act of 2013 will:
• Permanently reauthorizes the E-Verify program that was created in 1996.
• Makes the program mandatory for all employers within one year of date of enactment, requires federal contractors and agencies to use the program immediately, and directs “critical employers,” as identified by the Secretary of Homeland Security, to use the system immediately upon designation.
• Increases penalties for employers who illegally hire undocumented workers.
• Requires employers to terminate the employment of those found unauthorized to work due to a check through E-Verify.
• Helps ensure that the Social Security Administration catches multiple uses of Social Security numbers by requiring them to develop algorithms to detect anomalies.
You can learn more about E-Verify in this column.
Week in Review: January 28-February 1
Feb 01 2013
Spending and immigration reform dominated this week’s action in the Senate. Here’s a wrap-up of some of the big issues of the week:
- Immigration Reform: A framework for bipartisan immigration reform was unveiled in the Senate this week. I am pleased that members on both sides of the aisle are involved in serious reform discussions, but I believe we have a long way to go before we have a bill that everyone can agree on. I shared my initial thoughts and concerns about the effort on my blog.
- E-Verify: When we discuss how to deal with our nation’s illegal immigration problem, one vital component is providing employers the right tools to ensure they are hiring a legal workforce. That is why I am cosponsoring the Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act of 2013. Introduced this week, the bill seeks to require all employers to confirm the legality of their employees through a federally approved system known as E-Verify, which has a proven track record of combating the hiring of illegal immigrants and is currently used by nearly 270,000 employers nationwide.
- Talking Second Amendment, Aid to Egypt & “No Budget, No Pay” with Mountain Talk Radio: On Tuesday, I joined the team at Mountain Talk Radio (KJMT-OD - 97.1 FM) in Mountain Home for their morning show. We discussed the debate over Second Amendment rights, aid to Egypt and my support for the No Budget, No Pay Act. If you missed it, you can listen to the entire interview online.
- No Budget, No Pay: Does the Senate need extra incentive to pass a budget? Given that it has been almost 1375 days since the Senate Majority has accomplished this basic task, we have to hold the members of our institution accountable. That is why I am an original cosponsor of the No Budget, No Pay Act, which withholds pay for members of Congress until they pass a budget. A similar bill passed as part of the debt ceiling extension that passed the Senate this week. Learn about the bill here.
- Non-Emergency Sandy Disaster Aid: I support providing emergency relief to Americans whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Sandy, just as we do when disasters strike in Arkansas. That is why I supported the initial $9.7 billion aid package which was unanimously passed by the Senate without any controversy. However, I could not support the bill passed by the Senate this week. That bill included non-emergency spending that could be debated in the regular FY2013 and FY2014 appropriations process and paid for with offsets, which this bill did not include. Read my full statement here.
On the Senate Bipartisan Immigration Proposal
Jan 31 2013
A framework for bipartisan immigration reform was unveiled in the Senate this week. While no specific bill was introduced as part of this announcement, the proposal as outlined—among other things— aims to increase border security, provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, create an effective employment verification system to prevent identity theft and end hiring of unauthorized workers.
I am glad that members on both sides of the aisle are involved in serious reform discussions. In terms of the content, I was pleased to see it included employment verification and resources for border control. However, the way we deal with illegal immigrants and their economic impact is a big question that needs to be addressed. I commend my colleagues for seeking to address this important question, but I believe we are going to need numerous in-depth conversations about the proper course of action before we see this framework turned into legislation.
In the meantime, some of these outlined proposals can be accomplished now with current legislation. For instance, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will likely be reintroducing his E-verify bill, a bill that have I have co-sponsored in the past and will again, which would take care of the employment verification system aspect of this larger comprehensive proposal.
The reality is this problem exists because we have immigration laws on the books that are not being enforced. After years of extreme neglect by the federal government, our nation is facing an immigration crisis. Federal laws go unenforced, leaving cash-strapped local and state governments to fend for themselves and use resources they do not have to absorb millions of illegal immigrants. Adding more rules to the books without enforcing the ones we have will do little good in the long run.
One thing is certain: if the President insists on amnesty we aren’t going to get very far. Amnesty is a non-starter. We must not reward people for breaking the law. I will continue to oppose amnesty proposals and I remain committed to working towards a real solution that addresses the crisis at our borders.
I look forward to participating in a bipartisan Senate discussion and we have already begun discussing ideas about how to move forward.
Read more about my views on how to solve our problem with illegal immigration here.
ICYMI: Mountain Talk Radio Interview
Jan 29 2013
This morning I joined the team at Mountain Talk Radio (KJMT-OD - 97.1 FM) in Mountain Home for their morning show. We discussed the debate over Second Amendment rights, aid to Egypt and my support for the No Budget, No Pay Act. If you missed it, you can listen to the entire interview here.
If you are a small business owner in the Fort Smith area, you may want to check out this free workshop offered by the Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center, a cooperative program of the Small Business Administration and the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. The two workshops will focus on online marketing and start Thursday at 10 am at the Fort Smith Public Library Main Branch.
Here's the details:
Workshops will help small businesses with online marketing
(Jan. 10, 2013) – Small businesses interested in learning new marketing techniques for the new year can take advantage of free training Jan. 31 in Fort Smith.
The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center will present two programs that day at the Fort Smith Public Library Main Branch – “Get the Real Deal on Daily Deals” from 10 a.m. to noon and “Boost Your Business with Great Customer Reviews” from 1-3 p.m.
ASBTDC is offering the workshops at no charge, thanks to special funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Daily deals – email, print or mobile offers for discounted local services and products – can build awareness of a business and get new and existing customers in the door. However, small businesses can easily create more demand than they can fulfill or wind up with an unprofitable promotion.
“Get the Real Deal on Daily Deals” will cover the good, the bad and the ugly of daily offers and help business owners decide if a daily deal is right for them. The seminar will also share best practices for daily-deal offers.
Small businesses of all types, particularly restaurants and other hospitality businesses, can benefit or suffer due to online customer reviews on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google Places and other sites. According to a Nielsen report, 70 percent of consumers trust strangers’ opinions posted online, second only to recommendations from friends and family.
“Boost Your Business with Great Customer Reviews” will offer tips for getting positive reviews from customers and discuss important information businesses should include in their listings on the most popular review sites.
Each interactive session will utilize iPads.
Space is limited, and advance registration is required to participate. To reserve your seat for either or both sessions, please call the Arkansas Tech University ASBTDC office at (479) 356-2067 or email Ronda Hawkins at rhawkins2@atu.edu.
The seminars are among 16 free small business training programs ASBTDC is hosting in Sebastian County. Contact the ASBTDC office at Arkansas Tech for more information.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested in advance. Contact Hawkins at (479) 356-2067 or 106 West O St., Russellville, AR 72801.
The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center is a university-based economic development program serving start-ups, existing businesses, expanding businesses and technology businesses. ASBTDC is a partnership of the SBA and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Business and other institutions of higher education. The center at ATU serves nine counties in the River Valley region. Call (479) 356-2067 or visit asbtdc.org to learn more.
You may remember last year’s rather contentious debate over the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that when complete would transport 700,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to U.S. refineries in the Gulf of Mexico and create thousands of American jobs.
We’ve been trying aggressively to move this project forward for well over a year. It was around this time last year that President Obama slammed the brakes on the project, despite the fact that his administration had been reviewing the Keystone pipeline permit for three years and already had conducted two comprehensive environmental evaluations of the project. At the time, President Obama cited the objection of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman to the route of the pipeline as his reason for denying the permit. While Gov. Heineman’s concerns about the route gave the president an easy out on a tough decision, it is generally agreed upon that President Obama really punted because he did not want to offend environmentalists who oppose the project, an important constituency for him during an election year.
Fast forward to 2013. Gov. Heineman approved the revised Keystone XL pipeline route this week. This puts the Obama administration back on the clock. The president is running out of excuses for delaying the project and even his reliable ally, The Washington Post’s editorial board, is saying it is time to build the pipeline.
The time is now. Every day we wait, we put both our economy and national security at risk. The Keystone pipeline project will create thousands of well-paying jobs and helps reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil, which are two of our top national priorities. There is absolutely no reason to continue to stall it.
Attached below is the letter fifty-two of my colleagues and I sent to President Obama this week asking him to move forward with the approval process for the Keystone XL pipeline. It concludes in part: “After four and half years of study, we urge you to stick to your deadlines.” We intend to continue the effort to see that happen.
Week in Review: January 21-25
Jan 25 2013
In case you missed it, here is a sampling of what we worked on this week:
- No Budget, No Pay: It’s been 1,365 days since the Senate passed a binding federal budget resolution and while we are required to adopt a budget, there is no penalty for failing to do so. Our No Budget, No Pay Act introduced this week would change that.
- New Gun Laws Are Not the Answer: In light of the new gun control legislation unveiled this week in the Senate, I feel it is important to share my response to President Obama’s recent speech again as it applies here as well. New gun control laws are not the answer.
- Disaster Assistance: The Congressional delegation sent a letter to President Obama and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate supporting Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe’s request for a disaster declaration for Central Arkansas following severe December snow storms and widespread power outages. This is an important step in our efforts to bring assistance to the state after last Christmas’s severe winter storm.
- Build the Keystone Pipeline: Nebraska Governor David Heineman approved the revised Keystone XL pipeline route this week. This puts the Obama administration back on the clock. The president is running out of excuses for delaying the project.
- NLRB “Recess” Appoints Ruled Unconstitutional: Last year, President Obama made a series of unprecedented recess appointments during a time when the Senate was in regular proceedings. This extraordinary power-grab required the president to alter the definition of recess. Not only did it violate hundreds of years of Senate precedent, but it violated the law. Today, the court ruled that President Obama had indeed overstepped his authority and invalidated three appointments to the National Labor Relations Board that had been made without Senate confirmation.
Last year, President Obama made a series of unprecedented recess appointments during a time when the Senate was in regular proceedings. This extraordinary power-grab required the president to alter the definition of recess. Not only did it violate hundreds of years of Senate precedent, but it violated the law. Despite this fact, President Obama went ahead and did it anyway.
Today, the court ruled that President Obama had indeed overstepped his authority and invalidated three appointments to the National Labor Relations Board that had been made without Senate confirmation. My colleagues and I signed an Amicus Brief submitted in the case that challenged the President’s actions as unconstitutional as the Senate was in pro forma session at the time the appointments were made.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today said the president could only use his recess appointment authority to fill vacancies that arise when the Senate is in official recess, which only occurs when the Senate is in between sessions. Clearly then, a pro forma session would not be an official recess. As Chief Judge David Sentelle wrote in the ruling, if that were the case, “the president could make appointments any time the Senate so much as broke for lunch.”
Our Founding Founders established a series of checks-and-balances to protect our democracy and ensure government accountability. We should not turn our backs on these values. Whether Republican or Democrat, we must watch out for executive actions that legislate outside the Constitution, particularly when they threaten jobs, businesses, or individual rights.