Huizenga-led Subcommittee Examines State of U.S. Equity Markets
The Capital Markets, Securities and Investment Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the current state of the U.S. equity markets—specifically what is working well in today’s markets, as well as areas that need improvement or are impacting the optimal functioning of the markets. Watch Rep. Bill Huizenga’s remarks, below.
Key Takeaways from the Hearing:
Despite significant technological advancements and constantly evolving industry practices in today’s market, the statutory framework that governs equity market structure remains largely unchanged
In order to determine what is the appropriate statutory framework to represent today’s markets and – more importantly – to build in sufficient flexibility that will allow our markets to continue to evolve and allow innovation, we must first analyze how the equity markets have evolved, what is working, and what needs to be improved.
Huizenga Supports Kate’s Law, Votes to Hold Sanctuary Cities Accountable
Congressman Bill Huizenga released the following statement after voting in favor of Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, legislation that will strengthen immigration enforcement, protect Americans, and hold sanctuary cities accountable.
“The safety of our citizens should be a priority that is shared by government at the local, state, and federal level. If a state or municipality chooses to ignore federal law and harbor dangerous criminals, they should be ineligible to received federal grants funded by hardworking taxpayers.”
The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act prohibits state and local government entities from mandating noncompliance with properly issued immigration detainers and includes the detainer mandates of Grant’s Law and Sarah’s Law.
Senators Peters and Stabenow introduce legislation, make statements on Silver Carp discovery near Lake Michigan
By Zade Alsawah, Allison Green and Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow (MI) helped introduce the Stop Asian Carp Now Act this week. The Act will require the Trump Administration to release the Brandon Road Study within seven days of the bill’s enactment. The Brandon Road control point was identified in the GLMRIS (Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study) analyses as the only single location that can address upstream transfer of Mississippi River species through all CAWS pathways. The study has already been delayed by the Trump Administration from its expected release in February of this year.
The Senators also released the following statements regarding an announcement from the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee that a silver carp has been discovered in Illinois, within nine miles from Lake Michigan and beyond an electric barrier designed to prevent invasive species from entering the Great Lakes basin. This is the first live Silver Carp discovered above the electric barrier in the Illinois River
Said Peters, “We know how serious of a threat invasive species like Asian carp are to the Great Lakes ecosystem and economy. This discovery reaffirms that we must do everything we can to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes basin — starting with the swift release of the Brandon Road Study to evaluate the next steps needed to protect our waterways from this harmful invasive species.”
Senator Stabenow said, “Today’s news is a wakeup call. It is deeply alarming that a live Silver carp was found only nine miles from Lake Michigan — the fact remains that we need a permanent solution at Brandon Road. We need to know how the Silver carp came so close to Lake Michigan and whether there are any additional carp in the area.”
The eight-pound Silver carp was found by a commercial fishing vessel whose activities to combat Asian carp are funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). GLRI funding is also providing resources for emergency monitoring and response actions that will be taken over the next two weeks by the Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and the State of Illinois to detect and stop any additional Silver carp in these waters near Lake Michigan.
Kent County names Interim Administrator to start July 1
By Lisa LaPlante, Kent County
The Kent County Board of Commissioners has announced that Assistant County Administrator Wayman Britt will take over as Interim County Administrator/Controller on July 1, 2017. Britt has been with Kent County since 2004, serving as management oversight for the Kent County Health Department, the Community Development and Housing Department, and the Veterans Services Department.
In addition, he is the liaison for the State Department of Health and Human Services, and is responsible for several community initiatives such as the Kent County Family and Children’s Coordinating Council.
Prior to beginning his career with the County in 2004, Britt held several management positions at Steelcase, Inc. and Michigan National Bank – Central. Britt holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Michigan.
Britt has served on numerous boards and councils, including the Gerald R. Ford Council Boy Scouts of America, Grand Rapids Community Foundation Board of Trustees, Treasurer of the Grand Rapids Downtown Market Board of Directors, the West Michigan Sports Commission, Grand Rapids Job Corps Community Relations Council, and Kent County American Red Cross Executive Board.
Current Kent County Administrator/Controller Daryl Delabbio retires on June 30, 2017, wrapping up a career spanning four decades in municipal management.
Peters, Gardner introduce bill to keep government research data publicly available
By Allison Green
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) today introduced bipartisan legislation to help federal agencies maintain open access to machine-readable databases and datasets created by taxpayer-funded research. The Preserving Data in Government Act would require federal agencies to preserve public access to existing open datasets, and prevent the removal of existing datasets without sufficient public notice. Small businesses rely on a range of publicly available machine-readable datasets to launch or grow their companies, and researchers and scientists use data to conduct studies for a variety of fields and industries.
“Research data that has been collected using taxpayer dollars should be publicly accessible and easily searchable,” said Senator Peters. “Small businesses and individuals rely on federally produced information for everything from long-term planning to innovative product development to help grow their companies and create jobs.”
Stabenow introduces bipartisan Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act to protect Michigan Seniors’ access to ambulance services
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has introduced the Medicare Ambulance Access, Fraud Prevention, and Reform Act, which would make permanent key Medicare reimbursements to ambulance service providers and would ensure seniors and other people in Michigan continue to have access to life-saving services.
Ambulance service providers are an essential part of our local and national health care and emergency response systems, and are often the only provider of emergency medical services for their communities. There more than 200 ambulance service providers in Michigan, including small businesses, fire departments, hospitals, cities, and counties, that rely on Medicare reimbursements to provide emergency care and support jobs in local communities.
Senator Stabenow’s bill makes permanent the 2% urban and 3% rural reimbursement as well as a 25.6% reimbursement for areas that are classified as “super-rural,” meaning they represent the lowest measure of population density. If the Medicare reimbursements are not extended before they expire at the end of 2017, Michigan ambulance providers could lose up to $4 million per year.
Stabenow joins group of 19 senators calling on Republican leaders to focus on funding for opioid crisis and medical research
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has joined a group of 19 senators calling on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to include a substantial increase in funds for the fight against the nation’s opioid epidemic and additional investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as part of the Continuing Resolution currently being negotiated in Congress to avert a government shutdown. Last year in Michigan, research funding for the NIH supported 10,817 jobs and $1.7 billion in economic activity.
The senators asked for additional resources to address the nation’s opioid crisis, particularly those communities which have been hit hardest by the epidemic, noting that only ten percent of people with substance abuse disorder receive specialty treatment due in large part to lack of funding for services. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Michigan had the 7th most drug overdose deaths of any state in 2015, a 13 percent increase from the year before.
Senator Stabenow’s statement following Great Lakes Task Force meeting on Asian carp
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, has released the following statement after a bicameral meeting on near- and long-term measures to prevent Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, including the status on the Tentatively Selected Plan for the Brandon Road Study:
“It’s deeply irresponsible for the Trump Administration to continue to block the Army Corp from releasing a critical plan to permanently address the threat of Asian carp to our Great Lakes. There is no reason to gamble with the future of our Great Lakes because a narrow group of special interests do not recognize that Asian carp is a problem. In our bipartisan, bicameral meeting today, we sent a clear message that it’s past time to take action to create a permanent solution to the threat of Asian carp.”
Senator Stabenow led the Great Lakes Task Force meeting, which was attended by officials from the White House, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Service. In February, the Trump Administration prevented the Army Corps from releasing the draft plan for stopping further movement of Asian carp in the Illinois River.
Peters urges colleagues to support funding for farm loans
By Allison Green
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) spoke on the Senate Floor on the need to support Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan programs. The Farm Service Agency works with lenders to guarantee and deliver loans to the small farms that need them the most. In June 2016, FSA operating loans faced a significant funding shortfall due to high demand, and hundreds of farmers whose loans had already been approved could not receive the funds they needed until Congress passed emergency appropriations in December 2016. Peters is leading a bipartisan letter urging Congressional appropriators to provide robust funding for Farm Service Agency loan programs in the 2018 budget.
“Small farms that are just starting out — or are facing tough economic conditions — sometimes struggle to secure affordable credit. That is why I am working across the aisle with Senator Tillis to urge Congressional Appropriators to fully fund Farm Service Agency loan programs as Congress considers government funding bills for 2018.
“Access to capital is critical across a range of businesses, but it is incredibly important for our farmers,” said Peters. “They can lose out on entire growing seasons if they can’t buy the equipment and supplies they need while they wait on Congress to fund the Farm Service Agency.”
Michigan delegation members join bipartisan push to keep EPA Region 5 Office open
By Miranda Margowsky
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and Representatives John Conyers Jr, Sander Levin, Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, and Brenda Lawrence sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt stressing the importance of the Great Lakes.
Following reports that the Trump Administration plans to abolish Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — which serves Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio — as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and Representatives John Conyers Jr., Sander Levin, Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, and Brenda Lawrence joined a bipartisan push calling for the Region 5 office to remain intact and fully supported. In a bicameral letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, members of Congress from the Great Lakes region stressed the importance of the Great Lakes, which provide 90 percent of the nation’s fresh water supply and are a source of drinking water for more than 30 million Americans.
“We write to express our grave concerns regarding reports that the Administration plans to abolish Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget. EPA Region 5 is critical to protecting the air, drinking water, and health of residents in the six Great Lakes states the region serves and closing its headquarters in Chicago would make EPA less efficient and effective in its efforts to protect human health and the environment. Accordingly, we request that you commit to preserving EPA Region 5,” the members wrote.
Peters announces bill to help small businesses applying for federal contracts
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) is introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to help protect small businesses from falling victim to fraud when they register to procure federal contracts. The Procurement Fraud Prevention Act would require small businesses to be notified that free assistance is available for help in procuring government contracts through federal programs, including Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Many business owners are unaware these resources exist and fall victim to scams that mislead them into paying high sums of money for contract procurement assistance.
All small businesses applying for federal contracting opportunities must register in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) System for Award Management (SAM). Unfortunately, bad actors disguised as vendors or government officials obtain businesses’ contacts from this public database and email business owners directly after they have registered asking for high sums of money in return for registration and contracting assistance. As a result, many small businesses unwittingly sign up for services they were not seeking at the cost of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
The Procurement Fraud Prevention Act requires GSA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that any direct communication to a small business about its registration in a procurement system, including SAM, contains information about cost-free federal procurement technical assistance services available through PTACs, SBA, MBDA and other programs.
Michigan is home to ten PTACs and over 850,000 small businesses that account for half of the state’s private workforce.
Peters, Stabenow urge Trump Administration to release Army Corps Brandon Road Study to stop spread of Asian carp
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) together with 10 other Great Lakes Senators have called on the Trump Administration to release a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that recommends specific measures to prevent Asian Carp from getting beyond the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, a crucial chokepoint in the Chicago waterway system. The study, which is critical to stopping the flow of Asian Carp and other invasive species, was supposed to be released at the end of February but was delayed by the Trump Administration.
“We request the Administration release the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ draft proposal to prevent Asian carp from reaching and severely harming the Great Lakes,” wrote the lawmakers. “We are concerned by what we understand to be a White House decision to delay and potentially modify this report that has been under development for years. When taken together with the proposal to eliminate all funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the fiscal year 2018 budget, delaying the release of this plan to address Asian carp only raises further questions about the Administration’s commitment to protecting our Great Lakes.”
Peters, Gardner call for increase in U.S. science funding
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging the Committee to support a substantial increase in federal funding for science, research, and development at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
“Ongoing federal initiatives in research and development are already responsible for billions of dollars in economic output and tens of thousands of jobs in our home states of Colorado and Michigan,” wrote the Senators.
“The United States is facing fierce international competition: China invests more than $335 billion annually on research and development initiatives, making them the second largest investor in the world and putting them on track to eclipse U.S. investments soon,” continued the Senators. “Without a substantial increase in research and development appropriations, the United States risks losing its role as the global leader in innovation.”
Peters, Gardner introduce resolution to eliminate duplicative government programs
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) have introduced the Congressional Oversight to Start Taxpayer Savings Resolution (COST Savings Resolution), bipartisan legislation that would require Congressional committees to hold oversight hearings on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Annual Report of Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap and Duplication and the GAO High Risk List.
“Congress is responsible for ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently, and this annual report provides a roadmap to help Congress streamline government and cut wasteful spending,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. “By reducing programs that overlap or duplicate efforts, we can cut costs for taxpayers and help ensure that government is serving the American people more productively.”
The COST Savings Resolution directs Congressional committees to take into account recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of government programs and eliminate unnecessary costs caused by duplicative federal programs, as well as vulnerabilities for waste, fraud, and abuse and the need for transformation of government programs.
The 2016 GAO annual report identified 37 areas across the federal government where Congress could eliminate duplicative programs and improve efficiency and effectiveness, as well as 25 areas where Congress could reduce the cost of government operations.
slashing EPA funding that pays for Great Lakes pollution cleanup by 97 percent (which would virtually eliminate annual Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding)
Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Congressman Mike Bishop (R-MI) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) led a bipartisan letter to President Trump requesting that he personally intervene to help protect the Great Lakes by releasing the first draft f the Brandon Road Report. The letter also respectfully requests President Trump to instruct the Army Corps of Engineers to continue working with state and local officials, as well as Great Lakes stakeholders, to implement a long-term solution for keeping Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. The bipartisan letter is signed by 26 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“In order to protect both the ecosystem and the economy of the Great Lakes, we must have complete, accurate, and reliable information from the Army Corps of Engineers,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “Delaying the release of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam evaluation does nothing to stop the threat Asian Carp and other invasive species pose to the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. By slow walking this important information, the federal government is jeopardizing the livelihood of hardworking families in Michigan and across the Great Lakes Basin. Time is of the essence.”
The text of the letter to President Trump is available online here.
U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow (MI) helped introduce the Stop Asian Carp Now Act this week. The Act will require the Trump Administration to release the Brandon Road Study within seven days of the bill’s enactment. The Brandon Road control point was identified in the GLMRIS (Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study) analyses as the only single location that can address upstream transfer of Mississippi River species through all CAWS pathways. The study has already been delayed by the Trump Administration from its expected release in February of this year.
