What We've Accomplished So Far
Wherever I go in Massachusetts, whether touring a business or speaking to a veterans' group, I always say “we’re Americans first.” It means that, by focusing on our common bond as Americans, we can rise above all the partisan politics that have divided Washington. In keeping that focus since I was elected to office just over two years ago, and through sincere, bipartisan work and negotiations, I’m proud to have passed several key bills into law that will help the people of Massachusetts.
Supporting our Troops
As a 32-year member of the National Guard, I have been given the honor of serving with some of our nation's finest men and women. In the Senate, I work on the Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees, giving me the opportunity to work every day on issues that are important to our servicemembers, veterans and their families.
- Helping our Troops Fight Back Against Financial Fraud and Scams: Young soldiers with steady paychecks are often targeted by financial fraud and scams. I worked across the aisle with Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island to introduce and pass the amendment that created the new Office of Service Member Affairsat the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), currently headed by Holly Petraeus (wife of General Petraeus). I also supported the nomination and appointment of now-Director Richard Cordray.
- Fixing Arlington National Cemetery: As you may know, issues
arose a few months after I took office in 2010 regarding mismarked graves and other grevious mistakes at Arlington. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri and I introduced legislation to provide oversight to make certain that those responsible for managing the cemetery are meeting the highest standards when it comes to ensuring the proper burials of America’s fallen heroes. The bill was signed into law on December 22, 2010.
- Stopping Contracting Fraud that Endangers our Troops: After a long investigation revealed that U.S. contracting dollars were ending up in enemy hands, I introduced the No Contracting with the Enemy Act, which makes it much easier for U.S. contracting officials to quickly void government contracts with businesses that are found to be funneling taxpayer resources to groups such as Al Qaeda or the Taliban. The bill was signed into law on December 31, 2011.
- Fighting for a Fair Housing Allowance for Guardsmen Deployed Overseas: While serving in Afghanistan in August of 2011, I learned of a flaw in the National Guard housing allowance formula. A member of the Yankee Brigade approached me, stating that his housing allowance had been cut due to an arbitrary technicality when he shifted to active duty, leaving his family struggling to pay the bills. I included a legislative fix in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which will make certain that Guardsmen and their families receive their fair housing allowance when deployed overseas. This bill was signed into law on December 31, 2011.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
With an unemployment rate that remains at unacceptably high levels, my top priority has been to advance policies that will create and save Massachusetts jobs.
- Repealing Burdensome Regulations: I led the charge to repeal the onerous 3 percent withholding tax that would have saddled Massachusetts employers who do business with the government with severe cash flow problems. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) considered the requirement to be an unfunded mandate on state and local governments. The provision would have cost billions more to implement than it would have raised in revenue. My repeal bill was signed into law on November 21, 2011.
- Hiring our Returning Heroes: I was stunned by reports that the unemployment rate among recent veterans was in some cases more than twice the national average. After nearly a year of advocacy, the “VOW to Hire Heroes” amendment was signed into law on November 21, 2011.
- “Crowdfunding” to Boost Small Businesses:
Studies by the Kauffman Foundation and other groups have found that new businesses have been the primary driver of American job creation over the past 25 years. With many businesses lacking funding needed to grow, I introduced the first “crowdfunding” bill in the Senate, which would allow entrepreneurs to raise up to $1 million in capital from regular citizens over the internet without being subject to onerous red tape. I worked with Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Jeff Merkley of Oregon to introduce a compromise version of the bill - the CROWDFUND Act - that was signed into law on April 5, 2012.
Holding Washington Accountable
I will continue to bring the highest ethical standards to Washington, and to foster the bipartisanship necessary to reform government agencies that run afoul of their mission to serve the public.
- Ethics Reform—Stopping Insider Trading by Members of Congress:
I led the Senate movement to ban insider trading by members of Congress. On November 15, 2011, I introduced the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, known as the STOCK Act, and requested a hearing on Congressional insider trading, and was invited to testify on the bill before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The amended STOCK Act was signed into law on April 4, 2012.
- Helping Bay State Citizens Stand up to Washington: Through investigation and oversight hearings, one of which was held in Boston, I uncovered rampant abuse at the fisheries regulator, the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where officials levied disproportionate fines on Massachusetts fishermen, shredded documents, and lied to investigators. I also held a veterans field hearing in Quincy (below) to address the unprecedented claims backlog and how to help our returning heroes transition back into the workforce.
- Access To Necessary Drugs To Save Children’s Lives: I introduced legislation to ensure that children’s hospitals have access to discounts on "orphan" drugs that are used to treat rare diseases. These discounts were eliminated under the federal health care bill signed into law by the President in March of 2010. The bill protecting orphan drugs was signed into law on December 15, 2010.
Click here for a PDF with the above information.
Around Town
On Monday, I stopped by the Fall River Fire Department to congratulate them on receiving a $14.4 million federal SAFER grant that will save dozens of firefighter jobs and help protect the community of Fall River.
On July 3, I had the pleasure of visiting Veterans Inc., an organization devoted to ending homelessness amongst our nation's veterans.
A Word on the Newsletter
Due to Senate rules, I will be unable to send out electronic or print newsletters for the next several months. However, I will still be publishing updates online. I encourage you to visit scottbrown.senate.gov to stay updated.
You can see all of my past and upcoming newsletters here.
