In This Week's Edition of E-News…

Murphy To Solyndra Execs: ‘Pay It Back’

House Approves Funds To Help PA Recovery

A Plan for Success: Junior Achievement Helps Students Plan Future

EPA Can’t Ignore Job Losses Caused By Mandates Under New House Legislation

2012 Open Enrollment Period for Medicare to Run Oct. 15-Dec. 7

Murphy To Solyndra Execs: ‘Pay It Back’

Solyndra's CEO and CFO sworn in before the Energy and Commerce Committee today

As details about bankrupt solar company Solyndra continue to emerge, Rep. Tim Murphy took a hard-line this week during a second round of congressional hearings Friday morning. Pressing CEO Brian Harrison and CFO Bill Stover, Murphy wanted them to tell American taxpayers when they could expect to be repaid the $535 million “loaned” to Solyndra as part of the 2009 stimulus bill. But despite persistent questioning by Murphy and other members of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Harrison and Stover refused to answer questions, invoking their Fifth Amendment right that protects witnesses from incriminating themselves.

At the hearing (click here to watch), Stover and Harrison would not go on record to answer any questions:

Rep. Murphy: To both witnesses: In this question I am not asking you or compelling you to be witnesses against yourself, nor am I depriving you of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. This question is not of criminal basis or anything else, but it is important.  What is your plan to pay back the taxpayers the $535 million that you owe them, and when will you pay it back?

Mr. Harrison: On the advice of my counsel I invoke the privilege afforded to me by the 5th of the United States constitution, and I respectfully decline to answer any questions.

Mr. Stover: On the advice of my counsel I invoke the privilege afforded to me by the 5th of the United States constitution, and I respectfully decline to answer any questions.

Murphy also explained that a behind the scenes agreement to restructure the company’s finances in February 2011 violated a federal law clearly stating taxpayers would be repaid before private investors in the case of bankruptcy. Murphy called the restructuring “incredible” saying, “There are two main factors that suggest strongly that the focus [of Solyndra] was on protecting the money of the investors and executives and not the taxpayers. It was an airtight scheme that trumps the Bernie Madoff scheme.”

Murphy presses for answers on when Solyndra will pay back the taxpayers

Friday’s hearing was the second after Solyndra declared bankruptcy on September 6, 2011, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the half-a-billion dollar loan and 1,100 employees out of work. The loan to Solyndra was initially denied by the Department of Energy on January 9, 2009, but the project review was reopened only three weeks later under a new administration. The loan was conditionally approved in March 2009 despite warnings from the Office of Management and Budget that “this deal is NOT ready for prime time.”

Documents and emails obtained following issuance of subpoena by the Energy and Commerce Committee also indicate White House staff encouraged the Department of Energy officials to approve the loan ahead of a fall 2009 Solyndra groundbreaking ceremony that Vice President Joe Biden planned to attend.

On Wednesday Murphy appeared on the CSPAN program Washington Journal to discuss the Solyndra investigation and take questions from callers across the country. During the segment, the Congressman said that the investigation will not end until restitution for the taxpayer has been realized. Rep. Murphy noted that the Department of Treasury and the Federal Bureau of Investigations have both launched investigations of Solyndra, with the FBI having executed a search warrant and seizure of files from the company’s headquarters on September 8. To view the segment click here.

“I want to know what to tell my constituents, and why the government loan was restructured to protect Solyndra investors, not the taxpayer.” Murphy said following the hearing. “$535 million is a lot of money, especially when so many Americans are struggling. My constituents entrust the federal government with every dollar they pay in taxes, and I will continue to demand answers from Solyndra officials and the Administration about when this money will be paid back.”

To share your thoughts on the Solyndra investigation with Congressman Murphy, please click here.

House Approves Funds To Help PA Recovery

With severe flood damage devastating thousands of families and communities, two weeks ago Governor Tom Corbett asked the President to approve a major disaster declaration for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The damages linger as rebuilding must begin for residents in the northeastern corner of the state.

Flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee forced 150,000 Pennsylvania residents to evacuate their homes, including over 2,000 dwellings that were severely damaged or destroyed. PENNDOT estimates between $150-400 million worth of damages to infrastructure throughout the commonwealth. The disaster declaration by Gov. Corbett granted additional funds to residents in 44 of the affected counties impacted by the storm. The funding provided help, but the damage is estimated to reach beyond state means.

The inflicted areas received a bit of good news on Thursday night when Congress approved a short-term bill to fund government agencies through November 18, 2011 and included funds to cover disaster relief efforts.  The $3.65 billion in disaster relief aid contained in the bill will help repair some of the damages left from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The aid package grants the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) $774 million for disaster relief and the Army Corp of Engineers $226 million to repair flood control projects damaged by the storm. The disaster spending was offset with cuts to Department of Energy loan programs, including an account that was used to fund the Solyndra project. As of late Friday; however, the Senate rejected the House bill and shelved plans to work over the weekend to develop another bill. With a September 30th deadline looming, concerns are growing over a government shutdown.

“When a natural disaster destroys basic infrastructure of our towns and cities, taxpayer resources have to be prioritized to ensure the government can step in and protect public health and save lives,” said Rep. Murphy. “Funds are still needed by FEMA to help with distributing clean water, providing temporary shelter, and assisting in the rebuilding process in Pennsylvania and other states. We found the offsets, but if Congress doesn’t act, Pennsylvania communities ravaged by disasters will needlessly suffer from even greater devastation and the loss of life.”

Northeastern Pennsylvania may face the biggest challenge ahead as the people try to put this storm in the past and clean up the damage.  The small community of West Pittston, near Scranton, was one of the hardest hit by the disaster when the Susquehanna River overflowed into the town. Hundreds of businesses and homes were destroyed leaving the citizens with the large task of rebuilding most of the town (click here to read more).

Pennsylvania’s unique topography presents a challenge when rough weather invades. The 2004 Hurricane Ivan is still fresh in the memory of business owners and homeowners in the Pittsburgh region where our local communities experienced some of the worst flooding in a century. Towns like Carnegie and Bridgeville were severely damaged, and some businesses shuttered for good, never to reopen again.

“Our region was challenged with $60 million in losses and damage to 30,000 local homes and businesses.  We responded to the disaster and strived to rebuild the communities better than before. We need to show similar support for our neighbors in the northeastern part of the state now,” said Murphy.

Stay tuned for updates on progress in the Senate.

To share your thoughts on disaster relief with Congressman Murphy, please click here.

A Plan for Success: Junior Achievement Helps Students Plan Future

Whitehall native Dennis Gilfoyle has spent his entire career helping future generations enter and succeed in the business and financial world. For almost thirty years, Mr. Gilfoyle has been working with the nationwide Junior Achievement program, a non-profit organization that prepares students for the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship through in-school and after-school programs that focus on work readiness, financial literacy and business planning. During a visit to Congressman Murphy’s DC office on Tuesday, Mr. Gilfoyle lauded the impact of engaging children at an early age to instill the values of leadership, self-sufficiency, and community participation. Mr. Gilfoyle asked Congress to ensure that changes in education policy recognize the valuable contributions of Junior Achievement, and would not restrict future participation in the classroom by the all-volunteer program.

In May, ManpowerGroup released its annual US employer survey and found that 52 percent of U.S employers cannot fill “mission-critical positions” in their organizations, up from 10 percent in 2010.

Ed Manko and Dennis Gilfoyle (Whitehall) of Junior Achievement

New US Census Bureau data released this week shows that jobless numbers for young adults stands at nearly twenty percent – the highest rate for those in their twenties and thirties since World War II.

As Congress prepares legislation to revamp federal education policy, the success of the Junior Achievement program indicates the importance of incorporating mentoring and the entrepreneurial spirit in curriculum.

“Despite a high unemployment rate, employers are finding it difficult to filling positions with qualified and skilled workers,” said Murphy. “Without costing the taxpayers a dime, Junior Achievement teaches skills that are in high demand in our dynamic global economy, yet are often absent from traditional classroom models.”

Over 17,000 students from Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District have participated in Junior Achievement programs. Relying on a network of dedicated area business leaders who volunteer their time to mentor students with a comprehensive, coordinated education management that begins in Kindergarten and develops through high school graduation. Elementary school students are taught basic business and economics. In middle school, volunteers educate students on the value of self-sufficiency and financial literacy. A supplement to social studies curriculum, Junior Achievers learn to develop communication skills, and through different middle school and high school programs, students are matched with local companies to learn real-life business experiences.

“There is no better way to learn what it takes to start a business, patent a product, market an idea, manage investments, and to realize the value of community participation than to learn from someone who has done those things professionally. Junior Achievers fills these structural gaps and offers students an invaluable experience that translates into professional success.”

According to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 70 percent of U.S. high school students want to experience the American dream of owning their own businesses, but these students often lack a mentor network to which they can turn to learn more about business ownership. Junior Achievement volunteers fill this gap.

To share your thoughts on education with Congressman Murphy, please click here.

EPA Can’t Ignore Job Losses Caused By Mandates Under New House Legislation

As part of a continued effort to reform the $1.75 trillion federal regulatory regime, the House passed legislation this week that will require the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate the economic impact of its new mandates. HR 2401 the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act was approved with Congressman Murphy’s support by a vote of 249-169.

Under current law, the EPA can propose dozens of new mandates without considering the cumulative costs or feasibility of proposed new rules, and the effect all the mandates will have on employment. Federal agencies have not yet studied how many costly regulations affecting the same industry at the same time could stymie job creation and increase electric prices. HR 2401 creates interagency panel, chaired by the Secretary of Commerce, to analyze the impact of major EPA regulations. The legislation was crafted to ensure that new regulations put forth by the EPA are examined through an interagency cooperative effort, and take into account the cumulative impacts of EPA rules on jobs, energy prices, electric reliability, and America’s overall global economic competitiveness.

While some have tried to frame the legislation as a threat to public welfare that would endanger the health of Americans, all current EPA regulations and standards would remain in place under the TRAIN Act. The bill did not roll back a single environmental law nor prevent the EPA from developing new regulations to protect public health and welfare.

“The goal of the TRAIN Act is to ensure that before the EPA moves forward with regulations in the energy sector, all aspects of the proposals are taken into consideration, including how the regulation will impact public health and energy prices,” said Rep. Murphy.

According to testimony before the Energy and Commerce Committee, one particular new pollution rule called “utility MACT” would cost the economy 1.44 million jobs and increase monthly electric bills by 12% to 23%, but provide little to no public health benefits. “Utility MACT” and six other new rules would combine to saddle the economy with tens of billions in new annual costs without materially bettering public health.

“For the purposes of protecting public health, sound scientific findings must be maintained as a cornerstone in the crafting of public policy. All of us want clean air, water and a healthy environment, but we can do it without destroying the local economy and sending jobs to China. This bill is about preserving American jobs and ensuring the Environmental Protection Agency does not circumvent the will of the people and institute regulations without considering their full impact.” said Rep. Murphy.

Since 1970, air quality has continued to improve dramatically across the country despite the use of coal to generate electricity having more than tripled. Emissions of sulfur dioxide from power plants have fallen by more than 56 percent, and emissions of nitrous oxides have been reduced by more than 38 percent. Mercury emissions have fallen by 58 percent since the early 1990s.

In addition to supporting the TRAIN Act, which now heads to the Senate, Rep. Murphy noted that he’s cosponsoring legislation to require congressional review and approval for any new rule costing the economy millions. The House is expected to consider this bill, HR 10, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, in the coming weeks. Last year alone, federal agencies wrote 3,573 with a mere 43 of them costing American businesses $26.5 billion — more than double the new regulatory costs added in 2009. Rep. Murphy has called for a moratorium on new regulation with the exception of those protecting health or safety to spare American job creators from additional compliance costs.

To share your thoughts on federal regulations with Congressman Murphy, please click here.

2012 Open Enrollment Period for Medicare to Run Oct. 15-Dec. 7

Attention Medicare recipients who would like to make changes to their coverage in 2012: the Medicare Open Enrollment period will begin earlier this year, running from October 15 through December 7. Each year, Medicare recipients have the opportunity to modify their plans. Beneficiaries wishing to make changes to their coverage should be aware of the December 7, 2011 deadline to avoid any interruption in Medicare coverage.

Because health needs change from year to year, Medicare encourages all recipients to review their plan, but if you like the coverage you have now, no action is necessary. Coverage options can be compared by visiting www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan, or by calling (800)-633-4227. Many Medicare recipients find that the maze of Medicare options to be quite challenging. Should you have any questions, please contact Rep. Murphy’s office in Mt. Lebanon at 412-344-5583 or Greensburg at 724-850-7312.