In this week's edition of e-news...

House Votes for “No More Solyndras”
Arnie Palmer Awarded Congressional Gold Medal
Murphy's SMART Act Passes E & C Health Subcommittee
Committee Examining Chemical Plant Security
Murphy Named ‘Guardian of Small Business’

House Votes for “No More Solyndras”

After receiving a $500 million government-backed loan from the Department of Energy (DOE), California solar panel manufacturer Solyndra declared bankruptcy last September, putting nearly 1,900 employees out of work and sticking the taxpayer with the bill. 

An investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee revealed numerous failures and shortcuts taken by the Energy Department as it sought to direct taxpayer funds to politically-connected investors at Solyndra in violation of federal law. The committee’s investigation revealed DOE’s loan guarantee program to be dysfunctional, tainted with politics, and lacking the necessary safeguards to protect taxpayers against failed government investments. In fact, one DOE employee warned that Solyndra would go bankrupt by September 2011, which is exactly what occurred.

To watch Rep. Murphy's address on The No More Solyndras Act, click the photo above.

On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the “No More Solyndras Act” to terminate the mismanaged loan program to protect taxpayers and stop this from happening again. The House passed the bill on a vote of 245-161.

In addition to eliminating the DOE loan guarantee program, H.R. 6213 includes legislative language authored by Rep. Murphy requiring the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on subsidies and assistance foreign governments give to energy companies.
During floor debate, Rep. Murphy reminded the Chamber that federal law was violated to put the interests of private investors in Solyndra ahead of taxpayers.

"Solyndra was rushed. Solyndra was reckless. And Solyndra was political,” said Murphy. To watch his address, click here.

The No More Solyndras Act now heads to the Senate for consideration.

To learn more about The No More Solyndras Act, click here.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on Solyndra and government sponsored loans, please click here.

Arnie Palmer Awarded Congressional Gold Medal

On Tuesday, Congressman Murphy joined a small group of the House and Senate selected to participate in a formal ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda honoring golf legend and philanthropist Arnold Palmer with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Known as “The King” to members of Arnie’s Army and golf fans, Palmer set a record as the first to win the Masters four times en route to 92 tournament victories during his career. In addition to building a reputation as one of the greatest and most approachable players in the history of golf, Palmer is a devoted philanthropist who has dedicated time and money to various causes, especially in Westmoreland County.

Rep. Murphy congratulates Arnold Palmer on his Congressional Gold Medal.

“Today we join together to honor a true gentleman and a great American—golf legend Arnold Palmer,” said Congressman Tim Murphy. “Palmer is not only a world class golf professional, but a selfless individual who has made countless contributions to charities and other noble causes. As a resident of my congressional district, Palmer was instrumental in developing our local Latrobe Airport, founded the Arnold Palmer Pavilion at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and helped establish the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation. Through his good works and dedication to excellence, Arnold Palmer is a man well-deserving of this Congressional Gold Medal. I am proud to congratulate him on this tremendous honor.”

Congressman Murphy was an original sponsor of The Arnold Palmer Gold Medal Act, H.R. 1243, in recognition of Palmer's service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship. In 2009, Murphy joined Mr. Palmer in the Oval Office when the President signed the Congressional Gold Medal honoring the golf legend into law.

The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. It has been presented to the nation’s greatest war heroes, astronauts, inventors, and humanitarians. The medal was first awarded in 1776 by the Second Continental Congress to then-General George Washington.

To view photos from Arnold Palmer’s Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, visit Murphy’s official Facebook page here.

To watch Congressman Murphy’s speech in honor of Arnold Palmer, visit Murphy’s YouTube page.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, please click here.

Murphy's SMART Act Passes E & C Health Subcommittee

In an ongoing effort to implement strategies to strengthen and secure Medicare for current and future retirees, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health voted in support of Congressman Murphy’s bipartisan Strengthening Medicare And Repaying Taxpayers (SMART) Act on Monday. Murphy’s bill would eliminate bureaucratic delays in the Medicare system and help ensure that seniors who are injured receive the proper settlement in a timely manner.

Under the ‘Medicare Secondary Payer’ statute, insurers, retailers, and third parties must repay Medicare if their negligence leads to medical bills for a senior citizen. But the current system is complicated and riddled with delays, preventing these cases from closing and bringing in money owed to the Medicare Trust Fund.
 
Murphy’s bill requires Medicare provide the parties with accurate information about the total cost of medical bills when the parties announce a settlement is near. Without coming to a settlement, Medicare cannot recoup the money and beneficiaries are often left footing the bill. The SMART Act breaks down the bureaucratic hurdles that prevent Medicare and private insurers from closing out medical billing cases in a timely manner.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars that should be deposited in the Medicare Trust Fund continue to be blocked by a complicated system of arcane rules,” said Rep. Murphy. "By recouping the billions of dollars owed by insurance companies to Medicare, my bill strengthens the Medicare Trust Fund and protects medical benefits for millions of seniors.”
 
Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton said, "The Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers Act, or SMART Act, introduced by Dr. Murphy creates efficiencies in the Medicare Secondary Payer program that benefit taxpayers and seniors alike. During last year’s hearing, several flaws in the program were identified that resulted in seniors losing Medicare coverage and settlements ending up in escrow. H.R.1063 makes improvements to the current program that will facilitate speedier settlements as well as repayment to the Medicare Trust Fund."
 
Murphy’s bill was the focus of an Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing last June. At the hearing, members learned the impact that extremely long delays have on the financial stability of Medicare and on beneficiaries who are owed settlements due to medical malpractice, liability or workers compensation. Testimony from expert witnesses revealed from those who have experienced first-hand the problems that arise with extensive delays in the system, including a compelling argument from Pittsburgh attorney Jason Matzus, who represents Medicare beneficiaries.

The SMART Act now heads to the full Committee on Energy & Commerce for a vote before floor consideration in the House.

To read more about the hearing, click here.

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

Committee Examining Chemical Plant Security

On the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy convened a hearing to review progress of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) Program in helping chemical plants implement security plans to protect against terrorists threats.

The events of September 11, 2001, prompted Congress to examine homeland security priorities, resulting in the CFATS program establishing protocols in securing the nation’s 4,400 chemical facilities. Under CFATS, domestic chemical facilities housing volatile chemicals (many of which are established throughout western Pennsylvania) must develop site security plans under the review and guidance of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) compliance staff.

However, the CFATS program has come under scrutiny following a December 2011 internal review that found the program lacked trained personnel, wasted a shocking amount of taxpayer money and failing to meet implementation targets.

During questioning, Rep. Murphy, who serves as the panel's Vice Chairman,  got the CFAT program chief officer Rand Beers to disclose the agency had spent $450 million in the past five years but completed only two site inspections. More than 3,600 facilities have submitted their plans and are still awaiting government review and inspection. Murphy expressed shock at the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on so little in return.

Experts from the chemical industry said government officials could do far better in collaborating with the private sector but despite the government’s failed oversight, chemical plants have spent billions in the last several years to upgrade their own plant security. “The CFATS framework is sound, but DHS implementation has been flawed. This is largely because DHS has drifted away from the spirit of the public-private partnership on chemical security that it has so often hailed as a keystone of the CFATS program,” said Matthew Leary, testifying on behalf of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates.

Click here to review the testimony from the hearing.

To share your views on chemical plant security, please click here.

Murphy Named ‘Guardian of Small Business’

The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business association, this week named Congressman Tim Murphy a Guardian of Small Business for his outstanding voting record on behalf of America’s small-business owners in the 112th Congress. Murphy was recognized for his support of policies that support Southwestern Pennsylvania’s job creators, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers.

NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner praised Rep. Murphy for “standing for small business.” In presenting the group’s coveted award, Danner said, “The record shows that Rep. Murphy is a true champion of small business…this award reflects our members’ appreciation for supporting the NFIB pro-growth agenda for small business.”

As co-chair of the Natural Gas Caucus and Chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, Rep. Murphy has supported legislation blocking overregulation on manufacturers, cutting taxes that stifle innovation, opening up domestic energy production, and creating good-paying jobs in the 18th district.

NFIB President Dan Danner presents Rep. Murphy with the Guardian of Small Business Award.

Southwestern Pennsylvania is home to hundreds of manufacturers, machine shops, metalworkers, steel plants, and equipment makers. Congressman Murphy spends district work periods touring these facilities, speaking with the small business owners and their employees to learn about the work being done in Pennsylvania’s 18th district.

Many of these companies are finding new opportunities in the energy sector. To grow that market, which would present new opportunities to these manufacturers, Murphy introduced the Infrastructure Jobs and Energy Independence Act (H.R. 1861) last May. The bill would dramatically expand safe offshore oil and gas exploration, create over a million new jobs annually and launch eight trillion dollars in economic output. The bill also provides for investments in clean-coal technology and the rebuilding of the nation’s aging roads and bridges with American-made steel. Most recently, Rep. Murphy supported the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act (H.R. 4078), which would freeze regulations costing the economy $50 million or more until unemployment falls below 6 percent.

To learn more about Rep. Murphy’s work to support small business innovation and job creation, click here.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on the NFIB award, please click here.