Monday, June 20

Celebrating a Championship in Northeast Ohio 

On Monday, U.S. Senator Rob Portman delivered remarks on the Senate floor to highlight the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA Finals championship over the Golden State Warriors. Transcript of Portman’s remarks can be found here and a video can be found here. 

Voting to Deny Guns to Terrorists 

Portman voted for legislation offered by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to prevent terrorists from being able to purchase a firearm. Portman released the following statement:

“I support the Cornyn proposal because it would prevent suspected terrorists from being able to purchase a firearm, while also protecting the rights of innocent, law-abiding citizens by ensuring they receive due process if they are mistakenly placed on a government watch list.  Importantly, it not only blocks the sale of the gun, but also authorizes law enforcement to arrest terror suspects and take them off the streets. This part goes beyond the Feinstein amendment.

“Although the proposal received a majority of votes in the Senate, I'm disappointed that it didn't received the 60 votes necessary to pass.  There is a consensus that we should stop suspected terrorists from buying guns, and a consensus that every American should receive due process if they are mistakenly placed on a government watch list.   I will continue to work with both sides of the aisle to find a way to accomplish those goals.

“We must also remember that the terror attack targeting the LGBT community in Orlando was inspired by ISIS.  We are a nation at war with radical Islamic terrorism. For years, I've called on the president to put in place a comprehensive strategy to defeat this hateful and violent ideology.  If we're going to stop ISIS-inspired attacks, I believe we need a three part strategy: a more aggressive military strategy to defeat ISIS and take away their platform to attack, better protection of the homeland—including increased screening for refugees and visa holders—and more effectively addressing the terror threat here in our communities by providing our domestic law enforcement the tools they need, working more closely with the American Muslim community, and providing a more effective counter narrative to the radical Islamists’ hateful extremist message.”

NOTE: Portman voted in favor of the Cornyn proposal and opposed the amendment from Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA).  While both proposals are broadly designed to prevent suspected terrorists from being able to purchase a firearm, the Cornyn plan has stronger due process protections for law-abiding citizens and is tougher on terrorism than the Feinstein plan because it allows law enforcement to take terror suspects off the streets rather than just deny the purchase of a gun.

Voting to Strengthen the National Background Check System 

Portman voted for legislation offered by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to strengthen the current firearms background check system known as the National Criminal Instant Background Check System (NICS):

“This proposal will fix flaws in the current background check system so that we can keep guns out of the hands of those suffering from mental illness, criminals, and terror suspects without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens.  We must ensure that relevant records from federal agencies, law enforcement, and the states are uploaded into the NICS in a timely and consistent manner to make sure prohibited individuals are prevented from purchasing a firearm.  This proposal also ensures that more mental health records are uploaded to the NICS to limit the ability of those suffering from mental illness to threaten themselves or their communities. Lastly, it requires federal agencies to notify law enforcement if an individual who is currently, or within the last five years, being investigated as a terrorist and attempts to acquire a firearm.  These common-sense protections will strengthen the national background check system and help reduce gun violence, and I strongly support them.”

NOTE: Portman voted in favor of the proposal from Senator Grassley and opposed an amendment from Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) because it would infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens.  The Grassley plan would authorize $125 million annually through FY 2020 for the national background check system, require agencies to prioritize the submission of relevant federal records to NICS, and require states to submit relevant mental health records to NICS.  Finally, the proposal also requires law enforcement to be notified if an individual who is currently, or within the last five years, being investigated as a terrorist and attempts to acquire a firearm.  Under the current process, law enforcement is only alerted if an individual is currently listed on one of the suspected terrorist watch lists and tries to purchase a firearm.

Tuesday, June 21

Another Big Win for Ohio 

On Tuesday, Portman issued the following statement congratulating the City of Columbus for winning the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge and receiving $40 million in grant funding from the federal government to further develop its intelligent transportation systems:

“This grant, combined with its public-private investment, will help reshape the transportation sector in central Ohio for decades to come, and I’d like to congratulate Mayor Ginther and the City of Columbus for receiving this major award.  I’m proud that I was able to work with the mayor and the private sector in their bid to win this grant by leading the congressional delegation pitch. Most importantly, this grant will help meet the transportation needs of Ohioans who live in the low-income neighborhoods in and around Columbus to ensure they can get to their job, or receive a good education. I will continue to work with Mayor Ginther, the City of Columbus, and Central Ohio economic development partners to ensure that this is a sound investment in innovation for Ohio and for the country.”

NOTE: Senator Portman has worked with federal, state, and local leaders throughout the process in the effort to help the mayor and city land the multi-million dollar grant, including:

• Portman led an entire Ohio Congressional delegation letter in support of the final round.
• Portman also wrote a letter of support for the initial round of the challenge to help the city of Columbus in their effort to be selected as one out of seven finalists, out of 70 applicants.
• Portman’s office facilitated a one-on-one meeting with Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and U.S. Secretary Foxx. 
• Portman held a roundtable at the OSU Center for Automotive Research where he brought together Central Ohio auto experts together to discuss strategy around the Smart Cities Final Application.
• Portman's office and staff attended several staff meetings in Washington, D.C. and Columbus to advocate for the city of Columbus.  

Portman to Join Habitat for Humanity

Portman announced on Tuesday that he will join Owens Corning and Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity in a major neighborhood revitalization project — known as the “Buckeye Build” — that will take place on July 18-20 in Cleveland.  The Buckeye Build Project – which will take place in Cleveland’s historic Buckeye Neighborhood – will work with community residents and corporate sponsors to fully rehab two houses on Grandview Avenue, assist approximately 15 current residents with exterior improvements, and provide new roofs and attic insulation for five homes.

“Habitat for Humanity is making Cleveland better every day,” said Senator Rob Portman, who has regularly volunteered his time for Habitat projects and is a longtime supporter of the program. “The Buckeye Build will have a lasting impact on Cleveland, and it is an honor to be a part of it.  I am looking forward to volunteering my time to help revitalize this historic neighborhood and support families in need.  I want to thank Habitat for Humanity, Owens Corning, and all of the organizations who are working to make this event a great success.”

“In Cleveland, Senator Rob Portman, a long-time Habitat supporter, has taken the lead to ensure that a significant and enduring contribution to one of our historic inner-city neighborhoods will be made this July in Cleveland,” said John Habat, President/CEO at Cleveland Habitat.

“Owens Corning is a longstanding partner and supporter of Habitat for Humanity,” said Don Rettig, President, Owens Corning Foundation. “We’re excited to bring our people and resources to Cleveland as a part of our ongoing commitment to provide safe, efficient housing for people in need of affordable housing.”

In addition to Owens Corning, other supporters include: Ernst & Young, Westfield Insurance and AMGen, Inc.  Owens Corning is also partnering with Lowe’s to reroof and provide attic insulation for several homes in the community.

”Thanks to the advocacy of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Thriving Communities Initiative, many houses beyond repair already have been demolished, thus ridding the neighborhood of blight and unsafe places,” said Habat.  “Senator Portman was instrumental in reallocating federal funds to help cities demolish nuisance properties.”

“We’ve made real progress in helping Ohio secure funds to address blighted properties that serve as a magnet for crime and reduce home values.  In addition, we’ve successfully worked to ensure that states like Ohio can use this funding to demolish blighted structures through the Neighborhood Safety Act,” said Portman.  “I’ve helped Ohio secure $191 million to assist state and local officials in these efforts, and I will continue to help lead this effort to restore the integrity of our local communities.”

Senator Portman visited the neighborhood where the project will take place last Friday, and discussed the project with Habitat staff.

Wednesday, June 22

Senate Adopts Resolution to Honor the Cavs 

Following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Cavaliers) and Sherrod Brown (D-Cavaliers) introduced a resolution to honor the team’s achievements.

On Sunday night, the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA Finals history to come back and win the series after trailing 3 games to 1. The team was led by Akron native LeBron James, who led both teams in all five major statistical categories en route to his third NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. This marks the Cavaliers’ first ever NBA Championship and it ends Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought. Prior to Sunday night, no major Cleveland sports team had won a championship since the Jim Brown-led Cleveland Browns in 1964.

“Cleveland and its loyal fans waited a long time for this championship. After injuries kept them from winning the Finals last year against the Warriors, the Cavaliers got the rematch they wanted, becoming the only team in history to ever beat the odds and come back from a three-games-to-one deficit in the Finals,” said Portman. “The Cavs’ example of determination and perseverance embodies the spirit of Cleveland, the Comeback City, and it’s a lesson for all of us. I am pleased to honor the entire city of Cleveland, and Cavs fans all across Ohio on the floor of the United States Senate.”

Full text of the resolution is available here.

After Portman Testimony, ITC Unanimously Rules in Favor of Ohio Steelworkers 

Portman announced that, following his testimony on behalf of Ohio workers, the International Trade Commission (ITC) had ruled that Chinese and Japanese steel producers were unfairly injuring American steelworkers.

“Ohio steelworkers produce the highest quality steel in the world, and yet they are facing a crisis,” said Portman. “Nearly 1,500 Ohio steelworkers were laid off last year through no fault of their own. Today the ITC recognized exactly what I told them: that unfair, dishonest practices from competitors in China and Japan are hurting our communities. Today’s ruling is the next step in leveling the playing field, and it is a big win for Ohio steelworkers.”

NOTE: The International Trade Commission voted unanimously to find that the American steel industry has been materially injured by imports of cold-rolled steel from China and Japan.  Last month, Portman urged the ITC to fully use the tools given to them in the Leveling the Playing Field Act when determining whether the dumping and subsidies were causing material injury.  The Commerce Department will now issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders with a 71 percent dumping margin on certain steel coming from Japan, and dumping margins of 265 percent and countervailing duty rates of 256 percent on steel coming from China.

The Commerce Department has yet to issue its final decision regarding Brazil, India, Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom. The ITC will then make a separate injury determination on those countries.

Senator Portman, who has been awarded the “Congressional Steel Champion Award” for his work to protect the steel industry and Ohio steelworkers, has a long record of working to protect Ohio steelworkers from foreign cheating and delivering results to keep good jobs in Ohio.

Portman to the White House: Delaying CARA is Not an Option 

Portman’s longstanding effort to address the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities continued on Wednesday, with Portman urging the recently appointed CARA Conferees from both the Senate and House to act quickly. Portman, who is the author of the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA), urged the White House not to play political games with this epidemic, saying that “delaying might be a good way to score some political points but it’s terrible policy. It’s the wrong thing to do. It’s a disservice to the millions of families across this country who are suffering from the consequences of addiction and who are waiting for relief.” Portman has now spoken on the Senate floor for 10 straight weeks that the Senate has been in session in his efforts to get comprehensive legislation that addresses prevention, education and recovery to the president’s desk for his signature.

Transcript of his floor speech can be found here and a full video of his remarks can be found here

As Portman continues to put the national spotlight on the prescription and heroin epidemic devastating our communities, he has not let up in his determination to back up his call to action with action of his own. In fact, recently, at Portman’s urging, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation that would nearly double federal funding for opioid abuse programs. Portman has also recently visited with women and their children in recovery in Cincinnati, spoke at an Opiate conference in Columbus, held a field hearing in Cleveland, visited recovering addicts in Dayton, held two CARA related events in Akron, met with homeless youth in recovery in Columbus, women in recovery in Athens and delivered remarks about CARA in Youngstown all in an ongoing push to raise awareness on the importance of this legislation. Portman has previously detailed how CARA, which combats the drug epidemic by helping promote education and prevention to stop drug abuse before it begins, addresses the demand side of the drug epidemic, promotes treatment alternatives and reverse overdoses, helps veterans, and helps women and babies, as Senator Portman wrote in the Washington Examiner in February.

Thursday, June 23

Portman-Led Investigation Exposes Cable TV Companies Over-Billing Consumers in Ohio 

Portman released an investigative report along with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) through his Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations which reveals that two cable companies — including Time Warner Cable, the biggest cable TV provider in Ohio — have consistently failed to provide refunds to customers whom they knew they overcharged.

“Every business has an obligation to treat its customers with respect.  Our joint report outlines troubling findings about the practices of two cable companies, including Time Warner Cable, that have consistently failed to provide refunds to customers whom they know they have overcharged, including thousands of people in Ohio.  During the course of the Subcommittee’s investigation, we discovered something I found hard to believe:  Time Warner Cable and another company, Charter, made no effort to trace overcharges they identified and provide refunds to customers.  Instead of correcting their mistake by refunding the overcharges, their practice has been to just pocket the money.  In my view, that is a rip-off of Ohio consumers.  It is wrong, and it’s unacceptable.

“I am pleased that some corrective action has begun but in the case of Time Warner Cable it is not enough, and I will be asking them to do more to make Ohio consumers whole.  All consumers should be fully refunded their money, whether they were overcharged for three months or three years.”

NOTE: The full investigative report can be found here. The Subcommittee reviewed thousands of documents, and interviewed countless witnesses, to learn more about the consumer practices of five of the largest pay-TV providers: Comcast, Charter, Time Warner Cable, Dish Network, and DirecTV.  Together, these companies serve more than half of all American households, and nearly three-fourths of those that pay for television programming.  What the Subcommittee found was the following:

• During the time period examined by the Subcommittee, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications—who have just recently merged with each other—made no effort to trace equipment overcharges they identified and provide refunds to customers.  Instead, their practice has been to just pocket the past overcharges.
• Time Warner Cable—the largest cable company in of Ohio—had a particularly shoddy method of dealing with equipment overcharges.  Time Warner Cable estimates that it overbilled customers $640,000 in just the first four months of this year nationwide.  It overbilled consumers nationwide by about $2 million a year for the past six years.
• During just the first five months of 2016, Time Warner Cable overbilled up to 11,000 customers in Ohio—and those overcharges totaled $108,000.  Time Warner Cable further estimates that, throughout last year alone, it overbilled 40,000 Ohio customers with overcharges of more than $430,000.
• When Time Warner Cable discovered the overcharges, it only dealt with the problem prospectively.  It took erroneous charges off customers’ bills going forward, but did not provide any backward-looking refunds and did not even provide notice to customers so they could investigate the problem themselves.  They just kept the money.  
• As a result of this investigation, Charter and Time Warner Cable have taken some initial steps to improve their practices.  Time Warner performs a monthly audit to find overcharges.  Going forward, the company will provide an automatic one-month credit to all customers for each piece of overbilled equipment or service, and it will provide notice to overbilled customers so they can determine whether to request a credit or refund.  But that does not make customers whole.  Time Warner Cable has not yet committed to do anything for the 40,000 Ohio customers, for example, who were overcharged last year. 

Portman noted in his opening statement that overcharging from cable companies is a “rip-off of Ohio consumers. Transcript of his opening statement can be found here and a video can be found here.

Here are just a few highlights of the coverage of Portman’s investigation:

• “Ohio’s largest cable television provider, has been billing customers for cable TV equipment and services they no longer use ….” – Cleveland Plain Dealer

• “Time Warner Cable has “consistently failed to provide refunds to customers who the cable companies knew were being overcharged.” – Columbus Dispatch

• “The report also said Time Warner estimates it overcharged 40,000 Ohio customers more than $430,000 in 2015 …” – Cincinnati WCPO

• So far in 2016, Time Warner Cable has “overbilled up to 11,000 customers in Ohio, and those overcharges totaled $108,000.” – Youngstown WYTV

• Time Warner Cable “did not provide any ‘backward-looking’ refunds and did not provide notice to customers about the problem.” – Dayton Daily News

• “Portman says the practices exposed by the report are a “rip-off to Ohio consumers.” – WKSU 89.7

• “Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the subcommittee’s chairman, called the overcharges a ‘rip off’ and said thousands of Ohio cable TV customers were affected.” – Associated Press

As a result of this investigation, Charter and Time Warner Cable have taken some initial steps to improve their practices. Time Warner performs a monthly audit to find overcharges. Going forward, the company will provide an automatic one-month credit to all customers for each piece of overbilled equipment or service, and it will provide notice to overbilled customers so they can determine whether to request a credit or refund. But that does not make customers whole. Time Warner Cable has not yet committed to do anything for the 40,000 Ohio customers, for example, who were overcharged last year, and Senator Portman will continue to press them to do so.

Celebrating Columbus’ Smart City Grant on the Senate Floor 

Portman congratulated the city of Columbus for winning the Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. Portman discussed the benefits this grant will have on the city of Columbus and his belief that the city’s transportation infrastructure will become a model for the rest of Ohio and the country, saying that this is a “win-win” for the people of Columbus because the “investment will have a positive impact on jobs” and “also on the environment.”

Transcript of his remarks can be found here and a video can be found here. 

Previously, Portman released the following statement after the White House formally announced that Columbus had won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge and would receive $40 million in grant funding from the federal government to further develop its intelligent transportation systems:

“Columbus earned this victory by creating a dynamic economy and strong public-private partnerships. Columbus is one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest in terms of population and in terms of jobs. This grant will increase access to those jobs for many who are stuck in poverty, and it will help Columbus make history as the first American city to fully integrate innovative technologies like self-driving cars and smart sensors into their transportation network. I want to thank Mayor Ginther for his leadership over this great American city.”

Preventing Terrorists from Purchasing a Firearm 

Portman issued the following statement after voting to move forward on legislation offered by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) to prevent terrorists from being able to purchase a firearm:

“I have said from the outset of this process that my two goals are to prevent suspected terrorists from being able to purchase a firearm, while also protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens by ensuring they receive due process if they are mistakenly placed on a government watch list.  Today I voted to move forward on the Johnson proposal because it includes strong due process protections for law-abiding citizens.  It would require the government to persuade a court there is credible evidence that a person is a terrorist threat before blocking the gun sale.  I believe that is important because under our system, when the government wants to take away someone’s constitutional rights, it first must prove its case to a judge.

“I applaud the work that Senator Collins has done.  I am disappointed that these votes were scheduled today because I believe there was bipartisan progress being made on this issue.  There is a consensus that we should stop suspected terrorists from buying guns, and a consensus that every American should receive due process if they are mistakenly placed on a government watch list.  We should continue to work together to find common ground and reach an agreement on this issue that can become the law of the land.”