Senator Richard Burr
Newsletters
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week the Senate passed the Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act, which I introduced in December as the Senate companion to Rep. Robert Pittenger's House legislation (H.R. 3627). This bill will require the Department of Justice to do a study on state child abuse penalties, which will serve as an important resource for determining if penalties are sufficient to protect children. Having passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate, this legislation will now move to the Presid… Continue Reading
05.02.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
Earlier this week, I introduced the "No Bonuses for Tax Cheats Act" with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. This legislation is in response to the news that the IRS awarded $2.8 million in bonuses to employees who participated in illegal behavior -- including fraud, drug use, and failing to pay their taxes. The "No Bonuses for Tax Cheats Act" would bar the IRS from paying out bonuses to bureaucrats who are delinquent on their taxes or were found to have engaged in misconduct. Gove… Continue Reading
04.11.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week, I joined Chuck Todd on The Daily Rundown to discuss the obstacles facing our nation's veterans. To watch, click the video above or visit my Youtube page. Last evening, Senator Alexander and I took to the floor to warn that the unionization of college athletes, as permitted by a recent National Labor Relations Board regional decision, would destroy college sports and harm the entire American system of higher education. I am a former scholarship football player for W… Continue Reading
04.04.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
Yesterday, I joined 10 other members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in voting to declassify the Detention and Interrogation Report. Since 2012, I have been deeply concerned about the factual inaccuracies contained within this report, including inaccurate information relating to the details of the interrogation program and other information provided by detainees. I had hoped that the authors of the report would ensure that the American public was provided facts, not f… Continue Reading
03.28.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This past Sunday marked the four year anniversary of Obamacare becoming law, a day marked by broken promises, numerous delays, and special exemptions. Just this Tuesday, the President offered the 30th delay to his signature legislative accomplishment. Before and after Obamacare was enacted, the President promised that "if you like your health care plan, you can keep it." This statement was repeated by the President's allies in Congress, defended by his allies in the media, and f… Continue Reading
03.14.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week the Senate passed S. 1086, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, legislation I co-authored with Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD). For years, I, along with some of my colleagues, have been calling for the Senate to return to regular order where legislation is introduced, considered through the committee of jurisdiction, and debated in the United States Senate with a full and robust amendment process. Although taking this legislative route can be time consuming an… Continue Reading
02.28.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week, the Senate focused on the Veterans Omnibus, offered by Senator Sanders, which would create at least 15 new programs at VA while doing nothing to fix the vast problems that exist in current programs. Senator Sander's legislation failed during a procedural vote to raise the spending caps set in the Murray-Ryan Budget. I do support many pieces of the Sanders bill. Those pieces were included in my alternative, which was introduced Tuesday evening. Those areas of agreement reflect le… Continue Reading
02.14.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week's legislative activity in the Senate was cut short by the same storm that wreaked havoc across North Carolina. On Wednesday, the Senate voted on a one year suspension of the debt limit, which passed 55-43. I voted against the legislation. As I have said many times, Washington must curb its out of control spending, and it must do so before we are in an even worse situation than we are today. We are limiting the opportunities of our children and grandchildren because we refuse to ma… Continue Reading
02.07.14
An Open Letter to the Raleigh News & Observer from Senator Richard Burr
This week, the Raleigh News & Observer ran an editorial attacking the Patient CARE Act, my proposal to repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered reforms of our health care system that are actually affordable. Throughout the editorial, they mischaracterized the proposal, and mislead their readers about the plan and its contents. In an attempt to set the record straight, I prepared a response-a response the News & Observer said they would be happy to run, if the length was cu… Continue Reading
02.07.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
On Tuesday, I voted against final passage of the Farm Bill. Not only does it carry a nearly $1 trillion price tag but most of the funding has nothing to do with farming, let alone providing any certainty to farmers. It also fails to include relief to farmers on burdensome GIPSA Restrictions and Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules. While I appreciate the efforts of the bill's authors, its failure to address the crucial needs of North Carolina farmers prevented me from supporting the bill. … Continue Reading
01.31.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
On Monday, I unveiled, along with Senators Coburn and Hatch The Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, a legislative proposal that would repeal Obamacare and then replace it with common-sense, patient-centered reforms that reduce health care costs and increase access to affordable, high-quality care. Unlike Obamacare, which is centered around government mandates and regulations, the Patient CARE Act empowers the American people to make their own decisions abou… Continue Reading
01.17.14
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the most detailed bipartisan report to date on the September 11, 2012, terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The Committee's report presents a wide range of declassified findings that will allow the public to more fully understand the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi leading up to the attacks and the lack of State Department recognition of the danger to our personnel. This bipartisan report is a step forward in o… Continue Reading
12.20.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week the Senate considered several important issues before adjourning for the holidays. The issue foremost in the news was the Ryan-Murray Budget.As I announced earlier in the week, I voted against cloture and voted against the budget. While I commend Chairman Ryan in his efforts to prevent another shutdown, I could not in good faith support the budget bill. Included in the bill were retroactive cuts to military retiree's cost-of-living adjustments. While I do agree there should be restruct… Continue Reading
11.28.13
A Thanksgiving Message from Senator Richard Burr
Today, I urge you and your family to take time to reflect on all the things we as a nation have to be grateful for. Let us give thanks for those brave individuals who have come before us and sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and our security. Let us keep the men and women in uniform who are currently serving our nation and their families in our thoughts and prayers, and remember the debt of gratitude we owe them when they return home. Please keep in mind our fellow Americans who are s… Continue Reading
11.22.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This was an historic and unfortunate week for the United States Senate. The President and Harry Reid's decision to use the 'nuclear option' to change the longstanding rules of the Senate was a blatant attempt to change the debate about the Democrats' health care plan as the consequences of this disastrous law are felt around the country. The American people know what they get when the minority party is stripped of its filibuster rights: they get unchecked power by the Executive Branch. The Pr… Continue Reading
11.08.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
For the past several weeks, as Obamacare has been rolled out and its provisions have started to take effect, individuals in North Carolina and around the country have faced cancellation notices and higher premiums despite President Obama's repeated promises that such events would not occur. These reports reveal the broader problems with this law and expose the reality that Healthcare.gov's so-called "glitches" are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the train wreck of Obamaca… Continue Reading
07.12.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week the Senate grappled with legislation on student loan rates and, once again, did not reach a consensus. Despite rates doubling last Monday, Harry Reid and other Senate Democrats chose to stand behind Senators Reed and Hagan's stop-gap measure that would kick the can until next year - the same action taken in 2012 - instead of the bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Manchin, King, Alexander, Coburn, Carper, and me. Our bill offers a permanent solution that lowers rates and provi… Continue Reading
06.28.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week, I worked with a bipartisan group of fellow Senators to forge a solution, the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act, to avert student loan rates from doubling on July 1st and provide a permanent solution that would lower and fix interest rates for 100% of newly issued student loans. This bill is a bipartisan, permanent market-based solution that ensures access and affordability for students seeking higher education and gives them the certainty they need to plan for the future. It ref… Continue Reading
06.21.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
Today Governor Holshouser's friends, colleagues, and loved ones will gather at his memorial service to pay their respects. His lifelong dedication and service to our state was defined by many outstanding accomplishments that made North Carolina a better place to live. Governor Holshouser was a trusted counselor, great friend, an exemplary leader, and will be sorely missed. Please keep Governor Holshouser and his family in your thoughts and prayers. This week the Senate Committee on Energy … Continue Reading
06.14.13
Legislative Update from Senator Richard Burr
This week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a markup to consider the K-12 education legislation currently being pushed by Senate Democrats, which would lead to more micromanagement of North Carolina's schools, require transfers of teachers and principals based on test scores, create a national school board that requires reporting of everything from student pregnancies to the amount of local dollars spent on school athletics and coaches, and a mandate on … Continue Reading
