{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Democrat\", state = \"VA\" and year = 2015 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=577", "Prince William Living: Connolly's Thoughts on Transportation Issues", "2015-12-30", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Connolly shared his thoughts on transportation issues facing Prince William County, and efforts to begin the conversation on extending Metro to Prince William. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Peter LineberryMetrorail service along the I-95 and I-66 corridors, extending south to Woodbridge and west to Manassas, might be the ultimate revitalization project for Prince William. County officials are clearly in favor of it. But how likely is it to happen, and in what time frame?Gerald \u201cGerry\u201d Connolly represents Virginia\u2019s Eleventh Congressional District, which encompasses most of Fairfax County and eastern Prince William, as well as part of the Route 66 corridor.\u00a0 He graciously and exclusively shares his thoughts about Metro and related transportation issues with our online readers.\u201cCommunity revitalization efforts can breathe new life into a neighborhood and its residents, whether it is as simple as sprucing up a store front or a more grand scale transformation that includes improving how people get to and from the places they want to go. Few things trigger such a visceral reaction in our region as traffic and the amount of time spent stuck in it, and I have spent most of my life in public office advocating for increased investments in transportation.\u201cDuring my tenure on the [Fairfax] Board of Supervisors, and now in Congress, I have been proud to partner with Prince William County to advance improvements for interstates 95 and 66 and for expanding mass transit services. For example, the Recovery Act alone invested millions of dollars in Prince William to purchase new locomotives for VRE, new buses for PRTC, widen the Prince William County Parkway, and to make other road repairs across the county.\u201cBased on my experience in local government, revitalization efforts that were paired with road and/or transit improvements proved to be the most successful, and, in some cases, those improvements fueled the revitalization itself. Just look at the success of the new Mosaic District in Merrifield, where new commercial and residential developments are thriving thanks to road improvements that unclogged a notorious bottleneck and development that better ties into the nearby Dunn Loring Metro Station. Of course, the arrival of the Silver Line in Tysons sparked more transit-, pedestrian-friendly redevelopment years in advance based on the anticipation of Metro\u2019s arrival in the region\u2019s \u201cdowntown.\u201d There is a synergy and excitement that is palpable when people begin to realize the return these transportation investments have on their quality of life and in delivering new amenities for them to enjoy.\u201cThere are multiple revitalization opportunities, large and small, across Prince William. I have pushed to have a robust community discussion about the possibility of using a Metro expansion as a catalyst for those opportunities, whether it\u2019s in the I-95 or I-66 corridors. The Silver Line had been discussed since the 1960s, but the real effort began in earnest with a feasibility study in the mid-1980s. We may be a number of years away from trains running in Prince William, but thousands of our residents already are driving into Fairfax to hop on Metro, and there is growing interest across the county for another commuting choice. Doing nothing is not an option.\u201cThe recent action by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to endorse this legislation is another important step towards determining whether Metro to Prince William County is in our future. I introduced HR 779 because we needed to start a conversation about studying the extension of Metro to Prince William now, so that we\u2019re ready when the opportunity arrives. Since then, I have worked to build local support, and we\u2019ve been successful \u2014 more than 200 people attended a community forum I organized and the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, the Dale City Civic Association, and the Town of Dumfries have all endorsed the idea. That local support is a necessary prerequisite to secure state support for going forward with the federal process.\u201cI know Metro is facing some very real challenges due to a lack of investment in maintenance and capital improvements. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to have fought successfully in each of the last six years to deliver $150 million in federal capital funding that will help Metro to upgrade its network and purchase new rail cars. With the right investments and the right management, Metro has said it could be ready for an extension as soon as 2025. The question is: Will we be ready? The potential return on this investment in terms of revitalization and quality of life are significant. For the sake of Prince William commuters, we have to try.\u201dhttp://princewilliamliving.com/2015/12/connollys-thoughts-transportation-issues/", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=575", "NY Times: Americans Held Hostage in Iran Win Compensation 36 Years Later", "2015-12-28", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "After spending 444 days in captivity, and more than 30 years seeking restitution, the Americans taken hostage at the United States Embassy in Tehran in 1979 have finally won compensation. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      By DAVID M. HERSZENHORNAfter spending 444 days in captivity, and more than 30 years seeking restitution, the Americans taken hostage at the United States Embassy in Tehran in 1979 have finally won compensation.Buried in the huge spending bill signed into law last Friday are provisions that would give each of the 53 hostages or their estates up to $4.4 million. Victims of other state-sponsored terrorist attacks such as the 1998 American Embassy bombings in East Africa would also be eligible for benefits under the law.\u201cI had to pull over to the side of the road, and I basically cried,\u201d said Rodney V. Sickmann, who was a Marine sergeant working as a guard at the embassy in Tehran when he was seized along with the other Americans by a mob that overran the compound on Nov. 4, 1979. \u201cIt has been 36 years, one month, 14 days, obviously, until President Obama signed the actual bill, until Iran was held accountable,\u201d he said.The law now stands to bring closure to an episode that riveted the nation and ruptured America\u2019s ties with Iran. The very agreement that won the hostages\u2019 release in 1981 barred them from seeking restitution. Their legal claims were repeatedly blocked in the courts, including an appeal denied by the Supreme Court. Congress tried but failed to pass laws granting them relief.But this year, vindication came in a decision that forced the Paris-based bank BNP Paribas to pay a $9 billion penalty for violating sanctions against Iran, Sudan and Cuba. Some of that money was suddenly available for victims of state-sponsored terrorism. Congress was also motivated by many members\u2019 anger over the Iran nuclear accord.Some of the hostages were subject to physical and psychological torture during their long ordeal, and many regarded the thaw as frustrating and premature.Like most of the hostages, Mr. Sickmann learned of the imminent legislation in a conference call with their main lawyer, V. Thomas Lankford, on Dec. 16.\u201cIt became clear that we were sort of inextricably linked to the nuclear negotiations,\u201d Mr. Lankford said in an interview. \u201cThose negotiations resulted in an understanding that an inevitable next step in securing a relationship was to address the reason for the rupture, which was our kidnapping and torture.\u201d\u201cAs valuable as stopping the spread of nuclear arms is,\u201d he added, \u201cit\u2019s equally important to establish the precedent that in one way, shape, form or another, a state sponsor of terrorism will not be permitted to walk away.\u201dIt is not clear whether all the former hostages or their families will receive full payments. In large measure that is because the $4.4 million total authorized by Congress depends on the outcome of efforts to collect on judgments won in earlier court rulings involving victims of terrorist attacks, as well as on the number of victims who file claims.The law authorizes payments of up to $10,000 per day of captivity for each of the 53 hostages, 37 of whom are still alive. Fifty-two hostages were released on Jan. 20, 1981; a 53rd hostage had been released earlier because of illness. Spouses and children are authorized to receive a lump payment of as much as $600,000.Of the $9 billion penalty paid by BNP Paribas, about $1 billion will be put into a compensation fund for victims of terrorism, with more money and assets potentially added as a result of continuing litigation. An additional $2.8 billion will aid victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and their family members.Initial payments are to be disbursed within one year, according to a formula that will be overseen by a special master appointed by the Justice Department and that imposes limits on payments to victims who have won judgments in excess of $20 million. The initial payments are expected to fall well short of the maximum.Several of the surviving hostages and their families said that reparations were long overdue. Many said they felt their ordeal had been long forgotten by the general public until the 2012 movie \u201cArgo,\u201d directed by Ben Affleck, which focused on six people who managed to escape from the besieged embassy and take refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor.Some of the hostages also said the compensation award would serve as a reminder of the perils still faced by United States diplomatic personnel working in dangerous locations overseas, such as the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, where Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in 2012.\u201cTime and time again, we thought we\u2019d get a bill,\u201d said David M. Roeder, a retired Air Force colonel who was an attach\u00e9 at the embassy in Tehran when he was taken hostage. \u201cWe were pushing toward the goal line, and our portion would get stripped out.\u201dMr. Roeder called the experience \u201cthe epitome of the roller coaster ride.\u201d He added, \u201cWe were sent into harm\u2019s way by our government and then nobody seemed to want to do anything about it.\u201dOver the years, the former hostages had numerous champions in Congress. In recent years, some of their strongest advocates included the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, Representative Sean Duffy, Republican of Wisconsin, and Representative Gerald E. Connolly, Democrat of Virginia. All had pushed for stand-alone legislation to compensate the ex-hostages.In a statement, Mr. Reid said that the action by Congress was long overdue. \u201cThese Americans, held hostage for 444 days in 1979, deserved to finally be compensated for the horrors that they and their families have survived,\u201d he said.Mr. Sickmann said that he would have preferred that Iran pay compensation directly, as Libya did for victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, but that he did not expect an apology from Iran. \u201cI don\u2019t believe that they will ever, ever apologize,\u201d he said. \u201cThey don\u2019t believe that they did anything wrong.\u201dSome former hostages and their family members had expressed frustration at the Justice and State Departments for blocking efforts over the years to get compensation. In a sense, the spending bill represents Congress\u2019s taking control of the BNP Paribas money back from the Justice Department.Some hostages did not want to discuss the legislation. \u201cIt\u2019s enough,\u201d said Barry Rosen, who was a press attach\u00e9 at the embassy. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone through enough.\u201dhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/25/us/politics/americans-held-hostage-in-iran-win-compensation-36-years-later.html", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=576", "Connolly Statement on Prime Minister Abe's Apology and Compensation Offer to South Korean \"Comfort Women\" Victims", "2015-12-28", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Connolly Statement on Prime Minister Abe's Apology and Compensation Offer to South Korean \"Comfort Women\" Victims \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington, DC,\r\n        December 28, 2015\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n        Congressman Gerry Connolly, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, released the following statement in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's apology and compensation offer to South Korean \"Comfort Women\" victims. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea, released the following statement in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\u2019s apology and compensation offer to South Korean \u201cComfort Women\u201d victims:\u201cI welcome the long overdue apology for the \u201cComfort Women\u201d and hopefully the beginning of a new chapter in South Korea-Japan relations. The plight of the \u201cComfort Women\u201d is a matter of historical record, and Prime Minister Abe\u2019s actions today should help offer these women and their families the dignity and respect they deserve.\u201dCongressman Connolly is co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Korea and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on the Asia-Pacific. Connolly has supported legislation that called on the Government of Japan to accept responsibility for World War II era transgressions, namely the coercion of women into sexual slavery. The legislation also urged the Prime Minister to issue a public statement in his official capacity apologizing for the enslavement and trafficking of women. In 2014, Connolly wrote to the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. to express his profound disappointment that the Government of Japan had conducted a review of a statement issued by Japan\u2019s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono in 1993 acknowledging the coercion of \u201cComfort Women\u201d into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces. In the letter, Connolly noted that any effort to diminish the suffering experienced by the \u201cComfort Women\u201d or undermine the Japanese government\u2019s subsequent contrition is deeply regrettable. \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-statement-on-retirement-of-congressman-robert-hurt", "Kaine Statement On Retirement Of Congressman Robert Hurt", "2015-12-23", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Statement On Retirement Of Congressman Robert Hurt\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 23, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tRICHMOND, VA  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement today on Congressman Robert Hurts retirement:\r\nFrom his start in local politics on theChatham Town Council to his tenure in the General Assembly and three terms in Congress, Robert Hurt has made a strong mark on his community. I'm proud of our work across the aisle to help move projects like Commonwealth Crossing Business Center and Berry Hill Mega Park forward, and I'm grateful for his partnership as we continue to fight back against attempts to derail the construction of an embassy security training facility at Fort Pickett.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=5727dc51-80e9-4d86-ab7a-2b096c6c88da", "Statement of Sen. Warner on Today's Announcement by Rep. Hurt", "2015-12-23", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on todays announcement by U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt (R-5th) that he will not seek reelection next year:\r\nI have respected and enjoyed working alongside Robert Hurt for 13 years.\r\nWhen Robert was a state delegate and I served as Virginia governor, we worked together to improve schools and strengthen the economy across southside.\r\nToday, as colleagues in Virginias congressional delegation, Rep. Hurt has been a strong partner and a reliable advocate for the people of the Fifth District and across Virginia.\r\nI thank him for his public service and offer my best wishes.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=574", "WaPo: Washington region reaps the benefits of new congressional spending plan", "2015-12-22", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "area elected officials repeatedly sounded the alarm in recent years that the dysfunction and austerity ruling Congress were hurting the local economy to the point where it lagged behind the nation\u2019s.Then details of a new $1.1\u00a0trillion omnibus spending package came down from Capitol Hill.The legislation, approved by the House and Senate last week, provides $557\u00a0million for a Department of Homeland Security campus in the District, $390\u00a0million toward an FBI campus, $154\u00a0million for improvements at Fort Meade, $150\u00a0million for Metro and $60\u00a0million for the Gaithersburg campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.The tax section of the agreement boosts the cap on the transit benefit for federal workers and makes it retroactive by a year. Federal employees also will keep a 1.3\u00a0percent raise that President Obama ordered in August.Money for budget items largely spent in the Washington area is also up. Nearly $24\u00a0billion more has been included in the budget for defense, $2\u00a0billion more for the National Institutes of Health, $132\u00a0million more for the Office of Personnel Management (including $21\u00a0million devoted to cybersecurity), and $133\u00a0million more for the Food and Drug Administration.That comes on the heels of a five-year transportation bill that included $6.2\u00a0billion for Virginia, $4.4\u00a0billion for Maryland and $268\u00a0million more for the District, an allocation that could advance infrastructure projects such as reconstruction of Arlington Memorial Bridge.\u201cIt is light years away from the pay freeze and federal government assault that has characterized federal budget spending for the past three years,\u201d said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.). \u201cRegionally, there\u2019s even more, frankly, to crow about.\u201dD.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) referred to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) as a \u201cbipartisan wizard\u201d Friday on WAMU after the retiring senator landed the $390\u00a0million for a new FBI headquarters although the General Services Administration has not decided where it will be built.\u201cI don\u2019t know if I have ever seen anyone ever get money when the decision about the location hasn\u2019t even been made,\u201d Norton said.Virginia may have suffered more from the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration, as well as the 2013 government shutdown, than any other state. From 2010 to 2014, the federal payroll there shrank by $1.16\u00a0billion, or 7.5 percent, according to the Virginia Employment Commission. In 2014, the commonwealth posted zero\u00a0percent economic growth, 48th among states.Maryland and the District have not been not immune, either, with government contractors cutting back and vacating large amounts of office space, hampering local tax collections.\u201cOne of the most important things to a business is certainty,\u201d Maryland\u2019s business and development secretary, R. Michael Gill, said in a statement. \u201cHaving an approved budget package gives Maryland businesses connected to federal facilities greater stability as they look to expand and create jobs.\u201dDuring sequestration, the refrain from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and other local elected leaders was dour: We can no longer count on Congress for economic growth.But the number of government-related jobs is rising again, said Terry Clower, deputy director of George Mason University\u2019s Center for Regional Analysis. Of the 67,000 jobs added in the area over the past year, he said, 25,000 were in the \u201cprofessional services\u201d industry, where most government contractors are.November marked 20 straight months in Virginia of year-over-year employment growth. In the District, the unemployment rate dropped from 7.7\u00a0percent in January to 6.6\u00a0percent in November.Clower also said Metro funding could have a \u201cripple effect\u201d: If service and safety in the system improve, more people will ride. Outside of transit, he said, the spending is not likely to match huge increases seen between 2000 and 2010, and he said he did not know how much of the larger pools of money would be spent locally.\u201cIt doesn\u2019t represent that happy days are here again. The candy shop isn\u2019t open yet, at least not all the way,\u201d Clower said.Indeed, some of the austerity practices adopted by the president and Congress appear to be here to stay. There is no sign that the GSA will depart from its efforts to put more employees in smaller spaces.The DHS campus, for instance, will have 12,800 desks for 17,000 employees. The Justice Department occupies more than a million square feet in four locations downtown but will be consolidating into 840,000 square feet in two buildings in the District\u2019s NoMa neighborhood.An additional 20\u00a0million square feet of leases in the area are in holdover, meaning on short-term extensions, and their tenants also could opt for space consolidation, said Sandy Paul, managing director of research for Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.\u201cI think what may have happened is that some of the members of Congress who had been a thorn in GSA\u2019s side [in relation to spending] realized that doing these short-term extensions was more expensive than long-term planning, which helps create efficiency,\u201d Paul said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=284", "Beyer Celebrates Federal Employee Measures in Omnibus", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "There is finally some good news for federal employees in the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress this morning.  The $1.1 trillion spending package included a pay raise for federal employees and our service members, as well as significant additional funding for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), some of which is earmarked for cybersecurity. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      There is finally some good news for federal employees in the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress this morning. The $1.1 trillion spending package included a pay raise for federal employees and service members, as well as significant additional funding for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), some of which is earmarked for cybersecurity. \r\nFederal employees suffered through enough with years of wage stagnation, furloughs and shutdowns, and, perhaps most egregiously, the theft of their personal information as a result of the OPM hacks, said Rep. Beyer. In addition to cybersecurity investments to prevent future breaches, this deal gives our federal workforce a modest 1.3 percent pay raise for the second year in a row.\r\nThese efforts will help improve the recruitment and retention of federal employees to help our government grow the new American economy, Beyer added.\r\nThe agreement provides $272 million for OPM and the OPM Inspector General, a $132 million increase over the previous year. The legislation also provides $21 million for critical upgrades to OPMs cybersecurity infrastructure and to ensure protections to prevent similar security breaches are installed. Individuals affected by the OPM data breaches will be provided with identity protection coverage for 10 years -- much more than the previous commitment -- and identity theft insurance in the amount of $5,000,000.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-statement-on-fy16-omnibus", "Scott Statement on FY16 Omnibus", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As originally released by the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats\nWASHINGTON, D.C.  Ranking Member Robert C. Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 2029, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, which fully funds the federal government through September 30, 2016, provides a two year implementation delay of the excise tax on high-cost employer sponsored health insurance plans, makes important investments in students and does not hinder the Department of Labors ability to enforce rules that protect workers. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 316-113 (Roll Call No.705).\nDespite recent gains in our economy, too many working families are still struggling to make ends meet. With todays vote, the House has taken a significant step forward to help workers, students and families.The investments made in this bill are necessary to ensure our nations economic health and competitiveness.\nThe bill provides substantial support for job training and apprenticeship programs, which are proven pathways to a sustainable career. I am pleased that some of the most egregious policy riders that were in early versions of the bill were ultimately removed. These provisions would have allowed interference with employee organizing, unsafe workplaces, unscrupulous retirement savings advice, discrimination and wage theft.\nThis appropriations bill also includes significant increases in federal education programs, especially for those benefiting low-income students. These additional funds will help close resource and opportunity gaps at every level of our education system and will help make sure a high-quality education is within reach of every American child.\nWhile this bill provides adequate funding increases for programs that support students and workers, Congress must still rebalance its priorities to better ensure that hardworking American families have the opportunity to prosper. I am confident that by working together, we can increase investments in measures to boost wages, help workers to better balance work and family life, and level the playing field to create opportunity for all in the future.\n# # #\nFY2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act Fact Sheet  Committee on Education and the Workforce Democrats\n2015 enacted level: $156.8 billion\n2016 Committee mark: $153.1 billion\n2016 Omnibus: $162.1 billion\nDepartment of Labor \n $1.6 billion for worker protection agencies  including Wage and Hour, OSHA, MSHA, OFCCP  at the Department of Labor which is $3 million more than the 2015 enacted level and $39 million more than the House bill.\n\t$2.7 billion for WIOA Job Training Formula Grant program, which is $86 million more than the 2015 enacted level and the House bill.\n\t$90 million to expand opportunities relating to apprenticeship programs registered under the National Apprenticeship Act.\n Independent Labor Agencies\n $274 million for the National Labor Relations Board to carry out its functions, which is $74 million more than the 2015 enacted level and the House bill.\n\t$364 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is the same as the FY 2015 enacted level.\n Department of Education \n $14.9 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, which is $500 million more than the 2015 enacted level and the House bill.\n\t$11.9 billion for Special Education state grants (IDEA), which is $415 million more than the 2015 enacted level and $87 million less than the House bill.\n\t$1.3 billion for Impact Aid, which is $17 million more than the 2015 enacted level and $7 million more than the House bill.\n\t$2.3 billion for Improving Teacher Quality State Grants, which is the same as the 2015 enacted level and $668 million more than the House bill.\n\t$1.17 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which is $15 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level.\n\t$120 million for Investing in Innovation, which is the same as the FY 2015 enacted level.\n\t$190 million for Striving Readers, which is $30 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level.\n\t$153 million for Math and Science Partnerships, which is the same as the FY 2015 enacted level.\n\t$450 million for School Improvement Grants, which received $506 million in 2015.\n\t$250 million for Preschool Development Grants, which is the same as the FY 2015 enacted level.\n\t$22.5 billion for Pell Grants, which is the same as the 2015 enacted level and $370 million more than the House bill. When combined with mandatory funding, these discretionary funds will enable the maximum grant to increase to an estimated $5,915, an increase of $140 in the 2016-2017 school year.\n\t$570 million for Aid for Institutional Development, which is $40 million more than the 2015 enacted level and $26 million more than the House bill.\n Health and Human Services\n $2.8 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grants, which is $326 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level and the House bill.\n\t$9.2 billion for Head Start, which is $570 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level and $378 million more than the House bill.\n\t\t$635 million for Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, which is $135 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level.\n\t\t\n\t$835 million for Seniors Nutrition programs, which is $20 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level and $14 million more than the House bill.\n Juvenile Justice\n $270.2 million for Juvenile Justice, which is $18.7 million more than the FY 2015 level and $83.7 million above the House bill.\n\t\t$17.5 million for delinquency prevention which includes funding for Tribal Youth Program, girls in the juvenile justice system, and gang and youth violence education, prevention and intervention, and related activities.\n\t\t\n Child Nutrition & WIC\n $23 million for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children program, which is $11 million more than the House bill and $7 million more than the FY 2015 enacted level. Participation is not limited to certain communities as it was last year.\n\t$6.35 billion for Special Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which is consistent with the current estimate of need; $60 million is specifically targeted to breastfeeding support, the same as the FY 2015 enacted level.\n The Omnibus does not include harmful policy provisions from the House bill, which would have: \n Blocked funding for a fiduciary responsibility rule  a rule designed to ensure that financial advisers provide advice in the best interests of their clients, rather than advice that is lucrative for the adviser.\n\tBlocked the NLRBs Election rule, Joint Employer standard, and its ability to rule on the proper size of collective bargaining units.\n\tBlocked the OSHA crystalline silica rule\n\tBlocked the Department of Educations Gainful Employment, Credit Hour, State Authorization and Teacher Preparation rules and the College Ratings System.\n The Omnibus includes policy provisions that will: \n Delay the High Cost Plan Excise Tax  often referred to as the Cadillac tax  for two years for an effective date of 2020.\n\tDisallow $2.6 million in funding for an Office of Labor Compliance to implement the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, but does not prevent the rule or guidance from being finalized.\n\tRequire a study of MSHAs respirable coal dust rule by the National Academy of Sciences, and requires MSHA to report to Congress when mine operators compliance with its new rule falls below 95 percent.\n\tRequire OSHA to publicize new interpretative guidance regarding the applicability of its Process Safety Management rule to retailers.\n\tRequire the Department of Labor to accept private wage surveys in the H-2B program.\n\tBlock the Department of Labor from enforcing the three-fourths guarantee and corresponding employment requirements and from conducting audits in the H-2B program.\n\tExempt seasonal contractors offering recreational services or recreational equipment rental on federal land from receiving the minimum wage of $10.10 established by Executive Order 13658.\n\tRestrict the Department of Agricultures implementation of target two sodium levels in child nutrition programs until scientific research confirms the need for further reductions.\n\tAllow for states to set up a process to grant waivers from the whole grain requirement in school meals.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=572", "Connolly Statement in Support of the Bipartisan Omnibus Spending Bill", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Connolly issued the following statement in support of the bipartisan Omnibus Spending Bill that avoids a government shutdown restores funding for our nation's defense and domestic priorities. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Congressman Connolly issued the following statement in support of the bipartisan Omnibus Spending Bill:Passage of the omnibus spending bill delivers on the Bipartisan Budget Agreement I supported in late October to avert both a government shutdown and a historic default on our nation\u2019s credit. This latest compromise restores critical funding for our nation\u2019s defense and domestic priorities in a balanced fashion. Perhaps most important, it spares Northern Virginia from the harmful cuts of sequestration, which have served as a drag on our region\u2019s economy.Residents and businesses across Northern Virginia stand to benefit significantly from this legislation, which will fund the federal government through Sept. 30, 2016. Of particular interest to our region, this omnibus bill will increase transportation investments by nearly $4 billion. I worked with the region\u2019s congressional delegation to fend off attempts to cut the federal government\u2019s $150 million contribution to Metro\u2019s ongoing safety and capital improvements. We successfully restored the full funding. Reneging on that commitment would have caused a disastrous ripple effect across the region, jeopardizing the matching $150 million from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. and threatening the progress needed to restore safety and confidence in Metro.In addition, this bipartisan bill ensures federal employees and members of our nation\u2019s military receive a 1.3% pay raise next year. Federal funding for industry research and innovation will grow considerably under the new budgets for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes for Health, and the departments of defense and energy, among others. Additional support is being sent to our state and local partners for law enforcement and emergency responders. Our youngest and oldest residents will benefit from expanded nutrition and day-care assistance. The budget agreement also will increase investments in our students, both in k-12 and college classrooms, including a $140 increase in the maximum Pell Grant awards. It preserves, and even expands, funding to protect the environment and promote affordable housing, which are priorities in our community. I also am glad that the omnibus bill includes important language for which I fought regarding compensation for former Iran hostages and their families, U.S. policy towards the forcible and illegal annexation of Crimea, and training for security personnel and diplomats at our foreign embassies. Just as important, the agreement does not include odious proposals to restrict the President\u2019s immigration reforms, to impede efforts to reduce carbon emissions, to block a woman\u2019s access to comprehensive health care, or to infringe on the rights of working Americans. This bipartisan effort represents a considerable improvement over the alternative. The original House Republican budget proposal would have whittled domestic spending down to its lowest level in 50 years. This bill restores critical investments in our people, our communities, and our economy.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=573", "Iran Hostage Compensation Included in Omnibus Legislation", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Gerry Connolly announced that compensation for victims and families of the 1979 Hostage Crisis was included in the final Omnibus spending package.  Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Congressman Gerry Connolly announced that compensation for victims and families of the 1979 Hostage Crisis was included in the final Omnibus spending package.\u201cFor 444 days, the hostages endured brutal physical and mental abuse at the hands of their captors, and their families agonized over their fate,\u201d said Rep. Connolly. \u201cAfter more than three decades, compensation for the victims of the Iran Hostage Crisis and their families is long past due. I hope this action will help bring closure to the victims and their families.\u201dThe Omnibus bill includes language that would provide the following compensation levels:Hostages: 10,000/day the person was held hostageSpouses: $600,000 lump sumChildren: $600,000 lump sumThe 11th District of Virginia is home to at least one former hostage as well several children and spouses of hostages who would qualify for the compensation.To secure the release of the hostages, the Carter Administration agreed to the Algiers Accords, which barred the hostages from bringing claims against the government of Iran for its role in orchestrating the embassy takeover. The hostages remain the only victims of state-sponsored terrorism who cannot seek a judgment in U.S. courts.Earlier this year, Rep. Connolly joined Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) to introduce The Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2015. This legislation would establish a compensation fund for the American hostages held in Iran in 1979with a compensation structure largely mirrored in the text of the Omnibus legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/following-senate-passage-of-final-omnibus-appropriations-bill-warner-and-kaine-applaud-virginia-provisions-", "Following Senate Passage Of Final Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Warner & Kaine Applaud Virginia Provisions", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Following Senate Passage Of Final Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Warner & Kaine Applaud Virginia Provisions \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 18, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which provides discretionary funding for the entire federal government for the next fiscal year.\r\nThe bipartisan budget deal helped pave the way for this legislation, which restores some of the most harmful sequester cuts and provides certainty to our military and to Virginia shipyards. It provides much-needed additional resources to improve cybersecurity across the federal government, including the Office of Personnel Management, and it gives the federal workforce and our federal retirees additional peace of mind of knowing that victims of the OPM hack can count on extended identity theft protection, Warner said. While the bipartisan package supports many programs and priorities which are important to Virginians, I remain concerned that this legislation does little to address our nations longer-term fiscal challenges. I certainly hope the spirit of bipartisanship displayed by passage of this imperfect budget bill will result in a more fiscally responsible approach to budget issues in the new year.\r\n\r\nIm pleased this bill addresses arbitrary budget caps set by sequestration, invests in Virginias shipbuilders so they have certainty and stability and lends a helping hand to middle- to low-income families trying to make ends meet. Additionally, this bill provides full funding for a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC), which will be located at Fort Pickett, in recognition of the essential need to provide our diplomatic personnel the training they need to represent the United States in dangerous places overseas. Though this bill isnt perfect, I chose to support it because it funds programs that are critical to our nations security and success, and it will allow federal agencies to plan ahead. Most importantly, this is a compromise that will give budget certainty to families and businesses. The bipartisan character of this agreement will hopefully encourage more such cooperation, Kaine said.\r\nThe following list includes many of the provisions Warner and Kaine advocated for on behalf of Virginia that were included in the Appropriations bill:\r\nNavy Shipbuilding: The bill includes $18.7 billion for Navy shipbuilding and initiates the funding for construction of 11 new ships. The bill also continues the funding for the construction of the Ford-class air craft carriers, over $5 billion for construction of Virginia-class submarines, two destroyers, one amphibious ship and $1.4 billion for Ohio-class replacement submarines.\r\nMilitary Construction: The bill provides $8.2 billion for military construction projects. These funds support construction and renovation projects at military bases across the globe, including more than $450 million for 19 projects in Virginia. This includes $43.9 million for an Embassy Security Guard Housing and Operations Center in Quantico, $75 million for a Communications Center in Norfolk, $30 million for Arlington National Cemetery, $28 million for a Fuel Pier and Distribution Facility at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, $29 million for a National Guard and Reserve Center in Richmond, $24 million for an Equipment Facility at Fort A.P. Hill and $4 million in road improvements and a welcome center on Wallops Island.\r\nDefense Operations and Maintenance: The bill includes $167 billion for operations and maintenance, including $39.6 billion for Navy Operations and Maintenance, a critical account for maintaining the readiness of naval assets and supporting Virginias ship repair industry. The bill also includes over $281 million in additional funding for commissaries and $608.6 million in additional funding that helps the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines begin recovering from readiness shortfalls due to more than a decade of sustained combat operations further complicated by sequestration.\r\nEmbassy Security: The bill provides $99 million for a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) pending a cost benefit analysis, which has already been completed. The funding represents strong Congressional support and recognition of the need to better protect our U.S. Embassy personnel in a heightened global threat environment. A GAO study released in September concluded that Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Virginia meets all four key requirements for a new facility. This followed a 2012 report from the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, an independent panel convened in the wake of the tragedy that recommended urgently moving forward with FASTC at Fort Pickett and a review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that resulted in the same conclusion - that Fort Pickett is the best site.\r\nFBI Headquarters: The bill includes $390 million to begin the initial design, engineering and construction of a new fully funded consolidated headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). A site in Springfield is one of three under consideration by the General Services Administration for the new FBI headquarters.\r\nWallops Flight Facility, Langley Research Center & National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): The bill funds NASA at $19.28 billion, an increase of $1.27 billion above the FY15 enacted level. Within this total, the bill provides at least $7 million in FY16 appropriated funds for NASA Wallops to improve spaceport infrastructure through the 21st Century Launch Complex program. It also includes $389 million for overall NASA construction, which will allow NASA Langley to begin construction on a new state-of-the-art measurement systems lab.\r\nUnmanned Aerial Systems (UAS): This bill funds UAS research at $17.6 million, a $5 million increase from last year, which will be used for research and testing on integrating UAS into the national airspace. Virginia has one of six Federal Aviation Administration-designated test sites, the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership led by Virginia Tech.\r\n9/11 First Responders and Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism: The bill renews health benefits for firefighters, police officers and other first responders who became sick because of toxic exposure at the sites of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including hundreds of Virginians, through 2090. It reauthorizes the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and creates a fund to compensate U.S. victims of state sponsored terrorism. Kaine and Warner co-sponsored the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to renew these benefits.\r\nCybersecurity: The bill provides a total of $100 million in new funding for DHS for key cybersecurity improvements. The bill also includes $21 million to the Office of Personnel Management to address its cybersecurity needs following the data breaches announced in July 2015. Language in the bill provides 10 years of identity theft protectionand insurance up to $5,000. The bill also includes the Cyber Information Sharing Act (CISA), including a Warner provision to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) greater authority to protect the federal governments civilian .gov networks.\r\nIntelligence Authorization Act: The bill includes the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2016. It would require the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on standards for measuring damage from attacks on computer networks, in order to craft a response. This legislation includes a Warner provision to require a comprehensive approach to the overhead satellite architecture that supports U.S. intelligence and defense programs.\r\nInternal Revenue Service: The bill provides an additional $290 million for IRS to respond to taxpayer questions and improve fraud detection and prevention and cybersecurity.\r\nCriminal Justice: The bill includes funding for programs to support law enforcement officers and improve police-community relations, including $476 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants and $70 million to support the purchase of body-worn cameras for police.\r\nOpioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis: The bill provides $7 million to fund anti-heroin task forces within the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. It also provides funding for Justice Department grant programs available to state and local governments for residential drug treatment, prescription drug monitoring and drug courts. The bill includes $70 million to fund the Centers for Disease Controls state-based efforts to address prescription opioid abuse  more than triple the amount included in last years bill.The bill also increases funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration including $47 million directed to addressing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin overdose.\r\nSeafood Industry and H-2B Visas: The bill includes a new provision that exempts some returning non-immigrant workers from counting towards the annual cap of H-2B visas. The provision also gives employers more flexibility in scheduling the arrival of workers to better meet the demands of their business needs. Virginias seafood industry relies on this program for seasonal workers and economic growth.\r\nPediatric Research: The bill includes $12.6 million for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Act, which authorizes pediatric research within the Common Fund at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The authorizing legislation was named for 10 year-old Gabriella Miller of Loudoun County who passed away from cancer in October of 2013.\r\nAlzheimers Research: The bill includes $936 million for Alzheimers research, an increase of $350 million.\r\nNational Park Service: The bill provides $2.85 billion for the National Park Service, a 9% increase to support the 2016 centennial.\r\nLand and Water Conservation: The bill provides $450 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will fund additional programs within the Rivers of the Chesapeake Collaborative Landscape program.\r\nChesapeake Bay Program: The bill funds the Chesapeake Bay Program at $73 million and fully funds the Chesapeake Gateways & Trails program at $2 million.\r\nAmerican Battlefield Protection Program: The legislation fully funds this National Park Service program at $10 million. The program, which Kaine led the bipartisan effort to reauthorize in 2014, leverages private funds from states and landowners to preserve Civil War battlefields at risk of being lost to haphazard development.\r\nPort of Virginia and Norfolk flood control: Included in the nearly $6 billion U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program is a flood control feasibility study for the City of Norfolk, which will lead to future eligibility for construction funding to ease recurrent flooding. The bill also funds a feasibility study for deepening Norfolk harbor and channels to 55 feet, which will enable the Port of Virginia to serve the deepest draft post-Panamax cargo vessels.\r\nCareer and Technical Education (CTE): State grant funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act was maintained at $1.12 billion for FY16. Kaine, co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, has supported the reauthorization of the Perkins CTE Act.\r\nEarly Childhood Education: The bill includes $9.2 billion for Head Start, $570 million more than FY15. Early Head Start, including Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, will see an increase of $135 million. Additionally, the bill provides $250 million to continue support for the Preschool Development Grants program for states to develop and expand high-quality early learning programs. Virginia has received $17.5 million for the past two years and this funding will support the third year of Virginias four-year grant.\r\nTeacher Quality Partnership Grants: The bill includes $43.09 million for Teacher Quality Partnership Grants, an increase of $2.5 million. The Richmond Teacher Residency Program, a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Richmond Public Schools to train teachers to teach in high-need schools, is a recipient of the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants.\r\nApprenticeship Grant Program: The bill includes $90 million for a new Apprenticeship Grant program that will help states increase their capacity to register and oversee apprenticeship programs, help private companies launch apprenticeship programs and help community-based organizations better assist underserved populations and fund innovative apprenticeship opportunities.\r\nBlack Lung Clinics Program: The bill maintains funding at $6.76 million for the Black Lung Clinics Program which provides primary care, patient and family counseling and pulmonary rehabilitation.\r\nFederal Employee COLA: The bill allows the Presidents proposal for a one percent pay increase for federal employees to take effect in January.\r\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA): The bill provides $91.3 billion in mandatory funding for the VA.Additionally, the bill provides $63.3 billion in FY17 advance funding for veterans health care and $103 billion for FY17 advance funding for the VAs compensation and pensions mandatory accounts.\r\nVeterans Opioid Abuse: To address mounting concerns about prescription drug abuse and an overdose epidemic among veterans, the bill directs the VA to adopt the opioid prescribing guidelines developed by the Centers of Disease Control, to develop IT systems to track and monitor opioid prescriptions, to ensure all VA medical facilities are equipped with opioid receptor antagonists to treat drug overdoses, and to provide additional training to medical personnel who prescribe controlled substances.\r\n\r\nWMATA: Full funding of $150 million for WMATA grants, which will support capital improvements such as track safety and station upgrades, new train cars and other infrastructure that is overdue for maintenance that will improve Metro's safety and reliability.\r\n\r\nDATA Act: The bill provides $19 million to the Department of the Treasury for efforts to implement the DATA Act. The bipartisan DATA Act, landmark transparency legislation introduced by Senator Warner and signed into law in 2014, will allow taxpayers to track every dollar spent by federal agencies on a common website and help lawmakers more easily identify fraud, waste and abuse to create a more efficient government.\r\n\r\nBureau of Labor Statistics: The bill includes a $17 million increase for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It also includes a requirement that BLS report to Congress within one year on the Bureaus efforts to report on all forms of employment in the current economy, including the contingent workforce.\r\n\r\nVisa Waiver Program Reform: The bill includes a number of reforms that strengthen the Visa Waiver Program, including by requiring the collection of additional information from travelers before they arrive and by requiring countries to fully implement information sharing agreements with the U.S. Additionally, the bill requires individuals who have recently visited countries of concern to apply for visas before traveling to the United States.\r\nTax Provisions\r\nChild Tax Credit (CTC): The bill provides $88 billion to permanently extend and expand the CTC, which is critical to helping middle- to low-income families with the cost of raising a child. \r\nEarned Income Tax Credit (EITC): The bill provides $30 billion to permanently extend an increased credit for working families\r\nAmerican Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC): The bill provides $80 billion to permanently extend the AOTC, which helps students and families afford post-secondary education.\r\nResearch & Development Tax Credit: The bill provides $113 billion to permanently extend the Research and Development Tax Credit, which helps encourage business innovation and research. Included is a modification supported by Warner and Kaine to increase accessibility for startups.\r\nMass Transit Benefits: The bill provides $1.7 billion to permanently extend the increase in the monthly employer-provided transit and vanpool benefits from $130 to $250, which will help federal employees in their work commutes.\r\nEnergy Tax Provisions: Multi-year extensions of wind, solar, and alternative fuel credits and permanent extension of conservation easement tax credit.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-joins-20-democratic-senators-to-express-profound-concern-over-second-iranian-ballistic-missile-test-in-letter-to-president-obama", "Kaine Joins 20 Democratic Senators To Express Profound Concern Over Second Iranian Ballistic Missile Test In Letter To President Obama", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Joins 20 Democratic Senators To Express Profound Concern Over Second Iranian Ballistic Missile Test In Letter To President Obama\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 18, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees,along with U.S. Senators Ben Cardin, Chuck Schumer, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Gary Peters, Michael Bennet, Ron Wyden, Jeanne Shaheen, Debbie Stabenow, Heidi Heitkamp, Bill Nelson, Ed Markey, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bob Casey, Mark Warner, Cory Booker, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, Barbara Mikulski, and Jeff Merkley expressed profound concern in a letter to President Obama regarding a second ballistic missile test conducted by Iran on November 21st. \r\nIn the letter, the Senators write: We are deeply concerned by Irans continued violations of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1929 by testing a second ballistic missile on November 21, 2015If there are no consequences for this violation, Irans leaders will certainly also question the willingness of the international community to respond to violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and UN Security Council Resolution 2231.\r\nThe letter sent to President Obama today by the 21 U.S. Senators appears below.\r\nDear Mr. President:\r\nWe are deeply concerned by Irans continued violations of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1929 by testing a second ballistic missile on November 21, 2015. Once again, the international community has an opportunity to demonstrate its resolve in the face of Iranian violations of its international obligations.\r\nOn December 15, a panel of expert monitors working on behalf of the United Nations Security Council reported that, \"On the basis of its analysis and findings the Panel concludes that the Emad launch on October 10this a violation by Iran of paragraph 9 of Security Council Resolution 1929.\" Unfortunately, some members of the UN Security Council failed to condemn this violation and failed to take steps collectively to enforce Resolution 1929. If there are no consequences for this violation, Irans leaders will certainly also question the willingness of the international community to respond to violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and UN Security Council Resolution 2231.\r\nThe November test is Irans second recent violation of UNSCR 1929, which clearly states Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology. Clearly, the Security Council should take appropriate enforcement action against Iran in the face of this violation. On this matter, we recognize and appreciate United Nations Ambassador Samantha Powers ongoing efforts to build support to enforce consequences for the October 10 ballistic missile test by referring the issue to the Iran Sanctions Committee and advocating for a forceful response by the UN Security Council. However, in the time it took the Panel of Experts to make a determination on the first violation, Iran tested another ballistic missile.\r\nIn the absence of a UN Security Council commitment to enforcing UNSCR 1929, we request that you take action unilaterally, or in coordination with our European allies. Such action is essential to make clear to Irans leaders that there will be consequences for future violations of UN Security Council Resolutions and that the United States reserves the right under the JCPOA to take unilateral action in response to this and other significant actions by Iran in the areas of ballistic missile development, terrorism and human rights.\r\nSincerely,\r\nSenator Benjamin L. Cardin  Senator Charles E. Schumer  Senator Richard Blumenthal  Senator Christopher Coons  Senator Gary Peters  Senator Michael F. Bennet  Senator Ron Wyden  Senator Jeanne Shaheen  Senator Debbie Stabenow  Senator Heidi Heitkamp  Senator Tim Kaine  Senator Bill Nelson  Senator Edward J. Markey  Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand  Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.  Senator Mark R. Warner  Senator Cory A. Booker  Senator Maria Cantwell  Senator Martin Heinrich  Senator Barbara A. Mikulski  Senator Jeff Merkley\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=9abad7de-b0a4-42bd-80d8-0543f56ec09b", "Following Senate Passage of Final Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Warner & Kaine Applaud Virginia Priorities", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine applauded Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which provides discretionary funding for the entire federal government for the next fiscal year.\r\nThe bipartisan budget deal helped pave the way for this legislation, which restores some of the most harmful sequester cuts and provides certainty to our military and to Virginia shipyards. It provides much-needed additional resources to improve cybersecurity across the federal government, including the Office of Personnel Management, and it gives the federal workforce and our federal retirees additional peace of mind of knowing that victims of the OPM hack can count on extended identity theft protection, Warner said. While the bipartisan package supports many programs and priorities which are important to Virginians, I remain concerned that this legislation does little to address our nations longer-term fiscal challenges. I certainly hope the spirit of bipartisanship displayed by passage of this imperfect budget bill will result in a more fiscally responsible approach to budget issues in the new year.\r\n\r\nIm pleased this bill addresses arbitrary budget caps set by sequestration, invests in Virginias shipbuilders so they have certainty and stability and lends a helping hand to middle- to low-income families trying to make ends meet. Additionally, this bill provides full funding for a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC), which will be located at Fort Pickett, in recognition of the essential need to provide our diplomatic personnel the training they need to represent the United States in dangerous places overseas. Though this bill isnt perfect, I chose to support it because it funds programs that are critical to our nations security and success, and it will allow federal agencies to plan ahead. Most importantly, this is a compromise that will give budget certainty to families and businesses. The bipartisan character of this agreement will hopefully encourage more such cooperation, Kaine said.\r\nThe following list includes many of the provisions Warner and Kaine advocated for on behalf of Virginia that were included in the Appropriations bill:\r\nNavy Shipbuilding: The bill includes $18.7 billion for Navy shipbuilding and initiates the funding for construction of 11 new ships. The bill also continues the funding for the construction of the Ford-class air craft carriers, over $5 billion for construction of Virginia-class submarines, two destroyers, one amphibious ship and $1.4 billion for Ohio-class replacement submarines.\r\nMilitary Construction: The bill provides $8.2 billion for military construction projects. These funds support construction and renovation projects at military bases across the globe, including more than $450 million for 19 projects in Virginia. This includes $43.9 million for an Embassy Security Guard Housing and Operations Center in Quantico, $75 million for a Communications Center in Norfolk, $30 million for Arlington National Cemetery, $28 million for a Fuel Pier and Distribution Facility at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, $29 million for a National Guard and Reserve Center in Richmond, $24 million for an Equipment Facility at Fort A.P. Hill and $4 million in road improvements and a welcome center on Wallops Island.\r\nDefense Operations and Maintenance: The bill includes $167 billion for operations and maintenance, including $39.6 billion for Navy Operations and Maintenance, a critical account for maintaining the readiness of naval assets and supporting Virginias ship repair industry. The bill also includes over $281 million in additional funding for commissaries and $608.6 million in additional funding that helps the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines begin recovering from readiness shortfalls due to more than a decade of sustained combat operations further complicated by sequestration.\r\nEmbassy Security: The bill provides $99 million for a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) pending a cost benefit analysis, which has already been completed. The funding represents strong Congressional support and recognition of the need to better protect our U.S. Embassy personnel in a heightened global threat environment. A GAO study released in September concluded that Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Virginia meets all four key requirements for a new facility. This followed a 2012 report from the Benghazi Accountability Review Board, an independent panel convened in the wake of the tragedy that recommended urgently moving forward with FASTC at Fort Pickett and a review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that resulted in the same conclusion - that Fort Pickett is the best site.\r\nFBI Headquarters: The bill includes $390 million to begin the initial design, engineering and construction of a new fully funded consolidated headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). A site in Springfield is one of three under consideration by the General Services Administration for the new FBI headquarters.\r\nWallops Flight Facility, Langley Research Center & National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): The bill funds NASA at $19.28 billion, an increase of $1.27 billion above the FY15 enacted level. Within this total, the bill provides at least $7 million in FY16 appropriated funds for NASA Wallops to improve spaceport infrastructure through the 21st Century Launch Complex program. It also includes $389 million for overall NASA construction, which will allow NASA Langley to begin construction on a new state-of-the-art measurement systems lab.\r\nUnmanned Aerial Systems (UAS): This bill funds UAS research at $17.6 million, a $5 million increase from last year, which will be used for research and testing on integrating UAS into the national airspace. Virginia has one of six Federal Aviation Administration-designated test sites, the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership led by Virginia Tech.\r\n9/11 First Responders and Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism: The bill renews health benefits for firefighters, police officers and other first responders who became sick because of toxic exposure at the sites of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including hundreds of Virginians, through 2090. It reauthorizes the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and creates a fund to compensate U.S. victims of state sponsored terrorism. Kaine and Warner co-sponsored the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to renew these benefits.\r\nCybersecurity: The bill provides a total of $100 million in new funding for DHS for key cybersecurity improvements. The bill also includes $21 million to the Office of Personnel Management to address its cybersecurity needs following the data breaches announced in July 2015. Language in the bill provides 10 years of identity theft protectionand insurance up to $5,000. The bill also includes the Cyber Information Sharing Act (CISA), including a Warner provision to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) greater authority to protect the federal governments civilian .gov networks.\r\nIntelligence Authorization Act: The bill includes the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2016. It would require the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on standards for measuring damage from attacks on computer networks, in order to craft a response. This legislation includes a Warner provision to require a comprehensive approach to the overhead satellite architecture that supports U.S. intelligence and defense programs.\r\nInternal Revenue Service: The bill provides an additional $290 million for IRS to respond to taxpayer questions and improve fraud detection and prevention and cybersecurity.\r\nCriminal Justice: The bill includes funding for programs to support law enforcement officers and improve police-community relations, including $476 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants and $70 million to support the purchase of body-worn cameras for police.\r\nOpioid and Heroin Abuse Crisis: The bill provides $7 million to fund anti-heroin task forces within the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. It also provides funding for Justice Department grant programs available to state and local governments for residential drug treatment, prescription drug monitoring and drug courts. The bill includes $70 million to fund the Centers for Disease Controls state-based efforts to address prescription opioid abuse  more than triple the amount included in last years bill.The bill also increases funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration including $47 million directed to addressing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin overdose.\r\nSeafood Industry and H-2B Visas:The bill includes provisions that give employers more flexibility in scheduling the arrival of workers to better meet the demands of their business needs. Virginias seafood industry relies on this program for seasonal workers and economic growth.\r\nPediatric Research: The bill includes $12.6 million for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Act, which authorizes pediatric research within the Common Fund at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The authorizing legislation was named for 10 year-old Gabriella Miller of Loudoun County who passed away from cancer in October of 2013.\r\nAlzheimers Research: The bill includes $936 million for Alzheimers research, an increase of $350 million.\r\nNational Park Service: The bill provides $2.85 billion for the National Park Service, a 9% increase to support the 2016 centennial.\r\nLand and Water Conservation: The bill provides $450 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and will fund additional programs within the Rivers of the Chesapeake Collaborative Landscape program.\r\nChesapeake Bay Program: The bill funds the Chesapeake Bay Program at $73 million and fully funds the Chesapeake Gateways & Trails program at $2 million.\r\nAmerican Battlefield Protection Program: The legislation fully funds this National Park Service program at $10 million. The program, which Kaine led the bipartisan effort to reauthorize in 2014, leverages private funds from states and landowners to preserve Civil War battlefields at risk of being lost to haphazard development.\r\nPort of Virginia and Norfolk flood control: Included in the nearly $6 billion U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program is a flood control feasibility study for the City of Norfolk, which will lead to future eligibility for construction funding to ease recurrent flooding. The bill also funds a feasibility study for deepening Norfolk harbor and channels to 55 feet, which will enable the Port of Virginia to serve the deepest draft post-Panamax cargo vessels.\r\nCareer and Technical Education (CTE): State grant funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act was maintained at $1.12 billion for FY16. Kaine, co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, has supported the reauthorization of the Perkins CTE Act.\r\nEarly Childhood Education: The bill includes $9.2 billion for Head Start, $570 million more than FY15. Early Head Start, including Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, will see an increase of $135 million. Additionally, the bill provides $250 million to continue support for the Preschool Development Grants program for states to develop and expand high-quality early learning programs. Virginia has received $17.5 million for the past two years and this funding will support the third year of Virginias four-year grant.\r\nTeacher Quality Partnership Grants: The bill includes $43.09 million for Teacher Quality Partnership Grants, an increase of $2.5 million. The Richmond Teacher Residency Program, a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Richmond Public Schools to train teachers to teach in high-need schools, is a recipient of the Teacher Quality Partnership Grants.\r\nApprenticeship Grant Program: The bill includes $90 million for a new Apprenticeship Grant program that will help states increase their capacity to register and oversee apprenticeship programs, help private companies launch apprenticeship programs and help community-based organizations better assist underserved populations and fund innovative apprenticeship opportunities.\r\nBlack Lung Clinics Program: The bill maintains funding at $6.76 million for the Black Lung Clinics Program which provides primary care, patient and family counseling and pulmonary rehabilitation.\r\nFederal Employee COLA: The bill allows the Presidents proposal for a one percent pay increase for federal employees to take effect in January.\r\nDepartment of Veterans Affairs (VA): The bill provides $91.3 billion in mandatory funding for the VA.Additionally, the bill provides $63.3 billion in FY17 advance funding for veterans health care and $103 billion for FY17 advance funding for the VAs compensation and pensions mandatory accounts.\r\nVeterans Opioid Abuse: To address mounting concerns about prescription drug abuse and an overdose epidemic among veterans, the bill directs the VA to adopt the opioid prescribing guidelines developed by the Centers of Disease Control, to develop IT systems to track and monitor opioid prescriptions, to ensure all VA medical facilities are equipped with opioid receptor antagonists to treat drug overdoses, and to provide additional training to medical personnel who prescribe controlled substances.\r\nWMATA: Full funding of $150 million for WMATA grants, which will support capital improvements such as track safety and station upgrades, new train cars and other infrastructure that is overdue for maintenance that will improve Metro's safety and reliability.\r\nDATA Act: The bill provides $19 million to the Department of the Treasury for efforts to implement the DATA Act. The bipartisan DATA Act, landmark transparency legislation introduced by Senator Warner and signed into law in 2014, will allow taxpayers to track every dollar spent by federal agencies on a common website and help lawmakers more easily identify fraud, waste and abuse to create a more efficient government.\r\nBureau of Labor Statistics: The bill includes a $17 million increase for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It also includes a requirement that BLS report to Congress within one year on the Bureaus efforts to report on all forms of employment in the current economy, including the contingent workforce.\r\nVisa Waiver Program Reform: The bill includes a number of reforms that strengthen the Visa Waiver Program, including by requiring the collection of additional information from travelers before they arrive and by requiring countries to fully implement information sharing agreements with the U.S. Additionally, the bill requires individuals who have recently visited countries of concern to apply for visas before traveling to the United States.\r\n\r\nTax Provisions\r\nChild Tax Credit (CTC): The bill provides $88 billion to permanently extend and expand the CTC, which is critical to helping middle- to low-income families with the cost of raising a child. \r\nEarned Income Tax Credit (EITC): The bill provides $30 billion to permanently extend an increased credit for working families\r\nAmerican Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC): The bill provides $80 billion to permanently extend the AOTC, which helps students and families afford post-secondary education.\r\nResearch & Development Tax Credit: The bill provides $113 billion to permanently extend the Research and Development Tax Credit, which helps encourage business innovation and research. Included is a modification supported by Warner and Kaine to increase accessibility for startups.\r\nMass Transit Benefits: The bill provides $1.7 billion to permanently extend the increase in the monthly employer-provided transit and vanpool benefits from $130 to $250, which will help federal employees in their work commutes.\r\nEnergy Tax Provisions: Multi-year extensions of wind, solar, and alternative fuel credits and permanent extension of conservation easement tax credit.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=282", "Beyer Statement on Unfunded Tax Cuts Package", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) released the following statement on his vote in opposition to the Tax Increase Prevention and Real Estate Investment Act:\r\nI voted against the tax extenders package because it was yet another unfunded tax cut. There are a number of provisions in the bill which I support, including the expanded Earned Income and Child Tax Credits (EITC, CTC), the Research and Development Tax Credit, and commuter benefits so important to federal workers in Northern Virginia. However, continuing to reduce our tax base without acknowledging the costs of doing so is simply unsustainable. \r\nAs we have seen in recent decades, tax cuts which are not paid for ultimately lead to sharp cuts in government programs that are so important to my constituents in Northern Virginia. The erosion of the tax base, all the while insisting that economic growth will magically fix federal balance sheets, is the cornerstone of the Republican strategy to starve the beast. This will make it harder for us to build the government that Americans want and deserve. I cannot be a party to it.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=283", "House Democrats Introduce Legislation Condemning Anti-Muslim Bigotry", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Following weeks of anti-Muslim bigotry and acts of hatred, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Mike Honda (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Andr Carson (D-IN), along with 63 original cosponsors, introduced legislation condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslim-Americans.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Following weeks of anti-Muslim bigotry and acts of hatred, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Mike Honda (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Andr Carson (D-IN), along with 63 original cosponsors, introduced legislation condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslim-Americans.\r\nWe must show that we will not tolerate this anti-Muslim discrimination and that those who propagate it do not represent the melting-pot America that we celebrate, said Rep. Don Beyer. These harmful words eventually lead to the very acts of violence many came to our country to escape in the first place. Its time Congress stood up to condemn these attacks which run contrary to American values.\r\nAmericas highest ideals include our protections for religious liberty and the celebration of our differences. It is a mistake to lump millions of peaceful, liberty-loving Muslim Americans together with the brutal zealots who are working continuously to hijack their faith, said Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Anti-Muslim speeches and statements only serve to divide us and pit Americans against one another. Bigotry and the violence it perpetrates are not worthy of the legacy of generations who have fought and sacrificed to make America the nationthat it is today.\r\nAs we see many Americans expressing their fears, their leaders at every level have a special obligation to lead, Congresswoman Norton said. The concerns of the American people about terrorism in civil society after Paris and San Bernardino are understandable, but embracing Islamophobia as a way to cope with those fears is not only unacceptable, but dangerous. The main purpose of terrorism is to provoke division. Terrorists lose when, instead, we embrace our Muslim brothers and sisters.\r\n\"The despicable rhetoric and violence on American Muslims is reprehensible and goes against everything this country stands for. Whether its a bomb threat on a mosque, a child bullied on a bus, or a slur painted on a building, hate is hate. And, each and every one of us has a duty as an American to speak out against discrimination and intolerance,\"said Rep. Joe Crowley, Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus. \"I'm proud to join Congressman Beyer and my colleagues in introducing this resolution that sends a powerful message that the Congress stands behind our Muslim American communities and firmly against hate and intolerance.\"\r\nMuslim Americans are our friends, neighbors and colleagues. Anti-Muslim rhetoric from our nations political candidates has damaging consequences for the lives of Muslim Americans, said Rep. Betty McCollum. As elected officials, we must work to foster respect, civility and dignity towards all Americans and ensure that no citizen of our nation is persecuted or targeted because of their religious beliefs.\r\nWe must do everything we can to fight terrorism on all fronts, but we must take care not to give intobigotry,hate speech or tolerate hate crimes. Hateful rhetoric has real consequences. Every day, Muslim students, leaders and community members are threatened with violenceand some have been the victims of hate crimes, said Rep. Mike Honda. Our country is better than this; we are a multiethnic, multi-religious, multicultural nation. Our diversity is what gives us strengthtogether with our respect for the Constitution, rule of law and the ideals of freedom that unites us. It is the responsibility of all to reject discrimination. I urge my colleagues in the House to support this resolution.\r\nThe United States was built by the belief in liberty, freedom, and equality for every person. These are the values we hold most dear  the truths we hold to be self-evident. When elected officials and political leaders build their platforms on hatred and bigotry, they do so at our countrys expense, said Rep. Keith Ellison. Their rhetoric is not merely ignorant  its dangerous. And it is fundamentally un-American. Scapegoating a religious community shouldnt be part of a candidates stump speech. Not in this country. This bill is a reminder to Americans of all faiths: the demagogues do not speak for everyone. That is not who we are. \r\nThe First Amendment safeguards our freedom to practice our faiths freely, but it does not give any person the right to cite religion in order to justify intolerance toward their fellow Americans, said Rep. Andr Carson. This holds true whether the victim of such intolerance is gay or straight, black or white, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or the member of any group.Discrimination in any form is never acceptable anywhere in our country, which is why I am proud to help introduce this resolution which will help bring more attention to the harmful and ignorant acts that have been directed at Muslim Americans for far too long.\r\nThe text of the House Resolution denouncing hate speech and hate crimes against Muslim-Americans follows:\r\nCondemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the United States. \r\nWhereas the victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes and rhetoric have faced physical, verbal, and emotional abuse because they were Muslim or believed to be Muslim;\r\nWhereas the constitutional right to freedom of religious practice is a cherished American value and violence or hate speech towards any American community based on their faith is in contravention of our founding principles;\r\nWhereas there are millions of Muslims in the United States, a community made up of many diverse beliefs and cultures, and both immigrants and native-born Americans;\r\nWhereas this Muslim community is recognized as having made innumerable contributions to the cultural and economic fabric and well-being of American society;\r\nWhereas hateful and intolerant acts against Muslims are contrary to the American values of acceptance, welcoming, and fellowship with those of all faiths, beliefs, and cultures;\r\nWhereas these acts affect not only the individual victims but also their families, communities, and the entire group whose faith or beliefs were the motivation for the act;\r\nWhereas Muslim women who wear hijabs, headscarves, or other religious articles of clothing have been disproportionately targeted because of their religious clothing, articles, or observances;\r\nWhereas the rise of hateful and anti-Muslim speech, violence, and cultural ignorance plays into the false narrative spread by terrorist groups of Western hatred of Islam, and can encourage certain individuals to react in extreme and violent ways;\r\nResolved, That the House of Representatives\r\n(1) Expresses its condolences for the victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes;\r\n(2) Steadfastly confirms its dedication to the rights and dignity of all its citizens of all faiths, beliefs, and cultures;\r\n(3) Denounces in the strongest terms the increase of intimidation, violence, vandalism, arson, and other hate crimes targeted against mosques, Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim; \r\n(4) Recognizes that the Muslim community in the United States has made countless positive contributions to our society;\r\n(5) Declares that the civil rights and civil liberties of all United States citizens, including Muslims in the United States, should be protected and preserved;\r\n(6) Urges local and Federal law enforcement authorities to work to prevent hate crimes; and to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those perpetrators of hate crimes; and\r\n(7) Reaffirms the inalienable right of every citizen to live without fear and intimidation, and to practice their freedom of faith.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-statement-on-permanent-tax-extenders-bill", "Scott Statement on Permanent Tax Extenders Bill", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Robert C. Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his No vote on the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (Roll Call No. 703):\nThis tax extenders bill permanently extends enhancements to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which will help millions of working families stay out of poverty, help them offset the cost of childcare, and help them send their children to college. While I strongly support these and some of the business provisions, I voted against the bill because it is not paid for at this time but ultimately its cost of approximately $622 billion over the next decade will, of course, have to be paid for.\nUnfortunately, many of the people that will benefit from the provisions in the bill will be the first ones hurt when Congress pays for it. We witnessed this scenario soon after we passed the fiscal cliff deal in January 2013, which permanently extended most of the Bush-era tax cuts at a cost of $3.9 trillion. Within weeks of that vote, the House voted to increase student loan interest rates and to cut spending to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, seniors programs, education and many other vital functions of government. Congress even contemplated proposals to cut Social Security and increase the retirement age for Medicare. At the same time, we were unable to rationally deal with sequestration, which further cut spending to programs that help working families and continues to negatively disrupt the federal budget process.\nHow we address the budget and the deficit is a matter of priorities. Congress must consider the cost of tax cuts in the context of other budget decisions and priorities. For example, proposals to offer two years of free community college or tuition free and debt free college, which range in cost from $60 billion to $750 billion, have been summarily dismissed as being too expensive. Yet it one fell swoop, we pass $622 billion in tax cuts.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=570", "House Passes First Responders Passport Act", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The House of Representatives passed the First Responders Passport Act of 2015 today. The legislation, cosponsored by Congressman Gerry Connolly, would waive passport fees for first responders deployed in the aftermath of international disasters. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      The House of Representatives passed theFirst Responders Passport Act of 2015 today. The legislation, cosponsored by Congressman Gerry Connolly, would waive passport fees for first responders deployed in the aftermath of international disasters.As part of the U.S. international disaster response, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) deploys Disaster Assistance Response Teams that comprise elite urban search and rescue teams, including Fairfax County\u2019s Virginia Task Force 1. Physicians, canine handlers, structural engineers, technical search and rescue specialists, paramedics, and other personnel volunteer to serve on these teams and can be deployed abroad on a moment\u2019s notice.The Fairfax Team has been deployed in recent years to disasters in Nepal, Japan, and Haiti. \u00a0Members of Task Force 1 are required to hold current passports and be able to deploy within a few hours. Under the bill, when those individuals renew their passports or new members of the teams require a passport, the passport fees would be waived.\u201cThese brave men and women provide relief and assistance at desperate times and serve as outstanding goodwill ambassadors for the U.S,\u201d Connolly said.\u201cThis legislation recognizes the contribution our first responders make to international disaster response efforts by waiving the fees they would pay to obtain a U.S. passport,\u201d said Rep. Connolly. \u201cThis is a small thanks for the sacrifice they and their families make when they are deployed abroad to work in dangerous and chaotic conditions.\u201dConnolly\u2019s full remarks follow:Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the First Responders Passport Act of 2015. This legislation recognizes the contribution our first responders make to international disaster response efforts by waiving the fees they would pay to obtain a U.S. passport.This is a small thanks for the sacrifice they and their families make when they are deployed abroad to work in dangerous and chaotic conditions.As part of the U.S. international disaster response, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Disaster Assistance (OFDA) deploys Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) that include elite urban search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia and Los Angeles, California. Physicians, canine handlers, structural engineers, technical search and rescue specialists, paramedics, and other personnel volunteer to serve on these teams and can be deployed abroad on a moment\u2019s notice.The team from Fairfax, Virginia Task Force 1, was established in 1986, and is sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. As Chairman of both the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and the Emergency Preparedness Council for the Metropolitan Region, I worked closely with the Department to help leverage local and federal funding into strengthened disaster response operations.I have also attended numerous welcome home ceremonies for Virginia Task Force 1 and seen the tremendous relief expressed by family members when their loved ones return home safe from their mission of mercy.When the House Foreign Affairs Committee considered legislation expressing condolences to the victims of the April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, I was pleased to work with the Chair and Ranking Member to include language in the resolution noting the life-saving rescue and recovery operations our elite urban search and rescue teams carried out while deployed in Nepal.I am glad the Congress is taking further action to recognize the brave men and women who provide relief and assistance at desperate times and serve as outstanding goodwill ambassadors for the U.S.I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=571", "Connolly Statement on House Passage of Tax Extenders Package", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Connolly Statement on House Passage of Tax Extenders Package \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington, DC,\r\n        December 17, 2015\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n        Congressman Connolly released the following statement in support of the tax extenders package that passed the House on Thursday. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Congressman Connolly released the following statement in support of the tax extenders package:\u201cThe tax extenders bill is an important victory for Northern Virginia and a step forward for the nation. \u00a0Like President Obama, I believe this package represents a bipartisan compromise that makes permanent a number of improvements to tax credits benefitting working and middle-class Americans, while encouraging U.S. companies to invest in innovation. But most importantly, it is a great deal for Northern Virginia.It permanently extends the Research and Development Tax Credit, critically important to the success of Northern Virginia\u2019s high-tech industry, fostering innovation and American competitiveness. It invests in middle-class families by making permanent the Earned-Income Tax Credit, the enhanced child tax credit, and theAmerican Opportunity Tax credit to make college more affordable. It restores long-overdue transit benefit parity, putting money back in the pockets of transit riders and improving Metro\u2019s financial outlook at a critical time for the system by offering an incentive for expanded ridership. It extends environmental and conservation tax credits necessary to develop a 21st century clean energy future. And it protects charitable donations that help community non-profits serve those in need. For all those reasons, I joined President Obama and 76 other Democrats in supporting this legislation.\u201d\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/senators-press-administration-on-efforts-to-lower-prescription-drug-costs", "Senators Press Administration On Efforts To Lower Prescription Drug Costs", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senators Press Administration On Efforts To Lower Prescription Drug Costs\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 17, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) wrote to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt, seeking more information on the agencys efforts to inform consumers and health care providers about prescription drug costs and maximize CMS existing authorities to contain cost.\r\nIn 2014 alone, spending on prescription drugs rose by 12.2%. Inevitably, these rising costs squeeze American household budgets as well as federal and state budgets, Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health care programs that use taxpayer dollars to pay for drugs, the Senators wrote. There are numerous reasons why patients and heath care payers are experiencing rising prescription drug costs, and the solutions are not simple.\r\nIn todays letter, the Senators asked CMS for more information on how the agency expects to use its existing authority to improve transparency on drug pricing and bring down drug costs.They pose a series of questions about the existing authority of CMS to halt rising drug prices, along with understanding how the Department as a whole can leverage information to better assess the effectiveness of treatments and provide better information to consumers about their options. Questions include:\r\n \r\nHow does CMS plan to leverage the authority of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to examine the potential of alternative payment mechanisms, including examining methods to increase use of and access to competitive generic medications, and alternatives to the current ASP+6% model?\r\nA number of outside, independent organizations and researchers including the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) are assessing the comparative effectiveness of various treatments. How can CMS use this information to improve beneficiary outcomes and lower program spending?\r\nWithin the individual private insurance market, an increasing number of consumers are enrolling in high-deductible plans. How does CMS plan to continue to use its regulatory authority to ensure consumer access to prescription drugs on the individual market?\r\n \r\nThe full text of the letter is below.\r\nDecember 17, 2015\r\nMr. Andrew Slavitt,   Acting AdministratorCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services  Department of Health and Human Services  200 Independence Avenue, SW   Washington, DC 20201\r\nDear Acting Administrator Slavitt:\r\nWe are writing to express our concern regarding rising prescription drug costs. In recent years, U.S. spending on prescription drugs has increased dramatically and is now growing at a rate faster than any other health care item or service. As our country focuses on advancing a health care system that delivers better care at lower costs for all Americans, high drug prices threaten the gains our country has made in this sector.\r\nOur pharmaceutical system, while not perfect, rewards innovation and incents drug developers to take on scientific uncertainty, enabling us to cure diseases, improve patient quality of life, and avoid costlier medical treatments. Here in the United States Senate, we have consistently supported efforts to further public sector medical research and have worked to foster pharmaceutical innovation in the private sector. However, the choice between innovation and affordability is a false one. In 2014 alone, spending on prescription drugs rose by 12.2%. Inevitably, these rising costs squeeze American household budgets as well as federal and state budgets, Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health care programs that use taxpayer dollars to pay for drugs.\r\nThere are numerous reasons why patients and heath care payers are experiencing rising prescription drug costs, and the solutions are not simple. We commend the Department of Health and Human Services Forum on Pharmaceutical Innovation, Access, Affordability and Better Health, but urge CMS to engage and collaborate with industry, patient groups, providers, and other relevant stakeholders to chart a path to reducing drug costs moving forward. To that end, we are seeking answers to the following questions:\r\n1. What statutory authority, if any, does CMS have to limit the impact of rising prescription drug costs on consumers? Under what circumstances has CMS exercised this authority?\r\n2. How does CMS plan to leverage the authority of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to examine the potential of alternative payment mechanisms, including examining methods to increase use of and access to competitive generic medications, and alternatives to the current ASP+6% model?\r\n3. A number of outside, independent organizations and researchers including the Patient?Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) are assessing the comparative effectiveness of various treatments. How can CMS use this information to improve beneficiary outcomes and lower program spending?\r\n4. Current Medicaid drug pricing and policy infrastructure was designed for a fee-for-service environment. How is CMS working with the states to ensure that coverage and costs remain reasonable for consumers, particularly as Medicaid moves towards a system of managed care?\r\n5. How does CMS plan to evaluate new ways to empower consumers and healthcare providers to make informed decisions about the cost of the prescription medications available to them?\r\n6. Within the individual private insurance market, an increasing number of consumers are enrolling in high-deductible plans. How does CMS plan to continue to use its regulatory authority to ensure consumer access to prescription drugs on the individual market?\r\n7. The federal exchange represents a way for the federal government to help consumers compare drug costs, as well as enable them to compare coverage among plans. CMS recently enabled to consumers to access a tool allowing them to compare drug coverage and cost-sharing within individual plans. How does CMS plan to engage stakeholders to ensure that this and other tools reduce out-of-pocket drug costs for plan enrollees?\r\nAs our healthcare system continues to foster innovation and move towards achieving the aims of better care, better health, and lower costs, we urge CMS to continue to ensure that consumers have access to affordable and consistent drug coverage.\r\nSincerely,\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-announce-27-million-in-housing-and-job-training-funding-for-norfolk", "Warner, Kaine Announce $2.7 Million In Housing & Job Training Funding For Norfolk", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner, Kaine Announce $2.7 Million In Housing & Job Training Funding For Norfolk\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 17, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today announced that the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority will receive a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding  made available by HUDs Jobs Plus Program  will help Norfolk public housing residents find employment by providing tools and resources that will assist them in gaining job skills and increasing their earned income.\r\nThese funds will allow the housing authority to connect low-income residents with employment, education, counseling and financial literacy services to help them get and keep good-paying jobs, said Warner. Empowering public housing residents with the tools and skills they need to reduce their dependence on public assistance and help them become financially independent will strengthen Norfolk for the long term. Todays announcement is great news for taxpayers, residents, employers, and the entire community.\r\nThis funding will equip the Norfolk community with important resources to help families succeed in todays workforce. Were proud to join HUD in announcing this grant that will give residents the opportunity to move up the economic ladder, Kaine said.\r\nHUDs Jobs Plus Programaims to develop locally-based, job-driven approaches to increase earnings and advance employment outcomes through work readiness, employer linkages, job placement, educational advancement technology skills and financial literacy for residents of public housing.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=3839d4bc-e2ff-452e-ad0d-1e08600a9db0", "Warner, Kaine Announce $2.7 Million in Housing & Job Training Funding for Norfolk", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today announced that the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority will receive a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding  made available by HUDs Jobs Plus Program  will help Norfolk public housing residents find employment by providing tools and resources that will assist them in gaining job skills and increasing their earned income.\r\nThese funds will allow the housing authority to connect low-income residents with employment, education, counseling and financial literacy services to help them get and keep good-paying jobs, said Warner. Empowering public housing residents with the tools and skills they need to reduce their dependence on public assistance and help them become financially independent will strengthen Norfolk for the long term. Todays announcement is great news for taxpayers, residents, employers, and the entire community.\r\nThis funding will equip the Norfolk community with important resources to help families succeed in todays workforce. Were proud to join HUD in announcing this grant that will give residents the opportunity to move up the economic ladder, Kaine said.\r\nHUDs Jobs Plus Programaims to develop locally-based, job-driven approaches to increase earnings and advance employment outcomes through work readiness, employer linkages, job placement, educational advancement technology skills and financial literacy for residents of public housing.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=5f4fd611-71ff-43be-84e3-564eeb2b3a39", "Senators Press Administration on Efforts to Lower Prescription Drug Costs", "2015-12-17", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) wrote to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt, seeking more information on the agencys efforts to inform consumers and health care providers about prescription drug costs and maximize CMS existing authorities to contain cost.\r\nIn 2014 alone, spending on prescription drugs rose by 12.2%. Inevitably, these rising costs squeeze American household budgets as well as federal and state budgets, Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health care programs that use taxpayer dollars to pay for drugs, the Senators wrote. There are numerous reasons why patients and heath care payers are experiencing rising prescription drug costs, and the solutions are not simple.\r\nIn todays letter, the Senators asked CMS for more information on how the agency expects to use its existing authority to improve transparency on drug pricing and bring down drug costs.They pose a series of questions about the existing authority of CMS to halt rising drug prices, along with understanding how the Department as a whole can leverage information to better assess the effectiveness of treatments and provide better information to consumers about their options. Questions include:\r\n \r\nHow does CMS plan to leverage the authority of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to examine the potential of alternative payment mechanisms, including examining methods to increase use of and access to competitive generic medications, and alternatives to the current ASP+6% model?\r\nA number of outside, independent organizations and researchers including the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) are assessing the comparative effectiveness of various treatments. How can CMS use this information to improve beneficiary outcomes and lower program spending?\r\nWithin the individual private insurance market, an increasing number of consumers are enrolling in high-deductible plans. How does CMS plan to continue to use its regulatory authority to ensure consumer access to prescription drugs on the individual market?\r\n \r\nFull text of the letter is below.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=281", "Beyer Joins Rep. Cicilline to Introduce Assault Weapons Ban Renewal", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) joined Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and dozens of Democratic co-sponsors today to introduce the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015, which would renew the federal ban on military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. President Bill Clinton signed the original ban into law, but Congress allowed it to expire in 2004 under the Bush Administration.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) joined Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) and dozens of Democratic co-sponsors today to introduce the Assault Weapons Ban of 2015, which would renew the federal ban on military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. President Bill Clinton signed the original ban into law, but Congress allowed it to expire in 2004 under the Bush Administration.\r\nAssault weapons are extremely dangerous in the wrong hands and have no place in civilian life, said Rep. Beyer. These types of military-grade weapons were designed to inflict mass casualties and belong in the hands of our military and law enforcement, not untrained civilians.\r\nIn recent years, the frequency of mass shooting has increased by a factor of four. And more than half of all mass shooters who killed four or more people used an assault weapon. Thats because the sole purpose of an assault weapon is to kill as many people as quickly as possible, said Rep. Cicilline. It is absurd that we continue to allow military-style weapons to be bought and sold while mass shootings grow more common. This bill is an important first step that will restore some sanity to the way we treat guns in the United States. \r\nThe bill would prohibit the sale, transfer, manufacturing, and importation of semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices. It would also improve upon the current background check procedure by effectively closing the so-called Charleston loophole and requiring law enforcement notification anytime a background check is denied. \r\nAssault weapons were used in attacks last month in San Bernardino and Colorado Springs. Shooters also used them to commit mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, and a community college in Roseburg, Oregon.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=569", "Connolly Statement on Restoration of the Full $150 Million Federal Contribution to Metro", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Connolly Statement on Restoration of the Full $150 Million Federal Contribution to Metro \r\n   \r\n    \r\n       \r\n      \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e\r\n      \r\n      \r\n    \r\n    \r\n      \r\n        Washington, DC,\r\n        December 16, 2015\r\n      \r\n       \r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      \r\n      \r\n        Rep. Connolly released the following statement on the restoration of the full $150 million federal contribution to Metro in the Omnibus legislation. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Rep. Connolly released the following statement on restoration of the full $150 million federal contribution to Metro in the Omnibus Legislation:\u201cI am pleased that the Omnibus legislation restores full funding of the federal government\u2019s $150 million contribution to Metro\u2019s ongoing safety and capital improvements. To renege on that commitment would cause a serious ripple effect throughout the region, jeopardizing the matching $150 million from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. and threatening the progress needed to restore safety and confidence in Metro. The federal government remains the single biggest beneficiary of the Metro system and Congress should be doing more to invest in the transit system serving our nation\u2019s capital.\u201d\r\n    \r\n  \r\n  \r\n  \r\n    \r\n      f \r\n      t \r\n      #\r\n      e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-hail-breakthrough-on-perkins-student-loan-program", "Warner, Kaine Hail Breakthrough On Perkins Student Loan Program", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner, Kaine Hail Breakthrough On Perkins Student Loan Program\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 16, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) welcomed legislation that passed the Senate this afternoon to renew the Federal Perkins Loan Program, a critical lifeline for 7,800 low-income college students in Virginia. Though the program had the support of a bipartisan majority of Senators, including Sens. Warner and Kaine, the Federal Perkins Loan Program lapsed on September 30, 2015, cutting off the ability for approximately 1,500 colleges and universities across the country to make low-interest loans to new borrowers and leaving 150,000 students who have just started college in the lurch.\r\nThe Perkins program is essential to the college dreams of many first-generation and low-income students. While Congress works on reforming and streamlining our student aid system to make college more accessible and affordable, Perkins recipients in Virginia deserve some certainty and predictability for their financial planning, said Sen. Warner, who used student loans to become the first in his family to graduate college. Im pleased that the Senate has finally moved to restore some of that predictability, and I hope that the House of Representatives will quickly follow suit.\r\nIm pleased the Senate could come to an agreement on the reauthorization of the Federal Perkins Loan Program, which is critical to helping low-income students and their families find financial assistance to help afford a college education, Sen. Kaine said. The Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2015 will extend the program for an additional two years for undergraduates and gives current graduate students one more year of eligibility. This bill isnt perfect, but it will help keep student loan debt low and manageable for many families in Virginia and provides them with certainty and predictability while Congress works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.\"\r\nThe Perkins Loan Program is the nations oldest federal student loan program, has existed with broad bipartisan support since 1958 and has provided more than $28 billion in loans through almost 26 million awards to students in all 50 states. Perkins loans offer a five percent fixed interest rate, no origination fees, and a nine-month grace period. These reasonable, relatively low-dollar loans make college a reality for the lowest-income students, often the first in their family to attend college, who would otherwise turn to higher interest private loans or conclude that a college education is out of their reach. \r\nIn the 2013-2014 academic year, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 539,000 students received loans from their institutions through the Federal Perkins Loan Program, totaling more than $1.2 billion. Because the programs authorization has now lapsed, many students who start college may face limited options to afford rising costs; they may resort to taking out private loans, which come at a higher interest rate, have strict qualifications, and greater repayment burdenor students may delay their enrollment or drop out. The U.S. Department of Educations budget service indicates this number is between 100,000 and 150,000 new students in the current academic year alone if Congress fails to act, and this number would only increase if the program is not extended.\r\nThe Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2015 is a bipartisan compromise that extends the Perkins Loan program for two years (through September 30, 2017) for eligible current and new undergraduates, and for one year for current graduate students (through September 30, 2016). It also requires that institutions notify students who are offered a Perkins Loan that the program is coming to a close, an explanation of their repayment and forgiveness benefits, and lays out other options that may be available to them as part of federal student loan programs.\r\nThe legislation now needs to go to the House of Representatives, which previously approved a one-year, no-cost extension of the Perkins program.\r\nIn the 2013-2014 academic year alone, the program helped more than 7,800 low-income students at more than three dozen Virginia colleges and universities fund their educations:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSchool\r\n\r\n\r\nRecipients\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUniversity of Virginia\r\n\r\n\r\n1,255\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Polytechnic Institute & State University\r\n\r\n\r\n768\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Commonwealth University\r\n\r\n\r\n594\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBridgewater College\r\n\r\n\r\n446\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nJames Madison University\r\n\r\n\r\n418\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEastern Mennonite University\r\n\r\n\r\n361\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHampton University\r\n\r\n\r\n266\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCollege of William & Mary\r\n\r\n\r\n232\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNorfolk State University\r\n\r\n\r\n230\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLynchburg College\r\n\r\n\r\n213\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nGeorge Mason University\r\n\r\n\r\n211\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUniversity of Richmond\r\n\r\n\r\n210\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFerrum College\r\n\r\n\r\n185\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMary Baldwin College\r\n\r\n\r\n177\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRoanoke College\r\n\r\n\r\n169\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRadford University\r\n\r\n\r\n163\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLongwood University\r\n\r\n\r\n161\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRandolph - Macon College\r\n\r\n\r\n141\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNorthern Virginia Community College\r\n\r\n\r\n133\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWashington and Lee University\r\n\r\n\r\n129\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAverett University\r\n\r\n\r\n113\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Wesleyan College\r\n\r\n\r\n112\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAmerican National University\r\n\r\n\r\n110\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHollins University\r\n\r\n\r\n109\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Military Institute\r\n\r\n\r\n103\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia State University\r\n\r\n\r\n103\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nShenandoah University\r\n\r\n\r\n101\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHampden Sydney College\r\n\r\n\r\n94\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOld Dominion University\r\n\r\n\r\n93\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEastern Virginia Medical School\r\n\r\n\r\n91\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSweet Briar College\r\n\r\n\r\n73\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEmory & Henry College\r\n\r\n\r\n66\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRandolph College\r\n\r\n\r\n64\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMarymount University\r\n\r\n\r\n49\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nECPI University\r\n\r\n\r\n43\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUniversity of Mary Washington\r\n\r\n\r\n20\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAdvanced Technology Institute\r\n\r\n\r\n2\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Total\r\n\r\n\r\n7,808\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSource: Office of Federal Student Aid\r\nPreviously, Sens. Warner and Kaine joined 52 colleaguesa bipartisan majority of the Senatein sending a letter to Senate leaders urging them to reauthorize the Perkins Loan Program. Earlier, Sens. Warner and Kaine were also joined by U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), and Don Beyer (D-VA-8) in a Sept. 28 letter urging the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to approve a one-year Perkins reauthorization.\r\nCongress is currently working to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA), which expired at the end of 2013. The HEA includes the entire federal student loan system, the Pell grant tuition assistance program for low- and middle-income students, and various programs that help low-income students access higher education.\r\nSen. Warner has introduced several bipartisan, commonsense solutions to make college more affordable and to help those who are already struggling with student debt. The Student Right to Know Before You Go Act will provide college-bound students powerful new tools for comparing colleges and universities on measures such as total cost, likelihood of graduating, and potential earnings. The Go To High School, Go To College Act will increase college access for low-income students by allowing them to earn college credits in high school through the Pell Grant program. The Employer Participation in Refinancing Act will allow employers to help qualified employees repay student loans with pre-tax dollars. He has also sponsored several bills to make it easier for students to enroll in federal income-based repayment programs that protect graduates during periods of unemployment or low earnings.\r\nSen. Kaine has advocated for expanded access to federal student aid to help increase postsecondary education affordability. In September, he introduced the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Opportunity Act, which would expand eligibility for federal student loans to short-term CTE programs which do not meet the current program length requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. In July, Sen. Kaine introduced the Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, legislation that would amend the Higher Education Act by expanding Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term job training programs. Sen. Kaine is a co-sponsor of the Fairness for Struggling Students Act, which would allow students who borrow money from private lenders for their education to discharge their debt during bankruptcy proceedings. Sen. Kaine, who benefited from dual enrollment as a student, also co-sponsored the Supporting College Access and Success Through Dual Enrollment Act, in the last Congress,to help students earn college credits in high school in order to cut the cost of earning a college diploma.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=30dc3828-c2c1-459a-b6e2-42945e917acd", "Warner, Kaine Hail Breakthrough on Perkins Student Loan Program", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) welcomed legislation that passed the Senate this afternoon to renew the Federal Perkins Loan Program, a critical lifeline for 7,800 low-income college students in Virginia. Though the program had the support of a bipartisan majority of Senators, including Sens. Warner and Kaine, the Federal Perkins Loan Program lapsed on September 30, 2015, cutting off the ability for approximately 1,500 colleges and universities across the country to make low-interest loans to new borrowers and leaving 150,000 students who have just started college in the lurch.\r\nThe Perkins program is essential to the college dreams of many first-generation and low-income students. While Congress works on reforming and streamlining our student aid system to make college more accessible and affordable, Perkins recipients in Virginia deserve some certainty and predictability for their financial planning, said Sen. Warner, who used student loans to become the first in his family to graduate college. Im pleased that the Senate has finally moved to restore some of that predictability, and I hope that the House of Representatives will quickly follow suit.\r\nIm pleased the Senate could come to an agreement on the reauthorization of the Federal Perkins Loan Program, which is critical to helping low-income students and their families find financial assistance to help afford a college education, Sen. Kaine said. The Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2015 will extend the program for an additional two years for undergraduates and gives current graduate students one more year of eligibility. This bill isnt perfect, but it will help keep student loan debt low and manageable for many families in Virginia and provides them with certainty and predictability while Congress works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.\"\r\nThe Perkins Loan Program is the nations oldest federal student loan program, has existed with broad bipartisan support since 1958 and has provided more than $28 billion in loans through almost 26 million awards to students in all 50 states. Perkins loans offer a five percent fixed interest rate, no origination fees, and a nine-month grace period. These reasonable, relatively low-dollar loans make college a reality for the lowest-income students, often the first in their family to attend college, who would otherwise turn to higher interest private loans or conclude that a college education is out of their reach. \r\nIn the 2013-2014 academic year, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 539,000 students received loans from their institutions through the Federal Perkins Loan Program, totaling more than $1.2 billion. Because the programs authorization has now lapsed, many students who start college may face limited options to afford rising costs; they may resort to taking out private loans, which come at a higher interest rate, have strict qualifications, and greater repayment burdenor students may delay their enrollment or drop out. The U.S. Department of Educations budget service indicates this number is between 100,000 and 150,000 new students in the current academic year alone if Congress fails to act, and this number would only increase if the program is not extended.\r\nThe Federal Perkins Loan Program Extension Act of 2015 is a bipartisan compromise that extends the Perkins Loan program for two years (through September 30, 2017) for eligible current and new undergraduates, and for one year for current graduate students (through September 30, 2016). It also requires that institutions notify students who are offered a Perkins Loan that the program is coming to a close, an explanation of their repayment and forgiveness benefits, and lays out other options that may be available to them as part of federal student loan programs.\r\nThe legislation now needs to go to the House of Representatives, which previously approved a one-year, no-cost extension of the Perkins program.\r\nIn the 2013-2014 academic year alone, the program helped more than 7,800 low-income students at more than three dozen Virginia colleges and universities fund their educations:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSchool\r\n\r\n\r\nRecipients\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUniversity of Virginia\r\n\r\n\r\n1,255\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Polytechnic Institute & State University\r\n\r\n\r\n768\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Commonwealth University\r\n\r\n\r\n594\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBridgewater College\r\n\r\n\r\n446\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nJames Madison University\r\n\r\n\r\n418\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEastern Mennonite University\r\n\r\n\r\n361\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHampton University\r\n\r\n\r\n266\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nCollege of William & Mary\r\n\r\n\r\n232\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNorfolk State University\r\n\r\n\r\n230\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLynchburg College\r\n\r\n\r\n213\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nGeorge Mason University\r\n\r\n\r\n211\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUniversity of Richmond\r\n\r\n\r\n210\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFerrum College\r\n\r\n\r\n185\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMary Baldwin College\r\n\r\n\r\n177\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRoanoke College\r\n\r\n\r\n169\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRadford University\r\n\r\n\r\n163\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nLongwood University\r\n\r\n\r\n161\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRandolph - Macon College\r\n\r\n\r\n141\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nNorthern Virginia Community College\r\n\r\n\r\n133\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWashington and Lee University\r\n\r\n\r\n129\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAverett University\r\n\r\n\r\n113\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Wesleyan College\r\n\r\n\r\n112\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAmerican National University\r\n\r\n\r\n110\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHollins University\r\n\r\n\r\n109\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Military Institute\r\n\r\n\r\n103\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia State University\r\n\r\n\r\n103\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nShenandoah University\r\n\r\n\r\n101\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHampden Sydney College\r\n\r\n\r\n94\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOld Dominion University\r\n\r\n\r\n93\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEastern Virginia Medical School\r\n\r\n\r\n91\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSweet Briar College\r\n\r\n\r\n73\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nEmory & Henry College\r\n\r\n\r\n66\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRandolph College\r\n\r\n\r\n64\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nMarymount University\r\n\r\n\r\n49\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nECPI University\r\n\r\n\r\n43\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nUniversity of Mary Washington\r\n\r\n\r\n20\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAdvanced Technology Institute\r\n\r\n\r\n2\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVirginia Total\r\n\r\n\r\n7,808\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSource: Office of Federal Student Aid\r\nPreviously, Sens. Warner and Kaine joined 52 colleaguesa bipartisan majority of the Senatein sending a letter to Senate leaders urging them to reauthorize the Perkins Loan Program. Earlier, Sens. Warner and Kaine were also joined by U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), and Don Beyer (D-VA-8) in a Sept. 28 letter urging the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to approve a one-year Perkins reauthorization.\r\nCongress is currently working to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA), which expired at the end of 2013. The HEA includes the entire federal student loan system, the Pell grant tuition assistance program for low- and middle-income students, and various programs that help low-income students access higher education.\r\n\r\nSen. Warner has introduced several bipartisan, commonsense solutions to make college more affordable and to help those who are already struggling with student debt. The Student Right to Know Before You Go Act will provide college-bound students powerful new tools for comparing colleges and universities on measures such as total cost, likelihood of graduating, and potential earnings. The Go To High School, Go To College Act will increase college access for low-income students by allowing them to earn college credits in high school through the Pell Grant program. The Employer Participation in Refinancing Act will allow employers to help qualified employees repay student loans with pre-tax dollars. He has also sponsored several bills to make it easier for students to enroll in federal income-based repayment programs that protect graduates during periods of unemployment or low earnings.\r\nSen. Kaine has advocated for expanded access to federal student aid to help increase postsecondary education affordability. In September, he introduced the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Opportunity Act, which would expand eligibility for federal student loans to short-term CTE programs which do not meet the current program length requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. In July, Sen. Kaine introduced the Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, legislation that would amend the Higher Education Act by expanding Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term job training programs. Sen. Kaine is a co-sponsor of the Fairness for Struggling Students Act, which would allow students who borrow money from private lenders for their education to discharge their debt during bankruptcy proceedings. Sen. Kaine, who benefited from dual enrollment as a student, also co-sponsored the Supporting College Access and Success Through Dual Enrollment Act, in the last Congress,to help students earn college credits in high school in order to cut the cost of earning a college diploma.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=42df8034-d745-48c2-babb-ff37879e35bf", "Warner, Corker Applaud Inclusion of Jumpstart GSE Reform Provision in Omnibus", "2015-12-16", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Bob Corker (R-TN), members of the Senate Banking Committee, today applauded inclusion of aJumpstart GSE Reform Actprovision in the fiscal year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill.\r\nThe provision, which would spur substantive and structural housing finance reform, would prohibit for at least two years the sale of Treasury-owned senior preferred shares in government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without congressional approval. The appropriations bill also expresses the sense of Congress that it should pass and the President should sign into law legislation determining the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and that notwithstanding the expiration of subsection (b), the Secretary should not sell, transfer, relinquish, liquidate, divest, or otherwise dispose of any outstanding shares of senior preferred stock acquired pursuant to the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement until such legislation is enacted.\r\nThe inclusion of our Jumpstart GSE provision demonstrates the unmistakable intent of Congress that the Secretary of Treasury shall not re-IPO or otherwise divest the taxpayers' investment in Fannie and Freddie without full debate and clear direction from the peoples' elected representatives,said Sen. Warner.Homeownership is a fundamental part of the American Dream, and we remain committed to revamping the housing finance system to ensure affordable access while protecting taxpayers so they are never again on the hook for a bailout.\r\nPassage of this provision makes it clear that Congress  who created mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the first place  should ensure we do not return to the failed model of private gains and public losses that once forced taxpayers to write a $188 billion bailout check, said Sen. Corker. Recapitalizing and releasing these behemoth entities as they now exist is not in our nations interest. Today, we are putting to bed that misguided idea, but there is more work to be done. Fortunately, a lot of the heavy lifting has taken place, and it is time for Congress to finally finish its job. Protecting taxpayers and ensuring we have a dynamic housing finance system that works for Americans will remain near the top of my to-do list, and I look forward to working with my colleagues toward that end.\r\nIn 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken into government conservatorship and given a $188 billion capital injection from taxpayers to stay afloat. As a result of the bailout, the U.S. Department of Treasury purchased senior preferred stock in the GSEs and was given sole discretion to sell or otherwise dispose of those shares.\r\nThere is broad bipartisan, bicameral consensus that the status of the GSEs prior to conservatorship was a failure and that the best way to prevent another bailout and protect taxpayers is through comprehensive housing finance reform. Furthermore, the Obama administration has made clear that they continue to believe comprehensive housing finance reform is the only effective way forward and have publicly rebuked calls by some activist groups to recapitalize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and release them from conservatorship.\r\nTheJumpstart GSE Reform Actwas introduced in September by Corker, Warner and Sens. David Vitter (R-LA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and does not indicate which housing finance reform proposal should be adopted.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=568", "Connolly Statement on the Three-Year Anniversary of the Sandy Hook Tragedy", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Connolly issued the following statement on the three-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Tragedy. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Congressman Connolly issued the following statement on the three-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Tragedy:Three years ago today, a gunman shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut with a Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle. Before his shooting spree was through he would methodically hunt down and kill 20 innocent children and 6 school faculty members inside the school.It was a scene that has been repeated too often in the United States, and just as often, the response to these senseless killings has been inaction on the issue of gun control. Despite the demonstrable evidence to the contrary, the NRA \u2013 the standard bearer for the gun lobby - would have you believe that there is simply nothing we can do to stem gun-related violence. The NRA opposes expanded background checks for gun purchases \u2013 something majorities of gun owners (85%) and NRA members (74%) support. The NRA opposes the CDC funding research on gun violence and its impact on public health despite the fact that more than 30,000 people die in gun related deaths each year \u2013 including 11,000 in confirmed homicides.The longtime ban on gun violence research was put into place through an amendment to an appropriations bill offered by Congressman Jay Dickey in 1996. Congressman Dickey now regrets instituting the ban and believes it should be undone.The gun lobby opposes safer gun purchases that keep guns out of the hands of people who would likely seek to injure and kill other people. And it continues to suppress investigations into the deadly role guns play in 30,000 annual fatalities.All while adhering to the orthodoxy that guns keep us safe. One would think the hypocrisy could go no further. One would be wrong.Republicans in Congress, at the bidding of the NRA and the gun lobby, are currently opposing a bill offered by one of their own Members, Peter King of New York, that would prevent individuals on the terrorist watch list from obtaining firearms.So why exactly does Congress beat back the gun control measures that a majority of gun owners themselves support, suppress the science behind gun violence, and turn a blind eye to terrorists\u2019 access to deadly firearms? Look no further than the NRA and the gun lobby.It is clear their interests are not our own and that the safety of Americans is not consistent with their mission. It is also clear that too many Members of Congress see NRA talking points as dogma.But not this Member of Congress. I support expanded background checks. I support gun violence research. And I support restricting the sale of guns to terrorists.It is a sad commentary on our gun control debate that none of these positions have broad bipartisan support. If more politicians viewed the safety of the American people as more important than pleasing NRA executives, reason would prevail and the club of gun violence victims and their families would not continue its unrelenting growth.Let us use this solemn anniversary to rededicate ourselves to the mission of bringing sanity to gun control policy in the United States.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/photos/original-walker-grant-school", "Original Walker-Grant School", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "9408 Grant Avenue, Suite 202\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tManassas, VA 20110", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-and-kaine-applaud-senate-confirmation-of-boente_fishwick-as-us-attorneys-for-virginia", "Warner & Kaine Applaud Senate Confirmation of Boente & Fishwick as U.S. Attorneys for Virginia", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner & Kaine Applaud Senate Confirmation of Boente & Fishwick as U.S. Attorneys for Virginia\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 15, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded the Senates confirmations of Dana J. Boente to serve as a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and John P. Fishwick, Jr. to serve as a United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Mr. Boente  a 37-year veteran of the Justice Department and experienced trial lawyer is the current interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mr. Fishwick  currently a partner at LichtensteinFishwick PLC  has extensive experience in the U.S. District Court as a criminal defense attorney and civil litigator.\r\nWe are pleased that the Senate has confirmed two extraordinarily qualified individuals, Dana Boente and John Fishwick, to serve as U.S. Attorneys in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. Dana and John received widespread support across the Commonwealth, including from the Virginia State Bar and the American Bar Association. We are delighted our Senate colleagues unanimously supported their nominations today and are confident each will serve Virginia honorably, the Senators said.\r\nWarner and Kaine recommended Mr. Boente and Mr. Fishwick to the President in May. The White House nominated them in October and the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed their nominations last week. \r\nThe Eastern District has offices in Alexandria, Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk. The Western District has offices in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville, Abingdon and Big Stone Gap.\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/tim-in-the-news/kaine-touts-new-education-bill-at-fredericksburgs-original-walker-grant", "Kaine touts new education bill at Fredericksburg's Original Walker-Grant", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine touts new education bill at Fredericksburg's Original Walker-Grant\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Robyn Sidersky\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Tuesday, December 15, 2015\r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            Its not every day that a U.S. senator visits your school to bring a present.\r\nBut Head Start students and staff members at Fredericksburgs Original WalkerGrant School enjoyed seeing Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine on Tuesday as he delivered news about a bill that will replace the federal No Child Left Behind legislation and help schools such as theirs.\r\n\r\nAnd the little ones gave Kaine gifts, too: ornaments to hang on his Christmas tree.\r\n\r\n\r\nLast week, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law. Kaine, a Democrat who is the co-chair of the Senate Career & Technical Education, was instrumental in the bills formation. The former Virginia governor has been a longtime supporter of expanding early childhood education.\r\n\r\n\r\nOne difference between the new bill and No Child Left Behind is that it will provide more children with access to high-quality preschool.\r\n\r\n\r\nIn Fredericksburg, the Head Start and Virginia Preschool Initiative are at the Original WalkerGrant School, which is undergoing renovations that will improve the building and make room to add much of the Central Office staff. The building was constructed in the 1950s and little has changed since.\r\n\r\n\r\nFor the first part of his visit, Kaine spoke to school administrators, teachers and parents about their program. He said Fredericksburg is unique because it has the Head Start and preschool initiative programs together. Thats on purpose, school officials said, and visitors would not be able to tell the difference between the classes.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe biggest difference between the old and new bill is that ESSA gives states and school systems more autonomy, Kaine said.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe senator said the two things he liked most about the bill are that it breaks down student data into subgroups, and that it standardizes graduation and drop-out rates.\r\n\r\n\r\nWhen Kaine visited classrooms, he tried to explain the bill in simple terms to the little ones.\r\n\r\n\r\nWe just made a big law about schools ... to have more programs like this one, he said.\r\n\r\n\r\nHe spoke to two parents, who both expressed their happiness with the Fredericksburg school and the support they receive.\r\n\r\n\r\nHe spoke to one parent in Spanish. She said what she loves the most is the way her children are treated, and the friendly home-like atmosphere.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe other parent said his son went through the school five years ago and is now in the gifted and talented program. He attributed that to his sons teacher. His daughter, who turned four last week, is going through the program now and having success, he said.\r\n\r\n\r\nKaine is the third legislator in recent weeks to visit the school. He followed Republican State Sen. Bryce Reeves of Spotsylvania and Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell of Stafford.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/tim-in-the-news/speaker-ryan-expresses-support-for-isis-war-authorization", "Speaker Ryan expresses support for ISIS war authorization", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Speaker Ryan expresses support for ISIS war authorization\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Kristina Wong\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Tuesday, December 15, 2015\r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday expressed support for considering an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), even though he said President Obama can wage his military campaign without it.\r\n\"I do believe we have legal authorization under the 2001 [AUMF]. I do also believe that it would be a good sign for American foreign policy to have a new one updating our AUMF to declare our mission with respect to ISIS,\" he said at a breakfast hosted by Politico.\r\n\r\n\"I think that'd be good for putting America in an offensive posture,\" he added.\r\nThe Obama administration maintains it has the authority it needs under the 2001 AUMF against al Qaeda in the Afghanistan War, but some lawmakers say it's a legal stretch and that Congress is abdicating its responsibility by not declaring war against ISIS.\r\nRyan's remarks could signal hope for members who have been pressing to pass a new measure to authorize the U.S.'s military campaign against ISIS, which formally began last August.\r\nReps. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) last week introduced a war powers measure in the House as a companion bill to one introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).\r\n\"I think we have a new Speaker that's in part why I have renewed optimism that we can advance this now,\" Rigell told reporters last week.\r\n\"I take Speaker Ryan at his word that the will of the House will be done, and so I think I really do believe that there is a building momentum on this matter,\" he added.\r\nRigell and other proponents of passing an AUMF say the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino should spur lawmakers to action, but there are major obstacles in the way.\r\nWhen the administration proposed an AUMF last year, Republicans said it would tie the hands of military commanders, while Democrats worried it was not restrictive enough  a seemingly unbridgeable divide.\r\nRepublicans have also said they would not endorse a war without hearing and agreeing with the administration's plan to defeat the terrorist group.\r\nAlso, many lawmakers on both aisles are wary of taking a vote that could come back to haunt them, such as with a 2002 authorization for the Iraq War.\r\nRyan said he's discussed the issue with several committee chairmen, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.).\r\n\"[There's] plenty of members in our caucus who think that this is a debate we should have and I agree it's a debate worth having,\" he said. \r\n\"The question is, which we do not now have an answer to, can we write an AUMF that the president will sign where he's not going to handcuff the next president, and can we get consensus on how to do that? That's what we're trying to figure out right now.\"\r\nRyan said he hoped the president would be willing to shift from his previous AUMF proposal, given recent ISIS attacks.\r\n\"I think what the president sent us handcuffed the next president. I think the president put too many constrictions on the military...and so, can we put a new AUMF to show that America is on offense in the war on terror? I think we can and I think we should,\" he said.\r\nHowever, he pointed to yet another hurdle  a provision in the recently passed 2016 defense policy bill requiring the administration to present a plan to defeat ISIS to Congress.\r\n\"So we're waiting for the president to present a plan to defeat ISIS, and so there's a case to be made, that, let's see what the plan to defeat ISIS is, and that is a good time to then consider whether ... it'd be in our interest to have a new AUMF to accompany a new strategy to defeat ISIS.\"\r\n\"Because the strategy that we have right now  it's not working.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=32598f4d-ff6d-4ca1-a130-77d8e58b70da", "Warner, Kaine Applaud Senate Confirmation of Boente & Fishwick as U.S. Attorneys for Virginia", "2015-12-15", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today applauded the Senates confirmations of Dana J. Boente to serve as a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and John P. Fishwick, Jr. to serve as a United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Mr. Boente  a 37-year veteran of the Justice Department and experienced trial lawyer is the current interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Mr. Fishwick  currently a partner at LichtensteinFishwick PLC  has extensive experience in the U.S. District Court as a criminal defense attorney and civil litigator.\r\nWe are pleased that the Senate has confirmed two extraordinarily qualified individuals, Dana Boente and John Fishwick, to serve as U.S. Attorneys in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. Dana and John received widespread support across the Commonwealth, including from the Virginia State Bar and the American Bar Association. We are delighted our Senate colleagues unanimously supported their nominations today and are confident each will serve Virginia honorably,the Senators said.\r\nWarner and Kaine recommended Mr. Boente and Mr. Fishwick to the President in May. The White House nominated them in October and the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed their nominations last week. \r\nThe Eastern District has offices in Alexandria, Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk. The Western District has offices in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville, Abingdon and Big Stone Gap.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-joins-morning-joe-to-discuss-war-authorization-and-commonsense-gun-safety-reforms-", "Kaine Joins Morning Joe To Discuss War Authorization & Commonsense Gun Safety Reforms", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Live in-studio with the crew from MSNBC's Morning Joe, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) discussed his efforts to have Congress debate and vote on the war against ISIL. Kaine also talked about commonsense steps Congress should take to improve the visa waiver program and prevent suspected terrorists from obtaining guns.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-joins-new-day-to-discuss-his-continued-push-for-war-authorization-", "Kaine Joins New Day To Discuss His Continued Push For War Authorization", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined CNN New Day to discuss his continued efforts to urge Congress to debate and vote on a war authorization against ISIL. For over 17 months, Kaine has been a leading voice in calling for a bipartisan authorization of force that can help shape and define the U.S. mission versus ISIL.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=6d8cac59-6a64-4d7c-8254-b807967671c2", "Sen. Warner Applauds FAA for Finalizing Registration Requirements for Recreational Drone Use", "2015-12-14", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement applauding the Department of Transportations (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for releasing a streamlined and user-friendly web-based aircraft registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS):\r\nI am pleased to see that the FAA has moved forward with a final registration rule for UAS. At a time when we could see as many as 700,000 UAS, or drones, sold during this holiday season, it is important that consumer UAS operators act safely and responsibly. Registration of these systems, along with a modest fee, will promote safety and help reinforce with the public that safe operation in the national airspace is critical to harnessing the potential for economic development and technological advancement that drones bring.\r\nRegistration, along with education and training, is an important step in deterring reckless behavior. However, our focus needs to remain on finalizing comprehensive rules governing safe integration of UAS, including for commercial purposes, into the national airspace. I urge the FAA to finalize those comprehensive rules as soon as possible so that the United States stays globally competitive in fully embracing the potential this new technology brings.\r\nIn October, Sen. Warner praised the FAA for their announcement that it will expand the Pathfinder Program  a public-private partnership to explore ways for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to operate safely in the U.S.  to include sensitive airport airspace, a move Sen. Warner called for last March.\r\nSen. Warner has long advocated for the testing and development of UAS technology, having worked with his Virginia and Maryland colleagues to urge federal officials to select the mid-Atlantic region to host a UAS test range for researching the safest and most effective ways to incorporate UAS into the existing airspace. The UAS test site at Virginia Tech  one of six such sites across the country  became operational last year.\r\nMore information about the FAA rules is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/tim-in-the-news/sen-tim-kaine-discusses-major-topics-in-education-with-students-around-virginia", "Sen. Tim Kaine discusses major topics in education with students around Virginia", "2015-12-13", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sen. Tim Kaine discusses major topics in education with students around Virginia\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Chris Hogan\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Sunday, December 13, 2015\r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            On Dec. 4, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) held a conference call during which he fielded questions from representatives of college newspapers around the state.\r\nKaine, the former governor of Virginia, spoke for nearly an hour, first explaining his work in the various congressional committees hes involved with and then addressing questions about his stance on events taking place in Virginia and around the world. Following the call, The Breeze got reaction from some students on campus.\r\nThe Elementary and Secondary Education Act\r\nKaine was first asked how he felt about the recent changes in a rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which would provide more funding for music and arts curricula in public schools.\r\nOne of the weaknesses of the ESEA and the Virginia Educational Initiatives beginning back in the mid-90s to focus on curriculum standards was that there was sort of a definition of what a core curriculum was, and it was usually social studies, science, English and math and it really gave some school districts an incentive to  since the testing was kind of high-stakes and a lot was on the line  really downgrade arts, music and physical education, Kaine said.\r\nEmily Lewis, a freshman biology major, recalled her experience with her school district, Cherry Hill Public Schools in New Jersey, attempting to downgrade its music and arts program.\r\nMy junior year they were thinking about cutting [funding for music and arts], Lewis said.\r\nLewis said she and her classmates had to petition to keep the funding and even then some cuts were made. The Senates rewrite of the act changes this.\r\nIn previous versions, the focus was on the core curriculum but it has since been redefined to include arts and music. Special provisions were made for the use of Title IV funds to go toward music and the arts. The portion of the education fund that schools get directly from the federal government are the Title IV funds.\r\nI think this education policy is a better policy than the one we had in the past, the one it replaced because it is a recognition that core curriculum is not simply those four subjects but arts education needs to be an important part of a well-rounded educational experience, Kaine said.\r\nJosh Merrick, a freshman finance major, agreed with Kaine.\r\nIm not super political but I understand that the arts and music are very important to a lot of students, especially around here, Merrick said. I think that depending on the schools budget \r\nand Im sure hes going with the right move on that  theres a huge outlet for stuff like that and it really helps students connect with each other and with the world around them.\r\nSexual Assault\r\nAn in-depth discussion of the sexual assault crimes on college campuses dominated the call. Kaine said hes been working to try to pass legislation to combat sexual assault but faces many issues. One particular point of contention is trying to balance the roles that colleges and universities, and the criminal justice system, should take in dealing with sexual assault on college campuses.\r\nThe Safe Campus Act was introduced to the House earlier this year and, if passed, the act would require universities to wait to take action against the accused until a conviction is made by law enforcement. This would apply for sexual assaults but not for any other form of crime.\r\nI think requiring a student to have to go to the police with a sexual assault investigation and saying that a university cant take action on a sexual assault case when they can take action on cheating or theft or other kinds of crimes is just a horrible idea. I very much oppose that, Kaine said. Its important to have law enforcement involved to stop other crimes from occurring but telling somebody that they cant bring a complaint unless they go to law enforcement first is a very bad idea.\r\nBranden Gross, a sophomore engineering major was unsure of how to best approach this.\r\nI think it depends on the situation, depending on what the circumstances are, Gross said. Maybe there should be a kind of a court system or something inside the school and then they would go on from there depending on the severity of the case itself.\r\nEarlier this year, state-level legislation written by a commission appointed by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and that Anne Holton, Kaines wife, worked on was more lenient. The new legislation allows universities to have their own process to handle sexual assault cases on their own campuses and it would require employees of the university to report sexual acts to the campus Title IX coordinator.\r\nThe reason that was put in is because there are a lot of colleges that are trying to hide acts of sexual assault, Kaine said. They would rather paint the picture to the public that, Hey, everythings fine and not be honest about the problem.\r\nThe goal of requiring cases to be reported to the campus Title IX coordinator is to prevent schools from trying to cover up what is happening. The coordinator would share the information with a committee but that wouldnt be required to turn it over to law enforcement if the health and safety of the survivor or other individuals wasnt threatened.\r\nIn many instances they wont have to, but I think that that state law was an effort to try to strike the balance between law enforcement prerogatives, the needs of a survivor, the potential that there could be future victims and the needs of the institutions, Kaine said. I think it reached a good balance. The federal law that has been introduced in the House doesnt try to balance the rights effectively and thats why I dont support it.\r\nKaine visited students at the University of Virginia in the wake of the controversial Rolling Stone article last year to hear students speak about the issue. He has since used what he learned from students to try to push for legislation that would enable public schools at the junior high and high school levels to teach about safe sex practices.\r\nKaine worked with Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill to introduce the Teach Safe Relationships Act, legislation that would ultimately designed to require schools receiving Title IV funds to teach safe relationship behavior.\r\nWe defined safe relationship behavior as behavior that will help students to understand what are appropriate and inappropriate behaviors with respect to sexuality and coercion and consent and where to go if you think somebody is pressuring you to do something wrong or if you need help, Kaine said.\r\nThe senator couldnt gain the backing he needed so he worked to get this legislation added to the rewrite of the ESEA.\r\nIt was attached and we got it into the Senate version of this act, Kaine said. The Senate version basically said that if you get Title IV monies then you have to teach safe relationship behavior but you can design the curriculum yourself and every year as you report how you used your Title IV monies you tell us what youre doing to promote safe relationship behavior.\r\nEmily Drummond, a sophomore engineering major, believes that how sexual assault is discussed needs to change.\r\nComing in freshman year we would do the Step Up program, Drummond said. Its definitely important to educate and teach people that and thats the best way to do it where its mandatory that as a freshman that you take these classes but it does come off as kind of kitschy and we need to find a way to make it a little more serious.\r\nThat version passed through the Senate, however, the House passed a rewrite that ignored that topic. Both sides of Congress hashed out a compromised version. Instead of specifically requiring the instruction of safe behaviors, the new version makes sure that the Title IV funds can be used for such.\r\nNow we have some work to do to go out and convince jurisdictions to do it, but given that the bill was very well supported by educational groups and by mental health professionals and by folks who work with survivors of sexual assault, I think we will be able to get a lot of school districts to actually follow the lead and use monies for that purpose, Kaine said.\r\nStandardized Testing\r\nStudents around Virginia grow up taking the Standards of Learning standardized tests and Kaine was asked for his stance on how big standardized testing has become. He was optimistic about the future.\r\nI think too much of K-12 education has been about standardized testing, Kaine said. The test is a means to an end, not the end in itself.\r\nIn rewriting the ESEA, Congress hoped to change this. Kaine noted that there will still be scientifically validated tests in the future with their own consequences.\r\nI think [the rewrite of the Act] will give states much more flexibility to decide how to do them and I think that is a good idea, Kaine said.\r\nA potential VP?\r\nKaine was also asked if any rumors about him making it onto a Democratic ticket next year were true.\r\nI would say Dont believe everything you hear, Kaine said. I was considered and vetted as a vice presidential candidate back in 2008 when President Obama had a long list of candidates and it kept getting shorter and shorter and I ended up being one of the last two or three that was considered, but I was not chosen, and never really expected to be chosen and I kind of have the same feeling now.\r\nKaine said that he has enjoyed his time in the Senate these last three years and will be supporting Hillary Clintons campaign.\r\nI think shes gonna do well and do well in Virginia but I think its just not that likely that I will be asked to join the ticket, Kaine said.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/tim-in-the-news/tim-kaine-us-senator-examines-political-powers", "Tim Kaine: U.S. senator examines political powers", "2015-12-13", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Tim Kaine: U.S. senator examines political powers\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Jim Nolan\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Sunday, December 13, 2015\r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            He may be prominent on the national stage, but Tim Kaine's political and personal roots run deep in Richmond.\r\nThe U.S. senator started in politics in 1994 as a city councilman representing the Ginter Park neighborhood where he still lives and where he raised three children with wife Anne Holton, Virginia's secretary of education and daughter of former Gov. A. Linwood Holton Jr.\r\n\r\nKaine subsequently served as Richmond mayor before being elected lieutenant governor in 2001 and governor in 2005. A confidant of President Barack Obama and one of the first governors to endorse Obama's successful run for president in 2008, Kaine was named chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 2009. He left that post and a teaching job at the University of Richmond in 2011 after deciding to run for Senate when Jim Webb opted against seeking re-election.\r\n\r\n\r\nSince his Senate election, Kaine has plunged into national and international politics, serving on the influential Armed Services, Foreign Relations and Budget committees. He spent much of his time over the past year wrestling with colleagues on the issues of war authorization and diplomacy as it relates to the Iran nuclear deal and the threat of the Islamic State group in the Middle East.\r\n\r\n\r\nKaine said the idea that Congress wants to be meaningfully involved to block a president's constitutional powers on diplomacy on issues such as the Iran deal but is willing to let a president do anything on war  \"just sends such a horrible message.\" He added that \"the complexity and long-term nature of the threat (of the Islamic State) is one in which we need to be involved.\"\r\n\r\n\r\nKaine has also been active on the home front and said that securing an embassy training facility for Virginia \"would be a big thing for Southside. ... We are inching our way toward that.\"\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Harvard-educated son of a Kansas metalworker worked as a missionary in Honduras and a civil rights lawyer in Richmond. And whether in Richmond or Washington, Kaine still cherishes his roots in the city, commuting weekly and maintaining a circle of friends from his earliest days in town.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nA small moment in life with a big impact\r\n\r\n\r\nI listened to a still, small voice during my first year in law school and took a year away to volunteer with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. That impulsive and immediate decision has affected everything I've done since my marriage, my faith, my work, my views about the world. Looking back, with all that was going on in my life and in the region at the time, I'm kind of surprised I did it. I hope I'm still open to inspiration.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBrother Jim O'Leary, or Hermano Jaime, was a Jesuit missionary who put me in charge of a technical school in El Progreso, Honduras, in 1980-81. He was the most giving and in-the-moment person I've ever known.\r\n\r\n\r\nSomething you'd like to do\r\n\r\n\r\nI've hiked much of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia over the years, but I'd love to through-hike it one day.\r\n\r\n\r\nFavorite thing about Richmond region\r\n\r\n\r\nI love everything about the James River. I have a painting of the river near Maymont in my Senate office, and I get homesick every time I look at it.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Bible is my all-time favorite book because from Genesis to Revelation, it reveals so much about who we are as people. The Adam and Eve story was written in about 500 BC, and already the author understood the paradoxical truth that human knowledge of good and evil could be both good and evil.\r\n\r\n\r\nSomething that might surprise others\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAlternateprofession or course of study\r\n\r\n\r\nSomething to indulge my introverted side probably a teacher, professor or writer surrounded by walls of books.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nI am proud of my wife, Anne, and our 31-year marriage. And I'm proud that our three children are strong and independent young adults who know how to find and pursue their own passions.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBorn/hometown: Feb. 26, 1958; Overland Park, Kan.\r\n\r\n\r\nCollege: University of Missouri (bachelor's in economics), Harvard University Law School\r\n\r\n\r\nFamily: wife Anne Holton; children Nat, Woody and Annella", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/tim-in-the-news/education-bill-includes-provision-to-fund-k-12-education-on-safe-relationships", "Education bill includes provision to fund K-12 education on safe relationships", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Education bill includes provision to fund K-12 education on safe relationships\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                    By:\r\n                    Chris Suarez\r\n                \r\n            \r\n            \r\n                \r\n                \r\n                \r\n            Friday, December 11, 2015\r\n            \n\t\n\r\n            \r\n            Provisions of U.S. Sen. Timothy M. Kaines Teach Safe Relationships Act were signed into law this week as a rider on the Every Student Succeeds Act, making public funds available for elementary and secondary school instruction about sexual assault and safe relationships.\r\nPackaged within the bill that replaces the No Child Left Behind Act, the provisions open Title IV funds for grants that encourage instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among teenagers and young adults. The former Virginia governors bill was first introduced in February with Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.\r\n\r\nI believe it will help prevent sexual assault, not just on college campuses, but for anybody in the 16 to 24 age range, who are most vulnerable, Kaine said.\r\n\r\n\r\nKaine said he met with University of Virginia students after Rolling Stone published a 9,000-word article about sexual assaults at universities across the country, primarily using UVa as an example of rape culture that exists on college campuses.\r\n\r\n\r\nAlthough the story was later discredited by authorities and a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism report, Kaine said Wednesday that many of the storys statistics were correct.\r\n\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, Kaine said the Justice Department estimated 290,000 Americans each year are victims of rape or sexual assault. Advocates suggest the number of victimizations is higher because many incidents go unreported.\r\n\r\n\r\nAccording to the FBI, 116,645 rapes were reported to police in 2014. The Bureau of Justice Statistics in August said the rate of intimate partner violence  which includes crimes committed by current or former spouses, boyfriends or girlfriends  was 2.4 per 1,000 people in 2014.\r\n\r\n\r\nLast December, Kaine met with about 30 members of One Less, an all-female UVa student group dedicated to sexual assault prevention, shortly after Rolling Stone published its story. Kaine said the meeting was private and excluded media and university administrators and faculty.\r\n\r\n\r\nThese students didn't all agree with each other about various points, but the goal was to get a sense from them about what we in Congress could do that would be helpful and what were things we might want to do that would make us feel good but wouldn't be helpful, Kaine said.\r\n\r\n\r\nMany great ideas came out of that discussion, but there was one in particular that grabbed my attention, he said, alluding to what became the basis for the bill.\r\n\r\n\r\nEven though brief announcements regarding public safety  including sexual assault and harassment  are given to first-year students during orientation, advocates who met with Kaine last year said those lessons often get buried in the excitement and overwhelming amount of information thats disseminated at the start of the academic year to newly arrived students.\r\n\r\n\r\nThis past semester, all UVa students were required to complete two new online training modules about sexual assault and alcohol abuse. According to UVa, the two-part Not on Our Grounds: Sexual Assault Education Module fulfills federal requirements for colleges and universities. The module includes key definitions, statistics and suggested strategies for bystander intervention.\r\n\r\n\r\nIt is important to provide education early on because these are issues that can affect students before they even enter college, said Clare Driggs, a member of One Less.\r\n\r\n\r\nHearing the message before college will help students be prepared when they enter the new environment and might give them an opportunity to intervene or offer support to survivors even before college, Driggs said. We are excited to see the issue being addressed on a national level, and we feel honored to have gotten the opportunity to talk to Sen. Kaine about it.\r\n\r\n\r\nDriggs said that both One Less and One in Four, an all-male sexual assault prevention student organization, have been meeting with first-year students in their dorms to create a comfortable peer-to-peer environment to foster discussion on the difficult topics and establish norms about appropriate relationship behavior.\r\n\r\n\r\nEarlier this year, the Teach Safe Relationships Act received endorsements from a number of advocacy groups, including the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe Sexual Assault Resource Agency, a Charlottesville-based education and advocacy group that is accredited by the alliance, applauded the passage of the provisions from Kaines bill.\r\n\r\n\r\nA lot of work is being done on college campuses to lessen the amount of sexual violence. Unfortunately, by that time in a young adults life, their values and beliefs related to sexual violence may already be solidified, said Rebecca Weybright, executive director for SARA.\r\n\r\n\r\nServing Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Nelson, Louisa, Fluvanna and Greene, SARA says it reaches approximately 550 survivors and 1,100 students each year through its advocacy programs and support services.\r\n\r\n\r\nExpanding this work to students in K-12 provides the opportunity to talk with children  with age-appropriate topics and language  about protective factors, consent, identifying trusted people, the impact of gender norms and more, Weybright said. This education gives us a chance to send young people forward with better skills for identifying inappropriate behavior and knowing what to do when they see this.\r\n\r\n\r\nOther provisions that Kaine authored in the Every Student Succeeds Act are expected to strengthen career and technical education and preschool programs in schools nationwide.\r\n\r\n\r\nAccording to Kaines press office, the bill adds career and technical education as a core academic subject and allows states to apply for a grant to develop such education with academic studies and support professional development for teachers of such programs.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe bill also authorizes the Preschool Development Grant, which states can use to bolster early childhood programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will administer the program in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/tim-in-the-news/tim-kaine-on-showdown", "Tim Kaine on 'Showdown'", "2015-12-11", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "[The Wall Street Journal]asked 50 peoplefrom Gillian Anderson to Nell Zinkto name their favorite books of 2015.\r\nMy reading highlights are a new book, a recent book and an old classic. Wil HaygoodsShowdownis a fast-paced telling of how President Lyndon B. Johnson schemed to nominate Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Courtrunning straight into the teeth of the segregationists running the Senate Judiciary Committee. Expect deft portraits of Marshall and all the major players. Orlando FigessThe Crimean Waris a masterly argument that this 1850s conflict was the first truly modern war with global superpower politics, industrialized killing, religious tension and intense coverage by international journalists. This book was especially enlightening given Vladimir Putins annexation of Crimea and rising tensions between Russia and Turkey. Finally, Martin Scorsese has filmed Shusaku EndosSilence: This 1966 novel about the Jesuit missionaries who first evangelized Japan is one of my all-time favoritescombining a moving presentation of a vanished world with a hard, postnuclear attitude toward faith and doubt, cruelty and suffering.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/warner-kaine-brat-scott-applaud-final-passage-of-bill-naming-mcguire-va", "Warner, Kaine, Brat, Scott Applaud Final Passage of Bill Naming McGuire V.A. Medical Center Arboretum in Honor of Phyllis Galanti", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  The U.S. Senate today joined the House of Representatives in passing bipartisan legislation that honors the late Phyllis Galantis service to Americas military men and women and their families by naming the outdoor arboretum at Richmonds McGuire VA Medical Center The Phyllis Galanti Memorial Arboretum. The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and John McCain (R-AZ) in the Senate, along with Reps. Dave Brat (R-VA-7),Bobby Scott (D-VA-3) and Sam Johnson (R-TX-3)in the House, now heads to the Presidents desk to be signed into law.\nMrs. Galanti, of Richmond, who passed away in April 2014 at the age of 73, became a national advocate for the estimated 600 American POWs when her husband, Lt. Cmdr. Paul Galanti, was shot down over North Vietnam on June 17, 1966. During her husbands 2,432 day incarceration in a Vietnamese POW camp, Phyllis Galanti advocated for humane treatment and release of American POWs, serving as national chairman of the National League of Families and Friends of POWs and MIAs in Southeastern Asia.\nThe legislation honors Phyllis Galanti by naming an existing outdoor arboretum at the McGuire VA Medical Center in her honor. The arboretum will feature gardens, walkways and benches in her honor, including the addition of appropriate signage.\nPhyllis Galantis story is a tremendous testament to what is possible through unselfish service to others. We were pleased to work together to permanently honor Phyllis Galanti in a way that will allow us to continue to share her story of perseverance and patriotism for years to come, the Virginia members said. Designating such a beautiful space in her name - one that will be enjoyed by generations of servicemembers and their families to come - is a fitting tribute to her decades of service to Virginia and our country. Her role in fighting on behalf of all of our POWs and MIAs reminds us that our military families also sacrifice for our country.\nThe text of the legislation is available here.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=280", "Beyer, Wittman Prepare Legislation to Protect Federal Workers", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "With the clock ticking on the federal government's fiscal calendar, Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) and Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) are preparing legislation to protect federal employees from a government shutdown.  The Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act would guarantee back pay for all furloughed workers in the event of a shutdown.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      With the clock ticking on the federal government's fiscal calendar, Congressman Don Beyer(D-VA) and Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) are preparing legislation to protect federal employees from a government shutdown. The Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act would guarantee back pay for all furloughed workers in the event of a shutdown.\r\nFor the third time this year, Congressional dysfunction threatens the livelihood of federal workers carrying out our country's vital missions, said Rep. Beyer. It's inexcusable to play politics with their pay and their family's well-being. I hope my House colleagues recognize the hardship these funding battles cause hard-working American families. \r\nFederal employee pay is suspended in the event of a funding lapse or government shutdown. Retroactive pay for all essential and non-essential federal workers must be approved by Congress.\r\nThere has to be consistency and certainty in government funding for our federal employees to effectively carry out the important work that they do every day to make the U.S. a better, safer place, Rep. Wittman said. This culture of stagnation that plagues the budget process in Washington and makes the well-being of federal employees contingent on unrelated policy measures has to end. I've said before, and I will say again that this recurring cycle of governing by crisis has to give way to long-term vision and resolve.\r\nCongressman Beyer's 8th District and Congressman Wittman's 1st District are home to approximately 120,000 federal employees combined.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-and-kaine-praise-unanimous-committee-approval-of-nominations-for-two-us-attorneys-for-virginia", "Warner & Kaine Praise Unanimous Committee Approval of Nominations for Two U.S. Attorneys for Virginia", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner & Kaine Praise Unanimous Committee Approval of Nominations for Two U.S. Attorneys for Virginia\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 10, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement on todays Senate Judiciary Committee unanimous passage of the nominations of Dana J. Boente to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and John P. Fishwick, Jr., to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia:\r\nMr. Boentes long career as a prosecutor and current position as Acting U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District makes him exceptionally well-qualified to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District. Mr. Boente has extensive experience in a variety of cases involving national security, public corruption, and financial fraud cases. We're encouraged by this step in the process. The full Senate should waste no time in bringing this well qualified nominee up for a vote, Sens. Warner and Kaine said in the joint statement.\r\nHaving practiced law for over 30 years in Western Virginia, John Fishwick has extensive experience in civil and criminal proceedings, fighting against injustice and for the people he represents. Mr. Fishwick is highly respected by his colleagues and has been elected or appointed to a number of leadership positions in legal organizations, Sens. Warner and Kaine said. We are pleased to urge our Senate colleagues to support his nomination to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District, and will press Senate leadership for a vote as soon as possible.\r\nThe Eastern District has offices in Alexandria, Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk. The Western District has offices in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville, Abingdon and Big Stone Gap.\r\nDana J. Boente has served in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia since 2000.Currently, Boente serves as the Acting U.S. Attorney, a position he has held since 2013 and from 2008 to 2009, as well as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, a position he has held since 2007.While at the U.S. Attorneys Office, he served as the Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana from December 2012 to September 2013 and, while on detail, as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 2005 to 2007.From 1984 to 2000, he served as a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Boente began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable J. Waldo Ackerman of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois from 1982 to 1984.He received his J.D. magna cum laude in 1982 from St. Louis University School of Law, and his M.B.A. in 1977 and B.S.B.A. cum laude in 1976, both from St. Louis University.\r\nJohn P. Fishwick, Jr., has been a partner in the Virginia law firm of LichtensteinFishwick PLC and its predecessor firms since 1996, where he practices both civil and criminal litigation.Prior to that, he was a partner in the law firms of Fishwick, Jones & Glenn from 1992 to 1995, Fishwick & Jones from 1991 to 1992, and Fishwick & Young from 1988 to 1989.From 1984 to 1986 he was an associate at McGuire Woods.Fishwick was a solo practitioner from 1989 to 1991 and 1986 to 1988.Fishwick clerked for the Honorable James C. Turk of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia from 1983 to 1984.He received his J.D. cum laude in 1983 from Washington and Lee University School of Law and his B.A. in 1979 from Harvard University.\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=5f2d6a6c-8193-4958-8068-674ee631c5aa", "Warner, Kaine, Brat, Scott Applaud Final Passage of Bill Naming McGuire V-A Medical Center Arboretum in Honor of Phyllis Galanti", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate today joined the House of Representatives in passing bipartisan legislation that honors the late Phyllis Galantis service to Americas military men and women and their families by naming the outdoor arboretum at Richmonds McGuire VA Medical Center The Phyllis Galanti Memorial Arboretum. The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Mark R. Warner, Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and John McCain (R-AZ) in the Senate, along with Reps. Dave Brat (R-VA-7),Bobby Scott (D-VA-3) and Sam Johnson (R-TX-3)in the House, now heads to the Presidents desk to be signed into law.\r\nMrs. Galanti, of Richmond, who passed away in April 2014 at the age of 73, became a national advocate for the estimated 600 American POWs when her husband, Lt. Cmdr. Paul Galanti, was shot down over North Vietnam on June 17, 1966. During her husbands 2,432 day incarceration in a Vietnamese POW camp, Phyllis Galanti advocated for humane treatment and release of American POWs, serving as national chairman of the National League of Families and Friends of POWs and MIAs in Southeastern Asia.\r\nThe legislation honors Phyllis Galanti by naming an existing outdoor arboretum at the McGuire VA Medical Center in her honor. The arboretum will feature gardens, walkways and benches in her honor, including the addition of appropriate signage.\r\nPhyllis Galantis story is a tremendous testament to what is possible through unselfish service to others. We were pleased to work together to permanently honor Phyllis Galanti in a way that will allow us to continue to share her story of perseverance and patriotism for years to come, the Virginia members said.\r\nDesignating such a beautiful space in her name - one that will be enjoyed by generations of servicemembers and their families to come - is a fitting tribute to her decades of service to Virginia and our country. Her role in fighting on behalf of all of our POWs and MIAs reminds us that our military families also sacrifice for our country.\r\nThe text of the legislation is available here?.\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=e509e849-fee9-419e-86d4-5d0bf279ef52", "Warner & Kaine Praise Unanimous Committee Approval of Nominations for Two U.S. Attorneys for Virginia", "2015-12-10", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement on todays Senate Judiciary Committee unanimous passage of the nominations of Dana J. Boente to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and John P. Fishwick, Jr., to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia:\r\nMr. Boentes long career as a prosecutor and current position as Acting U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District makes him exceptionally well-qualified to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District. Mr. Boente has extensive experience in a variety of cases involving national security, public corruption, and financial fraud cases. We're encouraged by this step in the process. The full Senate should waste no time in bringing this well qualified nominee up for a vote, Sens. Warner and Kaine said in the joint statement.\r\nHaving practiced law for over 30 years in Western Virginia, John Fishwick has extensive experience in civil and criminal proceedings, fighting against injustice and for the people he represents. Mr. Fishwick is highly respected by his colleagues and has been elected or appointed to a number of leadership positions in legal organizations, Sens. Warner and Kaine said. We are pleased to urge our Senate colleagues to support his nomination to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District, and will press Senate leadership for a vote as soon as possible.\r\nThe Eastern District has offices in Alexandria, Richmond, Newport News and Norfolk. The Western District has offices in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville, Abingdon and Big Stone Gap.\r\nDana J. Boente has served in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia since 2000.Currently, Boente serves as the Acting U.S. Attorney, a position he has held since 2013 and from 2008 to 2009, as well as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, a position he has held since 2007.While at the U.S. Attorneys Office, he served as the Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana from December 2012 to September 2013 and, while on detail, as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 2005 to 2007.From 1984 to 2000, he served as a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Boente began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable J. Waldo Ackerman of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois from 1982 to 1984.He received his J.D. magna cum laude in 1982 from St. Louis University School of Law, and his M.B.A. in 1977 and B.S.B.A. cum laude in 1976, both from St. Louis University.\r\nJohn P. Fishwick, Jr., has been a partner in the Virginia law firm of LichtensteinFishwick PLC and its predecessor firms since 1996, where he practices both civil and criminal litigation.Prior to that, he was a partner in the law firms of Fishwick, Jones & Glenn from 1992 to 1995, Fishwick & Jones from 1991 to 1992, and Fishwick & Young from 1988 to 1989.From 1984 to 1986 he was an associate at McGuire Woods.Fishwick was a solo practitioner from 1989 to 1991 and 1986 to 1988.Fishwick clerked for the Honorable James C. Turk of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia from 1983 to 1984.He received his J.D. cum laude in 1983 from Washington and Lee University School of Law and his B.A. in 1979 from Harvard University.\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/air-force-selects-langley-for-new-cyber-squadron", "Air Force Selects Langley for New Cyber Squadron", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron. Virginias bipartisan delegation, including Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S Reps. Scott Rigell (R-VA-2), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Rob Wittman (R-VA-1), and Randy Forbes (R-VA-4), has advocated to locate the cyber facility at JBLE since December 2014. \nWe were very pleased to hear that the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron, the Virginia delegation said. Cybersecurity is one of the greatest challenges we face as a nation, and this mission will play a critical role in responding to threats and protecting the integrity of our networks and cyber systems. This decision is a testament to Virginias strong record in cyber capabilities, including top defense and technology companies, research institutions, and a highly skilled workforce. We are proud to host this critical mission.\nIn the months leading up to the decision, the Virginia delegation sent two bipartisan letters to the Air National Guard advocating for Virginia as a location for the cyber squadron.Virginia is home to 9 higher-education institutions recognized by NSA and DoD as centers of academic excellence. As the members wrote in a April 29 letter: Virginia and Hampton Roads are home to the top defense and technology companies in the country  many of which are already supporting the cyber mission for national security.\nThe decision to build this capability is in keeping with a DOD-wide focus on enhancing cybersecurity, one of America's most important national security concerns. This new mission brings private sector experience together with public service by leveraging the civilian experiences of the people who make up its units.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-statement-on-senate-passage-of-bipartisan-bill-to-fix-no-child", "Scott Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As originally released by the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats\nWASHINGTON, D.C. Ranking Member Robert C. Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 85-12 passage of S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act  a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind:\nI commend Senator Alexander, Senator Murray, Chairman Kline and our respective staff for their earnest and diligent work to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind. The Every Student Succeeds Act brings our education system into the 21st century and will make a positive difference in the lives of our nations students by giving every student an equal chance to succeed.\nToday we have a bill that is truly worthy of the Presidents signature. A good bill that is better than current law, and better than whats happening in many states under waivers. We were able to work together to advance student-centered policy solutions that both fulfill the ESEA's civil rights legacy and move public education forward.\n# # #\nFACT SHEET  S. 1177, EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT\nThe Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 affirms the principles of Brown v. Board of Education, which held that it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education, and that such an opportunity is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms. It also honors the intent of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by building on past reauthorizations of the law while addressing the key challenges presented by the most recent authorization of ESEA, No Child Left Behind. The Every Student Succeeds Act:\n Puts in place assessment, accountability, and improvement systems that will close achievement gaps with evidence-based strategies that meet the unique needs of students and schools.\n\tRequires states to set high standards for all children, including by capping participation of students with disabilities in alternate assessments.\n\tRequires meaningful state and local action in every school where students  or any subgroup of students  arent learning. It requires that any action taken to support school improvement is driven by student outcomes  and that poverty can't be used as an excuse for not stepping up to better serve students.\n\tSupports teachers and school leaders with resources and professional development opportunities that will prepare todays learners for tomorrows workforce.\n\tProvides dedicated funding to improve student access to critical support and community services, a well-rounded curriculum, and improved technology in our nations most disadvantaged schools.\n\tHelps states and school districts reduce the overuse of exclusionary discipline practices by allowing funding to be used for Youth PROMISE plans.\n\tDrives federal dollars to the schools and communities that need them the most. It requires transparent reporting of data to ensure schools are responsible for not only the achievement of all their students, but also for the equitable allocation of resources to support student learning. States and districts will be required, for the first time, to address resource inequities in school improvement.\n\tRecognizes the importance of early learning  a priority in both red and blue states alike  by authorizing a program to assist with coordination of state and federal programs to ensure our nations most vulnerable students arent starting kindergarten behind their peers.\n\tEnsures the federal government maintains authority to implement the law and to hold bad actors accountable for not complying with federal law.\n The bill text can be found here.\nA section by section summary of the bill can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=566", "Meadows, Connolly Fraud Prevention Bill Passes Committee", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee advanced H.R. 4180 the Fraud Reduction and Analytics Act of 2015, bipartisan legislation introduced by Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to combat fraud at federal agencies and save American taxpayer dollars. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Today, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee advanced H.R. 4180 the Fraud Reduction and Analytics Act of 2015, bipartisan legislation introduced by Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to combat fraud at federal agencies and save American taxpayer dollars.The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported nearly $125 billion in improper payments just last year, much of which is the result of individuals deliberately defrauding federal agencies. The Fraud Reduction and Analytics Act of 2015 would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Comptroller General to establish government-wide guidelines for agencies to monitor, detect, and combat fraud in real-time, rather than relying on end-of-year audits.The bill also calls for the creation of a working group tasked with building multi-agency data channels to fight fraud with the power of big data.\u201cThe fight against fraud and improper payments is a long-standing challenge transcending Presidential administrations and affecting all federal agencies,\u201d said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Oversight Subcommittee for Government Operations. \u201cOur committee has investigated this issue in-depth, and when it comes to rooting out fraud, we would be wise to heed Benjamin Franklin\u2019s famous axiom that, \u2018An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.\u2019\u201d\u201cDetecting, preventing, and eliminating fraud within our federal agencies is an important bipartisan issue that will save taxpayer dollars. Federal agencies must be pro-active, not reactive in their anti-fraud efforts,\u201d Chairman Meadows (R-NC) said.Senators\u00a0Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Tom Carper (D-DE) are leading the Senate-version of the bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=567", "Air Force Selects Langley for New Cyber Squadron", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron. Virginia's bipartisan delegation, including Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S Reps. Scott Rigell (R-VA-2), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Rob Wittman (R-VA-1), and Randy Forbes (R-VA-4), has advocated to locate the cyber facility at JBLE since December 2014. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Today the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron. Virginia\u2019s bipartisan delegation, including Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S Reps. Scott Rigell (R-VA-2), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Rob Wittman (R-VA-1), and Randy Forbes (R-VA-4), has advocated to locate the cyber facility at JBLE since December 2014. \u201cWe were very pleased to hear that the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron,\u201d the Virginia delegation said. \u201cCybersecurity is one of the greatest challenges we face as a nation, and this mission will play a critical role in responding to threats and protecting the integrity of our networks and cyber systems.\u00a0 This decision is a testament to Virginia\u2019s strong record in cyber capabilities, including top defense and technology companies, research institutions, and a highly skilled workforce. We are proud to host this critical mission.\u201d\u00a0In the months leading up to the decision, the Virginia delegation sent two bipartisan letters to the Air National Guard advocating for Virginia as a location for the cyber squadron.\u00a0Virginia is home to 9 higher-education institutions recognized by NSA and DoD as centers of academic excellence.\u00a0 As the members wrote in a April 29 letter: \u201cVirginia and Hampton Roads are home to the top defense and technology companies in the country \u2013 many of which are already supporting the cyber mission for national security.\u201dThe decision to build this capability is in keeping with a DOD-wide focus on enhancing cybersecurity, one of America's most important national security concerns.\u00a0 This new mission brings private sector experience together with public service by leveraging the civilian experiences of the people who make up its units.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/air-force-selects-langley-for-new-cyber-squadron", "Air Force Selects Langley For New Cyber Squadron", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Air Force Selects Langley For New Cyber Squadron\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  Today the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron. Virginias bipartisan delegation, including Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S Reps. Scott Rigell (R-VA-2), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Rob Wittman (R-VA-1), and Randy Forbes (R-VA-4), has advocated to locate the cyber facility at JBLE since December 2014.\r\nWe were very pleased to hear that the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron, the Virginia delegation said. Cybersecurity is one of the greatest challenges we face as a nation, and this mission will play a critical role in responding to threats and protecting the integrity of our networks and cyber systems. This decision is a testament to Virginias strong record in cyber capabilities, including top defense and technology companies, research institutions, and a highly skilled workforce. We are proud to host this critical mission.\r\nIn the months leading up to the decision, the Virginia delegation sent two bipartisan letters to the Air National Guard advocating for Virginia as a location for the cyber squadron.Virginia is home to 9 higher-education institutions recognized by NSA and DoD as centers of academic excellence. As the members wrote in a April 29 letter: Virginia and Hampton Roads are home to the top defense and technology companies in the country  many of which are already supporting the cyber mission for national security.\r\nThe decision to build this capability is in keeping with a DOD-wide focus on enhancing cybersecurity, one of America's most important national security concerns. This new mission brings private sector experience together with public service by leveraging the civilian experiences of the people who make up its units.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-applauds-final-passage-of-every-student-succeeds-act", "Kaine Applauds Final Passage Of Every Student Succeeds Act", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Applauds Final Passage Of Every Student Succeeds Act\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine praised passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which passed the Senate 85-12 today following House passage of the legislation last week. In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, Kaine applauded the inclusion of key provisions he authored to help prevent sexual assault and strengthen career and technical education (CTE) in schools across the country. The ESSA, which will replace No Child Left Behind, now heads to the Presidents desk to be signed into law.\r\nI would like to applaud Senators Murray and Alexander for reaching across the aisle and working with their committee colleagues to fix a long-expired and broken law. Education is key to both individual success and our countrys economic success, and this bill gives parents, schools, districts and states the flexibility to close achievement gaps, Kaine said. Im pleased that the bill will allow elementary and secondary schools  for the first time  to use Title IV funds for instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students. I believe it will help prevent sexual assault, not just on college campuses, but for anybody in the 16-24 age range who are most vulnerable. ESSA also includes my provisions to improve access to K-12 career and technical education (CTE) programs. CTE is an important pathway for students to prepare for the workforce by integrating practical applied purposes with work-based knowledge and a hands-on learning experience.\r\nA key provision of the Teach Safe Relationships Act, legislation Kaine introduced with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill last February, was included in the final bill. For the first time, elementary and secondary schools will be allowed to use Title IV education funding specifically for instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students. The idea for the legislation came out of a December 2014 meeting Kaine had at the University of Virginia to listen to students recommendations for preventing campus sexual assault. Numerous CTE provisions Kaine authored were also included in the bill, including amendments to expand career counseling, modernize high schools with work-based learning opportunities and designate CTE as a part of a well-rounded education along with traditional subjects including English, math and science.\r\nMore than 10,000 AFT members asked Congress to pass the Teach Safe Relationships Act, and were excited that core components of the original bill are included in ESSA thanks to Sen. Kaine and Sen. McCaskill's determined efforts. As a survivor of an attempted assault, I know first-hand how important it is to teach young people lessons about topics like affirmative consent and bystander intervention. Its on all of us to end sexual and gender-based violenceand we believe age-appropriate education can play an important role, said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.\r\nIm sincerely grateful to our partners on Capitol Hill, especially the members of the Senate and House CTE Caucuses, for their work to ensure that a reauthorized ESEA will place an unprecedented emphasis on the importance of CTE in every students education, said Association for Career and Technical Education Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. The Every Student Succeeds Act will, among other things, strengthen the integration of CTE and academic content, emphasize the need for career readiness in K-12 education and expand college and career guidance programs.\r\nBelow is a full list of provisions authored by Kaine that were included in the bill:\r\n \r\nTeaching safe relationship behavior  Instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students is included as an allowable use of funds under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants in Title IV. Kaine introduced the Teach Safe Relationships Act in February of 2015 following a discussion with University of Virginia student advocates who recommended improved K-12 education as one method to prevent campus sexual assault.\r\nCareer counseling  Includes career and guidance counseling programs as well as training on local workforce needs and various options for postsecondary and career pathways as an allowable use of funds under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants in Title IV. Kaine introduced the Career Ready Act in February 2015 with Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) that would help ensure students are ready for postsecondary education and the workforce by encouraging states to implement career guidance programs in schools and keep track of career readiness factors implemented in school districts.\r\nCTE integration and professional development  Adds a new allowable use of funds to Title II of ESSA to allow states to develop strategies for integrating academic and career and technical education content and supporting professional development for CTE teachers.\r\nAdding CTE as a core academic subject  Includes career and technical education in the definition of a well-rounded education along with traditional academic subjects like math and English.\r\nCareer readiness indicators  Encourages states to use more career readiness indicators in their accountability system and state report cards, so states will have the opportunity to recognize schools that are successfully preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce through tools like technical skills and college credits. These provisions build on Kaines Career Ready Act. \r\nCTE teachers - Allows Title II professional development funds to be used for career and technical educators to help improve the quality of CTE courses.\r\nEarly childhood education - Authorizes the Preschool Development Grant program which will provide competitive grants to support states to improve and expand access to high-quality early childhood programs. The program will be administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services jointly with the U.S. Department of Education. Kaine introduced the Providing Resources Early for Kids (PRE-K) Act in January 2015 to create a similar federal-state partnership to improve state preschool programs and expand current programs to serve more children in need. Kaine has been a long-time champion of access to quality early learning programs. As Governor, he expanded the Virginia Preschool Initiative by increasing Pre-K enrollment by 40 percent in the Commonwealth.\r\n \r\nESSA reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is the primary source of federal aid for K-12 education in the United States.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-urges-dod-to-rescind-policy-preventing-sikhs-from-serving-in-the-military", "Kaine Urges DOD To Rescind Policy Preventing Sikhs From Serving In The Military", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Urges DOD To Rescind Policy Preventing Sikhs From Serving In The Military\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 9, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, calling on the Department of Defense (DoD) to repeal a dress and appearance policy that prevents practicing Sikhs from serving in the military.\r\nUnder current DoD policy, implemented in 1988, members of the Sikh faith are unable to serve in the military unless they abandon their articles of faithnamely maintaining unshorn hair, beards, and wearing a turban, Kaine wrote. While I appreciate the importance of military protocol and understand the importance of unit cohesion, I do not believe that any American should have to choose between his or her religion and service to country.\"\r\nThousands of American soldiers and officers already receive grooming and uniform accommodations for reasons other than religion. In June of this year, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia held that a Sikhs individual readiness is not diminished any more than the readiness of servicemembers who receive non-religious grooming and uniform accommodations.\r\nKaine previously urged Secretary Carters predecessor, Chuck Hagel, to modify DoDs policy to allow practicing Sikhs to serve in 2013 and 2014.\r\nFull Text of Senator Kaines Letter:\r\nDecember 9, 2015\r\nThe Honorable Ashton Carter  Secretary of Defense  Department of Defense  10000 Defense Pentagon  Washington, D.C. 20301-1000\r\nDear Secretary Carter:\r\nI write you to express my concern about a Department of Defense (DoD) policy that affects a group of religious constituents that is an important population in Virginia.\r\nUnder current DoD policy, implemented in 1988, members of the Sikh faith are unable to serve in the military unless they abandon their articles of faithnamely maintaining unshorn hair, beards, and wearing a turban. While I appreciate the importance of military protocol and understand the importance of unit cohesion, I do not believe that any American should have to choose between his or her religion and service to country. The June 12, 2015 ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against the Secretary of the Army highlights the inequality to exceptions to uniform policy, a majority of which are for secular reasons. According to the court, a Sikhs individual readiness is not diminished more than the readiness of tens of thousands of soldiers and officers who have received grooming and uniform accommodations for reasons other than religion. I ask that you take all necessary steps to ensure that this policy is rescinded.\r\nSikhs fought bravely in defense of our nation in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. In addition to their history of military service in America, Sikhs serve in the militaries of Great Britain, Canada, and India, among others, and as United Nations Peacekeepersoften working closely with American troops in troubled regions. The ability of our service members to partner with allies from nations with different grooming standards, and the accommodation of relaxed grooming standards of many U.S. Special Forces units demonstrates that facial hair and other physical attributes do not negatively impact our forces combat effectiveness or performance of military duties.\r\nOur military has a long and distinguished history of training individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities to achieve one, unifying goal: to protect and defend the United States. By disallowing members of the Sikh faith the ability to fully practice their religion while serving, the military denies itself access to the important talents and abilities of these individuals who are willing to fight and die for our nation. Including Sikh Americans will enrich the militarys understanding of diverse cultures, languages, and religions, thereby allowing us to fully appreciate not only the rich fabric of our own country, but also the lands where we send our service members into harms way.\r\nOver sixty years ago, President Harry Truman declared, there will be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin. These words are especially relevant in todays modern world. I urge you to abide by the spirit of this message and allow all Sikh Americans to serve without giving up vital aspects of their religion.\r\nThank you for your service and for your consideration of this matter.\r\nSincerely,\r\nTim Kaine\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=aa73206e-c306-438a-9dba-cdcc540a688b", "Congress Sends K-12 Education Reform Bill to President's Desk", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  The U.S. Senate today joined the House of Representatives in passing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), bipartisan legislation that overhauls the No Child Left Behind Act by enacting reforms to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education. The bipartisan legislation includes a number of provisions championed by Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), which will improve school efficiency and expand access to dual and concurrent enrollment programs for high school students. ESSA, which passed the Senate by a vote of 85-12, now goes to the White House, and the President has indicated he will sign it into law.\r\nEvery child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents make. That means it is vitally important to do all we can to make sure we target public resources in the smartest, most effective way possible, said Sen. Warner. Im pleased that this significant reform legislation includes initiatives I have championed since I was Virginias Governor to make sure that federal education dollars are allocated into the classroom instead of toward administrative, back office operations. In addition, this legislation reflects efforts to give states and schools the tools they need to prepare students for success from early learning all the way into the workforce. The Every Student Succeeds Act is an investment in our nations economic future, and Im pleased to have played a role in strengthening this bipartisan legislation.\r\nThe legislation includes an amendment based on a program Sen. Warner pioneered as Governor of Virginia (2002-6) giving school districts access to important fiscal tools that help identify and eliminate unnecessary administrative costs, so that more money can be redirected back into the classroom. Then-Gov. Warner pioneered efficiency reviews as a voluntary option for Virginias public schools in 2003, and the concept was codified into state law in 2005. To date, more than 40 Virginia public schooldivisions have undergone these independent reviews, identifying close to $45 million in potential savings annually. In Virginia, each review costs an average of $110,000, and produces an average of nearly $1.1 million in potential savingsa return on investment of nearly nine-to-one.\r\nUnder the new federal legislation, schools will be allowed to use federal funds designated for administrative costs under Title IX to enlist trained management and fiscal experts to identify savings that can be achieved through best practices in administrative, personnel, purchasing, facility, and transportation management functions. These evaluations will identify potential back office savingsin things like bus routes and facilities managementthat both save taxpayer dollars and allow for savings to flow directly to classroom instruction.\r\nIn addition to Sen. Warners amendment on school efficiency reviews, two of Sen. Warners proposals to improve access to dual and concurrent enrollment are part of the education bill.\r\nDual and concurrent enrollment programs allow students to earn credits while they are still enrolled in high school to get a head start on their post-secondary education. Participation in dual or concurrent enrollment also has a statistically significant impact on college enrollment rates, GPA, and graduation rates, including for low-income, first-generation, and minority students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education.\r\nResearch has shown that dual and concurrent enrollment students are significantly more likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college, and earn a degree than other students. The bill includes Warner language encouraging states and districts to prioritize programs that facilitate effective transitions for students into the workforce, and ensure that teachers, principals, and other school leaders have the training they need to successfully implement dual and concurrent enrollment programs. These modifications will help states improve access to programs that increase college and career readiness.\r\nThe bill also includes $250 million per fiscal year in dedicated funding for the Preschool Development Grants Program, which continues to be a priority for Sen. Warner. In October 2015, the Department of Education announced that Virginia will receive a second $17.5 million grant from the program, which supports states in their efforts to build or enhance infrastructure to enable the delivery of high-quality preschool services to children. The program also supports the expansion of high-quality preschool programs in targeted communities that would serve as models for expanding preschool to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. The funds will go to further expand preschool access in the high need communities of Brunswick, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Giles, Henrico, Norfolk, Petersburg, Prince William, Richmond, Sussex, and Winchester.\r\nKey Warner Provisions Included in the Every Student Succeeds Act:\r\n \r\nFiscal Support Teams (pg. 808 line 11 through pg. 809 line 23). Allows school districts to use Title IX consolidated administrative funds to pay for efficiency reviews similar to those conducted by the Virginia Department of Planning & Budget (DPB). Senator Warner was proud to have spearheaded the DPB efficiency review program at the State level while he was Governor.\r\n \r\n \r\nFormula Grants to States (pg. 323 lines 12-20). Establishes professional development and continued education of teachers and principals involved in delivering dual or concurrent enrollment as an allowable use of Title II funds.\r\n \r\n \r\nWorkforce Coordination (pg. 137 line 4-15). Requires states to include in their state plans information about how they plan to facilitate transitions from high school to postsecondary education, including by providing access to dual or concurrent enrollment opportunities.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=ac0f5284-a3ae-4060-a50d-16f162c917f8", "Warner Praises Committee Passage of Bill to Fast Track Disposal of Excess Federal Real Property", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) praised Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passage of the bipartisan the Federal Asset Sale and Transfer Act to reduce the federal governments inventory and maintenance of unneeded real properties. The legislation, introduced by Sen. Warner along with Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Roy Blunt (R-MO) and James Lankford (R-OK), includes large portions of Sens. Warner and Blunts Civilian Property Realignment Act, which was introduced in the 114th and 113th Congresses.\r\nToo many federal properties are unneeded and underused. We need to take a businesslike approach to carefully review federal real estate holdings and look for opportunities to downsize, Sen. Warner said. By aggressively looking for ways to consolidate and sell these federal properties, we can save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing maintenance and operations costs for years to come.\r\nThe Federal Asset Sale and Transfer Act requires that at least $500 million in unneeded properties be disposed of in the initial phase of sales and creates a process to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that prevents agencies from disposing of excess property in a timely and effective manner. Proceeds generated from these sales will be re-invested to carry out more property disposals, resulting in savings in operations and maintenance. At the end of the 6-year process, remaining funds will be returned to the Treasury to reduce the deficit.\r\nFull text of the bill can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=deeb1517-43f8-4a6e-92ac-55fad6476c8d", "Air Force Selects Langley for New Cyber Squadron", "2015-12-09", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Today the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron. Virginias bipartisan delegation, including Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S Reps. Scott Rigell (R-VA-2), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Rob Wittman (R-VA-1), and Randy Forbes (R-VA-4), has advocated to locate the cyber facility at JBLE since December 2014.\r\nWe were very pleased to hear that the Air National Guard chose Joint Base Langley-Eustis for an Air Force Cyber Operations Squadron, the Virginia delegation said. Cybersecurity is one of the greatest challenges we face as a nation, and this mission will play a critical role in responding to threats and protecting the integrity of our networks and cyber systems. This decision is a testament to Virginias strong record in cyber capabilities, including top defense and technology companies, research institutions, and a highly skilled workforce. We are proud to host this critical mission.\r\nIn the months leading up to the decision, the Virginia delegation sent two bipartisan letters to the Air National Guard advocating for Virginia as a location for the cyber squadron.Virginia is home to 9 higher-education institutions recognized by NSA and DoD as centers of academic excellence. As the members wrote in a April 29 letter: Virginia and Hampton Roads are home to the top defense and technology companies in the country  many of which are already supporting the cyber mission for national security.\r\nThe decision to build this capability is in keeping with a DOD-wide focus on enhancing cybersecurity, one of America's most important national security concerns. This new mission brings private sector experience together with public service by leveraging the civilian experiences of the people who make up its units.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=565", "Poe, Connolly Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act Passes House", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, the House passed the bipartisan Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act. The legislation will increase public oversight over foreign aid by requiring federal agencies show both where taxpayer money is spent around the world and how effective that aid has been. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Reps. Ted Poe (R-TX)\u00a0and\u00a0Gerry Connolly (D-VA)\u00a0released the following statement following the House passage of the bipartisan Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (HR 3766). This legislation will increase public oversight over foreign aid by requiring federal agencies show both where taxpayer money is spent around the world and how effective that aid has been.Since the passage of the Foreign Aid Act in 1961, foreign aid programs have grown and spread across 12 federal departments, 22 agencies, and almost 60 offices \u2013 many of which have no monitoring and evaluation procedures in place.In 2011, the Administration launched \u201cThe Foreign Aid Dashboard,\u201d\u00a0a public, online resource that allows users to examine foreign aid in an accessible and easy-to-understand format. Nevertheless, by its own admission, the site is incomplete, with information posted from only 10 of the 22 federal agencies that administer aid. Without a statutory requirement to maintain the data, any Administration can just as easily take down the website or continue to post incomplete information.The \u201cForeign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act\u201d addresses both of these problems. First, it would require the President to establish guidelines on measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for\u00a0all\u00a0foreign aid programs. Second, it would increase aid transparency by codifying what is currently being done through the Foreign Assistance Dashboard\u00a0and increasing the amount of information required to be posted online, including actual expenditures and evaluations.\u201cIt is time to modernize and reform the outdated foreign aid program\u201d,\u00a0said Rep. Poe. \u00a0\u201cUnder the current system, billions of taxpayer dollars are sent to a majority of the countries in the world, and no one really knows how efficient or effective that aid is. Implementing a system to evaluate the success (or failure) of each program will increase both learning and accountability, making the program stronger.\u00a0 It is also important for Americans to know exactly where their money is sent. The House has now acted in a bipartisan fashion to improve our foreign aid program. It is time for the Senate to do the same and send this common sense bill to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\"Foreign assistance is a critical and necessary tool for protecting and proliferating democratic values,\u201d said Rep. Connolly. \u00a0\u201cWe need to expand, not disinvest, in our global leadership. This bill will bring needed transparency to an often misunderstood part of the federal budget, which will in turn allow us to continue to grow our investment in stability and prosperity abroad.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-durbin-and-leahy-join-national-faith-leaders-to-call-for-courage-over-cowardice-in-the-face-of-global-refugee-crisis-", "Kaine, Durbin And Leahy Join National Faith Leaders To Call For Courage Over Cowardice In The Face Of Global Refugee Crisis", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine, Durbin And Leahy Join National Faith Leaders To Call For Courage Over Cowardice In The Face Of Global Refugee Crisis \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 8, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy joined national faith leaders to respond to the latest attempts to vilify refugees in the United States and call on lawmakers to engage in smart, moral policymaking over reactionary fear-mongering.\r\nAs the Book of Job tells us, challenges in life are a test of whether we will be true to our principles, or whether well abandon them in the face of adversity,\" Kaine said. \"In the debate over refugees, we cannot abandon the core principles that we stand for as a nation. Refugees are not our enemies. ISIL is our enemy. Instead of labeling innocent women and orphans as foreign enemies and making it harder for them to seek refuge in our country, Congress should finally declare war on our true enemy by passing an authorization of force against ISIL.\"\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-gives-floor-speech-supporting-every-student-succeeds-act", "Kaine Gives Floor Speech Supporting Every Student Succeeds Act", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Gives Floor Speech Supporting Every Student Succeeds Act \n            U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke on the Senate floor to discuss his support for the Every Student Succeeds Act. Kaine applauded the inclusion of key provisions he authored to help prevent sexual assault and strengthen career and technical education (CTE) in schools across the country.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-refugees-are-not-our-enemies-time-to-declare-war-on-the-true-enemy-isil", "Kaine: Refugees Are Not Our Enemies, Time To Declare War On The True Enemy: ISIL", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine: Refugees Are Not Our Enemies, Time To Declare War On The True Enemy: ISIL \n            U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined faith leaders, Sens. Durbin and Leahy today at a press conference calling for smart and moral refugee policies and to respond to attempts by some to vilify refugees in the United States. Kaine also reiterated the pressing need for Congress to authorize war against ISIL.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=a176e975-d148-448a-ba6c-df41c1fc1d3d", "Sen. Warner Joins Bipartisan Sentencing Reform Effort", "2015-12-08", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) announced today that he signed on to the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, comprehensive legislation that grants judges greater sentencing flexibility for certain low-level drug offenders and establishes recidivism reduction programs, while also targeting violent criminals. The bipartisan group, led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), includes 28 senators  15 Democrats and 13 Republicans. \r\nIm committed to working with this bipartisan group to get this bill through Congress to guarantee that everyone has access to justice, Sen. Warner said. This legislation represents a step in the right direction towards reforming our criminal justice system and better protecting Virginia communities from violent criminals. Ensuring that every punishment matches the crime will reduce over-incarceration and prison overcrowding, strengthen families, and save taxpayer dollars.  \r\nThe proposal narrows the scope of mandatory minimum prison sentences to focus on the most serious drug offenders and violent criminals, while broadening and establishing new outlets for individuals with minimal non-felony criminal histories to avoid mandatory minimum sentences under current law.The bill also reduces certain mandatory minimums, providing judges with greater discretion when determining appropriate sentences, and preserves cooperation incentives to aid law enforcement in tracking down kingpins. In addition to reducing prison terms for certain offenders through sentencing reform, qualifying inmates can earn reduced sentences through recidivism reduction programs.\r\nAccording to an August 2015 study released by the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, federal sentencing laws enacted in the 1980s and 1990s have resulted in explosive growth in the federal prison population, which held nearly 800 percent more inmates in 2013 than it did in 1980. According to Pew, this growth in the prison population has driven a similar surge in taxpayer spending: from 1980 to 2013, federal prison spending increased 595 percent, from $970 million to more than $6.7 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the Pew study.\r\nA summary of the bill is available here and the text of the legislation is available here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/reid-hirono-kaine-urge-president-to-expedite-program-to-reunite-families-of-filipino-wwii-veterans", "Reid, Hirono, Kaine Urge President To Expedite Program To Reunite Families Of Filipino WWII Veterans", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Reid, Hirono, Kaine Urge President To Expedite Program To Reunite Families Of Filipino WWII Veterans\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, December 7, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington, D.C.  Senators Harry Reid, Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) urged President Obama to quickly implement the Administrations newly proposed parole program to reunite Filipino World War II veterans with their family members. In July, after years of advocacy from Senator Hirono and others, the Obama Administration recommended that the Department of Homeland Security create a parole program to allow certain family members of Filipino World War II veterans to come to the United States to provide support and care to their aging Filipino veteran family members who are U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents. However, the Administration has not yet announced important details about eligibility and the application process.\r\nThese brave Filipino veterans made incredible sacrifices for the United States, and we must do everything in our power to ensure their service is properly recognized. I applaud the Administrations proposed parole program to reunite veterans with their families and urge the Administration to do so as quickly as possible, said Senator Reid. As the thousands of remaining Filipino World War II veterans grow older, we must also ensure that their spouses and children can care for them and their widows in the United States. No service member should be prevented from reuniting with their families, and time is running out to right this wrong. I am proud to represent more than 100,000 Filipino-Americans in Nevada and I know the contributions they have made to our country. We owe it to these veterans to make sure they can be with their loved ones.\r\nPresident Obamas initial announcement this summer was a relief to Filipino World War II veterans and their families who have waited decades to be reunited, and to those of us who fought for years to end the visa backlog, said Senator Hirono. The Administration is doing the right thing for these families. However, it is imperative that the Administration implement the parole program as quickly as possible so these veterans and their spouses, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s, can finally be together with their children.\r\nVirginia is home to a strong Filipino-American community, especially in Hampton Roads where many families have ties to Norfolk Naval Station, said Senator Kaine. In October, the Obama Administration announced a program that would give immigration officials the authority to determine on a case-by-case basis the eligibility of family members of Filipino and Filipino-American World War II veterans to come to the U.S. Im proud to join Senators Hirono and Reid in urging the Administration and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to speed-up efforts and provide recommendations to fully implement this program so elderly Filipino World War II veterans can be reconnected with their loved ones.\r\nToday, there are likely less than 5,000 surviving Filipino World War II veterans, the Senators wrote. Like most elderly Americans, these veterans are likely to become more reliant on family members for care as they grow older. Because the current family-based visa backlog extends back more than 27 years, it is imperative now to implement the program of parole for family members of Filipino veterans as soon as possible.\r\nThe Senators asked President Obama to begin accepting applications to the program by the end of the year, that the children of Filipino World War II veterans and their spouses be eligible for the program, and to verify documentation and process applications in a timely manner. Filipino veterans were granted citizenship in recognition of their service to the United States in World War II. Their children, however, were not granted citizenship. Until executive action is implemented, veterans must file for a family visa to be reunited with their children in the United States. Due to backlogs in the U.S. immigration system, it can take more than 20 years for immigration applications to be reviewed.\r\nView a copy of the letter here and read the full text below:\r\nPresident Barack Obama\r\nThe White House  1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW  Washington, D.C. 20500\r\nDear Mr. President:\r\nWe write today to discuss your July 15, 2015, Presidential Memorandum that included recommendations to modernize and streamline our broken immigration system for individuals and families in the United States. We applaud your Administrations continued work to improve this system, and respectfully request that you take into consideration the following recommendations related to the implementation of the program of parole for certain family members of Filipino World War II veterans, which was included in the Memorandum.\r\nLike others, we were encouraged by the Administrations decision to implement a program of parole for family members of Filipino World War II veterans. These veterans responded to President Franklin D. Roosevelts call to arms in 1941, and, by the time the war ended in 1945, an estimated 260,000 Filipino soldiers had participated in the American war effort. However, despite the promise of naturalization for their service, many Filipino veterans did not receive citizenship until after 1990, the year President George H.W. Bush signed the Immigration Act of 1990, which included a provision that offered naturalized citizenship for Filipino World War II veterans.\r\nToday, there are likely less than 5,000 surviving Filipino World War II veterans. Like most elderly Americans, these veterans are likely to become more reliant on family members for care as they grow older. Because the current family-based visa backlog extends back more than 27 years, it is imperative now to implement the program of parole for family members of Filipino veterans as soon as possible. For this reason, we respectfully request that you consider the following recommendations for the program:\r\nImplementation Timeline:\r\nFirst, related to the implementation timeline for the program, we request that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) develop and implement this program as quickly as possible. As stated above, there are likely less than 5,000 surviving Filipino World War II veterans, and that number will only decline. Ideally, the program would be formally launched, with applications accepted, by the end of 2015.\r\nProgram Eligibility:\r\nSecond, related to program eligibility, we request that the Administration, at a minimum, allow the spouses, widows, and children of Filipino veterans with approved I-130 petitions to apply for parole regardless of expected priority dates. Children of these veterans may now be adults or minors, married or single. Regardless of these factors, children should be allowed to apply for parole under the program.\r\nFurther, the children of deceased veterans should be allowed to apply for parole to care for the widows of Filipino veterans. This recommendation will allow the children of deceased veterans to take care of parents who are the surviving spouses of these veterans at a time when they need care the most.\r\nLast, the children of veterans should be allowed to apply for parole and employment authorization so that those without legal status can care for their parents. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) should implement its policy of parole in place for Filipino veterans and their family members to this end.\r\nApplication Process:\r\nThird, related to the application process, we request that the Administration, and USCIS specifically, permit all family members that are determined eligible to apply for the parole program under an expedited process. Because of time constraints and humanitarian factors facing Filipino veterans, family members should not have to first be invited by USCIS to apply for the program. Instead, they should be allowed to apply affirmatively under an expedited process that does not require case by case invitations.\r\nAdditionally, as the Administration, and DHS specifically, work to verify the veterans statuses of Filipino veterans, we request that you accept a broad array of documents, including affidavits and military discharge papers issued by the Philippines government, so that the greatest number of Filipino veterans can benefit from the program. We urge DHS to work closely with the Department of Defense (DOD), the Veterans Administration (VA), veterans advocates, and community leaders to ensure that all available records are used to determine eligibility.\r\nIn conclusion, we look forward to the Administrations implementation of the family parole program, and encourage you to work closely with community leaders and other stakeholders to develop a strong outreach plan that will allow these stakeholders to disseminate information to veterans and their family members both here in the United States and abroadspecifically in the Philippines. This outreach plan should, at a minimum, include materials translated in Tagalog, Ilocano, and Cebuano.\r\nLastly, thank you for your consideration of these recommendations.\r\nSincerely,\r\nMAZIE K. HIRONO  HARRY REID\r\nUnited States Senator  United States Senator\r\nTIM KAINE\r\nUnited States Senator\r\n###\r\n\r\nReid, Hirono y Kaine instan al presidente a acelerar programa de reunificacin familiar para veteranos filipinos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial \r\nWashington, D.C.  Los senadores Harry Reid (D-NV), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) y Tim Kaine (D-VA) instaron al presidente Obama a implementar rpidamente el recin propuesto programa condicional de la Administracin para reunificar a veteranos filipinos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial con sus familiares. En julio, despus de aos de trabajo de la senadora Hirono y otros, la administracin de Obama recomend que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional inicie un programa condicional para permitir que ciertos familiares de veteranos filipinos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial vengan a Estados Unidos para dar apoyo y cuidado a veteranos filipinos de avanzada edad que son ciudadanos estadounidenses o residentes legales permanentes. Sin embargo, la administracin an no ha anunciado importantes detalles sobre elegibilidad y el proceso de solicitud.\r\nEstos valientes veteranos filipinos hicieron increbles sacrificios para Estados Unidos, y debemos hacer todo lo que est a nuestro alcance para asegurar que su servicio sea reconocido adecuadamente. Aplaudo el programa condicional propuesto por la Administracin para reunificar a los veteranos con sus familiares e insto a la Administracin a hacerlo lo ms rpido posible, dijo el senador Reid. A medida que miles de veteranos filipinos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial envejecen, tambin debemos asegurar que sus cnyuges e hijos puedan cuidar de ellos y sus viudas en Estados Unidos. A ningn miembro de las fuerzas armadas se le debera negar reunificarse con su familia, y el tiempo se est acabando para corregir este error. Me enorgullece representar a ms de 100.000 estadounidenses de ascendencia filipina en Nevada y estoy consciente de sus contribuciones a nuestro pas. Estos veteranos merecen estar con sus seres queridos.\r\nLos senadores pidieron al presidente Obama que comience a aceptar solicitudes para el programa para fin de ao, que los hijos de los veteranos filipinos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y sus cnyuges sean elegibles para el programa y que verifiquen documentacin y procesen las solicitudes de manera rpida. Los veteranos filipinos recibieron la ciudadana estadounidense en reconocimiento a su servicio a Estados Unidos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Sin embargo, no se les otorg la ciudadana a los hijos de los veteranos. Hasta que esta orden ejecutiva no sea implementada, los veteranos necesitan solicitar visas de inmigrante en nombre de sus familiares para reunirse con sus hijos en Estados Unidos. Debido a los retrasos en el sistema migratorio de Estados Unidos, puede tomar ms de 20 aos para que las solicitudes sean procesadas.\r\nPuede descargar una copia de la carta en ingls aqu.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-announce-15-million-in-federal-funding-to-help-virginians-on-public-assistance-become-self-sufficient", "Warner, Kaine Announce $1.5 Million in Federal Funding to Help Virginians on Public Assistance Become Self-Sufficient", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner, Kaine Announce $1.5 Million in Federal Funding to Help Virginians on Public Assistance Become Self-Sufficient\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, December 7, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced that 18 Virginia localities will receive more than $1.5 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding will help Virginia families who receive federal housing vouchers and public housing residents reduce their dependency on welfare assistance and rental subsidies, by providing tools and resources that will assist them in gaining job skills and increasing their earned income.\r\nThese funds will empower Virginia families by providing educational opportunities, job training, and counseling to help them reduce dependence on public assistance programs, said Sen. Warner. Helping people gain the skills necessary to become self-sufficient isnt just better for taxpayers, it also strengthens our communities for the long term.\r\nProviding Americans with the resources to succeed in todays workforce is critical for a strong economy and helps families keep food on the table, Sen. Kaine said. I applaud the Department of Housing and Urban Development for taking this approach to spurring economic activity. These grants will give Virginians the opportunity to increase their income and move up the economic ladder.\r\nThe following Virginia communities will receive funding from HUDs Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program:\r\n \r\nAlexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority: $69,000 \r\nBristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $41,843 \r\nChesapeake Redevelopment & Housing Authority: $162,030 \r\nDanville Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $23,636 \r\nFairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $138,000 \r\nHampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $50,813 \r\nHarrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $24,019 \r\nHopewell Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $69,000 \r\nCounty of Loudoun: $67,326 \r\nNewport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $148,068 \r\nNorfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $332,175 \r\nPortsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $196,272 \r\nRichmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $69,000 \r\nCity of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $161,460 \r\nSuffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $104,340 \r\nCity of Virginia Beach Dept. of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation: $48,435 \r\nWaynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $83,321 \r\nPrince William County Office of Housing & Community Development: $69,000\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=20bbdb28-68d1-4a51-ab1d-05c6415f0ae2", "Warner, Kaine Announce $1.5 Million in Federal Funds to Help Virginians on Public Assistance Become Self-Sufficient", "2015-12-07", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced that 18 Virginia localities will receive more than $1.5 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding will help Virginia families who receive federal housing vouchers and public housing residents reduce their dependency on welfare assistance and rental subsidies, by providing tools and resources that will assist them in gaining job skills and increasing their earned income.\r\nThese funds will empower Virginia families by providing educational opportunities, job training, and counseling to help them reduce dependence on public assistance programs, said Sen. Warner. Helping people gain the skills necessary to become self-sufficient isnt just better for taxpayers, it also strengthens our communities for the long term.\r\nProviding Americans with the resources to succeed in todays workforce is critical for a strong economy and helps families keep food on the table, Sen. Kaine said. I applaud the Department of Housing and Urban Development for taking this approach to spurring economic activity. These grants will give Virginians the opportunity to increase their income and move up the economic ladder.\r\nThe following Virginia communities will receive funding from HUDs Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program:\r\n \r\nAlexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority: $69,000 \r\nBristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $41,843 \r\nChesapeake Redevelopment & Housing Authority: $162,030 \r\nDanville Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $23,636 \r\nFairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $138,000 \r\nHampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $50,813 \r\nHarrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $24,019 \r\nHopewell Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $69,000 \r\nCounty of Loudoun: $67,326 \r\nNewport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $148,068 \r\nNorfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $332,175 \r\nPortsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $196,272 \r\nRichmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $69,000 \r\nCity of Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $161,460 \r\nSuffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $104,340 \r\nCity of Virginia Beach Dept. of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation: $48,435 \r\nWaynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority: $83,321 \r\nPrince William County Office of Housing & Community Development: $69,000\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-statement-on-president-obamas-address-to-the-nation-", "Kaine Statement On President Obama's Address To The Nation", "2015-12-06", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Statement On President Obama's Address To The Nation \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tSunday, December 6, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tHARRISONBURG, VA  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement on the Presidents address to the nation this evening:\r\nTonight President Obama laid out a comprehensive strategy for defeating ISIL and unequivocally called on Congress to finally vote to authorize the use of military force against the terrorist group. The President stated that such a measure would demonstrate that the American people are united and committed to this fight. I urge leaders in the House and Senate to move consideration of an ISIL-specific Authorization for the Use of Military Force to the top of the legislative agenda.\r\nI introduced an authorization to use military force against ISIL in September 2014. It received a favorable vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last December, but Congress refused to act by year-end. In June, Senator Jeff Flake and I introduced a new bipartisan war authorization but Congress has remained on the sidelines. The events of recent weeks demonstrate that Congress can no longer ignore this threat.\r\nMore than 3500 American troops are serving in the battle against ISIL far from home. American troops, hostages and civilians have now been killed in this war. The national legislatures of Germany, England, France and Russia have stepped up to debate and vote on military action to counter this threat. Congress should now do the same in order to show our allies and our troops that we are unified in resolve against ISIL.\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=279", "Beyer, Van Hollen Amendment Signed Into Law", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 4, 2015 (Washington, DC)  President Barack Obama signed legislation into law today introduced by Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) and Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to give local governments regulation authority of towing companies\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      President Barack Obama signed legislation into law today introduced by Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) and Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to give local governments regulation authority of towing companies. The language was included as an amendment to the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act passed in the Senate last night.\r\nNorthern Virginians are well aware of the financial pain and frustration a few predatory towing operators can cause, said Congressman Beyer. Now that our bill is law, local governments have new tools at their disposal to curb these practices and protect vulnerable consumers.\r\nPassage of this law is a victory for communities in Maryland and across the country that have struggled to control the outrageous, predatory tactics used by some towing companies, said Congressman Van Hollen. Local jurisdictions will now have the unambiguous authority to end egregious fees, ban the practice of spotting, mandate proper signage, and strike the proper balance based on the needs of their consumers and businesses. Im proud to have worked with Congressman Beyer to get this bill to the Presidents desk.\r\nIn 1994, Congress inadvertently preempted the ability of state and local governments to regulate the towing industry. Since then, confusing restrictions and conflicting court rulings left local governments unable to fully protect consumers from predatory towing practices. \r\nEarlier this year, Congressmen Beyer and Van Hollen introduced the State and Local Predatory Towing Enforcement Act to restore full authority for regulating non-consensual tows. The bill was unanimously passed as an amendment to the House version of the Highway reauthorization President Obama will sign into law today. \r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=563", "Connolly Statement on House Passage of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act:", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Connolly released the following statement in support of the 5-year, $305 billion highway transportation bill that passed the House on Thursday. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Connolly Statement on House passage of the Fixing America\u2019s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act:It\u2019s been more than a decade since Congress passed a long-term transportation funding bill, which has served as a major roadblock for economic growth and resulted in crumbling roads and bridges across the Commonwealth. Representing Northern Virginia, which has the nation\u2019s worst congestion, I was pleased to serve on the joint House-Senate conference committee that negotiated this final compromise.The Fixing America\u2019s Surface Transportation (or FAST) Act will increase federal investments in roads, bridges, mass transit, and safety programs. Over the next five years, it will provide nearly $480 million in additional funding for local road and highway projects in Virginia. It will provide nearly $52 million in additional mass transit support, which is particularly important to regions like ours in providing commuters with more transportation choices.It also directs the Secretary of Transportation to provide safety oversight for Metro in the wake of a series of shocking accidents over the past year, one of which resulted in the tragic death of a Virginia resident. I and other members of the National Capital Region\u2019s congressional delegation have been working with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Transit Administration to provide additional oversight for Metro. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on which I serve as Ranking Member of the Government Operations Subcommittee, held two hearings on Metro\u2019s operations earlier this year.I was pleased to see the bill expand federal financing opportunities for smaller road and transit projects, particularly transit oriented development projects, under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (or TIFIA). Unfortunately, the compromise bill reduces the annual funding for this federal financing program. Several major Northern Virginia projects, including the Silver Line and both the 495 and 95 Express Lanes, have benefitted tremendously from federal loans under the TIFIA program.Based on my 14 years serving on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I know firsthand how critical long-term federal investments are to building complex transportation projects. These are not short-term investments. It takes years to plan, design, and build a major transportation improvement, and you need to know the funding will be there before you set the wheels in motion. More than half of Virginia\u2019s road and transit projects for next year rely on some form of federal funding.While this bill further advances innovative financing solutions, such as public private partnerships in new areas like mass transit and railroad station development, those are only one part of the solution.\u00a0 At the end of the day, what we really need is more robust and reliable federal funding. This bill falls short of what the President and many industry experts say is necessary to not only maintain but expand our transportation network. The federal government historically has been an equal partner in funding our nation\u2019s infrastructure, but that level of investment has eroded over time. Public spending on infrastructure as a share of GDP has declined by half since the 1960s when it was roughly 3%. However, we know that every dollar invested in public transportation translates into four dollars of economic growth.So while this bill represents a real breakthrough, there is still work to be done. Just as I have done throughout my 20 years in public office, I will continue to advocate for increased spending on transportation because of the tremendous return on investment our communities realize in terms of improved mobility, job creation, and economic growth.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=564", "Connolly Urges Speaker Ryan to Reject Attempts to Block Refugee Program in Omnibus Bill", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Jared Polis (D-CO) led more than 70 members of Congress in sending a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to reject attempts to block the acceptance of refugees and calling on him to increase funds in the end-of-year Omnibus spending bill to ensure a thorough and expeditious refugee vetting process. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Today, Representatives Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Jared Polis (D-CO) led more than 70 members of Congress in sending a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan urging him to reject attempts to block the acceptance of refugees and calling on him to increase funds in the end-of-year Omnibus spending bill to ensure a thorough and expeditious refugee vetting process.Noting the United States\u2019 obligation to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, Connolly called on Speaker Ryan to \u201creject attempts to use the critical year-end spending legislation to block the acceptance of refugees, including attempts to defund critical accounts or efforts to make it harder for refugees of a certain religion to seek sanctuary in the United States.\u201dConnolly, who has called for the Obama Administration to resettle a minimum of 100,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016 and has been critical of the current 18-24 month timeline to process refugee applications, urged Speaker Ryan to fulfill America\u2019s obligation to refugees who are fleeing violence. \u201cWe have the resources, expertise, and moral tradition to do much more than what we are currently doing,\u201d said Rep. Connolly.The letter has been endorsed by: the Alliance for Citizenship, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, America's Voice Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, Brave New Films, Bread for the World, Center for Applied Linguistics, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Church World Service, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Franciscan Action Network, Friends Committee on National Legislation, InterAction, International Rescue Committee, International Catholic Migration Commission, J Street, Jesuit Conference, National Advocacy Office, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Life for Relief and Development, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Mercy Corps, MoveOn, National Council of Jewish Women, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, National Security Network, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Oxfam America, Peace Action West, Presbyterian Church (USA), Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Sisters of Mercy, Institute Justice Team, Plan International USA, Save the Children, Sojourners, STAND: The Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities, Unitarian Universalist Refugee & Immigrant Services & Education, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries, United to End Genocide, Voices for Progress, Women Legislators' Lobby, Women's Action for New Directions, Women\u2019s Refugee CommissionFull letter follows:December 4, 2015Dear Speaker Ryan,The United States has a moral imperative to be a safe-haven for those seeking refuge from violence abroad. As the civil war in Syria reaches its fifth year, and ISIS attempts to gain a foothold through its systemic practice of persecution and extreme violence, millions of innocent Syrians have been forced to leave their home country. The challenge to take in these refugees is global in scale. The United States, as the world\u2019s lone superpower, has the obligation to do its part.Given this responsibility, we respectfully urge you to reject attempts to use critical year-end spending legislation to block the acceptance of refugees, including attempts to defund critical accounts or efforts to make it harder for refugees of a certain religion to seek sanctuary in the United States. Rather, we believe that funds available for the vetting and placement of refugees should be increased to ensure a thorough and expeditious process.We should all agree that inserting wholesale changes to refugee admission policies into a year-end spending bill \u2013 where they cannot be properly debated or amended \u2013 is not the appropriate way to consider these issues.Congress should not attempt to strong-arm the President into turning his back on Syrian families desperately seeking refuge from violence and persecution by threatening to shut down the government unless he acquiesces to their demands.Sincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/sens-warner-and-kaine-sign-amicus-brief-filed-with_us-supreme-court-supporting-immigration-executive-actions", "Sens. Warner & Kaine Sign Amicus Brief Filed with  U.S. Supreme Court Supporting Immigration Executive Actions", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sens. Warner & Kaine Sign Amicus Brief Filed with  U.S. Supreme Court Supporting Immigration Executive Actions\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, December 4, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 216 members of Congress in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Presidents November 2014 executive actions on immigration. The amicus brief encourages the Court to review the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in United States v. Texas, et al., which blocked the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.\r\nWe are confident that the Supreme Court will support President Obamas decision to use the authority granted by Congress to set enforcement priorities and focus our limited resources on threats to national security and public safety, not hard-working families, said Sens. Warner and Kaine today. President Obama took executive action after extensive legal analysis by the Department of Justice. DAPA and the expansion of DACA will ensure that families will not be torn apart because of Congress refusal to address our broken immigration system.\r\nIn 2013, the Senate voted 68-32 to approve bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation to allow undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows, support their families, pay taxes and contribute to the economy. However, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives failed to act on the bill.\r\nThe amicus brief outlines the imperative of implementing the DAPA and expanded DACA programs, urging the Supreme Court to reverse the decision by the Fifth Circuit and vacate the preliminary injunction blocking the new programs from being carried out. The brief makes the case, from the perspective of 218 Members of Congress, that DAPA and expanded DACA are consistent with Congressional intent and the Executives longstanding legal authority to establish national immigration enforcement priorities and exercise discretion in the enforcement of our immigration laws. As stated in the brief: Congress has granted the Secretary [of Homeland Security] broad discretion in determining how to carry out the immigration laws, and has explicitly directed the Secretary to establish policies and priorities for enforcement of those laws.\r\nMembers of Congress are deeply concerned that the Fifth Circuits decision interferes with Congresss ability to grant the Executive the flexibility and discretion as necessary to enforce the law in a rational, effective, and efficient manner. The ruling would instead force Congress to specifically prescribe every priority and power with detailed enforcement instructions, the practical effect of which  if allowed to stand  would strip the Executive of broad authority to make discretionary judgments on how best to enforce the nations immigration laws where Congress has not prescribed a specific action, and would devastate millions of individuals, families, and communities across the nation.\r\nAccording to the amicus, where Congress has chosen to vest in the Executive discretionary authority to determine how a law should be enforced, and the Executive has acted pursuant to that authority, amici have a strong interest in ensuring that federal courts honor Congresss deliberate choice by sustaining the Executives actionThe significance of this case to Congresss ability to ensure rational, effective, and efficient enforcement of federal law by executive agencies cannot be overstated.\r\nThe amicus brief was signed by a total of 34 Senators, and 184 members of the House of Representatives. Full text of the amicus brief can be found here.\r\nAdditional background:\r\nOn November 20, 2014, the Obama Administration announced plans to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and to create a new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program to offer temporary protection from removal to the parents of American citizens and lawful permanent residents. On February 16, 2015, a federal district court in Texas blocked the implementation of those programs, and on November 9th, a divided panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this ruling. The Administration is petitioning the Supreme Court to review this decision. The Members amicus curiae brief is in support of the governments petition.\r\nSummary of key points:\r\nCongress has entrusted the Secretary of Homeland Security with broad discretion in the enforcement of the nations immigration laws.\r\n \r\nFor decades, Congress has recognized the executive branchs authority to exercise discretion in the enforcement of our immigration laws.\r\nWhen the Immigration and Nationality Act was first enacted in 1952, Congress authorized the Executive to adopt regulations, issue instructions, and take other acts necessary to implement the law.\r\nWith the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, Congress explicitly directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national immigration enforcement policies and priorities.\r\n \r\nThe Fifth Circuit decision undermines Congresss ability to place critical responsibility in the hands of the agency with the relevant expertise and capabilities.\r\n \r\nThe ruling would alarmingly curtail Congresss ability to delegate discretionary authority to the Executive, forcing Congress to specifically prescribe every priority and power delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security with detailed enforcement instructions.\r\nThe Fifth Circuit decision interferes with rational, effective, and efficient enforcement of federal law by removing the Secretarys broad authority to make discretionary judgments on how best to enforce the nations immigration laws where Congress has not prescribed a specific action.\r\nIf allowed to stand, the ruling would drastically impair effective administration of our immigration laws, throwing well-established immigration practices into disarray and harming millions of individuals around the country.\r\n \r\n# # #\r\n\r\nWARNER Y KAINE PRESENTAN AMICUS CURIAE EN LA SUPREMA CORTE EN APOYO A LAS ACCIONES EJECUTIVAS MIGRATORIAS\r\nWashington, D.C.  Los Senadores Mark R. Warner y Tim Kaine (ambos D-VA) se unieron a 216 miembros del Congreso ayer en la presentacin de un escrito de amicus curiae dando su apoyo a que la Corte Suprema de Justica conceda una revisin de la decisin del Quinto Circuito del Tribunal de Apelaciones en el caso deEstados Unidos v. Texas,et al. la cual bloque el Secretario de Seguridad Nacional de implementar la Accin Diferida para los Padres de Estadounidenses y de Residentes Permanentes Legales (DAPA, por sus siglas en ingls) y la ampliacin de la Accin Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA, por sus siglas en ingls).\r\nEstamos seguros que la Suprema Corte apoyar la decisin del presidente Obama de usar la autoridad otorgada por el Congreso para establecer prioridades en la aplicacin de leyes y enfocar nuestros limitados recursos en amenazas a la seguridad nacional y pblica, no en familias trabajadores. El presidente Obama tom accin ejecutiva despus de un exhaustivo anlisis legal del Departamento de Justicia y solo despus de que los republicanos se rehusaran a reparar nuestro roto sistema migratorio, dijeron Warner y Kaine. DAPA y la ampliacin de DACA les darn a las familias tranquilidad y la garanta de que no sern separadas por nuestro roto sistema migratorio. En lugar de tomar pasos para resolver nuestros problemas migratorios de una vez por todas, o votar por una buena reforma migratoria como la que fue aprobada por el Senado en 2013, los republicanos solo han votado para acabar con la ciudadana por nacimiento, eliminar fondos para las acciones ejecutivas y deportar a los DREAMers. Sus tcticas dilatorias estn destinadas al fracaso y solo prolongan el sufrimiento de familias y de nios estadounidenses.\r\nEn 2013, el Senado aprob 68-32 una reforma migratoria integral bipartidista para permitir que inmigrantes indocumentados salgan de las sombras, apoyen a sus familias, paguen impuestos y contribuyan a la economa. Sin embargo, la Cmara de Representantes controlada por los Republicanos jams tom accin sobre la propuesta.\r\nEl amicus delinea la importancia Esta carta argumenta, desde la perspectiva de 218 miembros del Congreso, que DAPA y la ampliacin de DACA son congruentes con la intencin del Congreso y la bien establecida autoridad legal del Ejecutivo de establecer prioridades nacionales y ejercer discrecin en la aplicacin de nuestras leyes migratorias. Como se escribe en la carta: El Congreso le otorg al secretario [de Seguridad Nacional] amplia discrecin para determinar cmo se aplican las leyes migratorias, y le ha ordenado explcitamente establecer polticas y prioridades para la aplicacin de esas leyes.\r\nLos miembros del Congreso estn profundamente preocupados que el fallo de la Corte del Quinto Circuito interfiere con la capacidad del Congreso de otorgarle al Ejecutivo la flexibilidad y discrecin necesaria para aplicar la ley de manera razonable, eficaz y eficiente. Al contrario, el fallo obligara al Congreso a prescribir cada prioridad y poder con detalladas instrucciones para la aplicacin de la ley, que tendra el efecto en praxis  si es sostenido  de quitarle al Ejecutivo la autoridad amplia de tomar decisiones discrecionales sobre cmo aplicar las leyes migratorias de la nacin cuando el Congreso no ha prescrito accin especfica, y devastara a millones de individuos, familias y comunidades por todo el pas.\r\nEl escrito de amicus curiae fue firmado por un total de 34 senadores y 184 miembros de la Cmara de Representantes. Puede leer el amicus curiae en su totalidad aqu.\r\nInformacin adicional:\r\nEl 20 de noviembre de 2014, el gobierno del presidente Obama anunci planes para ampliar el programa Accin Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA) y para crear un nuevo programa llamado Accin Diferida para los Padres de Ciudadanos Estadounidenses y Residentes Permanentes Legales (DAPA). El 16 de febrero del 2015, una corte federal de distrito en Texas bloque la implementacin de estos programas, y el 9 de noviembre un panel dividido de la Corte del Quinto Circuito de Apelaciones sostuvo este fallo. La administracin le est pidiendo a la Suprema Corte que revise este fallo. El amicus curiae de los miembros demcratas apoya la peticin del gobierno federal.\r\nResumen de puntos claves:\r\n \r\nEl Congreso le ha encomendado al secretario de Seguridad Nacional discrecin amplia en la aplicacin de las leyes migratorias de la nacin.\r\n\r\nPor dcadas, el Congreso ha reconocido la autoridad del Ejecutivo de ejercer discrecin en la aplicacin de nuestras leyes migratorias\r\nCuando se promulg por primera vez la Ley de Inmigracin y Nacionalidad en 1952, el Congreso le autoriz al Ejecutivo adoptar regulaciones, emitir instrucciones y tomar otras acciones necesarias para implementar la ley.\r\nCon la creacin del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional en 2002, el Congreso le orden explcitamente al secretario de Seguridad Nacional establecer polticas y prioridades nacionales para la aplicacin de leyes migratorias.\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\nEl fallo de la Corte del Quinto Circuito socava la capacidad de Congreso de poner importantes responsabilidades en manos de la agencia con los relevantes conocimientos y capacidades.\r\n \r\n \r\n\r\nEl fallo limitara de forma preocupante la capacidad del Congreso de delegarle autoridad discrecional al Ejecutivo, obligando al Congreso a prescribir cada prioridad y poder delegado al secretario de Seguridad Nacional con detalladas instrucciones para la aplicacin de ley.\r\nEl fallo de la Corte del Quinto Circuito interfiere con la aplicacin razonable, eficaz y eficiente de la ley federal al quitarle al secretario la autoridad amplia de tomar decisiones discrecionales sobre cmo aplicar las leyes migratorias de la nacin cuando el Congreso no ha ordenado accin especfica.\r\nSi se ratifica, el fallo perjudicara drsticamente la administracin eficaz de nuestras leyes migratorias, creando confusin respecto a prcticas migratorias bien establecidas y perjudicando a millones de individuos por todo el pas.\r\n\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=55ed5299-5f18-4724-8ffe-bd6b2fb2871f", "Warner & Kaine File Amicus Brief in U.S. Supreme Court Case for Immigration Executive Actions", "2015-12-04", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 216 members of Congress in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Presidents November 2014 executive actions on immigration. The amicus brief encourages the Court to review the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in United States v. Texas, et al., which blocked the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.\r\nWe are confident that the Supreme Court will support President Obamas decision to use the authority granted by Congress to set enforcement priorities and focus our limited resources on threats to national security and public safety, not hard-working families, said Sens. Warner and Kaine today. President Obama took executive action after extensive legal analysis by the Department of Justice. DAPA and the expansion of DACA will ensure that families will not be torn apart because of Congress refusal to address our broken immigration system.\r\nIn 2013, the Senate voted 68-32 to approve bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation to allow undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows, support their families, pay taxes and contribute to the economy. However, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives failed to act on the bill.\r\nThe amicus brief outlines the imperative of implementing the DAPA and expanded DACA programs, urging the Supreme Court to reverse the decision by the Fifth Circuit and vacate the preliminary injunction blocking the new programs from being carried out. The brief makes the case, from the perspective of 218 Members of Congress, that DAPA and expanded DACA are consistent with Congressional intent and the Executives longstanding legal authority to establish national immigration enforcement priorities and exercise discretion in the enforcement of our immigration laws. As stated in the brief: Congress has granted the Secretary [of Homeland Security] broad discretion in determining how to carry out the immigration laws, and has explicitly directed the Secretary to establish policies and priorities for enforcement of those laws.\r\nMembers of Congress are deeply concerned that the Fifth Circuits decision interferes with Congresss ability to grant the Executive the flexibility and discretion as necessary to enforce the law in a rational, effective, and efficient manner. The ruling would instead force Congress to specifically prescribe every priority and power with detailed enforcement instructions, the practical effect of which  if allowed to stand  would strip the Executive of broad authority to make discretionary judgments on how best to enforce the nations immigration laws where Congress has not prescribed a specific action, and would devastate millions of individuals, families, and communities across the nation.\r\nAccording to the amicus, where Congress has chosen to vest in the Executive discretionary authority to determine how a law should be enforced, and the Executive has acted pursuant to that authority, amici have a strong interest in ensuring that federal courts honor Congresss deliberate choice by sustaining the Executives actionThe significance of this case to Congresss ability to ensure rational, effective, and efficient enforcement of federal law by executive agencies cannot be overstated.\r\nThe amicus brief was signed by a total of 34 Senators, and 184 members of the House of Representatives. Full text of the amicus brief can be found here.\r\nAdditional background:\r\nOn November 20, 2014, the Obama Administration announced plans to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and to create a new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program to offer temporary protection from removal to the parents of American citizens and lawful permanent residents. On February 16, 2015, a federal district court in Texas blocked the implementation of those programs, and on November 9th, a divided panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this ruling. The Administration is petitioning the Supreme Court to review this decision. The Members amicus curiae brief is in support of the governments petition.\r\nSummary of key points:\r\nCongress has entrusted the Secretary of Homeland Security with broad discretion in the enforcement of the nations immigration laws.\r\n \r\nFor decades, Congress has recognized the executive branchs authority to exercise discretion in the enforcement of our immigration laws.\r\nWhen the Immigration and Nationality Act was first enacted in 1952, Congress authorized the Executive to adopt regulations, issue instructions, and take other acts necessary to implement the law.\r\nWith the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, Congress explicitly directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national immigration enforcement policies and priorities.\r\n \r\nThe Fifth Circuit decision undermines Congresss ability to place critical responsibility in the hands of the agency with the relevant expertise and capabilities.\r\n \r\nThe ruling would alarmingly curtail Congresss ability to delegate discretionary authority to the Executive, forcing Congress to specifically prescribe every priority and power delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security with detailed enforcement instructions.\r\nThe Fifth Circuit decision interferes with rational, effective, and efficient enforcement of federal law by removing the Secretarys broad authority to make discretionary judgments on how best to enforce the nations immigration laws where Congress has not prescribed a specific action.\r\nIf allowed to stand, the ruling would drastically impair effective administration of our immigration laws, throwing well-established immigration practices into disarray and harming millions of individuals around the country.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-statement-on-mass-shooting-in-san-bernardino-california", "Scott Statement on Mass Shooting in San Bernardino, California", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Robert C. \"Bobby\" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the mass shooting inSan Bernardino, California:\nMy thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the survivors of yesterdays horrific mass shooting in California. While information about the shooters and their motive is still not entirely clear, Congress has a moral obligation to do something to address our nations gun violence epidemic.\nThese tragedies have become far too common in our country and Congress must review every available proposal to determine what steps can be taken to reduce future incidences of gun violence. Obviously one single approach to ending gun violence will not be effective. What is needed is a comprehensive, evidence-based set of policy proposals that will help keep our communities safe from gun violence. The House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, of which I serve as a vice chair, has put forward several proposals that would go a long way in achieving these goals. These proposals include reinstating and strengthening the assault weapons ban, reducing the size of magazines, implementing universal background checks, cracking down on illegal-gun trafficking and straw-purchasing, improving our mental-health system, and implementing comprehensive, community based violence prevention and intervention programs. Action on these items should be our top priority. \n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-statement-on-british-parliament-vote-to-authorize-airstrikes-against-isil-in-syria-", "Kaine Statement On British Parliament Vote To Authorize Airstrikes Against ISIL In Syria", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Statement On British Parliament Vote To Authorize Airstrikes Against ISIL In Syria \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 3, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement today:\r\nYesterday, after many hours of public debate, the British Parliament voted to authorize airstrikes against ISIL in Syria. And in the coming weeks, the German Parliament is expected to debate this important issue as well. We welcome the increased support of some of our strongest European allies in this fight, particularly as a show of unity and resolve following the recent horrific attacks in Paris, Lebanon, and Egypt. I applaud the elected representatives of the United Kingdom and Germany for not shying away from a vote on war  an act of leadership that stands in stark contrast to our own legislative branch.\r\nMeanwhile, nearly 17 months since the U.S. initiated airstrikes against ISIL without authorization from Congress, Defense Secretary Ash Carter came to Capitol Hill this week to announce that additional Special Operations Forces would be deployed to Iraq and Syria to conduct raids against ISIL, yet another escalation following the Administrations announcement in October that it was sending 50 troops into Syria, and further still from the original mission announced by President Obama in August 2014 to protect American personnel and prevent Iraqi civilians from imminent slaughter.\r\nWith a vote in Parliament, the United Kingdom has demonstrated that it is committed to defeating ISIL while sending an important message of support to our coalition partners and British troops. I once again urge my colleagues in Congress to recognize the importance of a debate and vote on this war - for the American people, as well as our standing among allies around the world - by taking up a new authorization of force against a brutal enemy that is not going away anytime soon.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/sens-warner-and-kaine-compromise-highway-bill-returns-62-billion-to-virginia-", "Sens. Warner & Kaine: Compromise Highway Bill Returns $6.2 Billion to Virginia", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Sens. Warner & Kaine: Compromise Highway Bill Returns $6.2 Billion to Virginia \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 3, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine voted for the FAST Act, a bipartisan House-Senate agreement on highway and transit funding which returns $6.2 billion in federal transportation funding to Virginia over the next five years. Congress has not passed a transportation funding bill lasting longer than two years since 2005, and the five-year FAST Act will give states, transportation planners and contractors the time and certainty needed to make desperately-needed improvements to our infrastructure.\r\nIn addition, the legislation renews the charter of the Export-Import Bank, which expired on July 1, for another four years. Between 2007 and 2015, the Export-Import Bank helped businesses from every corner of Virginia export $2 billion worth of goods and services.\r\nI am disappointed in several of the choices that were made in paying for this highway and transit legislation, yet I remain a strong supporter of additional investments in our transportation systems, Sen. Warner said. This compromise package addresses many of Virginias critical transportation and mass transit priorities, and I will continue efforts in Congress to return to the more responsible approach of asking those who use and benefit from our transportation system to fund its upkeep. \r\nI supported the transportation bill the Senate passed tonight, the FAST Act, because it provides something we havent had in years  higher investment in Americas transportation infrastructure and the long-term certainty of a five-year bill. This investment will generate returns for the economy and commuters by saving gasoline not burned, work productivity not lost, and family time not missed from idling in traffic or waiting for delayed trains, said Sen. Kaine. I was pleased that several amendments advocated by Senator Warner and me were included  strengthening federal safety oversight authority over WMATA, requiring federal members of the WMATA board to be appointed by the Department of Transportation and creating a new investment source for nationally significant transportation assets like the structurally deficient Arlington Memorial Bridge. I also applaud the overdue reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which benefits a vast array of Virginia companies.The effects of decaying infrastructure make no distinctions between Democrats and Republicans, and today, Members of Congress from both parties voted together to start fixing our roads and rails.\r\n \r\nVirginia will receive about $5.4 billion over five years for its interstate highway programs, an increase of roughly $1.5 billion over what it would have received over that period at current funding levels.In addition, Virginia will see an increase of $51 million in mass transit funding over current spending levels. This will provide much-needed new funding and allow Virginia to properly plan and budget for transportation projects. According to TRIP, the nonprofit The Road Information Program,up to one-third of Virginias major highways currently are congested. A reliable five-year federal funding stream will allow the Commonwealth Transportation Board to plan through the year 2020.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act broadens federal support to prioritize the reconstruction of deteriorating bridges. The Federal Highway Administration has determined that 3,574 bridges in Virginia are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act includes provisions Sen. Warner has advocated to improve the safety and reliability of Metro, including Sen. Warners call for a federal review of transit safety standards. It will provide DOT with additional authority to help with its oversight of the struggling Washington Metro system (WMATA). It also includes the transfer of responsibility for the federal appointee to Metros Board from the General Services Administration to the U.S. Department of Transportation, so that transportation experts are in charge of making those appointments. \r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act provides additional resources for the National Park Service to address transportation priorities, including Memorial Bridge, a key artery connecting Arlington to Washington D.C. The Memorial Bridge was built in 1932, carries more than 68,000 vehicles each day, and is currently undergoing emergency repairs to address structural deterioration.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act phases out older, DOT-111 oil tanker railroad cars, and requires new thermal safety jackets and other safety components for all rail cars transporting crude oil and flammable materials. Sens. Warner and Kaine have been leaders in pushing for improvements to the safety of crude-by-rail shipments since an April 30, 2014 rail derailment in Lynchburg. The accident resulted in a massive fire and the release of approximately 20,000 gallons of crude oil into the James River.\r\n \r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/on-morning-joe-kaine-reacts-to-tragedy-in-san-bernardino-and-discusses-us-mission-vs-isil", "On Morning Joe: Kaine Reacts To Tragedy In San Bernardino & Discusses U.S. Mission Vs ISIL", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "On Morning Joe: Kaine Reacts To Tragedy In San Bernardino & Discusses U.S. Mission Vs ISIL \n            On Morning Joe, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) reacted to the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California by calling on Congress to stop being bystanders and finally take action to pass gun safety legislation. Kaine also discussed the British Parliament's vote to authorize airstrikes in Syria and highlighted the stark contrast with Congress's unwillingness to hold its own debate and vote on the war against ISIL.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=4590b5d1-28cc-4a64-a44e-1eff0ecb512e", "Warner Supports Compromise Federal Highway & Transit Funding Legislation", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine voted for the FAST Act, a bipartisan House-Senate agreement on highway and transit funding which returns $6.2 billion in federal transportation funding to Virginia over the next five years. Congress has not passed a transportation funding bill lasting longer than two years since 2005, and the five-year FAST Act will give states, transportation planners and contractors the time and certainty needed to make desperately-needed improvements to our infrastructure.\r\nIn addition, the legislation renews the charter of the Export-Import Bank, which expired on July 1, for another four years. Between 2007 and 2015, the Export-Import Bank helped businesses from every corner of Virginia export $2 billion worth of goods and services.\r\nI am disappointed in several of the choices that were made in paying for this highway and transit legislation, yet I remain a strong supporter of additional investments in our transportation systems, Sen. Warner said. This compromise package addresses many of Virginias critical transportation and mass transit priorities, and I will continue efforts in Congress to return to the more responsible approach of asking those who use and benefit from our transportation system to fund its upkeep. \r\nI supported the transportation bill the Senate passed tonight, the FAST Act, because it provides something we havent had in years  higher investment in Americas transportation infrastructure and the long-term certainty of a five-year bill. This investment will generate returns for the economy and commuters by saving gasoline not burned, work productivity not lost, and family time not missed from idling in traffic or waiting for delayed trains, said Sen. Kaine. I was pleased that several amendments advocated by Senator Warner and me were included  strengthening federal safety oversight authority over WMATA, requiring federal members of the WMATA board to be appointed by the Department of Transportation and creating a new investment source for nationally significant transportation assets like the structurally deficient Arlington Memorial Bridge. I also applaud the overdue reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which benefits a vast array of Virginia companies.The effects of decaying infrastructure make no distinctions between Democrats and Republicans, and today, Members of Congress from both parties voted together to start fixing our roads and rails.\r\n \r\nVirginia will receive about $5.4 billion over five years for its interstate highway programs, an increase of roughly $1.5 billion over what it would have received over that period at current funding levels.In addition, Virginia will see an increase of $51 million in mass transit funding over current spending levels. This will provide much-needed new funding and allow Virginia to properly plan and budget for transportation projects. According to TRIP, the nonprofit The Road Information Program,up to one-third of Virginias major highways currently are congested. A reliable five-year federal funding stream will allow the Commonwealth Transportation Board to plan through the year 2020.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act broadens federal support to prioritize the reconstruction of deteriorating bridges. The Federal Highway Administration has determined that 3,574 bridges in Virginia are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act includes provisions Sen. Warner has advocated to improve the safety and reliability of Metro, including Sen. Warners call for a federal review of transit safety standards. It will provide DOT with additional authority to help with its oversight of the struggling Washington Metro system (WMATA). It also includes the transfer of responsibility for the federal appointee to Metros Board from the General Services Administration to the U.S. Department of Transportation, so that transportation experts are in charge of making those appointments. \r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act provides additional resources for the National Park Service to address transportation priorities, including Memorial Bridge, a key artery connecting Arlington to Washington D.C. The Memorial Bridge was built in 1932, carries more than 68,000 vehicles each day, and is currently undergoing emergency repairs to address structural deterioration.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe FAST Act phases out older, DOT-111 oil tanker railroad cars, and requires new thermal safety jackets and other safety components for all rail cars transporting crude oil and flammable materials. Sens. Warner and Kaine have been leaders in pushing for improvements to the safety of crude-by-rail shipments since an April 30, 2014 rail derailment in Lynchburg. The accident resulted in a massive fire and the release of approximately 20,000 gallons of crude oil into the James River.\r\n \r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=4825e63a-394b-4907-815b-1da9239ced57", "Statement of Sen. Warner", "2015-12-03", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Due to a prior commitment, I regret I was not present to vote on six amendments to H.R. 3762, the Budget Reconciliation Act.\r\nHad I been present, I would have voted yes on S.Amdt. #2908 (Manchin-Toomey expanded background checks) and S.Amdt. #2910 (denying firearms to suspected terrorists). I strongly support these commonsense gun safety proposals.\r\nIn addition, I would have supported S.Amdt. #2892, Sen. Shaheens funding for mental illness & substance abuse services, and S.Amdt. #2907, Sen. Bennets proposal to improving access to care at the Veterans Administration.\r\nHowever, I would have voted no on S.Amdt. #2912 (Cornyn side-by-side to #2910), S.Amdt. #2914 (Grassley side-by-side to #2908), and S.Amdt. #2899 (Paul refugee resettlement).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=278", "Beyer, Ellison, Crowley Invite House Colleagues to Dar Al-Hijrah Prayer Services", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Nearly two weeks after a local Northern Virginia Mosque, Dar Al-Hijrah, was attacked with Molotov cocktails and a hoax bomb, Congressmen Don Beyer (D-VA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Joe Crowley (D-NY) wrote their House colleagues urging them to visit the Falls Church mosque to participate in Friday prayers this week.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Nearly two weeks after a local Northern Virginia Mosque, Dar Al-Hijrah, was attacked with Molotov cocktails and a hoax bomb, Congressmen Don Beyer (D-VA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Joe Crowley (D-NY) wrote their House colleagues urging them to visit the Falls Church mosque to participate in Friday prayers this week.\r\nIntolerance and hatred have no place in American society, said Rep. Beyer. We are a diverse nation of immigrants whose shared cultural heritage is one of openness and inclusion. We must celebrate this diverse thread of our cultural cloth, not tear it apart.\r\nImam Johari Abdul-Malik, Outreach Director for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, said, Many in our community feel under siege in recent weeks. Women taking their children to school have been heckled by passersby, and we experienced two incidences of hate violence. It is with the support of good neighbors like Congressmen Beyer, Ellison, and Crowley that we carry on knowing that our future will be brighter.\"\r\nTheir visits comes on the heels of numerous reports over the past few weeks of anti-Muslim acts of hatred throughout the country, including in Northern Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona.\r\nBeyer will participate in Friday prayers at Dar al-Hijrah (3159 Row Street, Falls Church, Virginia 22044) at 12:15 PM. Following the service, he will join Imam Johari Abdul-Malik to speak with reporters and the public. \r\nRep. Ellison will celebrate Friday prayers at his local mosque in Minnesota.\r\nThe recent attack on the mosque in Falls Church is an attack on the core American value of freedom of religion. We must all stand together and condemn these acts of hatred and intolerancethey are not who we are as a people. Sadly, attacks on Muslim Americans have increased due to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump calling for the surveillance of mosques and registering Muslim Americans. Our communities and nation are strongest when people of all faiths and backgrounds hold fast to tolerance and inclusion, said Rep. Ellison.\r\nMembers of Congress are the faces of their communities, and we must bring to our jobs a knowledge of the diversity of religions and cultures that make up our both our individual districts and the nation. We must also speak out when we see prejudice, discrimination, and hate- whether its a bomb threat on a mosque, a child bullied on a bus, or a slur painted on a building, said Rep. Crowley, Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus. Intolerance is a dangerous thing, and we will never be able to grow as a society if we allow it to go unchecked. \r\nFriday is traditionally a day of reflection and prayer in the Islamic faith. Known as Jumuah, the celebration typically consists of a sermon followed by community prayers in the afternoon.\r\nAny Member unable to join in the Falls Church visit is encouraged to attend prayer services in their home district this Friday.\r\nText of the letter:\r\nJoin Us: Show Solidarity with the American Muslim Community\r\nDear Colleague:\r\nTwo weeks ago, a mosque just ten miles from the Capitol was the recipient of a hoax bomb and Molotov cocktails were thrown in the parking lot. This attack is just one of many examples of anti-Muslim actions and rhetoric being felt in local communities across the country. Another recent example, just 50 miles south of here at a recent Spotsylvania County community meeting: Protestors told members of the Islamic Center of Fredericksburg that all Muslims are terrorists and to get out of their town. Or in Texas, where an armed protest was held outside the Islamic Center of Irving and the protest sponsor published names and addresses of those he targeted and identified as being Muslims and Muslim sympathizers.\r\nWe must show that we will not tolerate islamophobia and that those who propagate it do not represent the melting-pot America that we celebrate. Leaders in support of American diversity and in support of the Muslim communities we represent, respect, and work hand-in-hand with for peace, must speak more loudly than the intolerant. We invite you to join in this Friday to stand in solidarity with Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque -- the mosque that received the hoax bomb -- and with all our American Muslim communities, by attending Friday prayers and joining us for a short press conference against bigotry.\r\nThose attending will depart the Capitol on Friday, December 4th, for Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque, 3159 Row St, Falls Church, VA 22044, to join Friday prayers at 12:15 pm. Following the service, we will join Imam Johari Abdul-Malik to speak to reporters and the public. If you cannot join us on Friday, we invite you to attend prayers at a mosque in your congressional district to show Muslims around the country that Members of Congress stand with them in the face of intolerance.\r\nEvery nation faces chapters of bigotry and discrimination against religious, ethnic or racial groups. What sets the United States apart is our ability to rise up collectively against these wrongs to achieve civility, acceptance, and inclusion. Help us show solidarity with the American Muslim community by joining us on Friday. For more information, please contact Kate at Kate.Schisler@mail.house.gov or Adnan at Adnan.Mohamed@mail.house.gov in Congressman Beyers office.\r\nSincerely,\r\nDonald S. Beyer Jr. Keith Ellison Joseph Crowley\r\n\r\nMEMBER OF CONGRESS MEMBER OF CONGRESS MEMBER OF CONGRESS\r\n\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/floor-statements/conference-report-on-s-1177-student-success-act", "CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1177, EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to endorse the conference report on S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act.\nWe have certainly come a long way since we were on the floor debating H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, earlier this year. I had sincere objections to much that was found in H.R. 5, but thanks to the commitment to work together to try to fashion a decent bill with ChairmanKlineand our counterparts in the Senate, SenatorAlexanderand SenatorMurray, along with the many long nights from our respective staffs, we found a way to produce a conference report that balances the desire for more localized decisionmaking with the need for Federal oversight to ensure equity for underserved students.\nThis conference report is the embodiment of what we can do when we work together in Washington--a workable compromise that does not force either side to desert its core beliefs.\nMr. Speaker, the modern Federal role in elementary and secondary education began with the promise in Brown v. Board of Education when a unanimous Supreme Court held that, in 1954, ``it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education'' and that ``such an opportunity is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.''\nYet, despite the Brown decision, our education system has remained fundamentally unequal. That inequality is virtually guaranteed by the fact that we fund education basically by the real estate tax, guaranteeing that wealthier areas will have more funds than low-income areas.\nAcross the Nation, gaps in equity persist. These gaps made it impossible to realize the opportunity of an education to all on equal terms because too many schools lacked the basic resources necessary for success. Too many schools failed children year after year.\nAnd these gaps disproportionately affected the politically disconnected: those in poverty, racial minorities, students with disabilities, and English language learners. This was unacceptable.\nIn 1965, Congress addressed the inequality by passing the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA, which provided Federal money to address--and I quote from the original bill--``the special educational needs of children of low-income families and the impact that concentrations of low-income families have on the ability of local educational agencies to support adequate educational programs.''\nSimply put, Congress acknowledged that the right to an education is a civil right that knows no State boundaries and that the Federal Government has a role to ensure that all States are fulfilling their promises for all of America's children.\nThe current iteration of the ESEA, No Child Left Behind, has run its course. It is so broken that the administration currently offers over 40 States waivers from its most unworkable provisions. This has not only created a great amount of uncertainty for students, parents, educators, and communities, but it has also resulted in uneven protections for underserved students and a lack of transparency for our communities.\nThis conference report improves upon both the current law and the waivers, lives up to the promises of Brown and the intent of the original ESEA, and addresses the key challenges of No Child Left Behind.\nFirst, the Every Student Succeeds Act maintains high standards for all children but allows States to determine those standards in a way that requires those standards to be aligned with college readiness.\nThe Every Student Succeeds Act requires States to put in place assessment, accountability, and improvement policies that will close the achievement gap but with locally designed, evidence-based strategies that meet the unique needs of students and schools.\nThe conference report requires the transparent reporting of data to ensure that schools are responsible for not only the achievement of all of their students but also for the equitable allocation of resources to support student learning.\nThe conference report helps States and school districts reduce the overuse of exclusionary policies by allowing the existing funding to be used for the Youth PROMISE plans, which is anissue I have been working on for many years.\nYouth PROMISE plans are comprehensive, evidence-based plans that are designed to address neighborhoods with significant crime, teen pregnancy, and other problems, and they are designed to reinvest savings generated by those plans to keep the plans working in the future.\nThe conference report recognizes the importance of early learning, a priority of both red and blue States alike, by authorizing a program to assist States in improving the coordination, quality, improvement, and access to pre-K.\nMost importantly, while many of these new systems will be created by the States, under the conference report, the Federal Government maintains the ability to make sure that States and localities are living up to their commitments--that all students are being counted and that schools are being held accountable for their achievement.\nWhile this conference report is not the bill that I would have written alone--or that any Member would have written alone, for that matter--I have no doubt that this bipartisan conference report will make a positive difference in the lives of our Nation's children and will live up to the goal of the original ESEA: making an opportunity for an education available to all on equal terms. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-statement-on-passage-of-bipartisan-bill-to-fix-no-child-left", "Scott Statement on Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Fix No Child Left Behind", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "As originally released by the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats\nWASHINGTON, D.C. Ranking Member Robert C. Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the 359-64 passage of S.1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act  a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace No Child Left Behind:\nTodays bipartisan vote to reauthorize the ESEA affirms the principles of Brown v. Board of Education, which held that it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education, and that such an opportunity is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.\nFifty years ago, Congress originally passed ESEA to help make that right a reality, and throughout this process, Democrats ensured that the Every Student Succeeds Act truly honored the civil rights legacy of the law.\nTodays vote is also an embodiment of what we can achieve here in Washington  a workable compromise that does not force either side to desert its core beliefs. This agreement ensures that when achievement gaps are found, meaningful action will be taken to intervene and support the needs of students. It ensures that funds will continue to be directed to communities most in need and it give teachers and schools the resources they need to support all students.\nThe Every Student Succeeds Act brings our education system into the 21st century, and will make a positive difference in the lives of our nations students by giving every student an equal chance to succeed. I look forward to the vote by the Senate that will send President Obama a bill that is indeed worthy of his signature.\n# # #\nFACT SHEET  S. 1177, EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT\nThe Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 lives up to the promises of Brown v. Board of Education and the intent of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) by building on past reauthorizations of the law while addressing the key challenges presented by the most recent authorization of ESEA, No Child Left Behind. The Every Student Succeeds Act:\n Puts in place assessment, accountability, and improvement systems that will close achievement gaps with evidence-based strategies that meet the unique needs of students and schools.\n\tRequires states to set high standards for all children, including by capping participation of students with disabilities in alternate assessments.\n\tRequires meaningful state and local action in every school where students  or any subgroup of students  arent learning. It requires that any action taken to support school improvement is driven by student outcomes  and that poverty can't be used as an excuse for not stepping up to better serve students.\n\tSupports teachers and school leaders with resources and professional development opportunities that will prepare todays learners for tomorrows workforce.\n\tProvides dedicated funding to improve student access to critical support and community services, a well-rounded curriculum, and improved technology in our nations most disadvantaged schools.\n\tHelps states and school districts reduce the overuse of exclusionary discipline practices by allowing funding to be used for Youth PROMISE plans.\n\tDrives federal dollars to the schools and communities that need them the most. It requires transparent reporting of data to ensure schools are responsible for not only the achievement of all their students, but also for the equitable allocation of resources to support student learning. States and districts will be required, for the first time, to address resource inequities in school improvement.\n\tRecognizes the importance of early learning  a priority in both red and blue states alike  by authorizing a program to assist with coordination of state and federal programs to ensure our nations most vulnerable students arent starting kindergarten behind their peers.\n\tEnsures the federal government maintains authority to implement the law and to hold bad actors accountable for not complying with federal law.\n The bill text can be found here. \nA section by section summary of the bill can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=562", "Olson, Connolly Introduce the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act", "2015-12-02", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Legislation will help increase the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by eliminating the threat of frivolous lawsuits through development of a nationally uniform baseline of protection for persons who use an automatic external defibrillator (AED) while attempting to save a life during a medical emergency. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Representatives Pete Olson (R-TX)\u00a0 and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) today acted to help save lives impacted by sudden cardiac arrest by introducing H.R. 4152, the Cardiac Arrest Survival Act. This bill will help increase the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by eliminating the threat of frivolous lawsuits through development of a nationally uniform baseline of protection for persons who use an automatic external defibrillator (AED) while attempting to save a life during a medical emergency.\u201cAccess to AEDs is critical to saving lives during a cardiac emergency,\u201d said Rep. Gerry Connolly. \u201cAs Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors I made it a priority that County buildings and schools deploy this lifesaving technology, and that staff have the knowledge and training to use these tools effectively. This legislation will ensure we don\u2019t allow fear of liability or a patchwork of differing protections across the states to prevent an individual or business from taking all necessary measures to save a life.\u201d\u201cIn a cardiac emergency, defibrillation is the best defense and quick use of AEDs can save lives,\u201d Rep. Pete Olson said.\u00a0 \u201cThe threat of unnecessary lawsuits on AED users should never stand in the way of providing emergency medical assistance. This common sense solution provides peace of mind by removing this threat and will encourage greater deployment of AEDs in public and private establishments. Wider use of AEDs will reduce response times and could save an additional 36,000 lives per year.\"Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences & Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at GW Hospital said, \u201cMore than 350,000 Americans experience a sudden cardiac arrest every year and 9 out of 10 will die as a consequence. More people die every year from SCA than from breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, and HIV combined. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can promptly resuscitate many of these patients, but a confusing array of laws governing these simple to use lifesaving devices has impaired their widespread placement. The Cardiac Arrest Survival Act of 2015 (HR4152) will create a uniform level of liability protection for businesses wishing to implement this essential and easy to use technology. This law has the ability to save countless lives.\u201dAccording to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation: In the U.S. alone, approximately 326,200 people of all ages experience EMS-assessed out-of-hospital non-traumatic SCA each year and nine out of 10 victims die. Approximately 60 percent of those victims could be saved if someone intervenes and responds by engaging the emergency system, performing CPR and locating and using an AED. Sadly, survival rates for out-of-hospital SCA victims have remained a low eight percent for thirty years. Immediate CPR and early defibrillation, using an AED, can more than double a patient\u2019s chance of survival, but only if a person acts. Olson consulted with Dr. Reiner about issues facing healthcare providers and the need for the legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/commonwealth-connection/refugees-are-not-foreign-enemies_-the-enemy-is-isil", "Refugees are not Foreign Enemies - the Enemy is ISIL", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Tuesday, December 1, 2015\n\t\t\t\t Refugees are not Foreign Enemies - the Enemy is ISIL \n\t\t\t\t\n                        by Sen. Tim Kaine \n                        \n                 \n\t\n\t            \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t  \t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFull transcript of Senator Kaines remarks on the Senate floor\r\nMr. President, I rise today to talk about the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015, which was an act passed by the House shortly before we recessed for Thanksgiving. An act dealing with the refugee crisis from Syria and Iraq. And it's an act that is sort of pending before the body now as we try to decide whether to take up the House bill or take up the topic of the House bill as part of other deliberations we're engaged in.\r\nFirst, I think everyone in this body and everyone in the House acknowledges the security needs of America in this challenging time as we're engaged in a battle against ISIL and, as we have seen in recent weeks the reach of ISIL, whether it's a passenger aircraft in Sinai, a neighborhood in southern Beirut or multiple neighborhoods in Paris, ISIL's threat is expanding and mutating, and we have to take those security concerns seriously.\r\nI applaud the work that has already been done to try to make sure that the vetting process for refugees that enter the United States is pretty intense. Four million refugees have left Syria during the course of the Syrian civil war. Of those four million who have left and registered with the U.N. after a fairly extensive review process, the U.N. has referred 20,000 to the United States for possible consideration to be refugees, and of those 20,000, after an 18-month vetting process, we have allowed approximately 2,000 into the United States.\r\nSo the vetting process for refugees is pretty intense. If we can make it better, we need to do that, but it is already fairly significant. I also applaud efforts that the Administration announced yesterday and that other colleagues including, Mr. President [Sen. Flake], you and others are working on to take the visa waiver program that we currently have that allows citizens from 38 countries to come to the United States without visas, to make sure that that program is tight. We've got to do our best in a careful and deliberate way to make sure that our security in the midst of this battle against ISIL is strong.\r\nBut, Mr. President, I rise today to talk particularly about this act because I think it's problematic and I think it's problematic from the very title of the act. And I think it raises some questions we have to be very careful about.\r\nSyrian and Iraqi refugees are not foreign enemies. Refugees are not the enemies of the United States. We have an enemy.\r\nThe enemy is ISIL.\r\nWe're coming up on the start of the 17th month of a war against ISIL that Congress has been unwilling to debate, vote on and declare, but they are an enemy, and we would all acknowledge that, but the refugees who are leaving Syria and Iraq are not our enemies. They're victims. They are victims. And I think before we go down the path of quickly -- and this bill was passed in the House in just a couple of days -- of painting with a broad brush these poor people who have suffered so much as enemies, we really need to reflect on what they have been through.\r\nThis refugee crisis in Syria has been called by most NGOs and other organizations like the U.N. the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II. In a country of between 25 million and 30 million people, 4 million have had to flee their country because of the atrocities of the Assad regime and the atrocities of the civil war carried out by ISIL and other terrorist organizations. 4 million have had to leave their country. 8 million more have had to leave their homes and move to other places in their country where they would prefer not to live because their homes are unsafe because of the civil war.\r\nNearly 300,000 Syrians have been killed in this civil war. And the atrocities are horrible. The Assad regime uses barrel bombs in civilian neighborhoods to kill innocents, without any rhyme or reason as to where theyre going to fall, creating psychological terror as well as physical danger. And ISIL in Syria, it's beheadings, it's the forced subjugation of people and selling them into sexual slavery, it's the oppression of religious minorities. Virtually any religion other than a Sunni extremist that would fit within ISIL's narrow definition of who they think true believers are. And this is what people are fleeing from.\r\nYou know, Mr. President, I really want to emphasize -- and I just want to emphasize this point, that refugees are not our enemies. Theyre not foreign enemies. They're victims that deserve compassion.\r\nThis is a photograph that's a fairly famous photograph one from a suburb in Damascus, Yarmouk, that is filled with Palestinian refugees who have been waiting for food. The Assad regime had cordoned them off and would not allow humanitarian aid because they thought that there were opponents of the regime in this neighborhood. This was a photograph taken in January of 2014 when the U.N. finally could come in to try to deliver humanitarian food aid to these folks.\r\nYou can see just the tens of thousands of people who are waiting in the midst of their bombed-out neighborhood for a delivery of basic food aid, which has been very episodic during the course of this war. And this neighborhood has gone back under blockade. And it has been extremely difficult to get them the food that they need. These are not enemies. These are people who are worthy of the compassion of any person and especially of a nation as compassionate as the United States.\r\nAnd then more recently I know we were all just stunned to see this horrible photograph of a three-year-old Syrian boy who, with his family and a group of 12 Syrians, tried to make it across water to Greece, fleeing atrocities in the battle between Kurds and ISIL in northern Syria. And 12 members of this family -- 12 members in a boat were killed and drowned, including this three-year-old and his five-year-old brother. These are not enemies. And to have an act that purports to deal with this refugee crisis and to call this an act that's an act about foreign enemies -- they're not enemies. And there's no way we should allow a kind of tar-brush approach that would paint these poor unfortunates who are the victims of the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II as if they're somehow enemies. We should have a compassionate response that protects American security but that is nevertheless compassionate.\r\nMr. President, these photographs really grab me, and the rhetoric surrounding these refugees and the fact that they were called enemies when this act passed really grabbed me.\r\nI found myself thinking about it, not so much even in just the policy way. I mean, what is the right policy? What's the right mixture of things we should do to keep the country safe? That's very important, but these kinds of pictures make you think about something just more fundamental: why does this happen?\r\nSince the beginning of time, human beings have asked, why is there suffering of this kind? Why must hundreds of thousands be huddled into a bombed-out neighborhood and be nearly starved to death and wait for a delivery episodically from the U.N.? Why would a family have to flee from their home and with their children killed to try to get away from atrocities? Why, if you were a student from California State at Long Beach on a semester abroad program in Paris and youre sitting in a caf and then you get gunned down by ISIL terrorists, why if you're a tourist coming back from a vacation in the Sinai with your family, you suddenly have your plane bombed out of the sky?\r\nHumans have asked this question since the beginning of time. Why do these things happen? And there are two conventional answers to the question of why these things occur, and then there's a nonconventional answer that I think is a very challenging one that we as a body and as a country really have to grapple with.\r\nThe two conventional answers to why there is horrible suffering like this are obviously there's evil in the world and there's evil within. So there's evil out in the world and then there's evil within and we make mistakes. Clearly there's evil in the world. ISIL is evil. Refugees are not evil. You know, I think it's interesting, again, that we -- that one of the bodies here could come up with a piece of legislation, draft it, debate it and vote on it in a couple of days to label refugees as foreign enemies when we've been at war for 17 months against ISIL and we haven't been able to have a debate in this body to authorize military force and declare that they're an enemy?\r\nThere is evil in the world, and part of what we must do is call it out and be willing to stand against it.\r\nThe great Irish poet Yeats talked about a situation where the best lack all conviction and the worst are filled with passionate intensity. I worry that this body, this legislative body, this Article 1 branch which is the best, we have not shown the conviction to call out evil in the way that we should call it out and mistakenly we're calling people evil who aren't evil but who are deserving of compassionate help from us and from other nations. That's the first explanation of why evil occurs. There's evil out in the world, and there is -- and ISIL is evil. The atrocities of Assad are evil. We ought to call it out.\r\nThe second explanation is our own weakness. You have to look in the mirror and ask when bad things happen whether to yourself or your country, did we do anything wrong? I have a concern, Mr. President, that when the chapter of this is written, the Syrian refugee crisis, neither the United States nor other nations are going to look that good. It is going to be kind of like looking back at the 1990s and why the U.S. was able to intervene and stop atrocities in the Balkans and chose not to in Rwanda. The answer to why we did in one instance and not the other, I dont think that looks that good in retrospect. I worry, with respect to this refugee crisis 4 million, 8 million people killed, these children and their families, I think we do have to look in the mirror and we do have to ask ourselves whether we have done enough or whether we can do more.\r\nBut lastly, Mr. President, and I will a say this, there's a nonconventional explanation of why suffering occurs that is a challenging one and it is in the Book of Job. Youve got a Bible up there on your desk. The President has it right there because it is such a great book of wisdom, and I know you know the story, but its an interesting one as we grapple with suffering like this and we have to ask why it occurs.\r\nSo Job was an upright and righteous man. He was a blameless person, a person of integrity. And the storytellers -- this story was written about 500 B.C. -- posit this debate between God and Satan, where God is talking about how great Job is, and Satan says, Job is only great because he is wealthy, has a great family, hes healthy. If he lost that, he would cease being so faithful. God says, no I think he'd be faithful anyway. Satan says, let's have a little wager, and lets see what happens. That's how the Book of Job begins.\r\nThis upright and blameless man who has everything proceeds to very quickly lose everything. He loses his wealth. He loses his family. He loses his health. Not because of his own sin or his own weakness or his own error or his own mistake. Not because of evil in the world.\r\nHe suffers because he's being tested. That's the reason he suffers. And as the story goes on, he's tested, he's tested. He argues with God, he fights with God, but he doesn't let go of his faith. And in the end of the story, this Book of Job -- this is a book that is not only in the Old Testament, and studied by Jews and Christians alike, it is in the Koran -- this is a story that all the Abrahamic faith traditions have grabbed onto because it has a fundamental piece of wisdom to it.\r\nSometimes when suffering like this occurs it is not just because of evil in the world or our own sin, it is because bad things happen to test us as individuals. Bad things happen and sometimes test us as a country.\r\nI look at this refugee crisis as a test. It's a test about whether we, like Job, will be true to our principles or whether well abandon them. Job was true to his principles and then things came back to him multiplied. Are we going to be true to our principals?\r\nMy state of Virginia began when English, who were starving, were helped out by Indians down near Jamestown Island. There was an extension of a hand to strangers in a strange land that enabled them to survive unlike earlier parties that had been wiped out by starvation or battle with Indians.\r\nMy people came from Ireland in the 1840s. They were chased out by oppression, they were chased out by hunger. My people have the same story that virtually everybody who came to the United States had. Some came under much worse conditions, brought over in slavery and servitude.\r\nThe nation of France recognized the United States for what it was, this beacon of liberty people from around the world -- when France gave to the United States the Statue of Liberty, which we planted in New York Harbor right next to Ellis Island where so many people came into this country, and nobody who came here had it easy.\r\nPeople faced signs, \"no Irish need apply\" or they faced discrimination or oppression, but they didnt face a door being shut on their face and being told they were foreign enemies when they were really refugees looking for a better situation in life.\r\nSo as I think about what we're grappling with and what we may be called to vote on in the next ten days in this body, I really think about this massive scale of human suffering that's going on with respect to Syria and I think about that wisdom from the Book of Job, which is sometimes suffering and adversity is to test us. Are we going to abandon our principles? Not going to be the Statue of Liberty nation? Not going to be the nation that will extend a hand of welcome or friendship to people who have suffered? Or are we going to be true to our principles? And again and again in our nation's history and in the history of other nations, it's been shown that if you are true to your principles, especially true to them during times of adversity, then you're worthy of respect. \r\nYou teach important lessons to your kids and to the generations that follow, and usually things work out. I think our nation's principles are solid. They are rock solid. And in the heat of the moment, we shouldn't abandon them. And we shouldn't abandon people who have suffered and are suffering with the kind of hot legislative language that would label them as \"foreign enemies\" when they are just refugees in the same way that people throughout history have been refugees needing a compassionate response from others.\r\nThank you, Mr. President. With that, I yield the floor.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/senate-passes-bipartisan-bill-to-assist_eugenics-victims-with-state-compensation-payments", "Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Assist  Eugenics Victims with State Compensation Payments", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Assist  Eugenics Victims with State Compensation Payments\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, December 1, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced that the Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act, excluding payments from state eugenics compensation programs from consideration in determining federal benefits. Without this legislation, many eugenics victims who receive compensation payments from states, including Virginia and North Carolina, could see their federal benefits reduced or even have their eligibility eliminated.\r\nThe legislation, which passed the Senate unanimously on Monday night, will help assist living eugenics victims receiving compensation payments by excluding their payments from being used in determining eligibility for, or the amount of, federal public benefits such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security disability payments. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Richard Burr (R-NC) are original co-sponsors of the legislation.\r\nIn 2002, then-Governor Warner formally apologized for Virginias decision to forcibly sterilize nearly 7,500 Virginians between 1924 and 1979. His apology was the first by the governor of any of the more than 30 states that conducted eugenics sterilizations on a combined 60,000 citizens. Gov. Warners act coincided with the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts Buck v. Bell decision upholding Virginia's eugenics sterilization law. Earlier this year, Virginia became the second state to pass legislation compensating the victims of a state-run eugenics program. Virginia will award $25,000 to each individual who was involuntarily sterilized and was still alive as of February 1, 2015.\r\nThis shameful period in Virginias history is thankfully in the past, but there are still living victims who are suffering from its dark legacy, said Sen. Warner. Receiving just compensation for this horrible injustice should not unintentionally prevent victims from receiving federal assistance theyre entitled to. Im pleased that this bill has passed the Senate and encourage the House to right this wrong by doing the same.\r\nLargely unnoticed, forced sterilizations and state-run eugenics programs represent one of the darkest episodes of human rights violations and injustices of our countrys past, said Sen. Kaine. Today, I am pleased to see the Senate take a major step to right this historical wrong by passing the bipartisan Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act. This bill excludes payments from state eugenics compensation programs from consideration in determining federal benefits. Im glad that Virginia has begun the process of compensating victims, but there is still more we must do.\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-refugees-are-not-foreign-enemies_-the-enemy-is-isil", "Kaine: Refugees are not Foreign Enemies - the Enemy is ISIL", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "In remarks on the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke on the Syrian refugee crisis and the pressing need for a vote in Congress on a new authorization for the use of military force against ISIL.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=19dc9a52-bafb-43ae-98aa-4dad1e91d34a", "Senate Passes Warner, Kaine Bill to Assist Eugenics Victims with State Compensation Payments", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today announced that the Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act, excluding payments from state eugenics compensation programs from consideration in determining federal benefits. Without this legislation, many eugenics victims who receive compensation payments from states, including Virginia and North Carolina, could see their federal benefits reduced or even have their eligibility eliminated.\r\nThe legislation, which passed the Senate unanimously on Monday night, will help assist living eugenics victims receiving compensation payments by excluding their payments from being used in determining eligibility for, or the amount of, federal public benefits such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security disability payments. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Richard Burr (R-NC) are original co-sponsors of the legislation.\r\nIn 2002, then-Governor Warner formally apologized for Virginias decision to forcibly sterilize nearly 7,500 Virginians between 1924 and 1979. His apology was the first by the governor of any of the more than 30 states that conducted eugenics sterilizations on a combined 60,000 citizens. Gov. Warners act coincided with the 75th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts Buck v. Bell decision upholding Virginia's eugenics sterilization law. Earlier this year, Virginia became the second state to pass legislation compensating the victims of a state-run eugenics program. Virginia will award $25,000 to each individual who was involuntarily sterilized and was still alive as of February 1, 2015.\r\nThis shameful period in Virginias history is thankfully in the past, but there are still living victims who are suffering from its dark legacy, said Sen. Warner. Receiving just compensation for this horrible injustice should not unintentionally prevent victims from receiving federal assistance theyre entitled to. Im pleased that this bill has passed the Senate and encourage the House to right this wrong by doing the same.\r\nLargely unnoticed, forced sterilizations and state-run eugenics programs represent one of the darkest episodes of human rights violations and injustices of our countrys past, said Sen. Kaine. Today, I am pleased to see the Senate take a major step to right this historical wrong by passing the bipartisan Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act. This bill excludes payments from state eugenics compensation programs from consideration in determining federal benefits. Im glad that Virginia has begun the process of compensating victims, but there is still more we must do.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=530cbcc9-f3e3-4ce4-88df-c5d86f8446fd", "Warner, V-A Secretary McDonald Thank Virginia Technology Leaders for Pro Bono Efforts to Fix the V-A Health Care System", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today at the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was joined by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) Secretary Robert McDonald to thank the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) for donating their time and expertise to improve the V-As health care system following a nationwide crisis of veterans access to medical care. At the request of Sen. Warner, the NVTC assessed the scheduling and workflow challenges at V-A facilities and recommended practical solutions focusing on people, processes, technology, and performance. Today, Sen. Warner congratulated the NVTC member companies and leadership team and the V-A for taking major steps towards ensuring veterans have access to the medical care they deserve.\r\nI want to thank the Northern Virginia Technology Council for offering their expertise to the V-A. I also want to thank V-A leadership for welcoming this excellent team and working with them to make these recommendations a reality, Sen. Warner said. This was a great collaboration between the private sector and the Department of Veterans Affairs that didnt cost taxpayers a dime.\r\nWe couldnt be more thrilled. I also want to thank our V-A colleagues who demonstrated that open mind and that wiliness to learn to change. Its great to see all of you here today celebrating this, which I hope will be the first of many times that we celebrate public private partnerships in order to help V-A better serve veterans, Secretary McDonald said at the event. We want to be very thankful of all the companies in the room for your time and generosity It was all pro bono work. Your ideas, your innovation, all of that has been a great help to us, but it also has been an inspiration for what we can achieve when we are willing to partner with the private sector.\r\nThe Northern Virginia Technology Council is made up of the countrys most well respected and innovative technology companies, and we have a very long and proud association with military veterans. When Senator Warner called and asked us to help with Veterans [Affairs], we were very honored to offer our assistance, said NVTC President Bobbie Kilberg today. We joined on a pro bono basis to fix the business processes, the culture and the I-T challenges, because it was the right thing to do.\r\nIn 2014, in response to reports of unacceptable wait times and systemic challenges facing military veterans seeking care, Congress passed comprehensive overhaul legislation to ensure timely access to necessary healthcare services. The bipartisan legislation, which was signed into law by the President on August 7, 2014, included Sen. Warners initiative to enlist the I-T expertise of the Northern Virginia Technology Council member companies to assess and recommend fixes for the V-As broken scheduling system.\r\nThe NVTC team conducted a six-week assessment, including two onsite visits to the Richmond and Hampton V-A Medical Centers. On October 29, 2014, NVTC announced specific recommendations to improve VAs scheduling processes, technologies, people and performance measures. The assessment was led by a Core Team of NVTC member companies  Booz Allen Hamilton, HP, IBM, The MITRE Corporation, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)  with assistance from three additional member companies: MAXIMUS, Providge Consulting and Qlarion.\r\nToday, Secretary McDonald announced that the V-A has fully implemented 26 of the NVTC recommendations, and is committed to making all of the improvements recommended by the NVTC.\r\nSome key NVTC recommendations:\r\n \r\nAggressively redesign the human resources and recruitment process\r\nPrioritize efforts to recruit, retain, and train clerical and support staff\r\nDevelop a comprehensive human capital strategy that addresses impending healthcare provider shortages\r\nCreate a stronger financial incentive structure\r\nAccelerate steps to improve the agility, usability, and flexibility of scheduling-enabling technologies that also facilitate performance measurement and reporting functions\r\nUse fixed infrastructure more efficiently\r\nEvaluate the efficiency and patient support gained by centralizing the phone calling functions in facility-based call centers with extended hours of operation\r\nInvest in more current and usable telephone systems and provide adequate space for call center functions\r\nTake aggressive measures to alleviate parking congestion, which can impact on the timeliness of care\r\nEngage frontline staff in the process of change\r\n \r\nThe partnership between the V-A and NVTC builds upon a template established in 2011, when Sen. Warner and NVTC partnered with the U.S. Army to help design and implement a technology fix for Arlington National Cemetery after reports that the remains of warfighters had been misidentified and misplaced by Cemetery officials. An NVTC team worked with Cemetery officials to produce a comprehensive blueprint to correct and modernize the cemeterys I-T and business practices.\r\nThe Northern Virginia Technology Council is the largest membership and trade association in the nation, serving about 1,000 companies and organizations in Northern Virginia, including businesses from all sectors of the technology industry, service providers, universities, and others.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=89b9b986-074e-4d28-ac8d-2a5a7feb159b", "U.S. Sen. Mark Warner Cosponsors Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Visa Waiver Program", "2015-12-01", "2015", "2015-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined a bipartisan group of 15 senators today in introducing legislation to strengthen the security of the Visa Waiver Program to help prevent terrorists from entering the United States. Sen. Warner, a member of the Senates Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Dan Coats (R-IN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in introducing the bipartisan legislation.\r\nI first raised concerns one year ago about the holes in our Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of 38 partner countries to enter the U.S. relatively hassle-free, and remain for up to 90 days. Ten million people from those visa waiver countries travel to Turkey every year, the vast majority as tourists, but we know at least some of them have travelled on without getting their passports stamped to train with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Sen. Warner said. Unless we take immediate steps to tighten-up the Visa Waiver Program, these individuals could exploit vulnerabilities and then enter the United States without a visa and do us harm.\r\nOur bipartisan legislation strengthens the program by requiring the collection of additional information from travelers before they arrive, and requiring participating countries to share valuable information and intelligence with us. Gaps in the security of the Visa Waiver Program must be addressed as soon as possible, Sen. Warner said.\r\nAdded Sen. Warner, Last year, more than 20 million travelers to this country  60 percent of all foreign visitors to the U.S.  entered through the Visa Waiver Program. While here, they generated nearly $200 billion for our economy, supporting nearly 1 million American jobs. Ending this program would be a victory for the terrorists, whose goal is to inflict economic damage and restrict freedom of movement. But Congress can and should act to protect Americans by closing loopholes and strengthening the overall security of the Visa Waiver Program.\r\nThe Visa Waiver Program Security Enhancement Act would improve the security of the Visa Waiver Program by doing the following:\r\n \r\nRequire individuals who have traveled to Syria or Iraq in the past five years to acquire a traditional tourist visa instead of traveling without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. This process requires an in-person interview with an American consular official and the submission of the travelers biometric information.\r\nRequire travelers using the Visa Waiver Program to submit biometric information, in the form of fingerprints and a photograph, before they travel to the United States.\r\nRequire all visa waiver travelers to use an electronic passport, which are more secure and harder to tamper with.\r\nRequire increased intelligence-sharing between Visa Waiver Program countries and the United States.\r\nSecurity enhancements in the bill would be paid for by increasing the Visa Waiver traveler fee, which is currently $14. Only $4 supports Visa Waiver Program security. In comparison, the fee for a traditional tourist visa is $160.\r\n \r\n The bill would strengthen the Visa Waiver Program in the following ways:\r\n1. Preventing foreign fighters from using the Visa Waiver Program: An estimated 5,000 European citizens have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight. More than 1,500 of them are from France. If they return to their home countries, these individuals may be able travel to the United States without a visa.\r\n \r\nLegislative solution: Require individuals who have traveled to Syria and Iraq in the past five years to go through the traditional visa process, which includes an in-person interview, to come to the United States.\r\n \r\n2. Requiring additional biometric information: In cases where the foreign national has never been to the United States before, U.S. law enforcement cannot run biometric information from that visa waiver program traveler against key databases in advance of the persons first arrival in the United States.\r\n \r\nLegislative solution: Require biometric data to be provided by a foreign national prior to travel to the United States using the Visa Waiver Program.\r\n \r\n3. Requiring electronic passports for participation in the Visa Waiver Program: Although electronic passports with built-in chips carrying biometric data are now required to be issued by Visa Waiver Program countries, some existing designated countries are effectively allowed to phase-in this requirement over several years because older passports can remain valid.\r\n \r\nLegislative solution: Require all Visa Waiver Program travelers have electronic passports within 90 days of enactment. Only individuals with machine-readable passports may travel using the Visa Waiver Program.\r\n \r\n4. Requiring additional information sharing between countries: Information-sharing with the United States is a means of protecting national security while allowing individuals to travel without a visa. Unfortunately, while partnership agreements have been struck with participating VWP countries, their implementation has not been uniform.Information-sharing must be improved to ensure threats are detected.\r\n \r\nLegislative solution: Improve information sharing by participating countries in the following ways:\r\nRequire participation in the Visa Waiver Program be contingent on countries full implementation of information-sharing agreements, including agreements on foreign terrorists and those who have committed crimes.\r\nIncrease contribution to, and screening against, INTERPOLs lost and stolen documents database.\r\nRequire DHS to consider a countrys ability to collect, analyze and share passenger data concerning dangerous individuals.\r\nImprove biometric information sharing about, and screening of, refugees and asylum seekers.\r\nRequire DHS to consider a countrys ability to share information about foreign fighters with multiple countries and multilateral organizations, like INTERPOL.\r\n \r\n5. Increasing security in the air: All Visa Waiver Program countries should have signed federal air marshal agreements, which provide legal protection to air marshals in situations where they need to take action.\r\n \r\nLegislative solution: Require completion of a federal air marshal agreement.\r\n \r\n\r\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/floor-statements/congressional-black-caucus-special-order-hour", "CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS SPECIAL ORDER HOUR", "2015-11-30", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois and the gentleman from New Jersey for organizing this Special Order tonight. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time to organize these efforts, and I want to thank them both for the time and effort that they have put into this.\nWe have heard a lot about what the Congressional Black Caucus has done over the years. There are two areas that I have been personally involved in with the CBC effort in the areas of education and criminal justice reform. On both we have worked hard and achieved bipartisan support.\nThe Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is a civil rights bill, makes sure that the admonition in Brown v. Board of Education becomes a reality. It says that no child shall reasonably be expected to succeed in life if denied the opportunity of an education and such an opportunity must be made available to all on equal terms. That is what the Brown decision held.\nBut we know that we don't have equal education in America because wefund it primarily through the real estate tax, guaranteeing that wealthy areas will have more resources for education than low-income areas.\nSo 50 years ago we passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides funding directed primarily to help the challenges in educating low-income children particularly in concentrated areas of poverty.\nNo Child Left Behind a few years ago added to that by making sure that we ascertained whether or not there are achievement gaps in certain groups and requires action to be taken to solve those achievement gaps.\nThis week we should reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to ensure that the needs of all children are addressed. That legislation has just come out of conference. It came out of conference with an overwhelming--almost unanimous--vote, a bipartisan vote. So we look forward to the continuation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.\nMr. Speaker, the next area that we are going to be working on is the Higher Education Act, also originally passed 50 years ago. When President Johnson signed that bill, he pointed out that every child should be able to go to any college in any State. Back then that was actually a reality because a low-income student with a maximum Pell Grant and a summer job could virtually work his way through college with no debt.\nNow, because the buying power of the Pell Grant has eroded, instead of 75 percent of the cost of education, now it is down to about one-third and the rest has to be picked up with devastating student loans. We need to pass a Higher Education Act that makes access to college a reality, not just a dream.\nWe can do that, and there is bipartisan support for that effort. So in education we are making progress with the Congressional Black Caucus and we have been able to achieve bipartisan support.\nIt is interesting that we have also been able to achieve bipartisan support in the criminal justice reform efforts. We have a problem in criminal justice now because, for decades, we have been passing all these slogans and sound bites, particularly, mandatory minimums that have run our incarceration rate up to number one in the world by far. We have 5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent are prisoners.\nSeveral recent studies have pointed out that our incarceration rate is so high that it is actually counterproductive; that is, we have got so many children being raised with parents in prison and we have got so many people with felony records that can't find jobs and the prison budget in the Department of Justice is eating up so much of the budget that the other things that can actually reduce crime don't have the funds that they actually need.\nOne bipartisan effort that we were able to achieve late last year was the Death in Custody Reporting Act, which requires any death in the custody of law enforcement--that is a death in jail, a death in prison, or death in the process of arrest--will be reported to the Justice Department so that the discussion about all of these deaths can be based on facts, not just speculation.\nWe also are in the process of trying to pass criminal justice reform. The Judiciary Committee, in a subcommittee task force led byJim Sensenbrennerfrom Wisconsin and myself, had an overcriminalization task force. The one thing we noticed was that 30 States were able to reduce incarceration and reduce crime at the same time.\nOne example was Texas. Texas was faced with a $2 billion request for prison expansion to keep up with the slogans and sound bites that they had been codifying over the years--$2 billion. Someone suggested, instead of spending $2 billion, how about trying to spend a couple of hundred million--research-based, evidence-based targeted expenditures--to actually reduce crime, and maybe they wouldn't have to spend all $2 billion.\nWell, that is what they did. They intelligently spent. With a research-based and evidence-based approach to reduce crimes, they made those expenditures and looked up. They didn't have to build any new prisons at all. In fact, they were able to close some of the prisons they had. Over 30 States have reduced crime and saved money just in using the same strategy.\nSo as a result of the overcriminalization task force, we created a comprehensive criminal justice bill that starts with investments in prevention and early intervention, has diversion to drug courts so that people with drug problems can have their problems solved rather than just spinning through the criminal justice system, a significant reduction in mandatory minimums so they would be reserved for true kingpins, not for people caught up in the conspiracy, like girlfriends and things like that.\nOnly the true kingpins would get the mandatory minimums. Everyone else would get a sentence that made sense. If you go to jail, then you should be rehabilitated, not just warehoused, and we should have funding for Second Chance programs.\nThe beauty of the bill is that the savings in prison space by the reduction in mandatory minimums will be redirected to pay for the prevention and early intervention, the drug courts, the prison reform efforts, and the Second Chance programs so all of those programs are paid for.\nWe also have significant funding for police training. As we go through the trauma of these trials that are going on as we speak in Baltimore and Chicago, when you get to a solution, it will undoubtedly involve police training and probably body cameras, and those are funded in the Safe Justice Act by diverting money from the savings in mandatory minimums to those programs. We have broad bipartisan support, many very conservative, many very liberal organizations, all supporting the Safe Justice Act and other criminal justice reform efforts. The Black Caucus should be proud of the efforts that they have put in to making sure that we have a fair and equitable criminal justice system.\nI would like to thank again the gentlewoman from Illinois for all of her hard work and the gentleman from New Jersey for his hard work in pointing out many of the good things that the Congressional Black Caucus has accomplished, many things they have accomplished this year and a lot of things we are working on for next year. So I thank you for your hard work and dedication.\nWe have a conference committee report that came out with an overwhelming bipartisan vote that will ensure that young people will have their educational needs met. I want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr.Kline) for his hard work and cooperation on that bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/key-provisions-of-kaines-teach-safe-relationships-act-and-cte-bills-included-in-final-education-bill", "Key Provisions Of Kaine’s Teach Safe Relationships Act & Cte Bills Included In Final Education Bill", "2015-11-30", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Key Provisions Of Kaines Teach Safe Relationships Act & Cte Bills Included In Final Education Bill\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tMonday, November 30, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  Following todays announcement of the final conference report on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to replace No Child Left Behind, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine welcomed the bills inclusion of key provisions he authored to help prevent sexual assault and strengthen career and technical education (CTE) in schools across the country. A key provision of the Teach Safe Relationships Act, legislation Kaine introduced with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill last February, was included in the final bill. For the first time, elementary and secondary schools will be allowed to use Title IV education funding specifically for instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students. Numerous CTE provisions Kaine authored were also included in the bill, including amendments to expand career counseling, modernize high schools with work-based learning opportunities and designate CTE as a part of a well-rounded education along with traditional subjects including English, math and science.\r\nThis final compromise bill will help ensure access to high-quality education for all students and take steps to close the achievement gaps that persist in our education system, said Kaine. My provisions to improve access to K-12 career and technical education programs will help students build skills that prepare them for in-demand career industries ranging from computer coding to welding. Im very pleased that the conference committee recognized the importance of teaching safe relationship behavior to help prevent sexual assault and dating violence. I had hoped that the final conference bill would require that public high school health education courses address this important public safety issue which disproportionately affects 16-24 year old young adults. Instead, the conference report allows schools to use federal Title IV monies to instruct students about consent, coercion, healthy relationships and where to seek help to stop sexual assault. I will keep working with students, educators and my colleagues to make sure that young people get this information at the time when it would be most helpful.\r\nBelow is a full list of provisions authored by Kaine that were included in the bill:\r\n \r\nTeaching safe relationship behavior  Instruction and training on safe relationship behavior among students is included as an allowable use of funds under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants in Title IV. Kaine introduced the Teach Safe Relationships Act in February of 2015 following a discussion with University of Virginia student advocates who recommended improved K-12 education as one method to prevent campus sexual assault.\r\nCareer counseling  Includes career and guidance counseling programs as well as training on local workforce needs and various options for postsecondary and career pathways as an allowable use of funds under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants in Title IV. Kaine introduced the Career Ready Act in February 2015 with Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) that would help ensure students are ready for postsecondary education and the workforce by encouraging states to implement career guidance programs in schools and keep track of career readiness factors implemented in school districts.\r\nCTE integration and professional development  Adds a new allowable use of funds to Title II of ESSA to allow states to develop strategies for integrating academic and career and technical education content and supporting professional development for CTE teachers.\r\nAdding CTE as a core academic subject  Includes career and technical education in the definition of a well-rounded education along with traditional academic subjects like math and English.\r\nCareer readiness indicators  Encourages states to use more career readiness indicators in their accountability system and state report cards, so states will have the opportunity to recognize schools that are successfully preparing students for postsecondary education and the workforce through tools like technical skills and college credits. These provisions build on Kaines Career Ready Act. \r\nCTE teachers - Allows Title II professional development funds to be used for career and technical educators to help improve the quality of CTE courses.\r\nEarly childhood education - Authorizes the Preschool Development Grant program which will provide competitive grants to support states to improve and expand access to high-quality early childhood programs. The program will be administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services jointly with the U.S. Department of Education. Kaine introduced the Providing Resources Early for Kids (PRE-K) Act in January 2015 to create a similar federal-state partnership to improve state preschool programs and expand current programs to serve more children in need. Kaine has been a long-time champion of access to quality early learning programs. As Governor, he expanded the Virginia Preschool Initiative by increasing Pre-K enrollment by 40 percent in the Commonwealth.\r\n \r\nESSA reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which is the primary source of federal aid for K-12 education in the United States. A bipartisan conference committee comprised of House and Senate lawmakers has approved the legislation, which will now head back to the House and Senate floors for votes on final passage.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-brat-to-volunteer-at-central-virginia-food-bank", "Scott & Brat to Volunteer at Central Virginia Food Bank", "2015-11-24", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "RICHMOND, VA  Tomorrow, Congressman Robert C. Bobby Scott (VA-3) and Congressman Dave Brat (VA-7) will join other volunteers at the Central Virginia Food Bank to help accept, sort, and pack food donations for the holiday season.\n\t\t\t\tWHO:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tCongressman Bobby Scott (VA-3)\n\t\t\t\t\tCongressman Dave Brat (VA-7)\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWHAT:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tVolunteer Event at the Central Virginia Food Bank\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWHERE:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFeedMores Central Virginia Food Bank\n\t\t\t\t\t1415 Rhoadmiller Street\n\t\t\t\t\tRichmond, VA 23220\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWHEN:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 25, 2015\n\t\t\t\t\t11:00 a.m.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=561", "WaPo: Airport workers hope to get Thanksgiving travelers' attention", "2015-11-24", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year, workers at 15 major U.S. airports are planning a day of fasting, vigils and rallies, aiming to galvanize the traveling public's support for their fight for better wages. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Luz LazoOn the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year, workers at 15 major U.S. airports are\u00a0planning a day of fasting, vigils and rallies, aiming to galvanize the traveling public\u2019s support for their fight for better wages.The workers\u2014 a mix of cleaners, baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants\u00a0and security officers\u2014 will wear buttons that say \u201cAsk Me Why I\u2019m Fasting\u201d and pass out\u00a0petitions and flyers illustrating their\u00a0campaign for a $15-per-hour minimum wage, the Service Employees International Union said.Besides pushing for $15 minimum hourly wages, the workers want health care, sick leave, retirement benefits and job protections. They\u2019re also protesting threats against their efforts to unionize.Last week, as many as 2,000 workers went on strike at seven major hubs, including New York\u2019s Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. The\u00a0walkout\u00a0didn\u2019t disrupt air travel, but workers and union leaders say they are planning to step up their efforts as the busy holiday\u00a0season takes off. \u00a0Their goal is to put pressure on airports,\u00a0airlines and, most importantly, the contractors that hire the workers.\u201cThese used to be good jobs 20 years ago, but with subcontracting the jobs have really gone down,\u201d\u00a0 said Valarie Long, executive vice president of SEIU International. \u201cSome people are making as little as $7.25 an hour, some less because they are considered tipped employees. It is clear that something needs to change and the workers are going to use this holiday season to make sure that the public knows this.\u201dThe 24-hour fast, along\u00a0with vigils and rallies, are being organized at San Francisco, Portland, Ore., Chicago O\u2019Hare, Cleveland, Columbus, Minneapolis, Denver, Boston, New York\u2019s Kennedy and LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Reagan National airports.At National, at least 300 workers pledged to participate in the fast from noon Tuesday to noon Wednesday, workers and SEIU\u00a0leaders said.\u201cI believe it\u2019s the right thing to do,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Alex Aram, 24, a fulltime\u00a0baggage handler at National making $8.50 an hour through the\u00a0facility service and management company Eulen America. \u201cWe all come from the same struggle, we all have the same thing in common and want it to get better.\u201dThe national campaign mirrors that of fast-food restaurant\u00a0workers\u00a0who have been organizing in cities across the U.S. in their \u201cFight for $15\u2033 campaign. The airport workers have gained steam, expanding from just a handful of airports three years ago to 15 major hubs, where workers have held strikes and protests, and in the process have won some concessions.In Philadelphia, city leaders in June forced airline contractors to raise wages to $12 an hour. In Seattle, a state court ruled in August that a $15-an-hour minimum wage law applies to airport workers. And in South Florida, Broward County officials last month voted to extend a living-wage ordinance to contract airline workers, upping salaries by more than $3 an hour for some workers.Members of the clergy and high profile politicians including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have also pledged support.\u201cAirport jobs should be good jobs,\u201d Clinton said in a letter last month. \u201cToo many workers are living on the brink, struggling to make ends meet. We need you out there saying loudly and clearly\u2014no one who works an honest job in America should have to live in poverty.\u201dIn Washington, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) was one of several members of Congress who last week spoke in solidarity with\u00a0the workers strike outside the Capitol. Connolly bashed the workers\u2019 salaries and\u00a0conditions.\u201cAirports should be economic drivers, not sweatshops,\u201d he said. \u201cThese men and women shouldn\u2019t have to juggle multiple jobs and still struggle to pay the bills or support their families.\u201dThe low-wage airport workers are employed by private contractors that are free to pay the minimum wage. Some workers, including wheelchair attendants are paid $3.77 an hour because they are considered to be tipped employees, workers\u00a0said. In some markets, there is a push to be get the workers included under living-wage ordinances that cover employees working directly for the airports.At National, where some workers began to organize\u00a0over the summer, they are working to garner support from the travelers as well as urging more workers to join the effort. Some say they plan walkouts, rallies, and protests that could cause disruptions if no concessions are made. \u00a0This week, however, they say they will focus on fasting and prayer\u00a0to bring awareness of the labor struggle during one of the year\u2019s busiest travel days. AAA Travel estimates that nearly 47 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving and 3.6 million of them will fly. \u00a0Tuesday is traditionally the busiest travel day before the holiday.\u201cA lot of people think that we make a lot of money because we work at the airport. But they don\u2019t know that we work for contractors who don\u2019t pay their employees that much money,\u201d said Tranden\u00a0Baccus, 33, an Alexandria, Va. resident who\u00a0makes $8.25 an hour as a baggage handler.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s no benefits, not sick leave, no paid vacation. Nothing.\u201dhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/11/24/airport-workers-hope-to-get-thanksgiving-travelers-attention/", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=558", "Connolly Statement on the Syrian Refugee Crisis", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, there are currently more refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons \u2013 nearly 60 million \u2013 that at any time since World War II. The President has announced plans to increase the refugee quota for 2016 and accept 10,000 Syrian refugees. While I am supportive of that effort, the magnitude of this crisis demands America do more. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      (Connolly testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the need for America to remain a welcoming nation, live up to our American values, and resist divisive, hateful rhetoric.) It is a false choice to say that we can either accept Syrian refugees or we can be safe from terrorism. We can and must do both. We are the United States of America. We have the resources, expertise, and moral tradition to do much more than what we are currently doing. In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut, the American public is, understandably, shaken and demands reassurance that our refugee program is based on a robust and stringent vetting process. \u00a0\u00a0That doesn\u2019t mean, however, that we can turn our backs on refugees who need American assistance. Today, there are currently more refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons \u2013 nearly 60 million \u2013 than at any time since World War II. The President has announced plans to increase the refugee quota for 2016 and accept 10,000 Syrian refugees. While I am supportive of that effort, the magnitude of this crisis demands America do more.To date, the number of Syrian refugees that the United States has resettled since the start of the Syrian Civil War is approximately 2,000. That is clearly insufficient in light of the current crisis. In September, I sent a letter to the President urging the Administration to do more and resettle a minimum of 100,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016. To meet this moral imperative, however, Congress must be an active partner.I heard directly from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough that their primary concern with the SAFE Act, which was recently considered before the House, was that they would need additional resources for implementation.\u00a0 It is unquestionable that the current process, which takes between 18-24 months, takes too long. I have been, and will continue to be, an advocate for making this process more humane, while still maintaining safeguards the American public expects. In the coming weeks, I will work to ensure Congress provides the additional resources needed to reduce the time it takes to thoroughly vet refugee applications. I will not accept bureaucracy and lack of resources as a reason to turn our backs on refugees.To be clear the SAFE Act is not a moratorium or a pause on the refugee program. It does not harm the vetting process we have in place. It does not demagogue a particular group of people or promote one religious belief over another, as some prominent Republicans have demanded. If such language had been included, I would have opposed it. Rather it simply adds another layer of certification to an already robust vetting process.We need to never take for granted what it is to be American and all that we have. \u00a0The United States has a long history of helping the world\u2019s most vulnerable people. Now Congress must do its part and provide the resources needed to live up to our noble ideals.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-announce-nearly-12-million-in-usda-funding-for-community-buildings-and-first-responders-in-virginia-", "Warner, Kaine Announce Nearly $1.2 Million In USDA Funding For Community Buildings & First Responders In Virginia", "2015-11-20", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner, Kaine Announce Nearly $1.2 Million In USDA Funding For Community Buildings & First Responders In Virginia \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFriday, November 20, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $1,191,500 in funding throughout Virginia to improve community facilities and support first-responders. Todays funding was made available through USDAs Community Facilities Loans and Grants Program.\r\nThis federal funding will help improve essential community facilities and will ensure that Virginias first responders have the tools they need to keep our communities safe, said Warner and Kaine.\r\nThe following entities will receive funding from USDAs loans and grants program:\r\n \r\nGrayson County EDA will receive $50,000 in grants for police vehicles and $710,000 in loans for fire rescue and public safety;\r\nDickenson County IDA will receive $50,000 in grants for court security equipment and $65,000 in loans for improvements to public buildings;\r\nTown of Honaker will receive $50,000 in grants for police vehicles;\r\nDante Rescue Squad, Inc. will receive $50,000 for an ambulance and equipment;\r\nCity of Eagle River will receive $47,000 in grants to purchase a police car and equipment;\r\nDuffield Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squads, Inc. for $45,000 for an ambulance;\r\nSt. Marys Health Wagon, Inc. will receive $30,000 in grants for SUVs & trailers used for mobile health services and $10,000 in loans for health care;\r\nTown of Clintwood Police Department will receive $37,500 in grants for police vehicles;\r\nTown of Clintwood Fire Department will receive $21,700 in grants for fire department equipment;\r\nTown of Cape Charles will receive $25,300 in loans for fire, rescue and public safety.\r\n \r\nThe Community Facilities Loans and Grants Program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings. Public bodies, community-based non-profit corporations and federally-recognized tribes are eligible to apply for Community Facilities Loans and Grants funding.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-statement-on-syrian-iraqi-refugee-bill", "Scott Statement on Syrian & Iraqi Refugee Bill", "2015-11-19", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Congressman Robert C. Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on his opposition to H.R. 4038, the American SAFE Act of 2015, which would effectively stop the admission of properly vetted Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the United States:\nOur nation continues to stand with the people of France in the wake of last weeks horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, and we must be vigilant in ensuring that a similar attack does not happen on our shores. Unfortunately, the bill considered in the House of Representatives today preys on the fear of the American people and would unjustly shut out the most vulnerable Syrians and Iraqis fleeing from the unimaginable violence overrunning their countries.\nIn contrast to the refugees entering Europe, refugees who are resettled in the United States go through a rigorous, multi-agency, multi-step vetting process that can take 18 to 24 months, during which time the refugee seeking resettlement is required to remain in a refugee camp. The overwhelming majority of those that make it through the process are women and children, survivors of violence and torture, and those with severe medical conditions. I am not convinced that the current vetting process is insufficient, but if improvements need to be made, Congress should first hold hearings and thoroughly review the process before bringing a bill to the floor merely because it is politically advantageous.\nThere is also inconclusive evidence that the attackers in Paris were refugees. The authenticity of a Syrian passport found near the body of one of the suicide bombers is disputed, and the evidence gathered so far indicates that all the identified attackers were French and Belgian nationals. As for refugees in the United States, of the two million refugees welcomed into our country since 1990, including hundreds of thousands from the Middle East, not one has committed an act of terrorism on American soil.\nSo denying refuge to women and children, survivors of violence and torture, and those with severe medical conditions by adding untenable requirements to an already rigorous vetting process, as H.R. 4038 would do, we would be doing nothing to address the threat posed by ISIL and would likely only be playing into their hands. This is an international humanitarian crisis and the United States has a moral obligation to step up and help, as we have done time and time again.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-and-flake-discuss-their-bipartisan-aumf-push-on-morning-joe-", "Kaine & Flake Discuss Their Bipartisan AUMF Push On Morning Joe", "2015-11-19", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined the crew of Morning Joe to discuss their push for a debate and vote on war authorization in the Senate. In June, the senators introduced a bipartisan Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/view/kaine-reiterates-need-for-congressional-authorization-on-war-vs-isil-", "Kaine Reiterates Need For Congressional Authorization On War Vs ISIL", "2015-11-19", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine joined Good Morning Washington to discuss his continued push for Congress to vote on the war against ISIL. Kaine said Congress is quick to criticize the current U.S. strategy, but is still afraid to hold a debate to authorize, stop or refine the administration's actions.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=559", "Connolly Appointed to Surface Transportation Conference Committee", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Gerald Connolly", "C001078", "connolly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has appointed Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as a conferee to the  Surface Transportation Conference Committee. The bipartisan, bicameral committee is tasked with reconciling differences between the House and Senate Highway Transportation bills before the looming Dec. 4 deadline. Read more.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Last night, Democratic\u00a0Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as a conferee to the Surface Transportation Conference Committee. The bipartisan, bicameral committee is tasked with reconciling differences between the House and Senate Highway Transportation bills before the looming Dec. 4 deadline.The Surface Transportation Conference Committee held their first meeting today. In his testimony, Connolly said, \u201cThis conference committee on the reauthorization of federal highway, transit, and safety programs represents an important milestone for Congress. After 5 extensions of the most recent authorization, and the 36th short-term extension since 2009, we are close to realizing what our state and local partners have been demanding, a long-term transportation funding bill.\u201dConnolly added, \u201cI represent Northern Virginia, which has the dubious honor of having the nation\u2019s worst congestion. Across Virginia, nearly every mode of transportation will be negatively affected unless we take action.\u201dConnolly noted that more than half of next year\u2019s road and transit projects in Virginia are to be funded in part with federal dollars. \u201cFailure to replenish the Trust Fund could mean 149 bridge replacements would be put on hold, 175 aging buses and train cars would not be replaced, 350 other projects would grind to a halt, and more than 43,000 jobs in Virginia and other states that supply labor and materials would be lost,\u201d he said.Prior to this summer\u2019s temporary extension, Virginia Gov. McAuliffe said that a lapse in the Highway Trust Fund would affect 350-400 projects in Virginia and cost the state more than $1 billion in funding.\u201cMany of us have supported efforts to advance innovative financing solutions, such as public private partnerships, but that is only a part of the solution,\u201d said Connolly. \u201cAt the end of the day, what we really need is robust and reliable federal funding.\u201d\u201cWe have an opportunity to move forward in the conference to reverse that trend and make a significant down payment on America\u2019s transportation system and the mobility of our communities.\u201dConnolly\u2019s full testimony follows:Wednesday, November 18, 201510 a.m.2167 RayburnCongressman Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11th)Surface Transportation Conference Committee MeetingChairman\u00a0Shuster, Chairman Inhofe, Ranking Member DeFazio, and Ranking Member Boxer,This conference committee on the reauthorization of federal highway, transit, and safety programs represents an important milestone for Congress. After 5 extensions of the most recent authorization, and the 36th short-term extension since 2009, we are close to realizing what our state and local partners have been demanding, a long-term transportation funding bill. Coming from local government, I know firsthand how critical long-term federal investments are to building complex infrastructure projects. As everyone here knows, these are not short-term ventures. It takes years to plan, design, and build a major improvement, and you need to know funding will be there before you invest that kind of time and effort. Yet these are the types of visionary investments we should be making in every community. The urgency for Congress to address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund grows with each passing day in all our states and districts. I represent Northern Virginia, just across the Potomac River, which has the dubious honor of having the nation\u2019s worst congestion. Across Virginia, nearly every mode of transportation will be negatively affected unless we take action. More than half of next year\u2019s road and transit projects are to be funded in part with federal dollars. For example, if we don\u2019t replenish the Trust Fund, 149 bridge replacements would be put on hold, 175 aging buses and train cars would not be replaced, 350 other projects would grind to a halt, and more than 43,000 jobs in Virginia and other states that supply labor and materials would be lost.In addition, many states have advanced projects based solely on the federal government\u2019s commitment to back the private activity bonds used to finance them. If that money dries up, states would have to put projects on hold or redirect other state revenue to cover the debt service to avoid the risk of default. Many of us have supported efforts to advance innovative financing solutions, such as public private partnerships, but that is only a part of the solution. At the end of the day, what we really need is robust and reliable federal funding.The federal government historically has been an equal partner in funding our nation\u2019s infrastructure, but that level of investment has eroded over time. Public spending on infrastructure as a share of GDP has declined by half since the 1960s when it was roughly 3%. However, we know that every dollar invested in public transportation translates into four dollars of economic growth. As the backbone of our economy, it\u2019s only a matter of time before the growing decay in our transportation network begins to negatively affect our communities and their economic competitiveness. We\u2019ve delayed this important debate for too long already. We have an opportunity to move forward in the conference to reverse that trend and make a significant down payment on America\u2019s transportation system and the mobility of our communities.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-statement-on-syrian-refugee-resettlement-program", "Kaine Statement on Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Statement on Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 18, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement today:\r\nThe horrific attacks in Paris and Beirut last week - and a direct threat to Washington soon after - are a grim reminder that ISIL is not going away. Our national security and the safety of the American people will always be my top priority, and I continue to believe a Congressional vote to authorize the U.S. mission against ISIL would speak volumes  both to our enemies, as well as those we have deployed overseas to fight against them.\r\nAnd of course we must have the toughest screening process possible in terms of refugees coming here. But I worry that calls to end or pause our refugee resettlement program are misguided. The fact is that refugees are currently subject to the absolute highest level of security checks of any category of traveler coming to the U.S. - with special criteria in place for those coming from Syria on top of the normal procedures. Getting admitted as a refugee generally takes more than a year and a half and involves signoff from numerous agencies including the National Counterterrorism Center, the CIA, the FBI, Homeland Security, the State Department and the Department of Defense.\r\nBottom line  its not easy to come into our country as a refugee, at all. But the notion of no Syrian can ever come here is antithetical to our values  especially when the innocent civilians and families seeking refuge in our country are fleeing the very violence and terror we saw in France and Lebanon that they experience every day in Syria.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-announce-more-than-144000-in-usda-funding-to-bring-locally-grown-food-to-virginia-schools", "Warner, Kaine Announce More Than $144,000 In USDA Funding To Bring Locally-Grown Food To Virginia Schools", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Warner, Kaine Announce More Than $144,000 In USDA Funding To Bring Locally-Grown Food To Virginia Schools\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 18, 2015\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $144,581 in grant funding to communities in Virginia to improve and expand access to locally-grown foods. Todays funding  made available through the USDAs Farm to School Grant Program  will connect child nutrition programs with local farmers and ranchers in Virginia, increasing access to fresh and healthy foods.\r\nThese grants will strengthen local economies by increasing access to affordable, fresh and healthy food options for children across Virginia. Expanding access to locally grown food in Virginia schools not only provides children with nutritious meals, which enhances learning, but also supports Virginias local food producers, Sen. Warner said.\r\nTodays funding will help put fresh, locally-grown food in Virginias school cafeterias, Kaine said. By connecting Virginia farmers with school nutrition programs, we can help boost the agriculture industry and ensure our children are receiving healthy meals that are essential to good nutrition.\r\nUnder todays announcement, the following groups will receive funding:\r\n \r\nCity Schoolyard Garden in Charlottesville, Virginia will receive $99,620 in funding to serve nutritious food from local growers within the Charlottesville school system. Funding will also be used to train school kitchen staff, integrate local food into classroom learning, and share best-practices with neighboring school systems; and,\r\n \r\n \r\nLoudoun County Public Schools in Ashburn, Virginia will receive $44,961 in funding to start a program in five elementary schools that aims to increase awareness of the benefits of fresh foods and to form new partnerships with local farmers.\r\n \r\nUSDAs Farm to School Grants help increase local foods served through child nutrition programs, teach children about food and agriculture through garden and classroom education, and develop schools and farmers capacities to participate in farm-to-school programs. The funds are available to school districts, state and local agencies, tribal nations, agricultural producers and non-profit organizations. Fiscal year 2016 grants will serve more than 5,211 schools and 2.9 million students, nearly 40 percent of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=b6d033b7-30ff-4244-a31e-75eaea59b878", "Warner, Kaine Announce More than $144,000 in USDA Funding to Bring Locally-Grown Food to Virginia Schools", "2015-11-18", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Mark Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $144,581 in grant funding to communities in Virginia to improve and expand access to locally-grown foods. Todays funding  made available through the USDAs Farm to School Grant Program  will connect child nutrition programs with local farmers and ranchers in Virginia, increasing access to fresh and healthy foods.\r\nThese grants will strengthen local economies by increasing access to affordable, fresh and healthy food options for children across Virginia. Expanding access to locally grown food in Virginia schools not only provides children with nutritious meals, which enhances learning, but also supports Virginias local food producers, Sen. Warner said.\r\nTodays funding will help put fresh, locally-grown food in Virginias school cafeterias, Kaine said. By connecting Virginia farmers with school nutrition programs, we can help boost the agriculture industry and ensure our children are receiving healthy meals that are essential to good nutrition.\r\nUnder todays announcement, the following groups will receive funding:\r\n \r\nCity Schoolyard Garden in Charlottesville, Virginia will receive $99,620 in funding to serve nutritious food from local growers within the Charlottesville school system. Funding will also be used to train school kitchen staff, integrate local food into classroom learning, and share best-practices with neighboring school systems; and,\r\n \r\n \r\nLoudoun County Public Schools in Ashburn, Virginia will receive $44,961 in funding to start a program in five elementary schools that aims to increase awareness of the benefits of fresh foods and to form new partnerships with local farmers.\r\n \r\nUSDAs Farm to School Grants help increase local foods served through child nutrition programs, teach children about food and agriculture through garden and classroom education, and develop schools and farmers capacities to participate in farm-to-school programs. The funds are available to school districts, state and local agencies, tribal nations, agricultural producers and non-profit organizations. Fiscal year 2016 grants will serve more than 5,211 schools and 2.9 million students, nearly 40 percent of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://bobbyscott.house.gov/media-center/floor-statements/tribal-labor-sovereignty-act-of-2015", "TRIBAL LABOR SOVEREIGNTY ACT OF 2015", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Robert Scott", "S000185", "bobbyscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015, legislation that would strip employees of protections afforded under the National Labor Relations Act at any enterprise owned by an Indian tribe and located on Indian lands.\nAt issue are two solemn and deeply-rooted principles: one, the right of Indian tribes to possess as distinct independent political communities retaining their original rights in matters of local self-government; and, two, the rights of workers to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in concerted activities for their mutual aid and protection.\nRather than attempting to reconcile these two competing principles, H.R. 4511 chooses sovereignty for some over the longstanding rights of others. This bill strips hundreds of thousands of workers of their voice in tribal-owned workplaces such as casinos, hotels, and mines. It should be noted that some 600,000 workers are employed in tribal casinos, but fully 75 percent are not members of tribes.\nThis legislation would jettison a carefully drawn balance between tribal sovereignty and workers' rights that was adopted in 2004 by a Republican-led NLRB. That decision, known as the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, restricted the jurisdiction of the NLRB if it touches on the exclusive rights of self-governance in purely intramural matters or aggregated rights guaranteed under treaties.\nFurthermore, the NLRB stated that it would also take into account and accommodate the unique status of Indians in their society and legal culture in deciding NLRB jurisdiction.\nThe San Manuel decision has been upheld in every appeals court where it has been challenged, and it is based on legal precepts that have been upheld by appellate courts over 30 years. The courts have also noted that the tribal casinos are commercial enterprises, not government agencies like the Department of Education, serving predominantly non-tribal clients and hiring predominantly non-tribal members to operate.\nBy depriving these workers of the right to organize and bargain collectively, this legislation ensures that low-paid service workers in tribal casinos will lose the opportunity to share in the fruits of the wealth that they are creating for the tribe, and depriving them of the opportunity to climb the ladder into the middle class.\nThe bill also sets up a double standard. As a member of the International Labor Organization, the United States is obligated, as a government, to respect and promote the rights outlined in the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, including ``the freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collectively bargain.''\nThe Democrats and Republicans have insisted that our trading partners abide by and enforce these basic labor rights, and Congress has repeatedly ratified these obligations in trade agreements. But today the House will vote on a bill that does just the opposite when it comes to the freedom of association and the right to collectively bargain at tribal enterprises.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=277", "Virginia, DC Members Meet With Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld", "2015-11-17", "2015", "2015-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Donald Beyer", "B001292", "beyer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Virginia delegation colleagues Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), and Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) joined Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) to meet with incoming Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld today.\r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Virginia delegation colleagues Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), and Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) joined Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) to meet with incoming Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld today.\r\nPaul Wiedefeld's has the right prioritiessafety and security, reliability, and fiscal responsibilityand he has the background and experience to bring them all to WMATA as a General Manager, said Congresswoman Norton. I stressed to Mr. Wiedefeld the need for WMATA to embrace safety oversight by the Federal Transit Administration and get both WMATA's safety and fiscal house in order to stop the loss of riders. If Congress is to be helpful to the new General Manager, we must focus on restoring the full $150 million in annual capital safety funding for WMATA in the omnibus appropriations bill to match the $150 million the region's three jurisdictions have allocated.\r\nMetro is in need of a top-to-bottom overhaul that addresses safety, governance, workforce, financial, and operational issues, all of which are inextricably linked, said Rep. Connolly. It will be a very difficult task to reverse the stunning decline of Metro and restore a culture of safety, competence, and confidence. I and other members of the Virginia delegation expressed our full support to Mr. Wiedefeld in that endeavor. We need him to be successful.\r\nMore than 750,000 people in the national capital region ride Metro every day. Mr. Wiedefeld has an important challenge before him, and we stand poised to help. We communicated that, as well as our hopes and expectations of a safe, reliable future for Metro at today's meeting, said Rep. Beyer. \r\nMetro's new General Manager Paul Wiedefeld has many challenges before him and he has our support as he embarks to fix Metro and upgrade management so that it can be a reliable source of transportation for the entire region. Metro must get its house in order so it can provide safe and reliable service to all of our constituents and visitors to the Capitol Region - failure is not an option, said Rep. Comstock.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 993, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Democrat", "p1": "VA", "p2": "2015"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 993, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=VA&year=2015", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 993, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA&year=2015&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "VA", "label": "VA", "count": 993, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&year=2015", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA&year=2015", "results": [{"value": "2015", "label": "2015", "count": 993, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2015-11-17,https~3A~2F~2Fbeyer~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fnews~2Fdocumentsingle~2Easpx~3FDocumentID~3D277", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=VA&year=2015&_next=2015-11-17%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fbeyer~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fnews~2Fdocumentsingle~2Easpx~3FDocumentID~3D277&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 297.17661812901497, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}