{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=E9A01C13-975C-4EF7-88C1-AB011A3705D5", "A Year of Delivering Results for Ohio", "2016-12-22", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This year, Senator Portman has been as active as ever in his efforts to deliver results for Ohioans. Portman has worked to help Ohioans struggling with addiction, help combat the horrific crime of human trafficking, increase energy efficiency, create jobs, and boost wages for Ohio workers and much more. Here\u2019s a look at how Senator Portman delivered results for Ohioans in 2016:\r\nCreating Jobs & Delivering Results for Ohio Workers. Portman\u2019s\u00a0top priority\u00a0in the Senate continues to be boosting Ohio jobs and the economy. That is why Portman, who\u00a0has a lengthy record of delivering results for Ohio workers, has\u00a0worked\u00a0to expand markets for Ohio products, combat unfair and illegal trade practices that hurt Ohio workers, and protect Ohio steelworkers from foreign cheating.\u00a0Portman, who has been named a \u201cHero of Main Street\u201d and \u201cFiscal Hero,\u201d has worked to create a better environment for job creation and help Ohio workers keep their hard-earned pensions.\r\n \r\nIn February \u2013 after his\u00a0Leveling the Playing Field Act\u00a0was signed into law last year \u2013 Portman\u2019s ENFORCE Act\u00a0was signed into law. This bipartisan measure will help American manufacturers by cracking down on foreign competitors launder products through other countries to try to get around our trade laws.\u00a0 And he\u2019s continuing to work to ensure the Obama administration fully implements the law so it makes a real difference for our workers.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman\u2019s\u00a0Leveling the Playing Field Act\u00a0has led to three big wins for Ohio workers this year.\u00a0 Earlier this year \u2013 after Portman had testified in front of the International Trade Commission (ITC) twice \u2013 the ITC ruled in favor of Ohio steelworkers and against foreign trade cheats like China three times. \u00a0As a result, in all three cases the Commerce Department has issued antidumping and countervailing duty orders as high as 265 percent on steel coming from China and certain other foreign competitors. In October, Portman visited Wheatland Tube in Warren, a company that has been hit hard by unfair and illegal imports and is now benefitting from his legislation.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn December, Portman again testified before the ITC in his fight to protect Ohio jobs from unfair foreign trade practices. Specifically, Portman testified to protect Whirlpool and its 10,000 Ohio workers, including the more than 3,000 workers at Whirlpool\u2019s largest American factory in Clyde, Ohio, from unlawful dumping of clothes washers into the United States.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nBecause of pressure from Portman\u00a0and others, the Treasury Department rejected the application from Central States to reduce pension benefits by up to 70 percent.\u00a0 Portman continues to work to help the more than 47,000 Ohioans whose pensions could be cut. \u00a0At a\u00a0rally\u00a0in the U.S. Capitol in April, Portman discussed how his\u00a0Pension Accountability Act will help give pensioners a seat at the table so they can have their voices heard.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn June, Portman and Senator Brown secured a vote in the Senate Finance Committee on the Miner\u2019s Protection Act, which would protect the hard-earned pensions and health benefits of our nation\u2019s coal miners. Portman has fought hard to ensure these mine workers get the benefits they have earned.\u00a0 The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill in September by a vote of 18-8 and Portman immediately called on the full Senate to pass the measure. Portman voted no on cloture of the Continuing Resolution to protest the lack of action on this bipartisan miner\u2019s bill. The Mine Workers Union has praised Portman\u2019s efforts to pass this legislation.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nIn April, the Senate Finance Committee approved the bipartisan\u00a0Taxpayer Protection Act, which includes\u00a0two measures\u00a0Portman\u00a0has championed, including legislation to protect the privacy rights of taxpayers by ensuring that the IRS can\u2019t outsource an audit.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nIn May, President Obama signed into law Portman\u2019s American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act\u00a0to bolster job creation for American manufacturers. This legislation was introduced last year by Portman and Senator McCaskill, who had worked to bring stakeholders in the House and Senate together and find a solution to the issue for five years.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn March, Portman\u2019s bipartisan\u00a0Competitive Service Act\u00a0was signed into law by the president. This measure will\u00a0streamline the hiring process by cutting duplicative services and saving taxpayer money.\u00a0 The measure will help ensure that the federal government has world-class, highly-trained workers able to deal with sensitive national security issues like cybersecurity and information technology.\r\n \r\n \r\nThanks to Portman\u2019s efforts to secure additional Hardest Hit Funds, in April the Department of the Treasury made $94 million in funding available for Ohio to help revitalize neighborhoods across the state that were hardest hit by the housing. The funds awarded today will be directed towards the demolition of vacant and blighted structures which pose a growing threat to the public safety and economic well-being of our communities and for homeowner assistance programs in support of preventing foreclosure.\u00a0 This follows the more than $97 million in Hardest Hit Funding that was allocated during the first phase in February.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Senate passed Portman\u2019s bipartisan energy efficiency bill\u00a0with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). As Portman detailed\u00a0on the Senate floor, the Portman-Shaheen bill would help create nearly 200,000 jobs while reducing carbon emissions equivalent to taking 20 million cars off the road \u2014 as a result that would represent a significant victory for consumers, for our\u00a0economy, and for the environment.\u00a0 The measure is supported by more than 260 businesses, associations and advocacy groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the Sierra Club, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Alliance to Save Energy.\r\n \r\n \r\nEarlier this year, Portman\u00a0advocated\u00a0in support of Licking County\u2019s application for the use of its drone. The FAA\u00a0approved\u00a0of the county\u2019s request in April. This will help on a variety of important economic development projects, such as the dam reconstruction project at Buckeye Lake.\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\nCombating Drug Addiction.\u00a0As the author of the bipartisan\u00a0Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act\u00a0(CARA), which was signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2016, Portman has led the national effort to combat the drug epidemic that is devastating communities across Ohio and our country.\u00a0 CARA ensures that federal resources are focused on evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery programs that have proven effective in local communities so that it can make a difference in people\u2019s lives. Portman, who recently received awards from The Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdoses and The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, has been praised by Ohio anti-drug advocates as well as editorial boards around the country for his work to combat addiction.\r\n\r\n \r\nThis year, Senator Portman delivered 29 speeches on the Senate floor as part of his tireless effort to raise awareness about the heroin and prescription drug epidemic, and pass CARA.\u00a0His speeches put pressure on the Senate, and then on the House and the president, to act on this crisis, and helped get his bill enacted into law and implemented as quickly as possible.\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\nThe CARA law authorizes $181 million annually in discretionary spending for new programs contained in the legislation. That\u2019s more than double \u2013 a 132 percent increase \u2013 the authorization level in the original Senate-passed bill ($78 million).\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman has been a leader in the fight for more funding to combat this crisis.\u00a0 In fact, Portman secured $37 million in the short-term Continuing Resolution that was enacted in September, which was designed to help get CARA\u2019s new grant programs up and running. Portman also worked to secure $1 billion in new funding for state grants to right opioid abuse in the recently signed-into-law CURES Act.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman has worked to fully fund CARA, but supports going further than that and has voted for emergency funding to combat this crisis.\u00a0 Over the last two years, Portman has worked with the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure significant increases in funding for opioid programs. In fact, for this fiscal year the House and Senate passed (and President Obama signed into law) an increase in total federal spending on opioids of 47 percent over last year ($321M vs. $220M).\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman twice touted the landmark CARA legislation in the Weekly Republican Address. Portman has also made clear in various TV and radio interviews \u2013 not to mention 29 speeches \u2013 that he would not rest until CARA was signed into law and we had begun to provide much-needed relief to those who are suffering from addiction.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn September, Portman announced during a visit to a Cincinnati Fire House that he would introduce new legislation to address the growing threat of fentanyl and carfentanil in our communities. The legislation \u2013 called the Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act \u2013 is designed to help stop these dangerous drugs from being shipped through our borders to drug traffickers here in the United States. He is also committed to preventing drugs from crossing our southern border.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn September, Senator Portman and his Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI)\u00a0released a bipartisan report\u00a0that revealed serious defects in the federal government\u2019s anti-opioid abuse efforts in Medicare.\u00a0 The report faulted both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its lead program integrity contractor (known as \u201cthe MEDIC\u201d) for its shoddy process for reporting, investigating and combating opioid-related fraud and abuse\u2014from physicians issuing large volumes of questionable opioid prescriptions, to potentially criminal diversion of opioids into the nation\u2019s streets.\u00a0 The report also raised alarms that serious cases of systemic opioid-related abuse may be going undetected and unaddressed by federal authorities.\u00a0 Finally, it details the anti-opioid abuse practices of six large health insurance companies.\r\n \r\n\r\nWorking to End Human Trafficking. This year, Portman took his efforts to combat human trafficking to a new level. Portman \u2013 who is the author of\u00a0five federal anti-trafficking laws designed to better serve victims and help law enforcement end this horrific crime \u2013led an investigation of online sex trafficking and continued touring the state to meet with survivors of human trafficking to hear their stories:\u00a0\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPortman is working to combat illegal online marketplaces for sex. Portman and Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), as Chairman and Ranking Member of PSI,\u00a0filed a civil action\u00a0in the federal district court in Washington, D.C. to enforce a subpoena issued to\u00a0Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer and require the company to turn over documents relevant to its investigation of online sex trafficking. For the first time in 21 years,\u00a0the Senate voted\u00a0to hold someone in contempt of Congress by passing Portman\u2019s\u00a0resolution on Backpage by a 96-0 vote. Portman has been\u00a0widely praised\u00a0for his investigation to examine how sex traffickers use Backpage and other sites to commit crimes and his ongoing efforts to help stop human trafficking. The investigation was featured in ABC\u2019s Nightline program titled \u201cDaughters for Sale.\u201d\r\n \r\n \r\nIn September, Senators Portman, McCaskill, and PSI won a historic victory in their efforts to end human trafficking.\u00a0 A U.S. District Court Judge ordered Backpage to comply with Senate subpoena in sex trafficking investigation, calling the company\u2019s claims \u201cuntenable and without legal support.\u201d\u00a0 Backpage was forced to comply, and the investigation is moving forward in order to help the United States Senate more effectively combat the growing scourge of human trafficking online.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Toledo Blade praised Portman\u2019s work on the Backpage investigation, saying: \u201cAt long last, light may be shed on how pimps conduct their abhorrent business online while staying just outside the reach of the law.\u00a0 Mr. Portman and Ms. McCaskill are to be commended for their tenacious pursuit of answers.\u201d\r\n \r\n \r\nIn March, Portman\u00a0questioned\u00a0Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on what steps were being taken to secure our porous borders and protect migrant children.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn February, Portman\u00a0visited Freedom a la Cart,\u00a0a business in Columbus that hires and trains survivors of human trafficking, including victims who had been trafficked through Backpage.com and other websites. In June, Portman participated in the Columbus March for Freedom to raise awareness on human trafficking.\u00a0 In July, he visited She Has A Name and Clean Turn LLC, which provide job opportunities and social services to survivors of human trafficking to help them get their lives back on track and pursue their God-given potential.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nIn September, Portman joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, legislation to clear criminal records of victims of human trafficking. This bill would apply to non-violent crimes committed by individuals as a direct result of human trafficking.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn May, Portman was awarded the 2016 Children\u2019s Health Champion award from Voices for Ohio\u2019s Children. Portman received this award for his leadership in protecting Ohio\u2019s children from the heinous crime of human trafficking and combating the drug epidemic that is devastating families and communities throughout Ohio.\r\n \r\n\r\nProtecting Ohioans, Honoring Veterans, and Making America Stronger:\u00a0Portman is committed to keeping Ohioans safe and has consistently advocated for a more robust and comprehensive American strategy to protect our allies and defeat our enemies. As part of that effort, Portman has sought to increase the range of capabilities for the Ohio National Guard and create jobs and opportunity for Ohio\u2019s servicemembers.\r\n \r\nThis month, the president signed into law Portman\u2019s National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Act, bipartisan legislation that will strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of FEMA\u2019s disaster assistance capabilities and programs. Portman consistently advocated for the passage of this bill, urging his colleagues to put politics aside in order to provide much needed relief to our First Responders such as Ohio Task Force One. Now law, this bipartisan bill will help our first responders know that, when they deploy to disaster areas and put it all on the line for us, their heath and employment are not at risk. Portman discussed the importance of the bill in a weekly column.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Senate passed Portman\u2019s legislation requiring the Air Force to prioritize C-130 upgrades for the Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS), and upgrade that would strengthen its mission capabilities. Portman has been urging the Air Force to replace YARS\u2019 910th Airlift Wing\u2019s current fleet of C-130H aircraft with new C-130J aircraft to ensure that the 910th\u2019s Department of Defense (DoD)-mandated specialized aerial spray mission continues safely and without interruption. Portman, who has consistently used his position as a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to advocate on behalf of YARS and its Airmen, has indicated that he will continue fighting to ensure that YARS has the leading edge capabilities needed to carry out their critically important national and homeland security missions. His legislation awaits signature from the president.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman continues his strong advocacy on behalf of the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima. Most recently, Portman supported a $1.2 billion authorization for tanks and armored vehicles manufactured in Lima. This new funding represents just part of Portman\u2019s ongoing efforts to protect the JSMC, the United States\u2019 only tank plant, and the critical jobs it provides Ohio workers. In October, Portman, Brown, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) hosted Under Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy in Lima at the JSMC, where they toured the facility and saw a demonstration of the Abrams Tank.\u00a0 Portman\u2019s work to fight for Lima has not gone unrecognized, and he has consistently indicated his intention to keep fighting for more funding for Lima.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman, who is co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, has continued to be Ukraine\u2019s strongest advocate in Congress. This year, Portman \u2013 who received the Shevchenko Freedom Award, the Ukrainian community\u2019s highest honor \u2013 successfully fought for inclusion of key defense reform benchmarks into Ukraine\u2019s security assistance package in the NDAA, building on provisions that Portman got signed into law last year. \u00a0This year\u2019s package includes $350 million in security assistance, including lethal and non-lethal equipment and training for Ukraine. Portman has long led the effort to provide Ukraine the kind of assistance necessary to ward off Russian aggression and maintain its territorial integrity, including writing a letter just this month to urge President-Elect Trump to stand against Russian aggression and support NATO and Ukrainian sovereignty. Passed as part of the 2017\u00a0National Defense Authorization Act\u00a0(NDAA), this bill awaits signature from the president.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe Senate passed Portman and Senator Chris Murphy\u2019s (D-CT) Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act \u2013 legislation designed to help American allies counter foreign government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations. The bipartisan bill will improve the ability of the United States to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation by establishing an interagency center housed at the State Department to coordinate and synchronize counter-propaganda efforts throughout the U.S. government. The bill awaits signature from the president.\r\n \r\n \r\nThis month, Portman, Brown, and Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), announced that the president signed into law legislation to honor fallen Ohio soldier and Bronze Star recipient Daniel Kinnard by designating the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Newark, Ohio as the Daniel L. Kinnard Department of Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic. A native of Newark, Kinnard served as a medic in Vietnam and was killed at just 19 years old while tending to wounded men in his unit.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn March, Portman\u00a0led\u00a0the entire Ohio delegation in a bipartisan effort\u00a0on behalf of the Ohio Air National Guard urging General Carlton Everhart of the Air Mobility Command to locate a KC-135 air refueling tanker flight simulator at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus.\u00a0In April, Portman\u00a0announced\u00a0the USAF had fulfilled their request.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nIn April, Portman\u2019s bipartisan\u00a0efforts with Rep. Mike Turner and Senator Brown in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs housing its archives at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Campus were successful as the VA announced that it would locate its History Center on the campus.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn May, the Senate unanimously approved Portman\u2019s legislation to support our disabled veterans. The measure would help ensure that more permanently disabled veterans are able to have student loans forgiven\u2014and not get hit with a massive tax bill for it. In November, Portman joined Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Chris Coons (D-DE) to write a letter to the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Education, urging them to ensure that any veteran who is permanently disabled is discharged of their federal student loan debt, and that this discharge will not be taxable.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn July, Portman and McCaskill, as Chairman and Ranking Member of PSI, released a bipartisan report examining the U.S. State Department\u2019s grants to OneVoice \u2013 a non-governmental organization operating in Israel and the Palestinian Territories that used federal taxpayer money to build a campaign organization later used to try and defeat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s campaign for re-election. Remarkably, the group informed the State Department about its anti-Netanyahu political plans during the federal grant period, but the State Department ignored all of these warnings signs and did nothing about it.\u00a0 After the report was released, Portman said it is completely unacceptable that U.S. taxpayer dollars were used against the leader of our closest ally in the Middle East, and he reiterated that American resources should be used to help our allies in the region, not undermine them.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn April, Portman received the Major General Charles Dick Award for Legislative Excellence from the Ohio National Guard Association for his numerous efforts on behalf of the Ohio National Guard during his time in the Senate. \u00a0\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nIn March, Portman\u2019s\u00a0legislation\u00a0to rename the United States Postal Service facility located in Grove City after Army Specialist Joseph W. Riley, a native of Grove City who died on November 24, 2014 in Kabul Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, was signed into law. In July, Portman hosted a ceremony in Grove City to announce the dedication of the post office in his name.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn February, Portman\u00a0urged\u00a0the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General to undertake a swift investigation into troubling reports of substandard care and mismanagement at the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Portman demanded that Deputy Inspector General Linda A. Halliday address these reports and investigate as quickly as possible.\u00a0\r\n \r\nProtecting America\u2019s National Parks & Our Environment:\u00a0Senator Portman continues to be a leader in protecting our environment. Senator Portman has a lengthy record of accomplishments in protecting Lake Erie, and he recently succeeded in passing his historic legislation to protect our national parks for another century. In addition, Portman, received a\u00a0Clean Water Award\u00a0from the\u00a0National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA),\u00a0and has helped lead efforts to make drinking water safe for Ohioans and protect Lake Erie from contaminated dredged materials.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nPortman helped secure funding for the Smale Riverfront Park that has transformed downtown Cincinnati. This funding is contingent upon the Army Corps of Engineers conduction of a study on the final flood control, ecosystem restoration, and recreation components of the park. This will authorize an additional $15 million in federal money to complete the park if the study determines the components are feasible.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman has worked tirelessly to ensure that all Ohioans have safe drinking water.\u00a0 Included in this years\u2019 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which was signed into law by the president this December, are Portman-led reforms that aim to end Flint-like water crises, prevent inappropriate disposal of dredged materials from the Cleveland Harbor, and renew the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act includes the following Portman-led initiatives:\r\n \r\n \r\nThe law also contains legislation Portman authored with Illinois Senator Mark Kirk to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). GLRI is a results-driven program\u00a0to address\u00a0the most serious issues\u00a0that\u00a0threaten\u00a0the ecological and economic wellbeing of the\u00a0Great Lakes\u00a0basin, including invasive species, pollution, and toxic contamination. The legislation authorizes GLRI to receive $300 million a year, which is $50 million more than President Obama requested in his budget.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nThe law includes a bipartisan compromise designed to end crises like the one in Flint, Michigan, which will provide $170 million for states, including Ohio, to address lead in our water supply, improve all forms of water infrastructure, and fund health programs to treat lead exposure. Portman helped developed this bipartisan compromise with Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Gary Peters (D-MI).\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nThe final bipartisan Portman bill included is the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act, which he worked on with Senator Amy Klobuchar. This legislation provides critical resources to conserve and restore fish and wildlife populations in the Great Lakes. The legislation would authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to partner with other federal agencies, states, and tribes to develop and execute proposals for the restoration of fish and wildlife resources in the Great Lakes Basin. The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act serves an important role in implementing the GLRI and will renew continued cooperative efforts to address impacts associated with invasive species throughout the Great Lakes Basin.\r\n \r\n \r\nAlso signed into law as part of the WIIN Act are Portman and Brown\u2019s legislation to keep to help keep toxic material dredged from the Cuyahoge River out of Lake Erie. A provision of the bill makes clear that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) cannot determine that dumping dredged material into Lake Erie is environmentally acceptable unless it meets the state of Ohio\u2019s water quality standards. This law will help protect Lake Erie from the Corps\u2019 repeated attempts to dispose of contaminated sediment into the Lake. This law builds on extensive Portman efforts to protect Lake Erie. In March, Portman\u00a0demanded answers\u00a0on behalf of Cleveland to preserve Lake Erie. Portman, as Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a\u00a0letter\u00a0to Secretary Ashton B. Carter requesting information regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 efforts to dredge the Cleveland Harbor. It\u00a0has been reported that the Corps cut its own budget by roughly $3 million \u2013 to less than it actually needs to dispose safely of the dredged material.\u00a0 Portman and Senator Brown have repeatedly called on the Corps to end its irresponsible refusal to dredge the Cuyahoga River shipping channel this year, and recently, the Corps agreed to dredge the channel.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nIn December, the Senate passed and the President signed into law the Continuing Resolution, which included a provision pushed by Portman that would ensure that there are no layoffs and that cleanup work will continue at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio. Portman\u00a0has consistently urged Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Moniz to keep the administration\u2019s promises to the Piketon community.\u00a0\r\n \r\n\r\nExposing Reckless Mismanagement in Obamacare CO-OPs.\u00a0Over the past year, Portman has worked to\u00a0expose\u00a0the\u00a0reckless mismanagement in the Obamacare CO-OP program\u00a0\u2013 a $2.4 billion loan program that launched 23 health insurance start-ups, more than half of which have failed, including the CO-OP for Ohio. Portman and his Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a\u00a0report\u00a0detailing the extraordinary losses racked up by the failed CO-OPs throughout 2014 and 2015, and the dim prospects that taxpayers will recover any of the $1.2 billion of their money that was invested in those companies.\r\n \r\nIn their ongoing effort to hold the administration accountable, Portman and a bipartisan group of Senators wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt seeking information about a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which found that between October 2013 to March 2015,\u00a0HealthCare.gov\u00a0had 316 security incidents, including 41 involving personally identifiable information.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn June, Portman and PSI followed up on their March report, demanding answers from the administration after exposing new Obamacare CO-OP costs for Ohioans. Portman has worked diligently to stand up for the thousands of Ohio consumers who now face increased health care costs at no fault of their own.\r\n \r\n\r\nStrengthening Medicare and Medicaid. This year, Senator Portman continued to demonstrate his strong commitment to strengthening and protecting our seniors\u2019 access to quality health care services through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In addition to $1 billion in funding to states to fight the opioid crisis, the 21st Century Cures Act that was recently signed into law featured several Portman initiatives to\u00a0help seniors and low-income Ohioans of all ages maintain access to quality care by:\r\n \r\nEstablishing beneficiary equity in the hospital readmissions program to minimize the disincentives for hospitals who serve a disproportionate number of sicker and poorer patients. This provision will improve the fairness of hospital readmissions penalties by taking into account the patients\u2019 socioeconomic and dual-eligible status to ensure that hospitals can continue to care for the most vulnerable patients.\u00a0 This benefits a majority of Ohio hospitals, especially those who serve a large number of low-income, vulnerable populations.\r\n \r\n \r\nContinuing Medicare payments for hospital out-patient departments that were \u201cunder-development\u201d to provide critical relief to hospitals, including several throughout Ohio, that were in the middle of building facilities to serve patients in their communities when Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act in 2015. This provision ensures patients are able to maintain access to these facilities so they can continue to receive high-quality care in outpatient settings.\u00a0\r\n \r\n \r\nExempting designated cancer hospitals from Medicare payment reductions to ensure patients are able to continue to receive cancer care from outpatient facilities in their community, benefitting the OSU James Cancer Hospital in Columbus.\r\n \r\n \r\nDelaying the application of the competitive bidding program to complex rehabilitative technology wheelchair accessories to ensure people with disabilities will continue to have access to the complex wheelchair accessories they rely on to live a fully-functioning life.\r\n \r\n \r\nAnd protecting Medicare Advantage for all seniors to strengthen transparency and ensure that seniors can keep the Medicare Advantage (MA) plans they want by delaying CMS\u2019s authority to terminate certain MA plans because of the STARS rating system.\r\n \r\n \r\nThe legislation passed as part of CURES represent just one way the Senator Portman has worked this year to protecting our seniors\u2019 access to quality health care services. Under pressure from Senator Portman and others, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a rule for the upcoming year which would increase flexibility in the electronic health record (EHR) reporting requirements, allowing care providers to spend less time cutting through red tape and more time caring for patients. Portman had introduced legislation earlier in the year\u00a0requiring CMS to do just that.\u00a0\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIn March, Portman\u00a0joined 12 other Senate Republicans\u00a0to urge Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt to halt the Obama Administration\u2019s plans to cut funding for the Medicare Advantage (MA) program \u2013 cuts that would jeopardize the health benefits that millions of seniors rely on today.\r\n \r\nPreventing Cable and Satellite Companies From Overcharging Ohioans. In June, Senators Portman and McCaskill, as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate\u2019s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led an investigation that revealed that Cable TV Companies such as Time Warner Cable, the biggest cable TV provider in Ohio, were knowingly over-billing their consumers. It was found that in the first five months of 2016 alone, Time Warner Cable overbilled up to 11,000 customers in Ohio \u2013 and those overcharges totaled $108,000. Senator Portman accurately described this overcharging as a \u201crip-off of Ohio consumers.\u201d As a result of this investigation, Cable TV Companies took some initial steps to improve their practices.\r\n \r\nGoing forward, the company agreed to provide an automatic one-month credit to all customers for each piece of overbilled equipment or service, and it will provide notice to overbilled customers so they can determine whether to request a credit or refund. But that still does not make customers whole.\r\n \r\nBut Wait, There\u2019s More.\u00a0In addition to combating the drug epidemic, standing up for Ohio\u2019s workers, working to end human and sex trafficking, and protecting our environment, all while prioritizing job creation and increased wages, Portman has found time to be a leader on other issues. Here is a look at some of his other accomplishments over the past year:\r\n\r\n \r\nIn 2016, Senator Portman and his casework team opened 3,422 cases to help Ohioans in need. 2,565, or 87.8 percent, of those cases were closed favorably. Throughout his time in the Senate, Portman and his team have opened a total 16,793 cases and have closed 14,147, or 82.2 percent, of those cases favorably.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman backed an aggressive effort to help stop the spread of the Zika virus, voting for three measures to fund the response and strengthen health programs here in the United States.\u00a0 Portman also advocated for Ohio to be part of the solution.\u00a0 On May 5, Portman urged the Secretary of the Air Force to ensure that the unique capabilities of the 910th Airlift Wing (910th) stationed at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS) to combat communicable diseases inside the United States are strengthened, not weakened, especially at a time when those capabilities could be part of a potential Zika solution.\u00a0 The 910th serves as the military\u2019s only aerial spray unit capable of controlling disease-carrying insects, pest insects, and undesirable vegetation.\u00a0 On April 15, Portman questioned Department of Defense officials at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on whether DOD assets, such as 910th AW in Youngstown, could be better utilized to combat the Zika outbreak.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman worked with federal, state, and local leaders throughout the process to help the mayor and city of Columbus land the multi-million dollar Smart City grant from the Department of Transportation.\u00a0 He led the Ohio delegation letter in support of the final round, and was instrumental throughout the application process.\r\n \r\n \r\nPortman is a regular volunteer and longtime supporter of Habitat for Humanity, which helps provide affordable housing to low-income families. In July, Portman joined Owens Corning and the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity in a major neighborhood revitalization project\u00a0known as the\u00a0\u201cBuckeye Build.\u201d\u00a0 The\u00a0Buckeye Build Project\u00a0\u2013 which took place in Cleveland\u2019s historic Buckeye Neighborhood \u2013\u00a0fully rehabilitated two houses on Grandview Avenue, assisted approximately 15 current residents with exterior improvements, and provided new roofs and attic insulation for five homes. Portman returned to the site in October to continue the build and again in December for the dedication of two completed homes. In December in Cincinnati, Portman volunteered on his birthday, as he does every year, on another Habitat build.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn December, Ohio and the United States said goodbye to an American icon, John Glenn. Senators Portman and Brown passed a resolution in the Senate honoring the life and service of former U.S. Senator John Glenn. Portman honored his friend John Glenn on the Senate floor and on national television.\r\n \r\n \r\nIn June, Portman and Brown led the effort to pass a resolution honoring George Voinovich\u2019s life of service to Ohio and the United States. Voinovich passed away on June 12, 2016. Portman delivered a floor speech honoring his predecessor in the Senate.\r\n \r\nSenator Portman has fought for all Ohioans, and he has delivered results for them. He has led the effort to combat America\u2019s drug epidemic and end human trafficking; he has consistently helped level the playing field for Ohio\u2019s workers and worked to create jobs and boost wages; he has stood up for American global leadership and Ohio\u2019s servicemembers; he has fought for\u00a0a health care system that works, and much, much more. And this is just the beginning. Senator Portman will continue to deliver results for the people he represents in 2017.\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=E9A01C13-975C-4EF7-88C1-AB011A3705D5"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4276690781116486, "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"}