{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://toomey.senate.gov?p=news&id=1225", "Sen. Pat Toomey's E-Update [press_release]", "2013-12-13", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Patrick Toomey", "T000461", "toomey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Protecting Children From Sexual Predators \n\u00a0 \nWatch WBRE's coverage of my visit to Scranton's Children's Advocacy Center\nI have introduced bipartisan legislation to protect America's children from sexual and violent predators in the classroom. My bill requires schools to perform background checks on all new and existing employees, and bans schools from helping a predator find a new teaching job. It also ends the practice of schools quietly passing predators on to other jobs and other innocent children. Learn more about my bill to protect children from sexual and violent predators.\nAs a father of three young children, I cannot imagine the suffering of a parent whose child is sexually assaulted. No family should endure such a tragedy. I am proud that we have come together - across party lines and across the nation - to protect our kids. I would particularly like to thank Democratic State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams and Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick for their bipartisan leadership on this issue. \nState Senator Anthony Hardy Williams is the prime sponsor of a similar bill, which passed the Pennsylvania State Senate unanimously. As Sen. Williams says, \"Sen. Toomey and I may disagree on approaches and even political philosophy on some issues, but some things are beyond partisan divides. The safety and welfare of our children, all of our children, is a universal value on which we can and do agree.\"\nI am grateful for his support, and I am hopeful that we can diminish dramatically instances of this awful crime in our state and around the country. Read the Scranton Times-Tribune story. \n\u00a0\nKeeping The EPA Off The Backs Of Our Firefighters \n\u00a0 \nThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking excessive government regulation to new levels. \nA recent agency rule will force local governments across the country to leave malfunctioning fire hydrants out-of-service until new, lead-free fire hydrants can be purchased and installed. This regulation essentially makes it impossible for local governments to repair these hydrants or replace them with existing inventory. It is also uncertain whether fire hydrants that meet the new criteria are even available for purchase.\n\u00a0 \nRead the Erie Times-News story on the EPA's fire hydrant rule.\nSen. Bob Casey agrees with me that this is an undeniable threat to public safety. Together, we are working to strengthen fire safety and protect our local governments from this dangerous and expensive new mandate. I am also glad to have the support of Pennsylvania's local government associations and municipalities in this fight. \n\u00a0\nProtecting First Responders From Obamacare\n\u00a0 \nRead the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story.\nNew, disturbing consequences of Obamacare have come to light: the law penalizes volunteer fire departments and jeopardizes funding for training by imposing unreasonable burdens on many of our volunteer emergency response agencies. \nI have introduced bipartisan legislation to amend Obamacare to ensure volunteer emergency service workers are not required to be counted as full-time equivalent employees for purposes of healthcare coverage. I am very glad that Congressman Lou Barletta (Pa.-11) has introduced a similar bill in the House.\nI am pleased to report that our bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Volunteer Fire Council, and Congressional Fire Services Institute.\nFrom small cities to rural communities, Pennsylvania has the largest number of volunteer fire departments in the country. These dedicated men and women play a crucial role in protecting our families every day. We owe them protection from Obamacare's most devastating consequences. \u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\nFighting Prescription Drug Abuse\n\u00a0With Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman.\nLast week, Delaware County officials and I discussed solutions for prescription drug abuse, a growing, tragic crisis in our state and around the country. This week, I worked to turn those ideas into law.\nWith Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), I have introduced a bipartisan amendment that will begin to curb this serious problem. Our proposal would establish a beneficiary protection program for Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans to prevent fraudulent diversion of controlled substances. It would also enable sharing of anti-waste and fraud data between health plans and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Representatives from Pennsylvania's law enforcement community and advocates of substance abuse prevention are endorsing my efforts.\n\u00a0 \nWatch video of my remarks on this issue in the Senate Finance Committee.\n\u00a0\nFighting for Lower Food And Gasoline Costs\n\u00a0 \nI continue my efforts to bring down the cost of food and gasoline. This week, I introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate the corn ethanol mandate in the government's renewable fuel standard (RFS). Refiners are forced to meet this standard when manufacturing gasoline.\nSince 2005, fuel suppliers like those in Trainer and Philadelphia have been forced to blend millions of gallons of biofuels - notably corn ethanol - into the nation's gasoline supplies. This flawed central planning harms the viability of good paying jobs, drives up gas prices, increases food costs, and harms the environment. \nThis is the government using corporate welfare to shower money on a favored industry and send the bill to the general public. Labor and business leaders, as well as environmental groups, have pushed back against this harmful regulatory regime. It's time to repeal the requirement that directs more corn in our gas tanks at the expense of the hardworking men and women of Pennsylvania. \nI am glad to have Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) join me on this common-sense proposal. More than 30 different national consumer advocacy groups and associations support our effort.", 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": ["http://toomey.senate.gov?p=news&id=1225"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8690729737281799, "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"}