COLUMBUS — A local state legislator was recently honored for his work to promote alternative fuel sources.
Ohio Senate
Sen. Keith Faber, R-Celina: Faber was honored this week by Clean Fuels Ohio, receiving the group’s “Legislator of the Year” award at the Midwest Green Fleets Forum and Expo in Columbus. Faber helped secure a $5 million grant for the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversion Progam, which helps public and private fleets convert to alternative fuels like compressed natural gas or propane.
“I’m grateful for this honor from Clean Fuels Ohio,” said Faber. “I’ve long been a supporter of identifying alternative fuel sources. Incentivizing clean fuel use leads to reductions in emissions, savings on fuel costs and job creation across our great state.”
U.S. House of Representatives
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana: Jordan has continued to press the issue of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s email scandal in Washington, D.C., questioning Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. During the questioning, Jordan brought up FBI IT aide Paul Combetta’s efforts to change Clinton emails before turning them over to the State Department, with Combetta having asked for advice on Reddit in 2014 as to how to make changes to emails.
“The guy you gave immunity to, the guy who took the Fifth in front of us, is online, trying to figure out how to remove email addresses, change evidence — later uses BleachBit,” Jordan said. “That guy, who won’t testify in front of Congress. And he has correspondence with Cheryl Mills — Cheryl Mills a subject of the investigation, Cheryl Mills who also got some kind of immunity agreement, Cheryl Mills who walked out for part of the questions during the interview with the FBI. Seems to me that’s pretty compelling, and the timeline’s pretty compelling, as well.”
Rep. Robert Latta, R-Bowling Green: On Tuesday, Latta voted to pass legislation designed to provide relief to individuals who have lost healthcare coverage due to failing Affordable Care Act CO-OPs. The CO-OP Consumer Protection Act exempts consumers from having to pay a penalty should their CO-OP collapse, since under the law, the penalty for not having insurance is $695 or 2.5 percent of adjusted gross income.
“In yet another example of the failure of this law, 17 separate co-ops have collapsed since Obamacare was implemented,” said Latta. “In a faulty design that only government could dream up, individuals that lost their health care through a co-op failure are being punished twice — first by losing their coverage, and then by being forced to pay a penalty for not being enrolled in a plan. I voted to pass H.R. 954 to protect more than 22,000 Ohioans that were left without coverage after an Ohio co-op collapsed earlier this year from having to pay this penalty.”
On Wednesday, Latta voted to pass the Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools and Nonprofits Act, which calls for a six-month delay in the implementation of a new Department of Labor overtime rule that more than doubles the threshold of overtime eligibility from an annual salary of $23,660 to $47,476.
“I’ve heard from a number of schools and nonprofits in the Fifth District that simply don’t know how they will be able to effectively pursue their missions when this rule goes into effect,” said Latta. “Of course, small businesses will also be at a significant disadvantage and employees are going to face less scheduling flexibility and opportunities for upward mobility at work. Passing this legislation will give these organizations needed relief from a rule that was poorly thought out and finalized without any Congressional input.”
Both leglislations will now be considered by the Senate.
U.S. Senate
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio: On Wednesday, Brown highlighted new legislation he co-sponsored to make Medicare easier and more affordable for seniors and those with disabilities.
The Medicare Affordability and Enrollment Act would cap out-of-pocket costs and make the program more affordable for low-income beneficiaries who cannot afford supplemental coverage.
Medicare is health coverage that our seniors have earned over a lifetime of hard work,” Brown said. “They should not be saddled with unaffordable premiums after paying into the system for decades, and they should not face a lifetime of additional fees for simple enrollment mistakes.”
Brown also praised the final Senate passage of a bipartisan compromise to continue funding the federal government, which includes funding to combat the spread of the Zika virus and a pledge from the House to consider and pass the Water Resources Development Act.
“Today’s bipartisan compromise will provide a critical boost in our efforts to combat Zika and continue investments in important programs all across Ohio,” Brown said. “Now the House must make good on its promise to pass the Water Resources Development Act this year and provide long-overdue support for communities like Sebring, Ohio, coping with lead in their drinking water.”
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: On Thursday, Portman announced the introduction of the Protecting Israel Against Economic Discrimination Act, which aims to combat a boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Earlier this year, the United Nations Human Rights Council targeted Israel with a commercial boycott calling for the creation of a database of companies that have business relations beyond Israel’s 1949 armistice lines.
“Opponents of Israel around the world and in international organizations have increasingly promoted efforts to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel as a way to delegitimize and isolate Israel, while bypassing the direct negotiation process necessary to resolve political disagreements,” Portman said. “The United States must support Israel by using the considerable economic and diplomatic tools at our disposal to stand up to this economic discrimination against our ally.”
