Kennedy, senators announce historic bipartisan agreement on American Innovation and Manufacturing Act
Dec 21 2020
WASHINGTON – Today Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) in announcing a historic bipartisan agreement to include the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act in the government funding bill.
“More than ever, foreign competition demands we protect American jobs by keeping the U.S. competitive in global industry. Investing in next-generation refrigerants will create thousands of jobs, save billions of dollars and safeguard the environment, all of which matter deeply to Louisianians. I’m grateful to have worked with Chairman Barrasso and Sen. Carper to champion the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act and bring American production into the future,” said Kennedy.
“HFC chemicals are in every home – from our cars, to our air conditioners. The emissions from the use of these chemicals contribute to climate change. This agreement will authorize a 15-year phase down of their use, while safeguarding consumers and American manufacturers,” said Barrasso.
“Inside nearly every home in this country are hydrofluorocarbons, potent greenhouse gases used as coolants in air conditioning and refrigerators. The cruel irony is that, while HFCs keep our homes cool and our groceries cold, they heat up our planet. With a global warming effect that is thousands of times more potent than carbon, HFCs are slowly destroying our planet. Fortunately, there is a solution – one that would have huge economic benefits for our country. For years, Senator Kennedy and I have been working to pass legislation that would put American workers and industries in the driver’s seat of the global phasedown of these super-polluting chemicals. By implementing a national phasedown of HFCs, we can reap close to $39 billion in economic benefits while creating tens of thousands of new jobs. I thank Senator Kennedy for being such a good partner on this legislation and thank Chairman Barrasso for his work to help us to find a compromise that can get this bill across the finish line. Thanks to all our efforts, Congress is now on the cusp of passing the most significant climate solution in more than a decade, and American workers and families will reap the benefits for decades more to come,” said Carper.
The appropriations package will now include, for the first time, a provision for a 15-year phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at a national level, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The amendment is based on Kennedy’s AIM Act and requires EPA to implement an 85 percent phase down of the production and consumption of HFCs, so they reach approximately 15 percent of their 2011-2013 average annual levels by 2036.
The legislative language matches the agreement reached earlier this year by Kennedy, Barrasso and Carper to protect critical uses of HFCs.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) published this op-ed in the Baptist Message on December 18, 2020.
Below are key excerpts from the article, which focuses on the challenges Louisianians have faced in 2020 and reasons to be confidently hopeful this Christmas season.
“This year not been easy for Louisiana.
“No one could have foreseen when 2020 began that, in just a few months, an unprecedented pandemic would shut down America’s economy and a novel coronavirus would infect more than 200,000 Louisianians, with over 6,000 confirmed deaths.
“As if the coronavirus didn’t cause enough loss, Louisiana has also had a particularly bad hurricane season, too. In August, Hurricane Laura killed at least 28 Louisianians, destroyed over 10,000 homes, and caused up to $14 billion in damages. Tragically, while we were still recovering from Laura, Hurricanes Delta and Zeta followed, further devastating much of the state.
…
“Louisianians are tough. We have been through worse and always come out stronger. We are tired. We will, however, make it through this challenging year and be the better for it, with God’s help.
…
“It can be difficult to focus on God’s love in such hard times. But this is exactly when we must draw encouragement from the Lord. The same God who loved us by being born into humble surroundings and dying in our place is the same God who will carry us through any trial we ever face—whether that storm is called Laura or COVID-19.
“So whatever life’s trials, whatever we have suffered through this year, we can hold onto God’s love and know that we didn’t make it through 2020 by ourselves and we don’t face 2021 alone.”
Read the full op-ed in the Baptist Message here.
President signs Kennedy’s bill to protect Americans from fraudulent foreign companies into law
Dec 18 2020
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump today signed into law Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) bill to protect American investors and their savings from foreign companies that operate on U.S. stock exchanges while refusing to submit to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight.
The Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act unanimously in May, and the House passed the bill unanimously earlier this month. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was an original cosponsor of the legislation.
“Communist China has been the bully on the playground of America’s stock exchanges for years, and that stops today. With President Trump’s signature, Chinese firms that flout the rules that American and other companies follow do so at their own peril. Any foreign company that doesn’t submit to our audits has to grow up or get off U.S. exchanges—they can’t keep using our markets to exploit workers and families. I’m grateful to the president for calling Chinese Communist dishonesty to account by making fairness and common sense the law. Thanks to the partnership of Sen. Van Hollen and bipartisan, bicameral consensus, Americans finally have protection against Chinese Communist lackeys that would defraud them on U.S. soil,” said Kennedy.
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act prohibits securities of a company from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges if the company has failed to comply with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) audits for three years in a row.
The bill would also require public companies to disclose whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government, including China’s communist government.
Many Americans invest in U.S. stock exchanges as part of their retirement and college savings, and dishonest companies operating on the exchanges put Americans at risk, as Luckin Coffee did. This legislation protects the interest of hardworking American investors by ensuring that foreign companies traded in America are subject to the same independent audit requirements that apply to their competitors in America and other countries.
Background:
Congress established the PCAOB to inspect audits of public companies, ensuring the information companies provide to the public is accurate, independent and trustworthy.
Currently, China’s communist government refuses to allow the PCAOB to inspect audits of companies registered in China and Hong Kong. Such companies represent a keen risk to American investors as nearly 11 percent of all securities class action lawsuits in 2011 were brought against Chinese-owned companies accused of misrepresenting themselves in financial documents.
According to the SEC, 224 U.S.-listed companies are located in countries where there are obstacles to PCAOB inspections. These companies have a combined market capitalization of more than $1.8 trillion.
In the last 10 years, the number of Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges has increased significantly, as those firms take advantage of the capital available in America.
The bill text is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Senate Banking Committee members, led a bipartisan letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig urging the Trump Administration to wave late filing penalties for taxpayers whose filing delay is caused by COVID-19.
“Many taxpayers are facing economic hardships and business closures due to COVID-19. Taxpayers expect fair treatment from their government, and the current unwillingness to provide an expedited process for taxpayers and their advisors to request pandemic-specific relief places an undue burden on them. We ask that you move to address these issues immediately so the American people can receive the relief they urgently need,” the senators wrote.
In the letter, the senators urge the Trump Administration to:
- Create a special COVID-19 first-time abatement option for taxpayers eligible for normal first-time abatement where taxpayers can attest to filing difficulty directly caused by the pandemic;
- Provide written guidance directing IRS customer service representatives to grant reasonable-cause and COVID-related abatement requests liberally;
- Develop and advertise specific COVID-related examples that qualify for reasonable-cause abatement; and
- Develop a dedicated telephone number, or dedicated prompt, for taxpayers and their advisors to call to request COVID-related penalty relief.
Kennedy and Cramer were joined on the letter by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.).
Kennedy chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, which has jurisdiction over the IRS and Treasury Department.
The letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – The Senate today unanimously passed John Kennedy’s (R-La.) Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act to improve college students’ access to available mental health resources. The legislation requires higher education institutions to print the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line and an on-campus mental health program on the back of student identification cards or provide that information on the school’s website.
“Now, more than at any point in my life, young people need helping hands and listening ears. Mental health resources can be lifesaving, and college students deserve to know what help is available to them when they need it most. I hope the House takes the opportunity to send this bill to the president’s desk so young people who are facing new public health and social challenges know that they’re not alone,” said Kennedy.
In 2017, suicide took the lives of over 47,000 people, making it the tenth leading cause of death overall in the U.S. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and 39% of college students report experiencing a significant mental health issue.
Video of the senator’s floor speech about the bill is available here.
ICYMI: Louisiana investors need accountability for foreign companies—and Congress delivered
Dec 14 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, published this op-ed in the Baton Rouge Business Report on December 11, 2020.
Below are key excerpts from the piece, which examines the threat posed by foreign companies that are listed on U.S. stock markets but refuse to submit to the same auditing rules as other firms:
“Luckin Coffee, known as ‘China’s answer to Starbucks,’ has a casual relationship with the truth. In April, the company was forced to disclose that its chief operating officer, Jian Liu, inflated its 2019 sales by $310 million. The revelation caused Luckin Coffee’s shares to fall by 80%, and its value to drop from $12.7 billion to less than $800 million.
. . .
“Luckin Coffee was finally delisted from the American NASDAQ stock exchange, but the damage was done. Americans who invested in the Chinese company had already suffered tremendous financial damage.
“The problem is that Luckin Coffee is just one of almost 200 Chinese companies listed in America not subject to inspection by the federal Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). These companies claim that Chinese secrecy laws prevent them from sharing ‘sensitive’ paperwork for auditing by the PCAOB.
. . .
“To combat this threat, Congress just unanimously passed a measure with two main provisions: First, the bill requires foreign companies to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government—like Communist China. The provision also requires companies to disclose any involvement by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. Second, any foreign company that does not open its books for PCAOB auditing for three consecutive years will be banned from trading stocks on U.S. markets.
“That’s key to how this bill, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable (HFCA) Act, will protect investors at home. Many Louisianians and their fellow Americans rely on their stock portfolios for their retirement and education savings. It’s past time we safeguarded them from fraud by kicking bad actors off our markets.
. . .
“The HFCA Act passed without a single ‘nay’ vote because it will strengthen the credibility of U.S. stock markets, ensuring everyone plays by the same rules. As we recover from the economic challenges of a pandemic, the HFCA Act gives Louisiana investors peace of mind.
. . .
“China’s deception has gone on for long enough. With bipartisan agreement already forged, the HFCA Act is now on the president’s desk, where he can sign it into law before more good people get hurt. Americans deserve accountability from foreign companies, and it’s finally within reach.”
The full op-ed is available here.
Kennedy leads delegation letter asking President Trump for additional hurricane relief funds
Dec 09 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), together with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Reps. Clay Higgins (R-La.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Mike Johnson (R-La.), Garret Graves (R-La.) and Ralph Abraham (R-La.), today asked President Donald Trump to request supplemental disaster funds to help Louisiana recover from extensive hurricane damage caused by this season’s storms.
“We ask that you request emergency appropriations for the many Federal agencies with experience in long-term disaster recovery who are standing by and well-equipped to provide relief to families in Louisiana and take action to protect life and property ahead of the next disaster. These include the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Economic Development Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and emergency appropriations for federal highways. Finally, we ask that you take into consideration the cumulative impact of this hurricane season on Louisiana and use your authority under Sec. 1232 of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to approve an increase in the Federal cost-share for Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta. Louisiana has borne the brunt of this exceptionally destructive season, and we believe these actions will allow Louisiana to recover in the most efficient manner possible,” wrote the lawmakers.
This year, five categorized storms struck Louisiana, affecting all 64 parishes. The most powerful of these storms, Hurricane Laura, hit southwest Louisiana as a Category 4 storm and is one of the strongest storms to make landfall in American history. Hurricane Laura alone caused an estimated $14 billion in damages to homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Hurricane Delta added to the damage when it made landfall in the same area just 42 days later.
The letter is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) gave a speech honoring Diane Deaton, a weather forecaster in Baton Rouge, who announced she will retire after 37 years on the job.
Ms. Deaton has worked for WAFB-TV, serving on both 9News This Morning and on Early Edition. She is also widely known for her humanitarian work in Baton Rouge, having built homes for Habitat for Humanity, tutored first and second-graders, and visited young patients at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital.
“I’m glad to hear that Diane will not be leaving our great state—I want to emphasize that—she is going to retire in Louisiana. And I hope she enjoys every moment, every single moment, she gets to sleep in after December 18. No one can argue, no fair-minded person can argue, that she hasn’t earned a rest, even though her familiar weather casts will be sorely missed in a state that takes more than our fair share of beatings from Mother Nature,” said Kennedy.
“I thank you for the chance to honor Diane Deaton for all of her hard work on behalf of everyone who relies on WAFB-TV for news, and for everyone in Louisiana and Baton Rouge whom her volunteer work has touched—and that numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Diane, may the years ahead bring as much joy to you as you have brought to our state and our community. God bless you,” concluded Kennedy.
Video of the speech is available here.
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced legislation to streamline the forgiveness process for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $100,000 or less.
“The Paycheck Protection Program has been a lifeline for Louisiana small businesses to keep serving our state and keep their workers on payroll. These job creators are supporting America’s economic recovery, and simplifying the PPP loan forgiveness process supports them,” said Kennedy.
Currently, PPP loan borrowers of $50,000 or less are eligible for streamlined forgiveness. This bill would help small businesses by raising the ceiling to $100,000, provided that the borrower signs and submits a simple attestation form to the lender. The borrower would need to keep its paperwork for three years for auditing purposes, as the bill would still allow the Small Business Administration (SBA) to examine the loans.
Kennedy’s bill would also require the SBA Administrator, in coordination with the Treasury Secretary, to provide and certify onlinecalculators that are free and easy to use in order to support lenders and small businesses as they estimate loan forgiveness amounts on PPP forms.
The bill text is available here.
Kennedy, senators introduce Conservation Funding Protection Act to protect Louisiana jobs, coastlands
Dec 02 2020
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today introduced legislation to protect jobs and drilling opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico and the conservation efforts they fund. Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) are original cosponsors of the Conservation Funding Protection Act.
The Conservation Funding Protection Act would ensure that American oil producers would retain access to critical energy reservoirs on the Outer Continental Shelf. That energy production funds conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane preparedness, wetland mitigation and public land maintenance.
“Louisianians and other energy producers help keep America running and keep America safe. If Americans aren’t allowed to use U.S. resources to fuel our economy, we’ll be dependent on nations that don’t share our values and that even oppose our interests. We can’t afford to lose the energy independence our country has earned, the Louisiana jobs that make it possible or the coastland conservation that it funds,” said Kennedy.
“The Conservation Funding Protection Act is important to help ensure Mississippians continue to have access to well-paying jobs, while also continuing to provide the state with oil and natural gas revenues for vital conservation projects in Mississippi and on a national level,” Hyde-Smith said.
“Many Louisiana families depend on energy production and the jobs it produces. This bill keeps the Gulf open for business and ensures these workers won’t be threatened by radical environmental agendas,” said Cassidy.
“The preservation of energy production in the Gulf of Mexico is vital to the economic and national security of the United States. Not only does offshore drilling employ thousands of Americans and help fuel our economy and energy needs, but it contributes millions of dollars to environmental conservation projects on land and reduces our reliance on foreign powers. I am proud to support this legislation to ensure that that United States remains a global leader in energy production for years to come,” said Cruz.
“Ensuring continued access to energy resources in the Gulf of Mexico is critical to funding conservation efforts and important storm mitigation projects along the Texas coast. This bill would help keep us from a return to the days of relying on our adversaries to meet our energy needs,” said Cornyn.
“The Gulf of Mexico’s bountiful natural resources have been a cornerstone in the resurgence of American energy independence. Revenues generated from federal leases have also supported a multitude of critical conservation and restoration projects along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Conservation Funding Protection Act would guarantee our valuable resources are managed responsibly and that states can continue to invest in projects that will sustain their coastlines for generations to come,” said Wicker.
In order to ensure that the Gulf region can steward the shelf’s resources, the Conservation Funding Protection Act would require at least two area-wide lease sales per year on available acreage in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act currently directs the Secretary of Interior to establish a schedule for lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf but does not mandate the number of lease sales the department is required to hold.
This bill would maintain all current environmental laws and ensure that the Department of Interior conducts the environmental reviews required by law within clear time frames. The legislation does not alter environmental regulations for lease sales, rig operations or exploration.
Background:
With the recent extension of a drilling moratorium off Florida waters lasting until 2032, there is growing concern that access to leasing opportunities on the Outer Continental Shelf could evaporate, at great cost to American jobs and energy independence.
Some projections estimate that a permitting ban on natural gas and oil leasing and development projects on federal lands and waters—such as the Outer Continental Shelf—would result in the loss of nearly 1 million oil and gas related jobs within the first 12 to 24 months of the ban. Louisiana is home to 48,000 of those jobs. Such a ban would decrease offshore oil production by 44 percent and natural gas production by 68 percent within the next decade.
Support for this legislation includes the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, American Petroleum Institute, National Ocean Industries Association, International Association of Drilling Contractors, Consumer Energy Alliance, International Association for Geophysical Chemistry, Petroleum Equipment and Service Association and others.
“We applaud Senators Kennedy and Hyde-Smith for introducing this bill that will protect so many benefits for the Gulf region. The Conservation Funding Protection Act is critical to protecting existing energy production in the Gulf of Mexico and the livelihoods of thousands of hardworking citizens across the Gulf coast. Oil and gas leasing and production in the Gulf of Mexico is also the primary source of funding for conservation projects across the country, and, importantly, for Louisiana's hurricane protection systems and coastal restoration efforts,” said Tyler Gray, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association President.
“The Conservation Funding Protection Act is critical for maintaining energy development in the Gulf of Mexico, the primary revenue driver for America’s largest federal conservation program. Royalties from offshore oil and natural gas development fund most of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, supporting and protecting national parks and wildlife habitat. Continued support for oil and natural gas production on federal lands and waters is imperative for maintaining these vital conservation programs,” said Lem Smith, American Petroleum Institute Vice President of Upstream Policy.
The bill text is available here.
