The Senator’s week ahead schedule: April 4 to April 11

Monday, April 4 at 8:30 a.m. – Senator Coons will attend the Jewish Community Center Bagel Briefing.  Bernard and Ruth Siegel Jewish Community Center, 101 Garden of Eden Road, Wilmington – Open to press. 

Tuesday, April 5 at 12:00 p.m. – The Senator will speak about the U.S. Senate’s work on issues impacting American workers at AFL-CIO annual legislative advocacy week.  SWA Conference Center, Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, April 5 at 2:30 p.m. – Senator Coons will chair the Senate Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee Nomination Hearing. This will be the Senator’s first hearing as chair of the subcommittee. LOCATION TBD. U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. – Open to press. 

Wednesday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m. – Senator Coons will attend the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. 226 Senate Dirksen Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press. 

Thursday, April 7 at 9:30 a.m. The Senator will attend a Senate Energy Committee hearing on the Department of Biofuel Programs. 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press. 

Thursday, April 7 at 9:30 a.m. Senator Coons will attend a Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.

Thursday, April 7 at 6:00 p.m. Senator Coons will attend the 23^rd Annual National Fire and Emergency Service Dinner. The National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner is an annual fundraising event for the Congressional Fire Services Institute. Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave N.W., Washington, D.C. 

Friday, April 8 at 8:30 a.m. The Senator will talk about his experience in the U.S. Senate at the Leadership Delaware, Inc. Bank of America, 1100 N. King Street, Wilmington.

Friday, April 8 at 11:30 a.m. Senator Coons will speak at the Reading Institute Luncheon. Waterfall Convention Center, Claymont

Friday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. Senator Coons will be the auctioneer at the Ministry of Caring Emmanuel Dining Room Auction. Barclay’s Bank, Wilmington Riverfront, Wilmington. 

Saturday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. Senator Coons will attend the kickoff of the Autism Delaware Walk. Bellevue State Park, Wilmington.

Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. The Senator will attend the Delaware Children’s Museum Gala. 550 Justison Street, Wilmington.

Sunday, April 10 at 11:00 a.m. The Senator will attend services at Mt. Zion AME Church with Representative Daryl Scott. 101 North Queen Street, Dover. 

Sunday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. Senator Coons will speak at the 2011 AIPAC Greater Philadelphia Community Reception. Adath Israel, 250 N. Highland Ave., Merion Station, Pennsylvania.  

Monday, April 11 at 9:00 a.m. Senator Coons is hosting a Job Fair. Chase Center, Wilmington – Open to press.

What We’re Reading: The flashpoint of the Arab revolution

From Sunday’s Washington Post: Metro columnist Marc Fisher tells the remarkable story of a simple Tunisian fruit vendor whose frustration with the indiginity repeatedy perpetuated upon him by corrupt police officers led to an act of defiance that sparked protests across the Arab world. 

For years, Bouazizi had told his mother stories of corruption at the fruit market, where vendors gathered under a cluster of ficus trees on the main street of this scruffy town, not far from Tunisia’s Mediterranean beaches. Arrogant police officers treated the market as their personal picnic grounds, taking bagfuls of fruit without so much as a nod toward payment. The cops took visible pleasure in subjecting the vendors to one indignity after another — fining them, confiscating their scales, even ordering them to carry their stolen fruit to the cops’ cars.

Before dawn on Friday, Dec. 17, as Bouazizi pulled his cart along the narrow, rutted stone road toward the market, two police officers blocked his path and tried to take his fruit. Bouazizi’s uncle rushed to help his 26-year-old nephew, persuading the officers to let the rugged-looking young man complete his one-mile trek.

…

In Tunisia, an unusually cosmopolitan Arab country with a high rate of college attendance, residents watched for 23 years as Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s dictatorship became a grating daily insult. From Tunis — the whitewashed, low-rise capital with a tropical, colonial feel — to the endless stretches of olive and date trees in the sparsely populated countryside, the complaints were uniform: It had gotten so you couldn’t get a job without some connection to Ben Ali’s family or party. The secret police kept close tabs on ordinary Tunisians. And the uniformed police took to demanding graft with brazen abandon. 

Still, the popular rebellion that started here and spread like a virus to Egypt, Libya and the Persian Gulf states, and now to Yemen and Syria, was anything but preordained. The contagion, carried by ordinary people rather than politicians or armies, hits each country in a different and uncontrollable way, but with common characteristics — Friday demonstrations, Facebook connections, and alliances across religious, class and tribal lines. This wave of change happened because aging dictators grew cocky and distant from the people they once courted, because the new social media that the secret police didn’t quite understand reached a critical mass of people, and because, in a rural town where respect is more valued than money, Mohammed Bouazizi was humiliated in front of his friends.

Read the full story in the Washington Post.

Chris answers new batch of constituent correspondence

In the second installment of Senator Coons’ “Correspondence from the Commute” video series, Chris responds to constituents’ questions about the energy efficiency of light bulbs, the Defense of Marriage Act, the Republicans’ reckless budget proposal, education reform, high-speed rail and the Blue Rocks’ home opener.

Chris recorded this batch of videos last Thursday morning, aboard his Acela train from Wilmington.

“This month I heard from a lot of constituents concerned about the reckless cuts in the Republicans’ budget proposal,” Senator Coons said. “While Congress must tackle long-term deficit reduction that examines both expenditures and revenues, the House proposal would gut programs that are important to a lot of Delawareans, and they’re speaking up about it. I genuinely appreciate that feedback and hope Delawareans continue to advocate for the programs and projects that are most important to them.” 

Videos released today include responses to:

• Keith from New Castle about the BULB Act and energy-efficient light bulbs
• John from Wyoming, Del. about the Defense of Marriage Act
• Mary Jane from Milton about proposed cuts to the Corporation for National and Community Service
• Brandon from Newark about high-speed rail
• Sara from Newport about the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the value of museums to students’ learning
• Dave from New Castle about the Blue Rocks’ home opener

One Year Ago: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Marking the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing health reform into law, Senator Coons called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act “a major step in expanding access to affordable health care for all Americans.” Chris also noted health reform’s economic benefits, adding, “It’s important to remember that the Affordable Care Act is estimated to create as many as 400,000 jobs a year.” 

Delawareans have already seen tangible benefits from the Affordable Care Act.  Insurance companies are no longer allowed to drop or deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, and there is a new state insurance program for adults who have been dropped or denied coverage for this reason, which will cover them until provisions of the Affordable Care Act that protecting adults with pre-existing conditions take effect in 2014.  Chris previously highlighted this program during a visit to the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center in Wilmington. 

The Affordable Care Act has already enabled young people under the age of 26 to be covered under their parents’ plans, and the health insurance “exchanges” it establishes promise to lower costs and enable more Americans to purchase affordable coverage.  More provisions will kick in over the next few years, with full-implementation expected in 2014. 

While Chris believes the Affordable Care Act to have been a landmark piece of beneficial legislation, he recognizes that there are some areas where we can improve upon the bill.  One of these is the 1099 reporting provision, which would impose burdensome reporting requirements on small businesses.  Chris proudly voted in the Senate to repeal this provision on February 2. 

If you are interested in more information about the how the Affordable Care Act helps you, click here or here to learn more. 

Senator Coons to host free job fair on April 11

While we’re seeing signs of economic recovery, too many in Delaware who lost their jobs during this recession are still trying to find new ones.  To help, Senator Coons will be hosting a free job fair in Wilmington on Monday, April 11.

The job fair, which will fill the Chase Center with federal agencies and private companies looking to hire, will also feature two seminars to help job-seekers.  One, “Applying for Federal Jobs,” will be hosted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, while the other, “New Strategies for Changing Times:  Transform Your Mind and Embrace Change,” will be led by career coach Joyce Dungee Proctor.  Those attending will also be able to receive tips on resume-building, cover letters, and interview skills.

Those seeking jobs are encouraged to bring their resumes and be ready to meet recruiters from the over forty companies that have already signed up. Chris has been working to bring potential employers to the job fair and has already confirmed the participation of companies like AFLAC, Comcast, TD Bank, Interim Health Care, Power Home Remodeling, and Barclay Card as well as government entities like New Castle County, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Philadelphia Passport Agency.

“It’s not enough for us to simply talk about the importance of getting more of our neighbors back to work,” Chris said. “We need to come together as a community and connect those looking for jobs with employers who are ready to hire.” 

The job fair will take place at the Chase Center from 9:00am to 4:00pm on April 11.  For more information, or to participate as a company seeking to hire, call 302-573-6345 or email workshop@coons.senate.gov.  

House budget proposal could lead to higher gas prices

In Delaware, the average gas price has reached $3.51 a gallon and everyone is feeling a pinch at the pump. The federal agency dedicated to monitoring the oil market for abuse and speculation, which protects consumers, has been working hard to keep market-manipulation at bay. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has been consumers’ cop on the beat since its creation in 1975, safeguarding against fraud and abuse that lead to higher consumer prices.

It is unfortunate that the budget passed by House Republicans earlier this year would slash the CFTC’s operational budget by one-third. This would severely limit that agency’s ability to protect consumers and keep market-manipulators from driving gas prices even higher. According to CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler, such a cut would lead to “significant curtailment of staff and resources.”

Senator Coons and forty-seven other Senate Democrats sent a letter today to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell warning about the risk of holding back key resources from the CFTC, especially at a time when gas prices are already high. Equally disturbing, they wrote, are the House Republicans’ cuts to a range of programs focused on developing alternative sources of energy, including clean fuel technologies that will help wean us off our dependence on foreign oil.

In their letter, Chris and other Senate Democrats called for real bipartisan solutions to our energy problems, particularly a “sensible fiscal policy that invests in what we need to grow and cuts what doesn’t, without undermining our mission to transition to a safe, clean, and affordable future.”

Click here to read the full letter, and for a complete list of the senators who signed it.

Chris visits Center for Inland Bays, UD Lewes campus

Senator Coons met today with two groups working to preserve Delaware’s coastal region: the University of Delaware Lewes campus and the Delaware Center for Inland Bays – one of only two National Estuary Programs in the state.

In the morning, Chris attended the Delaware Center for Inland Bays quarterly board meeting to listen to the board’s comments and concerns regarding protection of the Inland Bays and their watershed, which consists of 320 square miles and whose bays and tributaries cover about 32 square miles. One of the issues discussed during the meeting was a recent Supreme Court ruling that denied the states the right to require buffer strips of vegetation along waterways.

Chris discussed finding the balance between our valuable agriculture community and regional environmental concerns and answered on protecting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as well as the related federal budget issues for National Estuary Programs.

Chris’ next stop was at the University of Delaware’s Lewes campus, where he met with Dean Targett, professors Jeremy Firestone and Willett Kempton and several graduate students to discuss the University’s renewable energy initiative and research. The faculty discussed the potential for wind energy as a successful and profitable renewable energy resource.

The University’s on-shore wind turbine, located on its Lewes campus, stands 400 feet tall and went operational in June 2010. The turbine provides most of the power for the Lewes campus and feeds to the electric grid in the surrounding area. This was the Chris’ third visit to the Lewes campus since its turbine was installed.

A bipartisan appeal for comprehensive deficit reduction

In order to get our fiscal house in order, both parties need to come together to pass a budget that deals comprehensively with our growing deficit. This was the message Senator Coons and sixty-two other senators from both sides of the aisle sent to the President today in a letter that can be read here in full.

Chris and his colleagues are urging the President to lead a more comprehensive approach to deficit reduction based in part on the recommendations of the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. These include tax reform, entitlement spending changes, and cuts to discretionary spending.

“While we may not agree with every aspect of the Commission’s recommendations,” the bipartisan group of senators wrote, “we believe that its work represents an important foundation to achieve meaningful progress on our debt.” This is a message Chris has been repeating since taking office – that our challenges are interrelated, and we will need to approach the budget comprehensively in order to achieve real bipartisan solutions.

In his maiden speech to the Senate in January, Chris similarly spoke of the need to address our greatest national challenges, such as unemployment, energy security, economic growth, and education access, comprehensively. “Our problems are interrelated,” he told his colleagues, “and the solutions must be as well.”

Chris is committed to working with leaders of both parties to reach the necessary compromises that will get our budget in order, promote economic growth and job creation, and set our country on a path toward greater competitiveness.

Chris cosponsors bill to repeal DOMA

After announcing two weeks ago his strong support for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, Senator Coons on Wednesday joined Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and 17 of his Senate colleagues in introducing a bill that would not only repeal DOMA, but would actively prevent the federal government from discriminating against same-sex couples.

The bill doesn’t require states to allow same-sex marriage, but it does require the federal government to recognize the marriages performed by states that do.

“There are thousands of same-sex couples legally married in several states but whose marriages have been deemed invalid or unworthy by the federal government,” Senator Coons said in a statement released Wednesday.  “The Respect for Marriage Act not only reverses this discriminatory provision but ensures LGBT families will be afforded the same federal rights as every other American. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill.”  

“There are too many young people growing up in Delaware and throughout the United States who think the world is against them because they are gay,” Senator Coons said. “Repealing DOMA is one way we can tell a whole generation of young LGBT Americans that they should not give up and that their country respects them enough to treat them as equal to every other American.”

Small business innovation and job growth

Senator Coons took to the Senate floor today in support of S. 493, legislation to reauthorize and expand the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. These programs directly help small businesses scale up and create jobs, and they have a history of job creation in Delaware. 

Established in 1982, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program sets aside a small part of the research and development budget from a number of federal agencies to be used as grants for small businesses. The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, created in 1992, helps scientists and innovators at research institutions take their discoveries and commercialize them through small business start-ups. Together, both of these programs have invested over $28 billion in helping American small businesses transform into medium and big businesses through innovation and the commercialization of cutting-edge products.

Unfortunately, both SBIR and STTR have faced expiration year after year as Congress delayed a long-term reauthorization. “For too long,” Chris said in his floor speech, “the Senate has kicked the can down the road by passing temporary extensions month after month, year after year, for these two vital programs. This week, at long last, we have the chance to pass real long-term reauthorization.”

In Delaware, local companies are benefitting. Since 1983, nearly 400 Delaware businesses have received $400 million in SBIR grants. One, Elcriton in Newark, started with only two employees and is now scaling up and creating jobs. Elcriton is working on commercializing a process that uses bacteria to turn algae into butanol fuel. Butanol works with our existing petroleum infrastructure, which makes it better than ethanol for wide use in cars and trucks.

Another company Chris featured in his remarks is ANP Technologies, which is developing a lightweight biological agent detection system for troops in the field and first-responders. Compact Membrane Systems of Newport is also putting an SBIR grant to work developing a holly fiber filter that can separate hydraulic fluid from water, extending the life of wind turbines and expanding their workforce from three to twenty-four employees.

In his statement, Chris highlighted the importance of passing S. 493 and its effect on American competitiveness. He said: 

“We cannot afford to let this critical job-creating program expire. According to one report, small businesses backed by SBIR grants have been responsible for almost a quarter of our nation’s most important innovations over the past decade, and they account for almost forty percent of our nation’s patents. The applications range from the military to medicine, from education to emergency services.

“Congress must have a smart approach to budget reform that balances budget cuts with strategic long-term investments that create growth and job-creation for our communities, a great example of exactly what it is that the SBIR and STTR programs do.”

Chris is continuing to fight for a budget that puts job creation first and invests in long-term growth for Delaware and for all Americans.