Sen. Coons, colleagues push for Food & Drug Administration to help small farmers comply with new food safety law

WASHINGTON — Today, recognizing that America’s small farmers face unique challenges in implementing new regulations set forth by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich) and U.S. Congressman Sam Far (D-Calif.) and U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement specific training and outreach programs to help small farmers and processors accurately comply with the new law. In letters addressed to FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Stephen Ostroff, the Members highlighted the importance of ensuring that these small farms – which produce an increasingly large part of our food supply – meet the new food safety requirements, and called for the expedited implementation of Sec. 209 of FSMA to assist small farmers, small producers, and fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers in making timely and accurate business decisions for the upcoming year.

“With the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Congress took a major step forward in shifting the focus of food safety from response to prevention. But confusion and misinformation is already circulating, and establishing lines of communication to farmers or to organizations that partner with farmers about implementation deadlines, training opportunities, and future technical assistance is critical to timely and accurate compliance. The economic value of small farms is clear, and it is therefore critical to support the needs of small farms in meeting the new food safety requirements,” the Members wrote.

The full text of the letter is below:

The Honorable Dr. Stephen Ostroff, M.D.

Acting Commissioner

Food and Drug Administration

10903 New Hampshire Avenue

Silver Spring, MD 20993

Dear Acting Commissioner Ostroff,

With the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Congress took a major step forward in shifting the focus of food safety from response to prevention. We applaud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its efforts to work with key stakeholders to craft and begin implementing appropriate and effective regulations to prevent the spread of foodborne disease. However, small farmers and processors face particular and unique challenges while implementing these regulations.

As the new rules are finalized, we urge you to expedite implementation of Sec. 209, which includes a provision that provides technical assistance and training geared towards small farmers, small producers, and fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers in order to reduce confusion on new regulations and promote effective implementation. Additionally, we would urge you to begin distributing written materials and start conducting outreach and education now, as farmers are making business decisions for next year. Confusion and misinformation is already circulating, and establishing lines of communication to farmers or to organizations that partner with farmers about implementation deadlines, training opportunities, and future technical assistance is critical to timely and accurate compliance.

The economic value of small farms is clear. According to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture entitled Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, 2014 Edition, 97% of farms in the U.S. are family farms, with small farms making up 90% of these farms. Furthermore, the demand for locally grown and packaged food is only growing. The number of farmer’s markets has increased from 6,132 in 2010 to 8,268 in 2014. Together these trends show that small and local farms produce an increasingly large part of our food. It is therefore critical to support the needs of small farms in meeting the new food safety requirements.

While you continue to develop small farm-centric outreach across the span of regulation, we feel there are two areas of particular importance—the produce rule and the preventive controls for human food rule. The produce rule will serve as the first-ever nationwide standard on produce safety. Small farmers will need time, training, and relationships with regulators in order to effectively navigate new guidelines. Further, many small farms are diverse and have multiple profit centers—from produce, to value-added products, to dairy, to bakeries, and more. While we understand the preventive controls rule is still being developed, we feel strongly that the final rule provide clarity on what qualifies as a “facility” and what farmers must do to ensure compliance.

FSMA represents a major shift in the way we approach food safety and we believe effective implementation is contingent on farms of all sizes having access to useful resources and regular communication with regulators to troubleshoot problems. We commend your work thus far. As regulations such as the produce safety rule and the preventive controls rule are finalized later this year, we again encourage you to implement the provisions in Sec. 209 which establishes a robust technical assistance, training, education and outreach program to target both exempt and nonexempt small farms, small processors, and fruit and vegetable wholesale merchants comply with the new food safety standards.

                                                Sincerely,                   

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy

U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

U.S. Senator Al Franken

U.S. Senator Angus King

U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy

U.S. Senator Chris Coons

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

U.S. Senator Tom Carper

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow

U.S. Congressman Sam Far

U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree

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White House Drug Policy Office Funds Delaware High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

Wilmington, DE – Today, Michael Botticelli, Director of National Drug Control Policy, announced federal funding for Delaware as part of a new law enforcement and public health initiative to address heroin and prescription drug abuse. The funding comes through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, to which New Castle County was designated last year by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.  

$2.5 million will fund the Heroin Response Strategy, an unprecedented partnership among five regional HIDTA programs — Appalachia, New England, Philadelphia/Camden (of which New Castle County is now a member), New York/New Jersey, and Washington/Baltimore — to address the severe heroin threat facing those communities through public health-public safety partnerships across 15 states.

“The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program helps Federal, state, and local authorities to coordinate drug enforcement operations, support prevention efforts and improve public health and safety,” said Director Botticelli.  “The new Heroin Response Strategy demonstrates a strong commitment to address the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic as both a public health and a public safety issue. This Administration will continue to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use, pursue ‘smart on crime’ approaches to drug enforcement, increase access to treatment, work to reduce overdose deaths, and support the millions of Americans in recovery.”

“While we need to do more to stop the flow of drugs into our cities, suburbs and rural areas, we know we cannot arrest our way out of this health crisis,” said Governor Jack Markell. “In order to truly reduce the number of people and families impacted by addiction, we must convince active users that treatment is available, it does work, and they can recover and thrive. This federal funding will support ongoing efforts in Delaware to address the addiction epidemic and we are grateful for the support of Director Botticelli, along with the tirelessly advocacy of Delaware’s Congressional delegation.”

“New Castle County is not immune to the heroin epidemic, and this program will help law enforcement combat this problem that affects communities all across the country,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper. “It will take an all-hands-on-deck effort to seek out the root causes and fix them. It is through partnerships with law enforcement, the community, and other cities across the country that real change can happen and this program will help to make that change a reality.”

“The addition of New Castle County to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program strengthens existing efforts in Delaware,” said U.S. Congressman John Carney. “This investment will help provide much-needed resources for us to better address heroin and prescription drug abuse. I appreciate the Administration’s commitment to ending this epidemic, and I look forward to continuing to work together at the local, regional, and federal level to combat drug abuse and strengthen our communities.”

Background on the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program

Created by Congress in 1988, the HIDTA program serves as a catalyst for coordination among Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug trafficking regions of the United States. Law enforcement organizations working within HIDTAs assess drug-trafficking issues and design specific initiatives to decrease the production, transportation, distribution, and chronic use of drugs and money laundering. There are currently 28 HIDTAs located in 48 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced a total of $13.4 million in funding for HIDTA programs across the country. 

Background on the 15-State Heroin Response Strategy:

The Heroin Response Strategy will foster a collaborative network of public health-public safety partnerships to address the heroin/opioid epidemic from multiple perspectives. The Strategy will enhance the efficacy and efficiency of the criminal intelligence process in support of cooperative law enforcement operations. The five HIDTAs will create a 15-state network of experienced, connected law enforcement contacts and leverage these connections and information-gathering capabilities with a strong, complementary, analytical capacity.

The five HIDTAs will select two centrally located Regional Coordinators, one with a public health focus and the other with a public safety focus, who will manage and oversee implementation and operation of the Heroin Response Teams. The Public Health Coordinator will oversee regional reporting of fatal and non-fatal overdose information and issuing of relevant alerts regarding dangerous batches of heroin and other heroin-related threats to health authorities. This will mobilize a rapid public health response to distribute naloxone or expand resources in the affected areas, helping to mitigate the number of overdoses and prevent deaths. The Public Safety Coordinator will oversee execution of public safety goals by ensuring case support is provided where needed and intelligence is being disseminated to relevant law enforcement authorities to enable disruption of the heroin supply.

A heroin and prescription opioid training curriculum will be developed and used to prepare rural and municipal officers and first responders who are inexperienced responding to heroin and prescription opioid-related incidents. To assist communities in coping with this escalating problem, the five HIDTAs will develop Education & Training strategies that will increase awareness of heroin and opiate addiction, create linkages to available prevention and treatment resources in the respective regions, and enable first-responders to know how to report all pertinent lead information developed from seizures and overdose responses.

The Heroin Response Strategy builds upon the successes of the 2014 symposium hosted by the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA.  Each year, the five HIDTAs will host two, two-day State of the Region symposia at a jointly nominated HIDTA.  These symposia will build additional structure within each respective HIDTA region for the attendees to maintain regular contact and continue their public health-public safety partnerships between symposia. The aim will be to facilitate collaboration between public health and public safety partners within and across jurisdictions, sharing best practices, innovative pilots, and identifying new opportunities to leverage resources.

Background on the Administration’s National Drug Policy

The Obama Administration’s drug policy treats the national drug challenge as a public health issue, not just a criminal justice issue.  This approach is built upon the latest scientific research demonstrating that addiction is a chronic disease of the brain that can be successfully prevented and treated, and from which one can recover.

The Administration has directed Federal agencies to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use before it begins, empower healthcare workers to intervene early at the first signs of a substance use disorder, expand access to treatment for those who need it, support the millions of Americans in recovery, and pursue “smart on crime” approaches to drug enforcement.

Carper, Coons applaud committee approval of bipartisan measure to ease burden on Delaware farmers

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) applauded Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee approval of the Sensible Environmental Protection Act (SEPA), which would eliminate unnecessary and costly Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on pesticides that affect many of Delaware’s farmers. Introduced by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senators Carper, a senior member of the EPW Committee, and Coons are cosponsors of the bill, along with Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), David Vitter (R-La.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

“Some people believe that we must choose between a cleaner environment and a stronger economy, but I believe this is a false choice,” said Senator Carper. “By implementing federal regulations in an effective and efficient way, we can have robust environmental protections that also protect the private sector’s ability to create jobs. We have a duty to the hard-working farmers in Delaware and across the country to ensure they are not overburdened by duplicative or wasteful federal regulations. By reducing duplication in the pesticide permitting process in a responsible way, we can protect the health our citizens and our environment without wasting taxpayer dollars or straining our agricultural producers.  I was happy to support the legislation in Committee and look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill across the goal line ”

“Delaware’s diverse agriculture industry helps feed the nation and our economy,” said Senator Coons. “For too long, though, Delaware farmers have faced redundant, excessive regulatory burdens that hamper their productivity and waste taxpayer dollars. This legislation is a step in the right direction to help ensure our farmers and our environment are protected without wasting valuable time and money.” 

For nearly 40 years, the EPA has implemented a comprehensive regulatory scheme for pesticide applications under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide  Act (FIFRA). According to the EPA, a new pesticide must undergo over 100 different tests to characterize its potential risks to the environment and human and wildlife health. Unfortunately, a court decision forced EPA to begin requiring Clean Water Act permits for pesticides applied in, over, or near water. The new permitting system went into effect on November 1, 2011.

SEPA clarifies that Clean Water Act permits are not required for pesticide applications in or near water. The bill also asks EPA to report back to Congress on whether the FIFRA process can be improved to better protect human health and the environment from pesticide applications.

EPA has estimated an additional 365,000 pesticide users – including farmers, ranchers, state agencies, cities, counties, mosquito control districts, water districts, pesticide applicators, and forest managers that perform 5.6 million pesticide applications annually – will be required to obtain Clean Water Act permits. This is nearly double the number of entities previously subject to permitting requirements – forcing states and localities to spend time and precious resources to comply with this unnecessary regulation.

SEPA is supported by 150 farming and forestry groups and state regulators from across the country, including: the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Agriculture Retailers Association, National Cotton Council, National Alliance of Forest Owners, United Fresh Produce Association and the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants.

Sens. Carper, Coons applaud SBA’s selecting Wilmington for ‘Startup in a Day’ program

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) applauded Small Business Administration Secretary Maria Contreras-Sweet’s announcement that Wilmington is one of 28 winners of the first ever Startup in a Day Competition totaling $1.6 million in cash prizes. Just last month, both Senators Carper and Coons hosted Secretary Contreras-Sweet for a walking tour of businesses in downtown Wilmington.

Startup in a Day is an initiative announced by the President earlier this year designed to help cities and Native American communities streamline the licensing, permitting, and other requirements needed to start a business in their areas, with the goal that an entrepreneur can apply for everything necessary to begin a business within one business day.

Wilmington was awarded one of 28 “Start Small” prizes that comes with a $50,000 award. These prizes were awarded to 25 cities and two Native American tribes in order to help these communities develop a streamlined, centralized business formation platform. 

When announcing Startup in a Day, President Obama stated: “I’m calling on city halls across the country to join the initial eleven mayors in a simple but powerful pledge to entrepreneurs and small business owners: If you want to start a business, we’ll make it so easy to navigate the license and permitting system online, that you’ll be off and running within 24 hours.”

“The Small Business Administration helps many businesses throughout Delaware benefit from the loans and services it provides. Last year alone, Delaware SBA lending closed at a record-breaking $58 million, so we know the SBA is doing something right,” said Sen. Carper. “SBA loan programs fund themselves through fees and points and do not require taxpayer subsidy, which is a win-win for businesses and taxpayers. Now, with its innovative approach to helping Delawareans start businesses like ‘Startup for a Day,’ the SBA is reaching out to even more people and helping drive the small business economy forward.”

“Businesses younger than five years old are a critical driver of our economy, creating the majority of our new jobs in recent years,” said Senator Chris Coons. “However, too many startups don’t have access to the resources or support they need to get off the ground. That’s why I’m thrilled Wilmington won the Startup in a Day grant from the Small Business Administration to help business just starting out build the foundation and fulfill the requirements needed to grow a successful small business that will contribute to Delaware’s economy for years to come.”

“When I started my businesses, it was overwhelming,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. “I had to set up a legal structure, find office space, learn local zoning laws, apply for multiple licenses and permits, and navigate a maze of city, county, state and federal requirements before I could even open my doors. That’s why I’m proud to join the White House in announcing the winners of the Startup in a Day prize competition, as we work to make it easier than ever before to get started.”

SBA is conducting the Startup in a Day initiative in partnership with the National League of Cities (“NLC”), which represents thousands of municipal leaders around the country.  Following the awarding of the prizes, NLC will lead a cohort of winners to share best practices and build community around development and implementation of startup solutions. 

The SBA is announcing the winners of the Startup in a Day competition at the White House Demo Day today. The full list of winners is below. 

Cities are still encouraged to get involved by taking the Startup in a Day pledge.  Please visit www.sba.gov/startup for more details or e-mail startup@sba.gov to learn how to become involved.

Coons, Corker, Cardin reintroduce Electrify Africa bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) today reintroduced the Electrify Africa Act. With nearly 600 million Africans without electricity, this legislation, originally offered in the 113th Congress, will leverage public and private sector resources to extend electricity access throughout Africa, help 50 million Africans with first-time access to electricity, and add 20,000 megawatts of electricity to the grid by 2020.

“Increasing access to reliable energy is critical to Africa’s economic growth and prosperity,” Senator Coons said. “Ongoing, widespread power outages and an aging energy infrastructure are preventing greater economic progress in sub-Saharan Africa, limiting access to health services, and standing in the way of improvements in education in too many countries across the continent. This bipartisan bill would remove this binding constraint to growth by working with local communities to encourage public private partnerships to expand energy access to rural areas, develop new power sources, promote renewables and distributed energy solutions, and support improved energy sector governance.  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this important bill into law.”

“I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan approach for leveraging private capital to bring financially viable electric power to millions of people in Africa for the first time,” said Senator Corker. “When making choices about limited foreign aid dollars, our country should focus on efforts like energy where we can transform lives and create a foundation for economic growth through private sector investment.”  

“Access to electricity remains one of the fundamental development challenges in Africa, with direct impacts on public health, education, and economic growth,” said Senator Cardin. “That’s why this bipartisan legislation draws upon American leadership and ingenuity to provide first-time electricity access to 50 million Africans by developing clean, affordable, and sustainable energy. By working with African governments to attract private sector investment and partnering with American firms that are on the cutting edge of the power solutions Africa seeks, we can make great strides in addressing African energy poverty and promote economic growth at home and abroad.” 

The legislation includes the following components:

Requires the President to create a comprehensive strategy for United States’ engagement with sub-Saharan Africa in developing a broad mix of power solutions to increase electricity access and reliability.

Encourages the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), USAID, the U.S. Department of Treasury, World Bank, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and African Development Bank to prioritize loans, grants, and technical support that promote private investment in projects designed to increase electricity access and reliability.

Authorizes OPIC to continue ongoing work through 2018 and provides limited additional authorities specifically for use on power projects in sub-Saharan Africa. These authorities for sub-Saharan Africa power projects include:

Expedited procedures for small projects,

Promoting partnerships between U.S. joint ventures and African partners to develop responsible electricity generation,

Expanding lending for the purpose of encouraging investments in the power sector in Africa by U.S. investors,

Facilitating the development of African power projects through currency guarantees for qualifying local banks.

Creates a new inspector general for OPIC.

Improves transparency at OPIC by requiring OPIC to publish the development effects of the Corporation’s investments in an accessible format.

Requires the Comptroller General to submit to Congress a report on the effectiveness of OPIC’s efforts to promote investment in energy and infrastructure projects.

Senator Coons, colleagues introduce bill to scale-up investments for small advanced manufacturing businesses

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Gary Peters (D-MI) today introduced the Scale-Up Manufacturing Investment Company (SUMIC) Act of 2015, legislation that increases access to capital for entrepreneurs looking to scale-up and commercialize their advanced manufacturing innovations.  

“America’s small and medium-sized companies are among the most innovative in the world and are critical drivers of our economy,” Senator Coons said. “Too often, though, young manufacturing companies can’t access the same resources available to large, established firms, forcing them to move manufacturing and jobs overseas to secure the investment they need to thrive. We must do everything we can to help these innovative companies grow and prosper here at home so they can create American jobs and grow our economy. I’m proud to join Senator Booker in this effort and support his Scale-Up Manufacturing Company Act of 2015.”

Lack of access to capital pushes emerging manufacturing entrepreneurs to move their advanced manufacturing technologies abroad to other nations that provide financing opportunities for small businesses looking to commercialize their innovations. Not only does this migration drain the United States of innovative manufacturing capabilities, it also causes us to lose out on high-paying, high-skilled manufacturing jobs that accompany the commercialization of new ideas. The U.S. must do more to keep these jobs and opportunities for innovation here at home.

Not only do small businesses employ more than 50 percent of the U.S. workforce, they have also generated over 65 percent of net new jobs since 1995. Small businesses have also proven themselves to be hotbeds of innovation. To survive in today’s increasingly competitive economy, entrepreneurs often must expand quickly, growing on their own or in collaboration with larger firms to help scale-up their innovations into commercialized products which often require highly complex, advanced manufacturing capabilities that demand more time and capital to scale than nonproduction firms. However, our nation’s financing mechanisms have not kept up with this changing landscape and make it difficult for these companies to find the capital needed to demonstrate viability of their technology at a commercial scale.

The SUMIC Act creates a program that allows private investment firms to leverage funds provided by the government to help emerging manufacturers commercialize their products. The program, modeled on the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC) program, would allow approved participating investment firms to invest in securities and issue debentures to raise capital that would then be invested into emerging manufacturers’ businesses. Any fees, interest, and profits received from the debentures and securities investments would offset the costs of the program

The SUMIC Act is supported by the following organizations:

·       Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

·       National Venture Capital Association

·       Association for Corporate Growth

·       Small Business Investor Alliance

·       New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program

·       Rutgers University’s Business School in Supply Chain Management

·       New Jersey Business Incubation Network

·       NJ Innovation Institute

·       New Jersey Business & Industry Association

Senator Coons’ statement on President Obama’s Clean Power Plan

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement on President Obama’s historic Clean Power Plan.

“Climate change is a fundamental challenge of the 21^st century that impacts us all, threatening human health and the environment.  Limiting carbon pollution is a necessity to meet that challenge, which every country on earth faces, and it’s up to America to be the nation that solves the clean energy puzzle and leads the world this century,” said Senator Chris Coons. “President Obama’s historic Clean Power Plan is a critical step forward in combatting this challenge by working with states to significantly cut harmful carbon pollution from the power sector and accelerate the shift towards clean energy and energy efficiency. We can’t afford to miss the opportunity to push our country toward a clean energy economy. This is about sending the message to our country’s best thinkers, innovators, and businesses that we must move in this direction together. 

“The Clean Power Plan will provide a much-needed national standard for power plant pollution that works for both the environment and our economy. Delaware has already proven that we can facilitate economic growth while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2009, Delaware has participated in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) with other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon pollution while investing in clean energy, adding billions to the regional economy.  RGGI should serve as a model for other states as they seek to comply with the Clean Power Plan. This historic effort to reduce carbon pollution and fight climate change is particularly important to my home state of Delaware, which has the lowest mean elevation of any state in the nation, making it particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.

“If the United States is going to remain a leader in the 21st century, we must be at the forefront of confronting climate change.  That’s why I’ve been working in the Senate to support greenhouse gas emission reductions and facilitate clean energy growth – from working to level the energy playing field through the MLP Parity Act to advocating for continued funding for research and development in innovative energy technologies through the energy title of America COMPETES.

“I also appreciate that the Administration took into account a number of concerns and interests from Delawareans while finalizing the Clean Power Plan, and I look forward to working with the Administration and my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to build on President Obama’s proposal to fight climate change.”

Senate, House leaders introduce bipartisan, bicameral bill to protect trade secrets

Washington, D.C.— Senate Judiciary Committee members Chris Coons, D-Del., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., together with Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. and House Members Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., today introduced a bipartisan, bicameral legislation Wednesday to help combat the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars each year in the United States to the theft of corporate trade secrets. The Defend Trade Secrets Act would empower companies to protect their trade secrets in federal court by creating a federal private right-of-action.

“In our increasingly globalized world, the intellectual property that drives the U.S. economy has never been more valuable or more vulnerable,” said Senator Chris Coons. “Too many American companies are losing jobs because their trade secrets are open to theft, threatening our economy and our security. This bipartisan bill finally gives trade secrets the same legal protections that other forms of critical intellectual property enjoy.  It’s a long overdue update that will empower American companies to protect their jobs in the 21st century. I urge Congress to act now and stop the hemorrhaging of jobs and revenue being lost to the theft of trade secrets by passing the Defend Trade Secrets Act.”

“Unfortunately, in today’s global information age, there are endless examples of how easy—and rewarding—it can be to steal trade secrets,” Hatch said. “Yet there are no federal remedies available to help victim companies recover from their losses. The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2015 establishes a uniform standard for what constitutes trade secret theft and will give U.S. companies the ability to protect their trade secrets in federal court. I hope Congress will act quickly to pass this bipartisan, bicameral bill that will help American companies maintain their competitive advantage both here and abroad.”

“For innovation to keep driving economic growth in the United States, innovators must able to protect their intellectual property,”  said Senator Jeff Flake. This legislation will take much-needed steps to empower victims of trade secret theft to protect their intellectual property in federal court. It’s also necessary that Congress address the fact that trade secret theft extends to foreign entities misappropriating U.S. trade secrets. To that end, I’d like to thank Sens. Hatch and Coons for working with me to include a study that looks into the extent of this problem.”

“Illinois is home to some of the world’s leading manufacturing companies, which support thousands of jobs and generate tremendous economic activity for our state,” said Senator Durbin. “This bipartisan bill would ensure that their trade secrets – like the proprietary manufacturing processes that are central to their business operations – have important legal protections like those enjoyed by other forms of intellectual property.”

“I’m pleased to join the bipartisan effort to protect American businesses from intellectual property thieves and help those businesses recover their losses,” said Senator Tillis. “Some of the most pioneering technology, pharmaceutical, and bio-agricultural companies in the world call North Carolina home, and the Defend Trade Secrets Act will help provide them with the legal protections they need to continue to do what they do best: produce life-changing innovation and create good-paying jobs.” 

“The theft of U.S intellectual property threatens economic growth and American jobs,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin, “We must strengthen protections for American businesses and Made in America innovation. I am proud to support this bipartisan legislation because it closes a loophole in U.S. law to safeguard valuable intellectual property and protect American jobs.”

“Protecting the trade secrets of American businesses is crucial to keeping our country a leader in the world economy, said Rep. Collins. “Providing a federal civil remedy will create certainty for companies throughout the nation, including in my home state of Georgia.  Congress has the responsibility to give industries the tools they need to protect their intellectual property and thus encourage job creation and economic growth. Trade secret theft is costing America billions of dollars and that price tag will continue to grow as technology and thieves become more sophisticated. I appreciate the tireless work of my House and Senate colleagues in advancing this critical legislation.”  

“The value of trade secrets to U.S. companies is matched only by their tremendous vulnerability to theft,” said Rep. Nadler. “Innovative technologies have made it easy to obtain information and transfer it across the globe with the click of a cell phone, tablet, or computer key. At the same time, U.S. companies are increasingly targeted for trade secret theft by competitors, with some foreign governments actively encouraging and facilitating the theft of U.S. trade secrets. In light of their value and vulnerability, it is essential that Congress provide robust protection for trade secrets and pass our bill.”

In today’s electronic age, trade secrets can be stolen with a few keystrokes, and increasingly, they are stolen at the direction of a foreign government or for the benefit of a foreign competitor. These losses put U.S. jobs at risk and threaten incentives for continued investment in research and development.

Current federal criminal law is insufficient. Although the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 made trade secret theft a crime, the Department of Justice lacks the resources to prosecute many such cases. State-level civil trade secret laws alone have not been sufficient to stop interstate theft. Federal courts are better suited to working across state and national boundaries to facilitate discovery, serve defendants or witnesses, or prevent a party from leaving the country. Laws also vary state-to-state, making it difficult for U.S. companies to craft consistent policies. 

The Defend Trade Secrets Act would:

• Harmonize U.S. law by building on the Economic Espionage Act to create a uniform standard for trade secret misappropriation. Companies will be able to craft one set of nondisclosure policies secure in the knowledge that federal law will protect their trade secrets.  
• Provide for injunctions and damages, to preserve evidence, prevent disclosure, and account for the economic harm to American companies whose trade secrets are stolen without preventing employee mobility.
• Be consistent with the remedies provided for other forms of intellectual property, such as patents, trademarks and copyrights, which are all covered by federal civil law.

The bill is supported by the Association of Global Automakers, Inc., Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), The Boeing Company, Boston Scientific, BSA | The Software Alliance (BSA), Caterpillar Inc., Corning Incorporated, Eli Lilly and Company, General Electric, Honda, IBM, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Intel, The Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), International Fragrance Association, North America, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Micron, National Alliance for Jobs and Innovation (NAJI), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), NIKE, The Procter & Gamble Company, Siemens Corporation, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and United Technologies Corporation.

Senators Coons, Collins Introduce Bill to Aid Women and Children in Developing Nations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) today introduced the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 to strengthen U.S. government efforts to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and young children in developing nations around the world.  Both Senators Coons and Collins spoke from the Senate floor today urging their colleagues to join them in supporting this legislation.

Every day, approximately 800 women, almost entirely from developing countries, will die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, and the risk of a woman dying in childbirth is 47 times higher in Africa than in the United States.  In addition, more than 17,000 children under five years old will die each day of treatable conditions.

“Over the past several years, we have made great strides in saving moms, babies, and kids in some of the poorest parts of the world, but it’s clear that more help – and more resources – are needed,” Senator Coons said. “The U.S. is a critical leader in ending preventable maternal and child deaths, and this bipartisan bill builds on those successes by utilizing innovative financing tools and new strategies. Investing in maternal and child health in developing countries is an investment in the future, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to help all mothers and children around the globe get the health care they deserve.” 

“There are simple, proven, and cost-effective interventions that we know will work if we can reach the mothers and children who need them to survive,” said Senator Collins. “Far too many mothers, newborns, and young children still succumb to disease and malnutrition that could easily be prevented.” 

The United States has been a global leader in reaching mothers and children in developing countries with life-saving interventions, including skill birth attendants, basic resuscitation options for newborns, vaccinations, and other cost-effective, evidence-based interventions.  In 2014, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) released a report entitled Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths and set a goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths by 2035. 

The Reach Act would provide the focus and tools necessary to accelerate progress toward ending preventable maternal and child deaths by:

• Requiring a ten-year strategy to achieve the goal of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths by 2035;
• Establishing a permanent Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator at USAID who would be focused on implementing the ten-year strategy and verifying that the most effective interventions are scaled up in target countries; and
• Requiring the Administration to develop a financing framework which would allow the use of U.S. government dollars to leverage additional commitments from the private sector, non-profit organizations, partner countries, and multinational organizations. 

Click HERE to watch Senator Coons’ floor speech about the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015.

Click HERE to watch Senator Collins’ floor speech about the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015.

Senators Collins, Coons Introduce Bill to Aid Women and Children in Developing Nations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Chris Coons (D-DE) today introduced the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015 to strengthen U.S. government efforts to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and young children in developing nations around the world.  Both Senators Collins and Coons spoke from the Senate floor today urging their colleagues to join them in supporting this legislation.
 
      Every day, approximately 800 women, almost entirely from developing countries, will die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, and the risk of a woman dying in childbirth is 47 times higher in Africa than in the United States.  In addition, more than 17,000 children under five years old will die each day of treatable conditions.
 
      “There are simple, proven, and cost-effective interventions that we know will work if we can reach the mothers and children who need them to survive,” said Senator Collins. “Far too many mothers, newborns, and young children still succumb to disease and malnutrition that could easily be prevented.” 
 
      “Over the past several years, we have made great strides in saving moms, babies, and kids in some of the poorest parts of the world, but it’s clear that more help – and more resources – are needed,” said Senator Coons. “The U.S. is a critical leader in ending preventable maternal and child deaths, and this bipartisan bill builds on those successes by utilizing innovative financing tools and new strategies. Investing in maternal and child health in developing countries is an investment in the future, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to help all mothers and children around the globe get the health care they deserve.” 
 
      The United States has been a global leader in reaching mothers and children in developing countries with life-saving interventions, including skill birth attendants, basic resuscitation options for newborns, vaccinations, and other cost-effective, evidence-based interventions.  In 2014, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) released a report entitled Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths and set a goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths by 2035. 
 
      The Reach Act would provide the focus and tools necessary to accelerate progress toward ending preventable maternal and child deaths by:

• Requiring a ten-year strategy to achieve the goal of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths by 2035;
• Establishing a permanent Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator at USAID who would be focused on implementing the ten-year strategy and verifying that the most effective interventions are scaled up in target countries; and
• Requiring the Administration to develop a financing framework which would allow the use of U.S. government dollars to leverage additional commitments from the private sector, non-profit organizations, partner countries, and multinational organizations. 

 
Click HERE to watch Senator Collins’ floor speech about the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015.
 
Click HERE to watch Senator Coons’ floor speech about the Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015.
 

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