Delaware’s volunteer fire companies to be spared Affordable Care Act employer mandate

WILMINGTON, Del. – In a letter sent to U.S. Senator Chris Coons on Friday, the Treasury Department announced it would issue new guidance to reconcile a conflict in the tax code that would require volunteer fire companies to count their volunteer firefighters as “employees” and potentially trigger the Affordable Care Act’s coverage mandate for businesses with more than 50 employees.

“Delaware’s volunteer fire companies are such an important part of the fabric of our communities,” Senator Coons said. “While the Affordable Care Act is already doing a lot of good for a lot of people, it isn’t perfect. The issue facing our volunteer fire companies needed to be fixed, and since Republicans’ commitment to repealing the law is making it impossible for us to repair the law, it was important for the President to step in. The action taken by the Treasury Department today will spare Delaware’s 60 volunteer fire companies from a significant unintended financial burden. I remain hopeful that Congress will come together to fix other issues with the Affordable Care Act that can only be repaired with legislation, but am grateful for the Administration’s action today.”

The full Treasury Department letter can be read and downloaded here: http://1.usa.gov/1aOgvlw 

Last month, Senator Coons cosponsored legislation to clarify the “Shared Responsibility” provision of the Affordable Care Act to ensure that Delaware’s 6,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency responders were not counted be as “employees” in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service. More here: http://1.usa.gov/18RivJi

Also in December, Senator Coons sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urging the Administration to explore a fix for this issue independent of Congress. It can be downloaded as a PDF here: http://bit.ly/Jsz2g7

Senator Coons votes to preserve assistance for Delaware jobseekers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) voted on Tuesday for legislation to provide relief for states and struggling families by extending federal unemployment insurance benefits for three months. The Senator is a cosponsor of both the three-month extension advanced on Tuesday and a version of the legislation that would extend funding for a full year.

“Unemployment insurance helps to prevent a setback from becoming a catastrophe,” Senator Coons said. “For Delawareans who have lost a job in the economic downturn, unemployment insurance allows them to keep their head above water, and to continue to put food on the table, to support their families, to pay the rent, and to make car or mortgage payments. Preserving these benefits is the right thing to do for our economy, our businesses, and our middle class, and I am glad that the Senate today advanced a three-month extension of the program. Congress needs to renew its commitment to restoring our economy by investing again in jobs and the American workforce. Washington cannot turn its back on those who are still looking for work. I urge my colleagues to approve this extension as soon as possible so we can continue to help jobseekers stay on their feet.”

The unemployment insurance system is a partnership between the federal government and state governments that provides a temporary weekly benefit to qualified workers who have lost their jobs and are seeking employment. The amount of that benefit is based in part on a worker’s past earnings.

Thirty-six hundred Delawareans lost their federal unemployment benefits on December 28th and another 4,800 are expected to lose them over the next six months if Congress does not pass an extension of the program.

Carper, Coons, Carney to host Kent County job fair

DOVER, Del. – Committed to continuing to help out-of-work Delawareans find employment, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative John Carney in partnership with Brandywine Counseling and Community Services, announced Friday that they will host their first job fair of the year in Kent County. 

The job fair will take place on Thursday, January 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Delaware Technical Community College on the Terry Campus (North Delaware Tech Drive, Dover, DE 19904) at the Education Technology Building Conference Center. Interested companies seeking to fill positions can contact Senator Coons’ office at 302-573-6345 or via email at workshop@coons.senate.gov. 

Businesses will be on hand at the fair to interview potential new employees. Delawareans are encouraged to come dressed for success with resumes in hand.

“Last year, we held job fairs in all three counties to connect out-of-work Delawareans with good-paying jobs, and we’re doing it again in 2014,” said Senator Tom Carper. “I always say the role of government is not to create jobs, but to provide a nurturing environment for job creation and job growth, and I’ll continue my work to do just that in Washington each and every day.”

“With continued gridlock in Washington making it harder and harder to pass legislation that would meaningfully help the tens of thousands of Delawareans still looking for work, this job fair is a small way to make a difference in our neighbors’ lives,” Senator Coons said. “Like the job fairs we’ve hosted in previous years, our goal for these fairs is to help Delawareans connect with real job opportunities.”

“Putting Delawareans back to work is my top priority. Too many qualified Delaware workers are having trouble finding the jobs they need to support themselves and their families,” said Congressman Carney. “Just as we have the last few years, Sen. Carper, Sen. Coons, and I are organizing job fairs to connect Delawareans with employers ready to hire. I hope that all those looking for their next job opportunity can make it to Dover next month.”

Since 2011, the Congressional delegation has hosted 16 job fairs in Delaware, including four specifically for veterans.

For more information on how to participate as an employer or job seeker, please call Senator Coons’ office at 302-573-6345, or email workshop@coons.senate.gov. Pre-registration is not required.

Senators Coons, Durbin condemn passage of anti-LGBT legislation in Uganda

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Assistant Majority Leader and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, issued the following statement Friday after the Ugandan parliament approved legislation to make homosexual acts punishable with life imprisonment. 

“No individual should be imprisoned simply on the basis of his or her race, religion or sexual orientation. We are deeply concerned that the Ugandan parliament has passed legislation that would place LGBT individuals at risk of life imprisonment. By criminalizing the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality and failure to report such activities to the police, the bill would also further open the door to additional harassment and the arrest of human-rights defenders. If signed into law, this legislation would add to a disturbing trend in Uganda of closing space for free expression and restricting dissent. We understand there are still steps President Museveni could take to try to prevent the law from taking effect, and we stand firmly with those urging him to reject this law.“

Senate passes NDAA with protection for National Guard role in cyber missions

WASHINGTON – A week after the bill was passed by the House of Representatives, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with language written by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) to protect the Delaware National Guard’s 166th Network Warfare Squadron and Department of Defense (DoD) Reserve Components by ensuring their ability to continue carrying out cybersecurity missions. The bill now heads to President Obama for his signature.

The New Castle-based 166th Network Warfare Squadron plays a key role in our nation’s offensive and defensive cyber capability, protecting America’s critical infrastructure systems against the threat of cyber attacks. As part of the DoD strategy requirement in Section 933 of the House-Senate NDAA committee agreement, the language would halt, and likely prevent, cuts to the Squadron, as well as cyber units across the Air National Guard. 

“From banks to traffic lights, and air traffic control systems to power grids, our nation’s economy, health, and safety depend on our cyber infrastructure,” Senator Coons said. “Securing this infrastructure against the very real threat of attacks by organized crime, terrorists, and even nation-states is one of the biggest national security challenges we face. The 166th Network Warfare Squadron and other cyber units of the Air National Guard work on the front lines of this critical mission. These provisions will ensure that our nation’s top defense planners recognize and utilize their unique capabilities to help us win the fight against cyber crime at home and overseas.”

Cosponsored by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Mary Landrieu (D-La.), the legislation was filed as an amendment to the NDAA in November and subsequently included in an updated version of the underlying bill written by the chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives last week.

The language requires DoD to develop a strategy on the use of the Reserve Components in cyber missions. The amendment provisions include:

1. Providing for an inventory of the existing cyber skills of reserve component personnel, including the skills of units and elements in the reserve components that are transitioning to cyber missions;
2. Providing for an inventory of the existing infrastructure of the reserve components that contribute to the cyber missions of the United States Cyber Command, including the infrastructure available to units and elements in the reserve components that are transitioning to such missions;
3. Developing an estimate of the personnel, infrastructure and training required, and the costs that would be incurred, in connection with implementing the strategy for integrating the reserve components into the total force for support of the cyber missions of the Department and United States Cyber Command. The estimate will examine whether there are any misalignments between unit mission and facility readiness to support such missions; and
4. Protecting against unintended duplicate spending and preventing reduction in personnel of a cyber unit of the Air National Guard of the United States from being implemented or carried out in fiscal year 2014 before the submittal of the strategy.

The legislative text, beginning on page 394, can be downloaded here: http://1.usa.gov/1kVKNHY

Senator Coons votes to approve National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) voted Thursday to approve the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (NDAA), the legislation authorizing Department of Defense operations for the coming fiscal year. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives last week and now heads to President Obama for his signature. 

The final version of the NDAA includes several measures originally authored or proposed by Senator Coons as amendments, including a provision to protect and strengthen the Delaware National Guard’s cybersecurity team, an amendment by Senator Coons and Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to ensure that small businesses are not subject to conflicting guidance from federal agencies, and measures to promote trade with Africa and require the administration to present a strategy for stability, security, and good governance in Somalia.

“The Senate has come together to pass bipartisan legislation that takes positive steps to make our nation more secure and strengthen our relationships abroad,” Senator Coons said. “The NDAA authorizes funding for U.S. military and security operations that protect the safety of Americans and promote peace at home and abroad. The bill includes a provision that will ensure the Delaware National Guard’s 166th National Warfare Squadron and other cyber units of the Air National Guard can continue their critical mission to secure our nation’s cyber infrastructure. A rule clarification I sponsored with Senator Blunt will ensure small businesses do not receive conflicting guidance on federal contracts from the Department of Defense and Small Business Administration. Finally, two measures I have long supported will strengthen our ties to Africa – one by ensuring we have a thoughtful, comprehensive strategy to help Somalia develop the democratic institutions necessary for long-term stability, and the other by requiring an interagency strategy that strengthens our trade relationships with Africa. Each of these measures is good for our economy, national security, and partnerships with other nations and I am thankful to my colleagues for working with me to make them law.”

The New Castle-based 166th Network Warfare Squadron plays a key role in our nation’s offensive and defensive cyber capability, protecting America’s critical infrastructure systems against the threat of cyber-attacks. As part of the DoD strategy requirement in Section 933 of the House-Senate NDAA agreement, the language authored by Senator Coons would halt, and likely prevent, cuts to the Squadron, as well as cyber units across the Air National Guard. 

The bill also includes a measure to clarify conflicting guidance for small businesses from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Defense. Occasionally, conflicting rules from each agency both apply to a small business contracting with the federal government. The provision by Senator Coons and Senator Blunt makes it easier for small businesses to comply with these rules by dictating that when both sets of rules apply to a small business contract, only the SBA rule will be enforced.

Senator Coons, chair of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, introduced the Somalia Stabilization Act in October to promote security, stability, and good governance in Somalia. The legislation requires a coordinated, interagency U.S. government strategy for consolidating recent security and political gains in the troubled country.

Lastly, the NDAA includes an amendment cosponsored by Senator Coons to boost trade with Africa. The measure will require a senior administration official to develop a strategy for improving coordination between U.S. government agencies with a role in trade and increasing U.S. exports to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Senator Coons sponsors bill to repeal cuts to military retiree benefits

WASHINGTON – With some military-retiree pensions now facing temporary reductions to their cost-of-living-adjustments in 2015, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) has cosponsored legislation that would repeal and replace those changes. 

The Bipartisan Budget Act adopted by the Senate this week included $6 billion in savings over 10 years obtained by reducing the cost-of-living adjustments for working-age military retirees younger than 62 by 1 percent beginning January 1, 2015. The Military Retirement Restoration Act would replace this provision with new legislation that could raise as much as $6.6 billion over ten years by preventing companies from avoiding U.S. taxes through the use of foreign tax havens.

“There is no question that the fiscal challenges facing our nation require shared sacrifice, but this budget unfairly singles out military families,” Senator Coons said. “I’ve said repeatedly that the budget the Senate passed this week was not perfect, and this was one of its major flaws. Fortunately it is not too late to replace these cuts with more responsible savings, and that’s what the Military Retirement Restoration Act aims to do. With a year before these changes take effect, it is my hope that Congress passes this bill and more responsibly finds the savings it needs to move forward.”

The Military Retirement Restoration Act — S. 1844 — was introduced by U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and now has 19 cosponsors. It has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration. U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY-24) has introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Senator Coons introduces legislation to enhance successful wetland conservation program

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) introduced legislation Thursday to restore and improve the popular and successful Duck Stamp program, which provides funding to conserve wetlands habitat needed for waterfowl.

“It’s up to all of us to protect and preserve Delaware’s precious natural resources for future generations,” Senator Coons said. “Hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and other outdoor recreation contribute billions of dollars each year to our local economy and enhance the quality of life of thousands in our state. The Federal Duck Stamp makes these activities possible by funding efforts to conserve critical waterfowl habitat across Delaware. This bill will ensure this effective program can continue to play an important role in restoring and preserving our wetlands.”

Introduced today, the Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act would authorize the secretary of the Department of the Interior, in consultation with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, to increase the price of the stamp from the current $15 up to $25, and consider an additional increase of up to $30 in five years. The price increase, the first since 1991, will compensate for lost purchasing power due to inflation and restore the effectiveness of the program.

“The federal duck stamp is an incredibly important financial tool that helps conserve critical wetlands and waterfowl habitat in Delaware and across the country,” said Louis Caputo, Jr., state chairman of Delaware Ducks Unlimited. “These funds and the work that can be done with them, will continue to assist the ducks, geese and other migratory birds to ‘Complete the Cycle’ of migration up and down the Atlantic Flyway. These areas provide necessary and essential feeding and resting grounds for the birds during their migratory cycles. In addition to this important work, the program provides artists of all ages the opportunity to enter their work each year in the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. This artwork is purchased by outdoor enthusiasts and collectors, furthering marketing and branding of this worthwhile and essential program to people of all walks of life that enjoy the beauty of the birds and the outdoors. I am hopeful that this legislation can pass the Congress and ensure that the migration of birds continues here in the Atlantic Flyway and all throughout the United States.” 

Established in 1934, the Duck Stamp program has raised $750 million and preserved over five million acres of wetlands critical for waterfowl conservation. Wetlands also support the activities of sportsmen, birders, and subsistence users. The bill also allows for the consideration of limited waivers of stamp fees as long as they have a minimal impact on program revenues.

The legislation is supported by Ducks Unlimited and is also sponsored by Senators Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Statement from Senator Coons on the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the introduction of the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act on Thursday:

“I share the President’s sincere hope that the interim agreement with Iran may result in a comprehensive final agreement that eliminates the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon capability and protects the national security interests of the United States and our vital allies. The bipartisan legislation introduced today, of which I am an original cosponsor, gives the administration the flexibility it needs to continue negotiating with Iran and our international partners, but also ensures Congress will have sanctions at the ready should Iran violate the agreement or negotiations fail.

“After an array of classified briefings and discussions with U.S. and international leaders, I am convinced that the strong sanctions imposed by the U.S. and international community brought Iran to the negotiating table, and I remain strongly supportive of their ongoing implementation and enforcement.   This is why I support legislation proposing additional sanctions to be implemented by the administration if Iran breaches the Joint Plan of Action, takes other action inconsistent with the agreement, or if no final agreement is reached. 

“The bill provides the administration with an opportunity to suspend and eventually waive sanctions for up to a year, so long as Iran continues to negotiate in good faith and does not violate the interim deal. If a final agreement is reached that dismantles Iran’s illicit nuclear infrastructure, brings Iran into compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions, and satisfies other conditions, new sanctions may be suspended.

“As lawmakers, we have no greater responsibility than to ensure that the United States pursues policies that maximize our security interests, as well as those of our allies. This legislation is consistent with that responsibility, and I believe, will improve the chances of reaching a final agreement with Iran that will eliminate its illicit nuclear program.”

Senator Coons praises increase in U.S. aid to Central African Republic

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, welcomed today’s announcement of additional humanitarian and conflict prevention funding from the United States to assist the people of the Central African Republic.

“Stopping the violence in the Central African Republic requires the support and engagement of the entire global community. There are clearly no easy solutions, but we cannot stand aside as innocent civilians are targeted for slaughter. I strongly support the nearly $23 million in additional American support announced by Ambassador Power today aimed at addressing urgent humanitarian needs and helping end the brutal intercommunal violence in the Central African Republic. I welcome the decision to support local leaders’ efforts to build peace in their communities and to improve access to accurate information by training local journalists and helping local radio stations — many of which have been destroyed in the violence — resume operations. It is imperative that this additional support be deployed quickly to help break the spiraling cycle of violence, promote reconciliation among communities that previously lived together peacefully, and prevent mass atrocities.”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power announced that the United States would provide $7.5 million to support conflict mitigation, reconciliation, and peace-building, $15 million in new humanitarian support, and $200,000 to support justice for victims of gender-based violence. Since November, the United States has agreed to provide up to $124 million in support. More information can be found here: http://1.usa.gov/1fIHByY  

CAR has experienced escalating violence and lawlessness since a March 2013 coup.  The violence has forced at least 700,000 to flee their homes, many hiding in the bush or taking refuge in dangerous conditions around churches and schools, and half the population of 4.6-5 million needs humanitarian assistance. Senator Coons chaired a hearing on the situation in CAR on Wednesday.