Senator Coons marks Equal Pay Day

Senator Coons issued the following statement on Tuesday to recognize Equal Pay Day — the day that marks how far into the calendar year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Equal Pay Day was created in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages.

“This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the enactment of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. While much progress has been made for women in the workforce, it’s astonishing and saddening that a significant pay gap between the sexes remains. Women in Delaware are still only paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to men, amounting to a yearly gap of $9,911 between men and women who work full time in the state.

“We must continue to fight to for basic fairness in our workforce and across our society. This is why I’m a proud cosponsor of Senator Barbara Mikulski’s Paycheck Fairness Act, which would strengthen the Equal Pay Act by taking meaningful steps to create incentives for employers to follow the law, help women to negotiate for equal pay, and strengthen federal outreach and enforcement effort.

“Equal pay for equal work goes beyond fairness, it’s beneficial to our economy, our families, and our children. Today, I re-pledge myself to fighting to end pay discrimination for Delawareans and all Americans. ”

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on civil rights.

The Senator’s Week Ahead Schedule: April 8 to April 14

Monday, April 8 at 12:00 p.m. — The Senator will speak at the Jewish Federation of Delaware’s annual Yom HaShoah program. April 8th was designated by the United States Congress to remember those who perished during the Holocaust. This year’s Yom HaShoah theme is “Never Again: Heeding The Warning Signs.” Carvel State Office Building, Auditorium, 9th and French Streets, Wilmington, DE – Open to press.

Monday, April 8 at 7:45 p.m. — The Senator will attend a ONE Campaign forum at the University of Delaware. The Senator will participate in an event hosted by the University of Delaware’s ONE Campaign chapter that will focus its discussion around ending poverty and preventable diseases in Africa. Trabant Theater, University of Delaware, 17 W. Main Street, Newark, DE – Open to Press.

Tuesday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 12:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Wednesday, April 10 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting with leaders in the equality movement. Leaders from more than a dozen groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, Freedom To Marry, and ACLU will discuss with Democratic senators the state of the equality movement and their goals for this Congress. Lisa Goodman of Equality Delaware will attend and brief senators on the campaign for marriage equality in Delaware. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. — Closed to press, but arrangements can be made to cover Ms. Goodman’s participation.

Wednesday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m. — The Senator will chair a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. The Committee will receive testimony from Srikanth Srinivasan, judiciary nominee to be the United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press.

Thursday, April 11 at 12:45 p.m. – The Senator will attend a joint bipartisan caucus lunch hosted by Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.

Thursday, April 11 at 4:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 5:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. – The Senator will deliver keynote remarks at the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative launch. The goal of the initiative is to empower every African who has a great idea for a business or an application and to turn that idea into a reality which in turn can help their community, their country, or even the continent at large. The Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative is built on the dual beliefs that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world. 901 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

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ICYMI: Sen. Coons’ op-ed on Delaware marriage equality

Senator Chris Coons, a longtime advocate for marriage equality, published an op-ed in the Huffington Post on Friday highlighting the progress being made at the federal and state level to legalize gay marriage.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in two potentially landmark cases on marriage equality in the United States — one that challenges state laws that prohibit full marriage equality and another challenging the federal law that limits rights for married couples based on sexual orientation.

While we wait for these important court decisions, the Delaware General Assembly is moving forward on legislation that will make ours the tenth state (the eleventh, if you include the District of Columbia) to extend marriage equality to all of our citizens.

This is going to be a big year for equality in this country. As a nation, we’re poised to make historic progress, and in Delaware, we have the opportunity to make sure that everyone has the same right to marry the person they love.

Click here to read the op-ed on Huffington Post’s website.

Delaware students headed to International Science Fair

Senator Coons congratulated four Delaware students who earned medals at the 65th Delaware Valley Science Fair and are now headed to the International Science Fair. Two of the students are from Sussex County and two are from New Castle County.

Chris is a passionate supporter of science education, and loves attending Delaware science fairs to talk with students about their projects. He believes that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are critical subjects for the next generation of American innovators. One of the first bills Chris cosponsored as a U.S. senator was the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, which extended investments in cutting-edge research and STEM education. This legislation was signed into law in January 2011.

The Delaware students participating in the International Science Fair are:

Bansri Patel, Sussex Technical High School
Mikayla Ockels, Sussex Central High School
Martin Kurian, The Charter School of Wilmington
Edward Bao, The Charter School of Wilmington

For a complete list of winners, click here.

Senator Coons also congratulated four middle school students from Kent County who earned honorable mentions at the Delaware Valley Science Fair. They are:

Jordan Tribbett, Milford Middle School
Carson Rios, Milford Middle School
Joseph Dean, Milford Middle School
Ashish D’Souza, William Henry Middle School

What We’re Reading: President unveils brain mapping project

The News Journal ran a story Tuesday covering President Obama’s announcement of a new investment in scientific research, aimed at mapping the human brain. This project could unlock cures for diseases like epilepsy, autism and Alzheimer’s.

Senator Coons is a strong supporter of scientific research, and believes we must invest in basic and applied science in order to keep our economy competitive and drive innovation forward.

The “BRAIN Initiative” – the acronym stands for “Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies” – will look into ways people think, learn and remember, Obama said.

Its goal is developing new technologies that can record the activities of individual cells and neurons within the brain.

Obama cast the brain project as an example of how scientific research can generate economic growth.

Click here to read the full story on the News Journal’s website.

Video: Senator Coons talking foreign policy on MSNBC

Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was a guest on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday talking about Syria and the Middle East.

Live-blogging the budget vote-a-rama

With senators expected to take dozens of votes on amendments to the Senate’s budget resolution over the next 36 hours, Senator Coons’ staff will live-blog the votes to provide some context on how he voted and why.

SATURDAY at 8:00 a.m.

Sessions #614 (Health coverage for immigrants)

This amendment would deny federally subsidized health care for immigrants who were ever unlawfully present in the U.S., even if they ultimately achieve legal status, LPR, or citizenship. This would include participation in Affordable Care Act exchange subsidies. Senator Coons believes this would be unfair to families, youth, seniors (especially because they have to pay federal income taxes). This amendment would affect DREAMers and create a second class of citizenship. Chris voted against the amendment, 43-56.

Inhofe #359 (Greenhouse gases and climate change)

Senator Coons believes that climate change must be confronted head-on and that preventing the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases, as this amendment would do, is dangerous. Climate change is of serious concern to Delaware, especially given the threat of sea level rise. This amendment would limit our ability to mitigate the problem. This amendment would block EPA’s work to use the Clean Air Act to reduce carbon emissions, as they were authorized and mandated to do in a Supreme Court order. The environmental community, including NWF, NRDC, and Sierra Club opposes the amendment. Chris voted against the amendment, which failed, 47-52.

FRIDAY at 11:32 p.m.

Brown #455 (Manufacturing)

Senator Coons supported a bipartisan budget amendment to establish a national network for manufacturing innovation that leverages private and public sector investments for proven United States based manufacturing industries. Chris has been working hard to unleash the power of next-generation manufacturing to create good quality jobs. The amendment passed by voice vote.

FRIDAY at 10:28 p.m.

Casey #442 (Law enforcement)

As a co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, Senator Coons co-sponsored and supported an amendment to help state and local governments implement evidence-based law enforcement tools. Supporters of this amendment include the National Criminal Justice Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Major Counties Sheriffs Association, the National Sheriffs Association, the National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition and the National Troopers Coalition. The amendment passed by voice vote.

FRIDAY at 9:31 p.m.

Reed #482 (Energy efficiency)

As a champion for energy efficiency, Senator Coons voted for a budget amendment to invest in energy efficiency retrofit programs and weatherization for low-income households. Chris has said that “energy efficiency is one of the smartest, strongest ways that we can see progress in the country.” The amendment passed by voice vote.

FRIDAY at 8:10 p.m.

Hagan #278 (Service members’ families)

Senator Coons is a co-sponsor and a strong supporter of this amendment to help the families of service members and military veterans by expanding educational opportunities, increasing access to job training and placement services, tracking and reporting on suicides of family members, ensuring high-quality and affordable health care, and improving military housing. The amendment passed by voice vote.

FRIDAY at 7:45 p.m.

Merkley #398 (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy)

Senator Coons is a strong supporter of ARPA-E, which leads us forward in game-changing energy innovation. He co-sponsored and strongly supported this amendment to increase the funding for ARPA-E in a deficit neutral way. This amendment increases ARPA-E funding by $50 million over 10 years, but offsets that investment from existing reserve funds and budget allowances. The amendment passed by voice vote.

FRIDAY at 6:03 p.m.

Hoeven #494 (Keystone XL Pipeline)

Senator Coons is fighting to protect our environment and preserve our natural resources for future generations. He knows that many Delawareans have strong feelings about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, and believes it is extremely important that this project go through the full and thorough established review process, which the Administration is currently undertaking. The President has final authority to approve or deny the Keystone XL pipeline. Senator Coons voted for an amendment to the budget that takes into account the existing process, and the reality that if the Administration approves this project it will have a budgetary impact. The amendment passed 62-37.

FRIDAY at 4:54 p.m.

Menendez #651 and Coburn #409 (Hospital wage levels)

Senator Coons voted for two side-by-side budget amendments to help bring Medicare payments back to Delaware hospitals. These amendments fix a Medicare provision that was hurting Delaware – as well as the majority of other states in the nation – by requiring Medicare’s hospital wage reimbursements to be drawn from a national pool instead of a statewide allocation. As a result, two states were drawing a disproportionate share of funds at the expense of other states. The News Journal detailed the issue last month.

Medicare reimbursements help hospitals in Delaware pay doctors and nurses and buy equipment. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that the provision these amendments are trying to fix has cost Delaware $5.6 million over two years.

The Menendez amendment failed 49-50 and the Coburn amendment passed 68-31.

FRIDAY at 4:00 p.m.

Senator Coons will call into WDEL at 5:30

The Senator will call into WDEL to talk with Allan Loudell about the budget at 5:30. Click here to stream it.

FRIDAY at 12:32 p.m.

Shaheen #438 (women’s health)

Senator Coons voted for an amendment to the budget that would protect access to healthcare and contraception for women.

Chris is a longtime advocate for women’s health. At a roundtable discussion last summer, he said “all women should have the right to affordable, accessible reproductive health care.” The vote passed, 56-43.

FRIDAY at 11:45 a.m.

Cruz #202 (repealing the Affordable Care Act)

Another day, another attempt by Congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”). The ACA provides access to stable and secure health care for 30 million Americans and protects more than 129 million individuals from being discriminated against due to pre-existing conditions, and it allows parents to have their sons and daughters covered on their plans until they are 26 and preventative care will come without a co-pay or deductible. This was an easy one. As he has in the past, Senator Coons voted against this amendment. It failed, 45-54.

FRIDAY at 11:05 a.m.

Mikulski #431 (equal pay)

An amendment to support equal pay policies for men and women was among the first batch of budget votes Friday morning, and it was approved by voice vote.

Senator Coons is a strong supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help ensure that women in Delaware and around the country earn equal pay for equal work as a matter of basic fairness.

Women in Delaware on average earn 81 cents for every dollar paid to men. Over their lifetime, that means they’ll earn nearly half a million dollars less than their male counterparts.

FRIDAY at 9:30 a.m.

Senator Coons now managing the floor

Chairman Murray can’t be on the floor every minute of the day during the debate and vote-a-rama, so Senator Coons is managing the floor for the Democrats from 9:30 to 10:00. Ish. That means he’ll speak on behalf of the Democratic budget, refute arguments made by Republicans, and allocate speaking time to other Democrats.

Watch live here.

THURSDAY at 10:05 p.m.

Senator Coons on TV, radio on Friday

Before the Senate resumes votes on amendments to the budget resolution, Senator Coons will appear on MSNBC’s Morning Joe at 7 a.m. and will call into Dan Gaffney’s show on 105.9 FM in Sussex County at 7:45 a.m.

THURSDAY at 9:43 p.m.

The #Senate has concluded voting for the evening. The next votes on #SenateBudget will occur at 11am ET tomorrow.

— Senate Budget Cmte (@SenateBudget) March 22, 2013

THURSDAY at 9:31 p.m.

Stabenow #432 (Preventing Medicare vouchers)

Senator Coons voted in favor of this amendment because it protects Medicare for our seniors and prohibits replacing guaranteed benefits with the House passed budget plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program. The vote passed, 96-3.

THURSDAY at 9:26 p.m.

Voted against the Ryan budget tonight. Its priorities are all wrong for our country, chief among them, killing 2 million jobs.

— Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) March 22, 2013

THURSDAY at 8:50 p.m.

Murray #433 (Paul Ryan Budget)

The second vote brought the budget passed by House Republicans to the Senate floor, giving senators the opportunity to vote yes or no on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare as we know it and make dangerously deep cuts to investments in our country’s future. Senator Coons was a strong ‘no’ vote on the Ryan path to austerity, and in fact, he spent much of Thursday making sure his colleagues knew that the House Republican plan fails the basic tests of balance, fairness and values, as opposed to the budget passed by the Senate Budget Committee, which responsibly reduces our debt and deficit without sacrificing our values. The vote failed, 40-59.

THURSDAY at 7:15 p.m.

Votes scheduled

The Senate’s leadership has announced there will be five votes starting Thursday at 8:00 p.m., then six votes Friday at 11:00 a.m. After two hours of debate, the vote-a-rama will begin at 3:00 p.m.

Tonight’s five votes: Sessions motion to recommit; Murray #433 (Ryan budget); Hatch #297 (medical device tax repeal); Stabenow #432 (Medicare vouchers); Grassley #156 (reserve fund-rax reform).

THURSDAY at 7:00 p.m.

Video: Senator Coons compares Democratic, Ryan/Republican budgets at press conference

Senator Coons stood with his colleagues in a press conference in the Capitol Thursday morning to compare the Democratic and Ryan/Republican budget resolutions. Watch below.

Senate passes Senator Coons’ amendment to prevent furloughs of food inspectors

The Senate agreed to an amendment on Wednesday introduced by Senators Coons to the bill that would fund the federal government through September and would protect private sector jobs and prevent a potential crisis in America’s food supply by solving a funding gap for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The Pryor/Blunt/Coons amendment would transfer $55 million in existing agriculture funds to FSIS in order to ensure food inspectors are not furloughed. These facilities are required by law to have federal inspectors on the production line in order to operate.

In proposing this amendment, the Senator Coons along with Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) aim is to protect Americans’ jobs at meat, poultry, and egg production facilities nationwide. It’s estimated that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) projected food inspector furloughs would lead to the closure of nearly 6,300 food inspection facilities across America. As a result, over 500,000 industry workers would lose nearly $400 million in wages.

The Pryor/Blunt/Coons amendment adds no additional cost to the bill. Instead, it moves one-time funding for school equipment grants and deferred maintenance on buildings and facilities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“The federal workers who inspect meat and poultry are critical not only to our nation’s food security, but to the economic stability of many of our rural communities,” Chris said. “While we continue working to replace the reckless sequester with responsible deficit-reduction measures, it was important that Congress act to prevent a potential crisis from developing in our nation’s food supply. Backlogs in food inspections could result in the shutdown of processing facilities and send devastating ripple effects through rural communities and straight to the shelves of every market and grocery in the country.”

Delaware’s poultry industry supports more than 13,000 jobs and contributes more than $3.2 billion to the state’s economy

Video: Senator Coons colloquy on the federal budget

Senator Chris Coons participated in a colloquy on Thursday about the importance of passing a budget that reduces the deficit in a balanced way, promotes economic growth and job creation in the short term, invests in our competitiveness in the long term, and places a circle of protection around the most vulnerable in our society.

The Senator’s Week Ahead Schedule: March 18 to March 24

Wednesday, March 20 at 9:00 a.m. — The Senator will attend a Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee meeting with U.S. tribal leaders. The meeting with American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian leaders will focus on education, housing, and economic development on Indian lands. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.

Wednesday, March 20 at 11:15 a.m. — The Senator will meet with members of the Delaware International Association of Fire Fighters. The meeting will focus on current and future staffing and budgetary issues, as well as on-the-job safety concerns. 127-A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Closed to press.

Wednesday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m. — The Senator will chair a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on due process issues in the U.S. immigration system. The hearing is entitled, “Building an Immigration System Worthy of American Values,” and the committee will receive testimony from witnesses representing various perspectives on the need for reform. A Delawarean will testify at this hearing. Details will be announced on Monday. 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. – Open to press. Contact: Ian Koski at 202-224-4216.

Thursday, March 21 — The Senator is expected to vote all day on amendments to the Senate’s budget resolution. U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Thursday, March 21 at 4:00 p.m. – The Senator will preside over the Senate until 5:00 p.m. Senate Chamber, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. – Open to press who wish to sit in the Senate Gallery.

Friday, March 22 at 9:30 a.m. – The Senator will deliver keynote remarks at the YMCA Youth in Government Conference. Senator Coons will talk about the importance of leadership and student activism in government at the YMCA’s service-learning program that allows high school students to serve in a model government process at the local, state, national, and international levels. Legislative Hall, Dover, DE – Open to press.

Friday, March 22 at 10:45 a.m. — The Senator will tour Polytech High School & Adult Education with the Delaware Dept. of Education Secretary Mark Murphy. The tour, which will be led by District Superintendent Dr. Deborah Zych, will include visits to the newly retrofitted dental lab classrooms; the auto body shop shared by both the high school and adult education students; and the nursing lab of the Adult Education Program. Polytech High School is in the midst of a renovation and building project that will include a 53,460 square foot addition of a new auditorium/performing arts area; computer and engineering technology classrooms; radio/television studio; band and choral arts room; and a new administrative area. 823 Walnut Shade Road, Woodside, DE

Friday, March 22, at 12:30 p.m. – The Senator will have lunch with staff from the Small Business Administration and SCORE advisors. Dover, DE – Closed to Press.

Friday, March 22 at 2:00 p.m. – The Senator will help the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh announce grants for affordable housing projects in Delaware. The grants are for projects that will serve lower-income and special needs individuals in four Delaware communities. Speakers will include Senator Coons; Winthrop Watson, President and CEO of FHLBank Pittsburgh; Dave Moore of Milford Housing Development Corporation; and Kevin Gilmore of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. Further details will be announced on Wednesday. Harmony Hill, 77 Rollin Court, Camden, DE — Open to Press.