03.24.20

Pelosi’s Partisan Provisions

Instead Of Promising Immediate Action On the Crucial Bipartisan CARES Act, Speaker Pelosi Introduced Her Own Bill Stuffed With An Unrelated Ideological Wish List

 

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): “[T]here’s a role and responsibility of us to step in and do what the role of government ought to be in this case of crisis. The crisis caused by both a disease and the economy, the government’s action to shut down the economy, and yet, Democrats one after another continue to block it. And they’re not blocking it for things that have to do with actually helping the American people. It is a wish list, a liberal wish list. It is astonishing they are delaying direct assistance so they can play to the liberal left…. We’re here trying to fight for the man and woman on the street in our hometowns, and yet they’re fighting for the Green New Deal. …  The Speaker is pushing for diversity on corporate boards, for collective bargaining, for election reform. There are proposals here in her proposal … requiring early voting, requiring same-day voter registration. Where does that fit into a bill to rescue the American people who right now find themselves in the throes of a disease that may kill them and an economy that has been shut down? That’s why the Democrats aren’t on this floor, because what they are doing cannot be defended. So I would just say – and would appeal to my colleagues -- let us do the work of the Senate. It is time for everyone to stand up and be responsible. Let us get this done. Let us get this passed. The days for political games are now behind us.” (Sen. Barrasso, Floor Remarks, 3/23/2020)

 

What’s In The Pelosi Bill?

PAGES 761-762: Imposing corporate board diversity mandates

PAGES 975-976: Imposing new emission standards and carbon offsets on airlines

  • “Not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require each air carrier receiving assistance under section 101, to fully offset the annual carbon emissions of such air carriers for domestic flights beginning in 2025.” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, 3/23/2020)
  • “CARBON EMISSIONS GOAL.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require each air carrier receiving assistance under section 101 to—(A) make and achieve a binding commitment to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the domestic flights of such air carrier in every calendar year, beginning with 2021 …” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, 3/23/2020)

PAGE 979: Requiring airline literature on flight emissions

  • “Not later than January 1, 2023, the Secretary of Transportation shall develop and implement, by regulation, a program to require air carriers that receive assistance under section 101 provide passengers with information regarding greenhouse gas emissions resulting from each individual flight …” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, 3/23/2020)

PAGES 908-910: Promoting federal public employee unions

  • “This division may be cited as the ‘Protecting Collective Bargaining and Official Time for Federal Workers Act’…. The current administration has acted through Executive Orders and official memorandums to … set an aggressive schedule for unions to engage in collective bargaining, while also slashing the unions official time for performing union duties by over 91 percent in some cases.” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, 3/23/2020)
  • One of the executive orders Democrats would overturn was designed to “cap the amount of paid time that workers can take off to conduct union-related business.” (Politico, 5/25/2018)

PAGES 740-741: Imposing an expensive “permanent” minimum wage hike on employers

  • “PERMANENT REQUIREMENTS ON ALL CORPORATIONS RECEIVING FEDERAL AID RELATED TO COVID–19.—Any corporation that receives Federal aid related to COVID–19 shall permanently comply with the following … MINIMUM WAGE.—The corporation shall pay each employee (full-time and part-time) of the corporation a wage of not less than $15 an hour …” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, 3/23/2020)

PAGE 896: Canceling U.S. Postal Service debt

PAGE 1170: Granting “special rules” to community newspaper retirement plans

  • “MODIFICATION OF SPECIAL RULES FOR MINIMUM FUNDING STANDARDS FOR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PLANS. (a) AMENDMENT TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.—Subsection (m) of section 430 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, is amended to read as follows: ‘(m) SPECIAL RULES FOR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PLANS.— ‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible newspaper plan sponsor of a plan under which no participant has had the participant’s accrued benefit increased (whether because of service or compensation) after April 2, 2019, may elect to have the alternative standards described in paragraph (4) apply to such plan.” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, 3/23/2020)

 

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTE