Newsletter: House Sends Keystone Approval to President's Desk, President Delivers AUMF Language to Congress

Statement

Keystone Authorization Legislation Goes to President's Desk

Last week, the House of Representatives passed S 1 - the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, sending it to the President's desk for signature. Americans have clearly spoken on this issue, and Congress is united -- it's time to build. I hope that President Obama will put down the veto pen, work with us, and sign this bill into law so thousands of Americans will have new opportunities for a job and our country can take one more step towards energy independence.

President Deilvers Draft AUMF Language to Congress

For over a year, Members of Congress across the political spectrum have been calling for the President to present a strategy and request authorization for our military campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL. I have been one of them. That is why I commend him for submitting draft language yesterday for an authorization for use of military force (AUMF) against ISIL.

This is a barbaric terrorist organization. One that has already murdered several American citizens, as well as countless other innocent men, women, and children across a vast amount of territory they now control in the Middle East. They show no regard for the value of human life, see our ideals as a threat, and declare the United States as their primary enemy.

While the President has put forth his strategy, it is now up to Congress -- the branch of government in which the power to declare war is vested under Article I of the Constitution -- to determine whether that strategy meets the demands of our goal of defeating ISIL. We must be deliberate and decisive, but ensure that the mission has a clear definition. We must give our commanders the flexibility they need to succeed in their objectives, but establish guidelines to ensure we do not enter into another protracted engagement without a foreseeable conclusion.

I look forward to what I am sure will be a rigorous debate and I am humbled by the trust you have placed in me as your representative in Congress.

House Honors Civil Rights Pioneers

Last Tuesday, I hosted my friends, Kansas City Kansas Community College Trustee Mary Ann Flunder, Trustee and Wyandotte County Sheriff Don Ash, and President and CEO of Kansas Black Chamber of Commerce Christal Watson, at the US Capitol. In the hallway, we met and visited with civil rights pioneer Congressman John Lewis, one of the leaders of the Foot Soldiers who peacefully marched on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama almost 50 years ago.

On Wednesday, I was proud to join my colleagues in honoring Congressman Lewis and his fellow Foot Soldiers by voting to award them with a Congressional Gold Medal for their bravery and determination during the Civil Rights movement.

ICYMI: Kansas City Star Coverage of Email Privacy Act

Bill aims to block U.S. from reading people's old email without warrant
BY LINDSAY WISE | THE STAR'S WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON - If you've been remiss in cleaning out your email inbox, here's some incentive: The federal government can read any emails that are more than six months old without a warrant.

Little known to most Americans, ambiguous language in a communications law passed in 1986 extends Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure only to electronic communications sent or received fewer than 180 days ago.

The language, known as the "180-day rule," allows government officials to treat any emails, text messages or documents stored on remote servers -- popularly known as the cloud -- as "abandoned" and therefore accessible using administrative subpoena power, a tactic that critics say circumvents due process.

As you rush to purge your Gmail and Dropbox accounts, however, be forewarned that even deleted files still could be fair game as long as copies exist on a third-party server somewhere.

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 was written at a time when most people did not have email accounts, said Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas, who is leading efforts in the House to update the law.

"The government is essentially using an arcane loophole to breach the privacy rights of Americans," Yoder said. "They couldn't kick down your door and seize the documents on your desk, but they could send a request to Google and ask for all the documents that are in your Gmail account. And I don't think Americans believe that the Constitution ends with the invention of the Internet."

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture Holds First Hearing

Last week, the Agriculture Subcommittee kicked off the new Congress with its first hearing. The topic was the Commodities Futures Trading Commission's budget, and Chairman Timothy Massad came to Capitol Hill to testify. During the hearing, I expressed my frustration with the fact that in Washington, a "cut" means getting a smaller increase over your previous year's budget than what you asked for. The CFTC has received a 123% increase in its budget since the 2008 financial meltdown, more than almost any other federal agency, yet claims its budget has been cut. Kansans are frustrated because they know that a cut means a cut, getting less than what you had the previous year. This was a perfect example of the frustrating uphill battle that has existed in achieving real cuts to spending since I came to Congress in 2011.

House Passes Bill to Encourage Donations to Charity

In 2013 alone, Americans gave $335.17 billion to charity. Over 95% of American households give to various organizations each year. These numbers quantify how truly generous our country can be even during tough economic times, when given the opportunity. That is why the House voted to pass HR 644, the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act, with my support. The bill makes various amendments to the tax code to reward that spirit of giving, including making the food-inventory donation provision permanent to benefit organizations like Harvesters in Kansas City.

White House Event Celebrates Passage of ABLE Act

Often we focus on the inability of Washington leaders to solve problems facing our country. Last Tuesday, we took a moment to celebrate Democrats and Republicans working together to stand up for young Americans with autism, Down syndrome, and other developmental disabilities.

I joined a dozen other Members of Congress and Vice President Biden at the White House for a special ceremony to honor the passage of the ABLE Act which creates a new savings account for families of children with disabilities. It will provide them with the tools to maintain greater financial security and prepare their children for a future of independent living.
Last week's event marks the culmination of years of work by families and advocates in the disability community. I'm honored to help lead the charge and be a voice for these families as we seek to provide opportunity for all.

House Passes Bill to Provide Tax Relief to Small Business

On Friday, the House of Representatives passed HR 636 - America's Small Business Tax Relief Act, which helps build America's economy from the ground up by providing certainty to small businesses across the country. The bill makes permanent the expensing allowance for depreciable business property in Section 179 of the tax code. It is yet another sensible step taken by the new Congress to add more certainty to the tax code while we work toward a larger, more comprehensive overhaul of our system.

Unfortunately, like the Keystone XL Pipeline authorization bill and a number of other commonsense bills under consideration by the House, President Obama has threatened to veto HR 636 if it were to come to his desk for signature. I would encourage the President to change his mind, sign this bill into law, and help provide certainty to small businesses across America.

House Passes Authorization for NASA

Last Tuesday, the House voted to overwhelmingly affirm scientific discovery and space exploration as a priority by passing HR 810 - the NASA Authorization Act. This legislation will give the thousands of employees the support they need to continue pursuing life-saving scientific research. I was proud to join my colleagues in support of this bill, which reauthorizes the agency that has been at the forefront of innovation since its inception in 1958.

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