Email Insights: Heidi Cruz coming to Montgomery and Mobile
There’s no doubt that Alabama is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz country. With one of the strongest grassroots efforts of all the presidential candidates (I would venture to guess the strongest in the state) Cruz has made our state a priority. Beyond Cruz’s bus tour has making stops earlier this year through out the state, he has named some power house volunteers to his team including Ann Eubank, Becky Gerritson, Chad Mathis and Troy Towns. His campaign released word yesterday that his wife Heidi Cruz is coming to visit. In a bio piece by the New York Times when Cruz was first elected to the U.S. Senate Heidi was described as, “A vegetarian with a Harvard M.B.A., Mrs. Cruz is a managing director at Goldman Sachs, one of the Wall Street firms that helped set off the populist rage that ushered Mr. Cruz into the Senate in 2012. She works for Goldman in Houston, where she lives with the couple’s two young children, and as her husband’s fame has increased — depending on the audience, he is among the most pilloried or revered members of the Senate — she has maintained a low profile.” Since then she has taken unpaid leave of her job to help her husband on the campaign trail and has even been called his “not-so-secret weapon” of the campaign. For details on where check out the email below. Heidi Cruz is coming to Alabama! She will be touring the state November 4th-5thin Montgomery and Mobile. Montgomery Meet & Greet with Heidi Cruz 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Wintzell’s Oyster House (Back Room) 105 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 RSVP HERE Mobile Meet and Greet with Heidi Cruz 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Half Shell Oyster House 3654 Airport Blvd Mobile, Al 36608 November 5, 2015 RSVP HERE
Yeas and Nays – How the Alabama delegation voted this week: 10/30/15
Here’s a look at how the Alabama delegation voted on major issues this week in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate: House votes H.R. 597: the Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act. The bill reauthorizes the official export credit agency of the United States for four years; sets new, lower, lending caps; aims to increase accountability and transparency at the bank; and directs the president to initiate negotiations to reduce and eventually eliminate government export subsidies worldwide. Passed the House 313 – 118 Yea: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) Nay: Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) H.R. 1090: the Retail Investor Protection Act. The bill prohibits the Labor Department from implementing a final rule on fiduciary standards for retirement investment advisers until after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) conducts a study and issues a final rule setting standards of conduct for broker-dealers. Passed the House 245 – 186 Yea: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) Nay: Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) H.R. 1314: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015: The bill would raise the $18.1 trillion debt limit by $1.5 trillion until March 15, 2017. Would also raise sequester spending caps by $50 billion in fiscal 2016 and $30 billion in 2017 and would make changes to the Social Security disability program. Passed the House 266 -167 Yea: Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) Nay: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) H.R. 3762: the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. Pertaining to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), this bill repeals the individual mandate, the employer mandate, the Cadillac tax, the medical device tax, ends auto-enrollment, and ends the public health slush fund. Passed the House 240 – 189 Yea: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) Nay: Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) Election of Paul Ryan. The House elected Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-1), a Wisconsin Republican, as its speaker, replacing Ohio Republican Rep. John Boehner (OH-8), who resigned from Congress. Elected with 236 votes For: Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01); Rep. Martha Roby (AL-02); Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03); Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04); Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05); Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-06) Against: Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) who instead voted for Rep. Nancy Pelosi Senate votes Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015: The bill would raise the $18.1 trillion debt limit by $1.5 trillion until March 15, 2017. Would also raise sequester spending caps by $50 billion in fiscal 2016 and $30 billion in 2017 and would make changes to the Social Security disability program. Passed the Senate 64 -35 Yea: N/A Nay: Sen. Jeff Sessions; Sen. Richard Shelby Confirmation of U.S. District Judge. This vote confirms the nomination of Lawrence Joseph Vilardo to serve as U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York. Passed the Senate 88 – 0 Yea: Sen. Jeff Sessions; Sen. Richard Shelby Nay: N/A
Alabama one of 5 states chosen for “No Wrong Door” grant
It is about to be easier for Alabamians of all ages, disabilities and income levels to learn about, and access, the long-term services and supports they need. The federal Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced this month Alabama Medicaid would receive a “No Wrong Door” grant. The grant – $2.36 million over three years – will allow the state to streamline access to long-term services through Central Alabama Recipient Eligibility System (CARES), the state’s joint eligibility system for public services and supports. Alabama joins Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii and Virginia as one of the five recipients of the award that will build upon the lessons learned from the original eight grant recipients awarded in 2012. In the “No Wrong Door” system multiple Alabama state and community agencies will coordinate to ensure that regardless of which agency people go for help, they can access information and one-on-one counseling about the options available across all the agencies and in their communities. “This award is significant in that over the next three years the five grantee states will set the standard for streamlining public program access for the rest of the country,” said Ginger Wettingfeld, Gateway to Community Living project director. She also noted that the grant will complement the technical development work of CARES which is now underway. “While CARES handles financial eligibility, this grant will allow us to train and educate the individuals who help someone walk through all the public programs available to them with the overall goal of having the same experience regardless of which agency you start at — the Alabama Department of Senior Services, the Alabama Department of Public Health, Medicaid or the Alabama Department of Human Resources,” Wettingfeld said. The grants are part of an ongoing partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to support state efforts to advance system-wide changes that make it easier for people to remain living in their own homes and communities.
State taking action to ensure voter readiness in Alabama
With 2016 just around the corner, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill is teaming with the state Legislature to ensure Alabamians are prepared to fulfill their civic duty and vote. Together they have coordinated voter registration drives across the Yellowhammer state, where Merrill’s office will also issue photo I.D.s that are necessary to vote in the state. The issuance of photo I.D.s are of particular note to Alabamians as the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) announced its plans to close 31 driver license offices because of a significant loss of funding in the new state budget on Sept. 30, drawing nationwide criticism. In 2014, only 41 percent – 1.17 million of about 2.9 million – of Alabama’s registered voters turned out for the general election, the lowest participation in a general election since in at least 28 years. The upcoming voter readiness events will be held on: Saturday in Covington County at 8 a.m. at the Opp Fest Saturday in Pike County at 10 a.m. at the Peanut Butter Festival, Saturday in Jefferson County at 9 a.m. at the Magic City Classic Tuesday in Shelby County at 10 a.m. at the Roy Downs Memorial Library Wednesday in Lee County at 10 a.m. at the Smiths Station City Hall Since June 3, 2014, to participate in an election, a citizen must be registered to vote and present a valid form of photo ID. Forms of photo ID accepted at the polls are any of the following valid documents: driver’s license; Alabama photo voter ID card; state issued ID (any state); federal issued ID; US passport; employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state; student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools); Military ID; or Tribal ID. To receive a free Alabama photo voter ID card, a citizen must be a registered voter and must not have one of the valid forms of photo ID listed above. For information on the site schedule as well as free Alabama voter identification cards, visit www.alabamavoterid.com or call 1-800-274-VOTE.
GOP suspends partnership with NBC News for February debate
The Republican National Committee says it’s suspending its partnership with NBC News and its properties and won’t allow the network to co-host a presidential primary debate scheduled for February. The letter from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to NBC News chief Andrew Lack comes after this week’s heavily criticized debate on CNBC. Priebus says the CNBC debate did not focus on economic issues as promised, and that candidates were asked questions that “were inaccurate or downright offensive.” NBC News, in a statement, called it a “disappointing development. However, along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo, we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party.” The RNC tells NBC it will still hold a debate as scheduled on Feb. 26 with its other planned media partner, National Review. Even before the decision to break with NBC, several of the GOP campaigns had planned to meet to discuss complaints about how the party’s debates are being run. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama, Georgia connect to exchange health information
A new state-to-state connection promises to blur the lines between Alabama and Georgia when it comes to securely exchanging health information. Medicaid patients in Alabama and most patients in Georgia who cross state lines to see medical providers will now benefit from the secure state-to-state connection established in mid-October by Alabama’s One Health Record statewide health information exchange and Georgia’s health information exchange, Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN). The new connection allows patients who receive care in both states to have their information shared between physicians, resulting in quality and coordinated care across state lines. “By connecting with GaHIN, we help advance the health of the citizens of Alabama and Georgia by putting more complete patient information in the healthcare providers’ hands,” said One Health Record Director Paul Brannan. “Ultimately, we will also be able to reduce unnecessary healthcare costs, increase administrative efficiencies and improve health outcomes.” This is the first connection of its kind for Alabama, as it seeks to increase secure, real-time access to essential patient information for physicians, hospitals and other medical providers at the point of care. It is the second connection for Georgia, which previously connected to South Carolina’s HIE. “Healthcare doesn’t stop at the state line, so we need to ensure that physicians in both Georgia and Alabama have real-time access to patient health information at the point of care,” Denise Hines, executive director of GaHIN, said in a statement. “Having medical history and pertinent patient information from the neighboring states can help improve care quality and save time by providing critical information at the point of care during non-urgent and emergency situations.”
Martha Roby: Turning point in Congress
This week marked a significant turning point in Congress as Paul Ryan was elected to be the new Speaker of the House. Of course, outside of his service in Congress, Paul Ryan is best known as Mitt Romney’s running mate in the 2012 presidential election. He has spent this year as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and was previously Chairman of the Budget Committee, both important positions with considerable influence on fiscal policy. He has been a leading voice for supply-side, conservative economics for years, and his “Path to Prosperity” budgets, though never passed by the Senate, were the blueprint of Republicans’ vision for conservative governing. When former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced he would retire at the end of September, it was unclear who would ultimately emerge to lead the House of Representatives. I’m a conservative, so I wanted a bold leader who could unite Republicans and advance a conservative agenda. Paul Ryan is uniquely qualified for such a task, and when he stepped forward for consideration, I was proud to support him. I sincerely hope Speaker Ryan will be able to lay out a path to success despite a tough political environment. The Senate is still badly gridlocked, and even when we do get a conservative bill through, President Obama stands ready with his veto pen. Those realities don’t change, but I believe a united majority working together in the House puts us in a much stronger position to advance good bills and stop bad ones. New leadership is a good thing sometimes. I was encouraged to hear Speaker Ryan say the House would return to “regular order,” meaning legislation is put forth from Members and Committees instead of being pushed from the very top. As he said upon taking the oath of office, “Only a fully functioning House can truly represent the people.” However, this change in leadership doesn’t mean everyone is going to suddenly start agreeing on every issue, every time. There are 435 Members of Congress from all over the country and our views are bound to vary. What’s important is to have a Speaker of the House who will listen to each Member, consider our concerns and priorities, and keep the commitments he makes to us and the American people. No matter who is Speaker, my job is to look out for the interests of those I represent and to fight on their behalf in Washington. Your priorities remain my priorities, and I’m proud to represent you in Congress. There’s lot of work to do. As we turn the page and begin a new chapter in Congress, I look forward to working with Speaker Ryan and my other colleagues to move America ahead by advancing responsible, conservative, common sense ideas. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She is currently serving her third term.
Presidential TV ad roundup: Oct. 30 edition
This week marks the slowest week in campaign TV ad releases from candidates in the last several months. Hillary Clinton‘s campaign employed a new strategy as they decided to troll the GOP with a new series of ads targeting female voters that debuted during the third Republican presidential debate Wednesday. The four new ads feature women in the workplace, as Clinton highlights various economic issues that each woman faces. Check out those ads and rest of the new campaign ads below in this week’s Presidential TV ad roundup: Jeb Bush Title: Inbox Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Honest and devoted Title: Hillary Clinton’s failed agenda Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Ominous and critical Chris Christie Title: The only one with a plan Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: To-the-point Hillary Clinton Title: The same Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Determined Title: Go ahead Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Accusing Title: Sara Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Passionate Title: Alexis Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Compassionate Title: Cheryl Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Calm Title: Mindy Published: October 27, 2015 Tone: Benevolent
Congress sends budget and debt deal to Barack Obama
President Barack Obama is applauding the Senate’s pre-dawn approval of a two-year budget deal, saying it shows Congress can “help, not hinder” the nation’s progress. Just after 3 a.m. Washington time, Senators voted 64-35 to approve the measure, which also lifts the debt ceiling. Democrats teamed with Republican defense hawks to overcome opposition from conservatives. They included two GOP senators running for president, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas. In a written statement, Obama says the deal will strengthen defense, boost needed investments and create jobs. He says it also breaks the cycle of “shutdowns and manufactured crises” that have harmed the U.S. economy. And he urges lawmakers to work speedily to ensure individual agency spending bills are completed before a temporary spending bill runs out. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Ted Cruz adds to GOP divide on how best to overhaul tax system
In proposing the U.S. adopt a flat tax coupled with a levy similar to a European-style value added tax, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is contributing to a division in the Republican presidential field. Some simply want to cut existing rates. But others — Cruz among them — suggest scrapping the nation’s tax code entirely and starting over from scratch. All the tax plans released by the Republican candidates to date would starkly reduce the amount of money Americans and U.S. businesses pay in taxes, with experts — including those who support them — predicting they would balloon the nation’s debt by trillions of dollars over the next decade. While all people of all incomes would generally pay less in federal taxes in every plan, the benefits skew largely toward the wealthy. But the candidates, who say the proposals would jump-start economic growth, get there in very different ways. Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush have all proposed cuts and consolidation of existing tax rates, maintaining a tax code that collects a larger share of income from taxpayers as it rises. Cruz has joined Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in combining a flat tax, or a single rate paid by all regardless of their income, along with a tax on business activity that would take the place of the current payroll and corporate income tax. That business activity tax is essentially what’s known as a value-added tax. It’s akin to a sales tax, since it’s assumed that businesses will pass the cost of paying it onto consumers. Many tax experts like the value-added tax since it is simpler and less likely to include loopholes for special interest groups. “Nearly every economist would tell you it’s a more efficient tax,” said Howard Gleckman of the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the nonpartisan Brookings Institute and Urban Institute. Cruz’s plan, released shortly before Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate, calls for a flat income tax rate of 10 percent, as well as a tax of 16 percent on all aspects of business — from sales to expenses to salaries paid. “You pay 10 percent of the flat tax going up,” Cruz said during Wednesday night’s debate. “The billionaire and the working man. No hedge fund manager pays less than his secretary.” An analysis by the Tax Foundation, a group that supports lower tax rates, found that about half the benefits from a switch to Cruz’s plan would go to the top 10 percent of all income earners. In part, that’s because wealthy people paying higher rates benefit more from the drop to 10 percent. It’s also because they spend a smaller percentage of their money on daily necessities and would therefore pay less via the value-added tax. The Tax Foundation’s analysis of Cruz’s plan says that it would increase the deficit by as much as $3.6 trillion over the next decade. When factoring in the possible economic growth triggered by the tax cuts, that number drops to $768 billion. Daniel Mitchell, an economist at the libertarian Cato Institute, said combining a flat tax and value-added tax has the benefits of low rates and a simpler tax code. But there’s a political risk in a Republican primary, too. “A Republican could score some very serious punches if he says, well, my opponent wants a European-style value-added tax,” Mitchell said. Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler argued the tax is not really European-style since it replaces existing taxes rather than adding onto them. “The result should be the opposite of Euro-stagnation: A re-ignition of the U.S. economy.” Value-added taxes are also criticized by some for placing a heavier burden on low-income taypayers. Higher standard deductions can mitigate that issue, Gleckman said, but he said Cruz’s deduction of $36,000 for a family of four is too low. To encourage savings, Cruz would also allow taypayers to save $25,000 a year in an IRA-style account in which no tax would be paid until the money is spent. But poorer households, Gleckman said, don’t tend to make enough money to take advantage of such a benefit. Cruz’s plan would also lower the tax on capital gains to 10 percent, a windfall for those who make most of their money from investments. Still, by eliminating the payroll tax he gets rid of an existing regressive levy on salaried workers, especially middle-class ones. Mitchell said the Cruz proposal is sound and could help boost economic growth, but he has reservations about how a future president could try to raise the flat income tax from Cruz’s low levels while enjoying the large revenues supplied by the value-added tax. “I worry that if you are putting in a VAT without getting rid of all income taxation, then you’re just setting the stage for President Chelsea Clinton to make America into France,” Mitchell said. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
