Katie Britt, Marsha Blackburn, and Senate colleagues introduce bill to combat child recycling
U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) recently joined Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and 16 of their Senate Republican colleagues in introducing the Preventing the Recycling of Immigrants is Necessary for Trafficking Suspension (PRINTS) Act. This legislation is aimed at combatting human trafficking and child recycling by giving U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the authority to fingerprint non-citizens under the age of 14. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publicly report the number of apprehensions in a given month involving child traffickers who falsely claimed that an accompanying child was a relative and submit an annual report to Congress identifying the number of minors who were fingerprinted pursuant to this Act. The PRINTS Act removes the Attorney General’s authority to waive fingerprinting requirements for those illegally crossing the southern border and criminalizes child recycling. “This Administration continues to turn a blind eye to the tragic human costs of its reckless agenda,” stated Senator Britt. “The reality is that President Biden’s border policies are anything but compassionate. Every single day, untold numbers of vulnerable children are being trafficked and recycled across our porous southern border. These innocent girls and boys are not living the American Dream – they’re facing an American nightmare. Meanwhile, women and men continue to be viciously trafficked by the cartels, and American families and communities continue to be devastated by the deadly fentanyl flowing into our nation. Enough is enough. It is past time to end this unprecedented humanitarian and national security crisis. Yet again, my Senate Republican colleagues and I are offering commonsense solutions to do just that.” “Under President Biden’s open border policies, we are witnessing a devastating humanitarian crisis, and children are the primary victims,” said Senator Blackburn. “Abusing and using a child again and again is one of the most heinous acts imaginable, and yet it happens every day along the southern border. Empowering border patrol agents to fingerprint non-citizens under the age of 14 would give them the tools they need to identify victims of child recycling and stop this abuse in its tracks. Given that the Biden administration just carelessly lost track of 85,000 migrant children, passing this legislation could not be more critical.” One in every three human trafficking victims is a child. The Washington Times reported that in 2019, ICE identified 600 children who were “recycled,” with one child being brought across the border as many as eight different times. According to recent reporting by the New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services has lost track of over 85,000 children released to sponsors, potentially subjecting these children to exploitation, abuse, and force. Despite these statistics, current DHS regulations and federal law prohibit Border Patrol agents from fingerprinting children under the age of 14. Earlier this year, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing, Senator Britt questioned Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra about the Administration’s reckless policies regarding the treatment of unaccompanied migrant children. Katie Britt is the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Bryan Taylor endorsed by Alabama Independent Insurance Agents
Conservative Republican Bryan Taylor has secured the endorsement of a significant business group in his campaign for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. The Alabama Independent Insurance Agents, the largest and oldest association for independent insurance agents and agencies in Alabama, announced its endorsement of Taylor on Monday. “Bryan Taylor is the only true conservative Republican in the race for Chief Justice,” said Association President Kelly Aday. “We are proud to support Bryan because we know he is the candidate committed to upholding the rule of law and delivering predictable, consistent, and fair outcomes in our courts.” Taylor was also endorsed recently by veteran Republican District Attorneys David Barber and Brandon Falls of Jefferson County and Randall Houston of Autauga, Elmore, and Chilton Counties. “I am a lifelong conservative Republican,” Taylor said at a campaign event in Shelby County recently. “I am from Hoover. I went to Berry High School. I went to the University of Alabama on a full Army ROTC scholarship. I went to law school at the University of Texas. I graduated in 2001, just before 9/11. I entered the active duty Army. I served four years in the Judge Advocate Corps. I served in Iraq for a year. I did a deployment in Honduras.” As a freshman state senator, Taylor spearheaded the passage of sweeping reforms to strengthen Alabama’s ethics laws, led the charge to repeal the legislature’s pay raise, and fought for fiscal conservatism in state budgeting. As chairman of the Senate Constitution & Elections Committee, Taylor advanced legislation to curb election fraud and improve election integrity, such as the law that requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls. Taylor is a co-founding member of the law firm of Bachus Brom & Taylor, LLC. He concentrates his practice on Constitutional law, appellate law, election law, business law and business litigation, and public policy. Taylor lives in Shelby County with his three children. They attend Double Oak Community Church. Taylor is the former spouse of congressional and U.S. Senate candidate Jessica Taylor. Three Republicans qualified for the seat that Chief Justice Tom Parker is vacating. Associate Justice Sara Stewart and attorney Jerry Michael Blevins also qualified to run for Chief Justice in the March 5 Republican Primary. The eventual Republican nominee will face Judge Greg Griffin in the November 5 general election. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
John Wahl thanks Kay Ivey for her recommendations to the library board
Alabama Public Library Service Board member John Wahl released a statement thanking Alabama Governor Kay Ivey for her efforts to protect children from sexually explicit content and her recommendations to the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) Board at Thursday’s APLS Board meeting. Governor Ivey’s proposed amendments moved forward after a motion from Wahl and a unanimous vote in favor by the APLS Board. The rule changes will still require a final vote after an upcoming mandatory public comment period, but if passed, will address policies related to the physical location and relocation of sexually explicit material in order for public libraries to receive state funds. “I am thankful for Kay Ivey’s work to address the location of sexually explicit books in our libraries, as well as her recommendations to the APLS board,” Wahl said. “Governor Ivey has been a strong advocate for protecting Alabama families and finding common sense solutions that respect Alabama taxpayers. Her recommended changes to the APLS code are a great step in addressing the issues we are facing in the youth sections of Alabama libraries, while also helping to make sure parents are in control of what their children are exposed to. Taxpayer money should never be used to push a Marxist agenda from the American Library Association, and Alabama families should never have to worry about their children accidentally stumbling across sexually explicit books in the youth section. I hope we can all agree that libraries should be a safe place for our kids. I look forward to working with the Governor to make sure parents can trust their local libraries in every area and as soon as possible. It is time to be responsible with taxpayer money and protect our children from inappropriate content.” Wahl is also presently the Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. Most observers had expected the APLS board to disaffiliate with the controversial American Library Association. Gov. Ivey, Wahl, and numerous citizen activists wanted to disaffiliate from the American Library Association. APLS Director Nancy Pack had seemed to acquiesce in a recent APLS-wide memorandum. The Board did not do that but instead postponed the decision to disaffiliate. This postponement gives the APLS time for a public comment period on the proposed change. The libraries have come under fire from conservative groups for the introduction of sexually explicit books, including books on gender transitioning and LGBTQ+ topics in the children’s section. The libraries have also been charged with promoting Marxism to children. Governor Ivey has sent a couple of letters to Pack demanding that the libraries do a better job of protecting children and parental rights. Library defenders accuse the critics of advocating book burning and censorship. They argue that disaffiliation will lead to the libraries losing training and other resources that the national association provides. The APLS Board will take up the issue of disaffiliating when it meets in March. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Rep. Terri Sewell introduces bipartisan ARCH Act to help rural communities
Last week, U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Carol Miller (WV-01) introduced H.R. 6430, the Assistance for Rural Community Hospitals (ARCH) Act. This bill would provide greater financial stability for rural hospitals by extending the Medicare-dependent hospital program and Medicare low-volume hospital payments for five years each. The bill would also require a GAO report to ensure Medicare rural hospital designations are bolstering rural health care. Reps. Sewell and Miller previously introduced the ARCH Act in August of 2022. “We in Alabama have seen our rural hospitals come under immense strain, threatening to make it harder for our communities to access the services they need,” said Rep. Sewell, lead Democratic sponsor. “This legislation is about providing stability to our rural hospitals so that they can keep their doors open and continue serving patients. There is no time more befitting than National Rural Health Day to shine a spotlight on the needs of our rural hospitals. I thank Congresswoman Miller for her partnership and urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation.” “Hospitals in rural communities should have access to the same resources as any other hospital to keep their doors open and administer efficient and quality care,” said Rep. Miller, lead Republican sponsor. “In the midst of rising healthcare prices and medical workforce shortages, the ARCH Act will provide Medicare-dependent and Medicare low-volume hospitals with much-needed financial stability. I was pleased to introduce this bill on National Rural Health Day and bring awareness to the concerns rural patients and hospitals are experiencing. I am grateful to Congresswoman Sewell for joining with me on this issue as we champion rural hospitals and provide them with the support they need to serve our communities.”
Daniel Sutter: How’s the economy?
Is the economy booming? Economist Alan Blinder recently argued that the economy is strong despite many Americans’ claims to be struggling. Paul Krugman believes that claims of malaise reflect Republican hostility to President Joe Biden, not reality. Do the numbers validate the lived experience of struggling Americans? Statistics, at best, reflect averages across the economy. Life was not bad for my grandmother during the Great Depression, as my grandfather was a captain in the Dearborn Fire Department and never lost his job. Businesses can fail as the economy booms. Surveys reflect many Americans’ struggles. Lending Tree found 64 percent of respondents live paycheck to paycheck. Seventy percent of respondents in another survey reported being worse off now than at the start of Biden’s term. The 60-day delinquency rate on auto loans is at an all-time high, and the 90-day credit card delinquency rate is up 50 percent. But are these families just living beyond their means? Polls also find that many more Republicans than Democrats believe the economy is struggling. Perhaps Republicans believe the economy is bad because Fox News says so. I believe in an objective reality, so let’s look. Some statistics signal strength. Although up slightly, unemployment remains below 4 percent nationally, a historically low rate. Inflation has fallen from 9 percent in 2022 to 3.2 percent. And real (meaning inflation-adjusted) GDP is holding steady. We may tame inflation without a recession. But not all statistics are rosy. Low unemployment reflects, in part, a decline in the percentage of adults looking for work. Inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. Interest rates are up sharply; the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 7.7% versus 3% when President Biden took office. Higher interest rates make homes and cars more expensive. Wages have risen but not enough to keep up with inflation. Real income began falling in early 2021 after nine years of growth and fell over 2 percent in 2022 after growing nearly 3 percent in 2018 and 2019. Some stats suggest that some Americans are struggling even more. Food and energy prices have increased 20 and 35 percent since January 2021, versus 17 percent for the overall Consumer Price Index. Lower-income households spend a higher percentage of income on these items, so their effective inflation rate exceeds the national rate. Analysis by the St. Louis Fed finds that about a quarter of households experienced no increase (or even decrease) in their nominal wages in 2022. These individuals suffered a substantial decline in real income, even before adjusting for effective inflation due to energy and food prices. The past two years have seemingly continued the divergence of the Covid lockdowns. “Zoom Class” professionals never lost their jobs and saved commuting time working from home. Service industry workers either lost their jobs or suffered the risks and inconveniences. The Biden Administration claims credit for recovery from the Covid recession, but we did not experience a typical recession. A strong economy was shut down in March 2020, like a resort community during the offseason. Reopening was all we needed for recovery. $5 trillion in Federal COVID spending and its monetization by the Federal Reserve drove the inflation requiring today’s painful high interest rates. Traditional economic statistics may now less accurately reflect “typical” conditions. Consider real per capita GDP and real median personal income. Real GDP per capita is economists’ preferred measure of prosperity, as the good things in life correlate strongly with GDP. Across time and countries, differences in real GDP per capita yield noticeable differences in living standards. In 1974, median income was 95 percent of per capita GDP. Median income increased 50 percent by 2022, a definite improvement, but GDP per capita simultaneously increased 130 percent. A 14 percent decline in average household size explains some, but not all, of this divergence. At least recently in the U.S., GDP correlates less with average living standards. The American economy is not broken. Averages always conceal considerable variation. Statistics, however, suggest that the economic pain many Americans feel is real and not just perceived. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
Federal court say private citizens cannot sue over Voting Rights Act
By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square Private citizens or groups cannot sue the government over the Voting Rights Act, a panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled Monday. The Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel filed a lawsuit over House redistricting lines, saying they diluted the black vote. A lower court said only courts assumed in the past 50 years that private citizens or groups could bring a Voting Rights Act lawsuit. Two of the three judges on the panel agreed with the lower court. The assumption “rests on flimsy footing,” the judges said. “After reviewing the text, history, and structure of the Voting Rights Act, the district court concluded that private parties cannot enforce (Section) 2,” the concurring judges said in the ruling. “The enforcement power belonged solely to the Attorney General of the United States who was given five days to join the lawsuit.” When he declined, the case was dismissed.’ Chief Judge Lavenski R. Smith disagreed with the majority. “Admittedly, the Court has never directly addressed the existence of a private right of action under (Section) 2; however, it has repeatedly considered such cases, held that private rights of action exist under other sections of the VRA, and concluded in other VRA cases that a private right of action exists under (Section) 2,” Smith said. “Until the Court rules or Congress amends the statute, I would follow existing precedent that permits citizens to seek a judicial remedy.” The American Civil Liberties Union represented the plaintiffs and called the ruling a “travesty of democracy.” “For generations, private individuals have brought cases under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to protect their right to vote,” said Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “No court had denied them the ability to bring their claims in federal court — with the sole exception of the district court, and now the Eighth Circuit. By failing to reverse the district court’s radical decision, the Eighth Circuit has put the Voting Rights Act in jeopardy, tossing aside critical protections that voters fought and died for.” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin called the ruling a “victory for our citizens and the rule of law.” “For far too long, courts across the country have allowed political activists to file meritless lawsuits seeking to seize control of how states conduct elections and redistricting,” Griffin said. ‘This decision confirms that enforcement of the Voting Rights Act should be handled by politically accountable officials and not by outside special interest groups.” Kymara Seals, policy director at the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, said the fight is not over. “We’ll continue to explore every avenue to ensure that the voting strength of Black Arkansans is not diluted,” Seals said. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Alabama’s unemployment rate climbed slightly in October
By Steve Wilson | The Center Square Data from the Alabama Department of Labor shows that the state’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 2.3% in October, while the state’s labor force participation rate remained constant at 57%. October’s rate was four-tenths of a percent below October 2022, which was 2.6%. According to the DOL, there were 52,196 unemployed people, compared to 50,166 in September (2.2% rate) and 60,443 in October 2022. The state agency also said that the number of employed increased by 38,038 to a record high of 2.26 million. The civilian labor force also increased to a new record high of 2.3 million, with 29,791 more people joining over the year. “We are continuing to see positive growth in our prime-age worker labor force participation rate, with more than three out of every four prime-age Alabamians holding down a job,” said Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington in a release. “One of the main components of the labor force participation rate is the state’s total population, and Alabama has a larger portion of retired workers. “We will continue to work to bring in other, more traditionally underutilized segments of the population to ensure that we are maximizing our workforce.” The counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: • Shelby County at 1.8%. • Morgan, Limestone, Cullman, and Chilton counties at 1.9%. • St. Clair, Marshall, Madison, Elmore, Cleburne, Cherokee, Bullock, and Blount counties at 2%. All of the counties with the highest unemployment rates are located in the Black Belt in central Alabama, led by Wilcox County (7.8%), Dallas County (5.6%), and Clarke and Perry counties (4.6%). The three cities tied at the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 1.6% are all in the Birmingham suburbs: Alabaster, Homewood, and Vestavia Hills. Next was two other Birmingham suburbs – Hoover and Trussville – along with Madison, a suburb of Huntsville at 1.7%. Athens was third at 1.8%. Selma had the state’s highest unemployment rate for major cities at 6.6%, followed by Prichard at 4.8% and Bessemer at 4%. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
