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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in introducing S. 1617, the If You Like Your Health Plan, You Can Keep It Act – legislation to follow through on President Obama’s broken promise: “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Period.” This bill would make the grandfathered health plans under Obamacare less restrictive and provide flexibility for individuals to keep the plans they already have.

“At least 29 times, President Obama promised Americans that if you like the insurance you have, you could keep it under Obamacare,” said Sen. Moran. “Despite the President’s repeated promises, the fact is that thousands of individuals and families across Kansas are among the millions of Americans who have had their health plans cancelled because they do not meet the law’s requirements. Americans should be in control of their own health care and should be free to choose the plans they want. This legislation would force the President and congressional Democrats to live up to the promise they made to Americans, even if they do not want to honor it.”

The Washington Post’s “Fact Checker” gave President Obama’s pledge that “no one will take away” your health plan a “Four Pinocchios” rating – its highest classification of fallacy. The unfortunate reality is many more Americans have lost their health insurance than have enrolled in coverage under Obamacare. Young Americans and middle-class families are facing significant premium increases they cannot afford, and workers are seeing their hours reduced and their paychecks cut because of the mandates of the law.

Sen. Moran strongly opposes Obamacare and believes the best course of action is to dismantle the law and replace it with practical reforms that are workable and will actually reduce health care costs. In July, President Obama acknowledged that a significant component of Obamacare is broken and delayed enforcement of the employer mandate. The following week, Sen. Moran offered amendments in the Senate Appropriations Committee to delay both the employer mandate and individual mandate. Unfortunately, both amendments were defeated in party-line votes.

Additionally, Sen. Moran is an original cosponsor of the “Delay Until Fully Functional Act,” legislation introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that would delay Obamacare’s individual mandate until it can be certified that the law’s website and health insurance Exchanges are functional. It is blatantly unfair for the federal government to punish individuals for not doing something the government is requiring them to do when the Administration’s incompetence has made it impossible for them to comply. Sen. Moran believes the entire law should be repealed and replaced, but until that happens American individuals and families must be protected from the disasters created by Obamacare.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement today on the loss of U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Forrest W. Robertson, 35, of Westmoreland, Kan., who died on Nov. 3, 2013, in Logar Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. According to initial reports, Sergeant First Class Robertson died of injuries sustained when his dismounted patrol received rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. His family resides in Hinesville, Ga, and his mother resides in Westmoreland, Kan.

“America is forever indebted to Sergeant First Class Forrest Robertson, whose service and sacrifice in defense of his country is immeasurable,” Sen. Moran said. “My deepest sympathies go out to his wife, children and family, and I ask all Kansans to join me in remembering his family and friends in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), members of the Senate Economic Mobility Caucus, introduced the American Savings Promotion Act – legislation to allow the creation of prize-linked savings accounts (PLS). At a time when the annual savings rate in the United States is just 4.1 percent, PLS accounts would incentivize personal savings by offering participants chances to win prizes based on savings account deposit activity while never putting their savings at risk.

"Prize-linked accounts are proven to increase savings-rates, which empower individuals to better endure financial strain and climb the economic ladder,"Sen. Moran said. "By encouraging personal saving, PLS accounts keep money in the hands of families who need it most. While this innovative tool would offer the chance of big winnings, its real value is the promise of increased financial security for all Americans."

"The American Savings Promotion Act is an exciting and innovative way for American families to begin building a secure financial future,"Sen. Brown said. "Too many families in Ohio and across the nation are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Rewarding Ohio families for saving will help them begin building long-term financial security and a cushion for hard times. This is a common-sense approach to promoting savings and I am proud to work with Sen. Moran to get this passed."

Prize-linked saving has been identified as an attractive way to incentivize saving by a broad range academics and financial policy professionals:

  • In a 2011 Financial Times op-ed, former Obama OMB Director Peter Orszag advocated for PLS: “In the coming decade, we need a comprehensive effort to raise household savings. As part of that push, let’s give savings accounts linked to lotteries a chance.”
  • Stuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation and author of Boosting Economic Savings Through Prize-Linked Savings: “The dearth of savings in America, particularly among lower-income Americans, is a major obstacle to upward mobility and achieving the American Dream. The creative idea of prize-linked savings has proved to be very successful in boosting savings, but red tape blocks federally chartered financial institutions from offering these pro-savings products.”
  • Tim Flacke, Executive Director of D2D Fund: “Based on our last five years of work on prize-linked savings, we believe this is a proven and promising innovation to help engage Americans to save. We applaud the leadership of Senators Moran and Brown to help expand PLS through this bill so that more Americans can experience a fun and successful way to save.”

The Pew Foundation’s Economic Mobility Project found that 71 percent of children born to high-saving but low-income parents emerge from the bottom income quintile in one generation, compared to only 50 percent of children from non-saving low-income households. While more than 40 percent of American households lack the savings to cover basic expenses for 3 months, Americans spend nearly $61 billion on lottery tickets each year.

PLS products have great promise, but a broadly-written 1960s law banning banks from operating lotteries unintentionally precludes banks and thrifts from offering PLS products. More than half a dozen states have changed applicable state laws to allow credit unions within their borders to offer PLS products, but federal law limits the expansion of this savings-enhancing tool to other financial institutions.

The American Savings Promotion Act would promote savings by creating a narrow exemption for PLS products while maintaining the ban on federally-insured financial institutions from operating lotteries. By removing federal barriers to banks and thrifts offering PLS products, the American Savings Promotion Act clears the way for states to enable all interested financial institutions in their jurisdiction to offer PLS products.

Companion legislation is being introduced today in the House of Representatives by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) and Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

Click below to read a one-page summary of the American Savings Promotion Act.

 

 

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Congressional internships are a great way for Kansas students to learn about Congress and gain professional work experience. Interns will gain a better understanding of the legislative process in the U.S. Congress, and develop knowledge and professional skills valuable to future career pursuits.

Sen. Moran is now accepting applications for the spring semester. Completed applications must include a resume, cover letter, academic transcript and two letters of recommendation, and all parts must be submitted for consideration by November 1, 2013. Please visit the internship page on my website to apply or email internships@moran.senate.gov if you have any questions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing the “Delay Until Fully Functional Act”, a bill delaying the individual mandate under Obamacare until six months after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) certifies that the Exchange website is fully functional. Companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Representative Trey Radel (R-Fla.) in the House.

"It is unfair for the federal government to punish individuals for not doing something the government is requiring them to do when the Administration’s incompetence has made it impossible for them to comply," Sen. Moran said. "I believe the entire law should be repealed and replaced, but until that becomes possible Kansas individuals and families must be protected from the disasters created by Obamacare."

The “Delay Until Fully Functional Act” would delay the Obamacare individual mandate and require that GAO – the independent, nonpartisan agency known as the "congressional watchdog”"– study and report to Congress on the Obamacare website and its health insurance Exchanges within 30 days. If the GAO study says these Exchanges are not fully functional, GAO will do subsequent studies and reports every 60 days until the Comptroller General determines that the Exchanges are fully functional.

The legislation has been endorsed by FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform and the National Taxpayers Union. The full text of the Senate bill is available here.

In July, President Obama acknowledged that a significant component of Obamacare is broken and delayed enforcement of the employer mandate. The following week, Sen. Moran offered amendments in the Senate Appropriations Committee to delay both the employer mandate and individual mandate. Unfortunately, both amendments were defeated in party-line votes.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, last week Sen. Moran called on Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius to answer questions about the true cost of implementing the Obamacare health insurance Exchanges. Sen. Moran is committed to making certain the Obama Administration is held accountable for its use of taxpayer dollars, especially considering the systemic problems plaguing the ACA website, healthcare.gov.

Over the past year, $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds have been used by HHS for Exchange implementation. This funding came exclusively from HHS’ internal transfer of funds to the Exchanges – a decision that avoided Congressional approval. Sen. Moran believes the Obama Administration must account for exactly how much money has been spent on developing and implementing healthcare.gov, whether HHS intends to recover payments made to the contractors responsible for the website’s enormous failings, what specific testing was done before the launch, and the timeline and detailed cost breakdown for fixing the problems. He also asked HHS for details of its contingency plans if the technical issues with the Exchanges cannot be fixed in a timely fashion. Click here to read Sen. Moran’s letter to HHS Secretary Sebelius.

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Sen. Moran Demands Accountability from Administration on Obamacare Exchanges

Calls on HHS to explain use of taxpayer dollars, true cost of implementing Affordable Care Act

Oct 24 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, called on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to answer questions about the true cost of implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance Exchanges. Sen. Moran is committed to making certain the Obama Administration is held accountable for its use of taxpayer dollars, especially considering the systemic problems plaguing the ACA website, healthcare.gov.

"Over the past year, $1.7 billion in taxpayer funds have been used to implement the Exchanges. This funding came exclusively from your Department’s internal transfer of funds to the Exchanges – a decision that avoids Congressional approval," Sen. Moran said in a letter to Sec. Sebelius. "Last week, your Department notified my appropriations subcommittee that an additional $450 million would be transferred to fund the Exchanges in Fiscal Year 2014.  I am seriously concerned that taxpayers do not have a full understanding of the costs associated with implementing the Exchanges and the costs to fix the egregious technical problems healthcare.gov is currently plagued by."

To shed light on the true cost of implementing the ACA health insurance Exchanges, Sen. Moran asked Sen. Sebelius to respond no later than Nov. 13, 2013, to the following questions:

  1. How much money to date has been spent on developing and implementing healthcare.gov?  Please provide the sources of these funds, both discretionary and mandatory.
  2. Describe the current technical issues affecting healthcare.gov and how the Department intends to correct these problems.  Please include a timeline for resolving the issues.
  3. Describe in detail (including key dates) the steps that your Department took to test the healthcare.gov website prior to roll-out on October 1, 2013.  Please include information on technical issues that arose during the testing and how they were resolved.
  4. Describe in detail what Department offices were responsible for the current version of healthcare.gov.  Please also include what private companies were contracted with, how these contractors were selected, their qualifications, what project specifications for which they were responsible, and the cost of each contract. 
  5. If the contractors responsible for healthcare.gov are determined to be at fault, do you intend to recover payments made to them?  Please describe what recourses are available.
  6. In detail, provide the cost breakout for fixing the technical issues associated with the Exchanges.  Please include the sources of funding, the estimated timeline for resolving the issues, and the contracts responsible for paying the recruited technical experts brought in.
  7. On October 18, 2013, your Department notified the Senate Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee that $450 million will be transferred from the Department’s Nonrecurring Expenses Fund to the Exchanges.  Will any of these funds be used to fix the current issues with the Exchanges?  If so, how much?  If not, what, for what specifically will the $450 million be used?
  8. If the technical issues with the Exchanges cannot be fixed in time, how will the Administration deal with the ACA individual mandate that requires all Americans to have health insurance or pay a penalty?   
  9. If the issues with the Exchanges cannot be fixed in time, please explain in detail any contingency plans. 
  10. Under the Continuing Appropriations Act, FY2014 (P.L. 113-46) passed on October 17, 2013, Congress requires you to certify that the Exchanges will verify household income before providing tax credits or any cost-sharing reductions.  Please describe how the “data hub” will be used to verify an individual’s eligibility. 
  11. The Administration had previously delayed income verification for 2014 due to issues with the data hub.  Please explain how your Department will verify income for individuals signing up for health insurance through the Exchanges. Will the verification process occur in real-time? On October 21, 2013, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney stated that if individuals could not get access to insurance, they would not be penalized.  Does this statement mean the Administration is considering delaying the ACA individual mandate?

Sen. Moran strongly opposes Obamacare and believes the best course of action is to dismantle the ACA and replace it with practical reforms that are workable and will actually reduce health care costs. In July, President Obama acknowledged that a significant component of Obamacare is broken and delayed enforcement of the employer mandate. The following week, Sen. Moran offered amendments in the Senate Appropriations Committee to delay both the employer mandate and individual mandate. Unfortunately, both amendments were defeated in party-line votes.

Additionally, this week Sen. Moran agreed to be an original cosponsor of the “Delay Until Fully Functional Act,” legislation Senator Marco Rubio is expected to introduce this upcoming Monday.  This bill would delay Obamacare’s individual mandate until it can be certified that the ACA website and Exchanges are functional.  It is blatantly unfair for the federal government to punish individuals for not doing something the government is requiring them to do when the Administration’s incompetence has made it impossible for them to comply.  Sen. Moran believes the entire law should be repealed and replaced, but until that happens American individuals and families must be protected from the disasters created by Obamacare.

Sen. Moran’s full letter to Sec. Sebelius is attached below.

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Washington, D.C. Today, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) issued the following statement after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a rule governing crowdfunding activities. Earlier this week, Merkley, Moran and Bennet renewed their call on the SEC to propose the draft rule without delay in a letter signed by eight U.S. Senators.

“We are pleased the SEC finally took action and proposed a rule governing crowdfunding activities. Crowdfunding has the potential to be a powerful tool for growing the economy by helping small and new businesses raise capital online so they can expand and create new jobs. We look forward to reviewing the rule to ensure that entrepreneurs can access the capital they need to grow their businesses while providing proper safeguards for investors.”

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Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) called on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Mary Jo White to quickly issue rules governing crowdfunding activities.  

“The legislation was signed into law on April 5, 2012, and in it Congress directed the SEC to publish rules on the crowdfunding provisions within 270 days of enactment,” the Senators wrote. “It has now been over 530 days since the JOBS Act became law, and we have not seen a proposal from the SEC on crowdfunding.  We are concerned that so much time has passed without action.”

Their letter to Hon. Mary Jo White reads:

October 21, 2013

The Honorable Mary Jo White
Chairman
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, NE
Washington, DC 20549

Dear Chairman White:

We write in response to recent news reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is nearing the point of proposing regulations on crowdfunding.  Proposed regulations have been delayed significantly, and we urge the SEC to move forward with its proposal as soon as possible.

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act was adopted with bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The legislation was signed into law on April 5, 2012, and in it Congress directed the SEC to publish rules on the crowdfunding provisions within 270 days of enactment.  It has now been over 530 days since the JOBS Act became law, and we have not seen a proposal from the SEC on crowdfunding.  We are concerned that so much time has passed without action.

The law provides a new financial market for entrepreneurs and startup companies to raise capital, while ensuring investors are protected. We respect and support the SEC’s rulemaking role in structuring this new financial market. Done right and with input from entrepreneurs and investors, the SEC can create a marketplace that is trustworthy and achieves the goals of the crowdfunding provisions of the JOBS Act.  In particular, we have heard from entrepreneurs who have created crowdfunding platforms and those who want to raise capital via this new mechanism, both of whom have been hurt by the delay.

The new marketplace is designed to provide a mechanism for small and new businesses to access capital crucial to job creation and growing our economy, while providing investors with opportunities to participate thoughtfully in these endeavors.  We urge you to move quickly to propose rules on crowdfunding and thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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