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Sen. Moran to Offer Amendment to Immigration Bill Focused on Innovation and Job Creation

"I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting changes to the legislation that will result in the creation of new jobs for Americans."

May 23 2013

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), author of Startup Act 3.0, plans to offer an amendment to the Gang of Eight immigration bill during floor debate that will allow the United States to win the global battle for talent. Sen. Moran has been speaking with entrepreneurs, investors and startup policy experts to develop the amendment. He made the announcement during a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday night.

"In my view, we have an opportunity to create jobs for Americans by making certain highly-skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants are able to start new businesses and contribute to the growth of American companies,” Sen. Moran said. “If we miss this opportunity, we risk losing the next generation of great entrepreneurs and the jobs they will create. I will offer an amendment to the immigration bill to accomplish these goals and hope my colleagues will join me in supporting changes to the legislation that will result in the creation of new jobs for Americans."

The immigration bill reported by the Judiciary Committee creates new visas for immigrant entrepreneurs and awards points for the merit-based visa for successful entrepreneurship. Yet, Sen. Moran believes the bill could be improved to reflect more accurately how new businesses grow and hire workers. With the right changes to the bill, an entrepreneur’s visa has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of needed jobs for Americans. If we fail to improve our immigration system – one that currently tells these entrepreneurs and highly-skilled individuals “we don’t want you” – immigrant entrepreneurs will take their intellect and skills to another country and create jobs and economic opportunity there.

"Some of my colleagues may think I’m exaggerating what’s at stake, but this week, Canada’s immigration minister was in Silicon Valley recruiting entrepreneurs and promoting Canada’s new startup visa,” Sen. Moran continued. “His message was simple: the U.S. immigration system is broken, so bring your startup to Canada where you’ll get permanent residency and the opportunity to build your business. Canada even put up a billboard along Highway 101 between Silicon Valley and San Francisco, enticing entrepreneurs to ‘pivot to Canada.’ For the sake of our country and the millions of Americans looking for work, we cannot afford to lose these talented entrepreneurs."

Click here to learn more about Canada’s efforts to lure entrepreneurs in America to “pivot to Canada."

Click here to watch Sen. Moran’s entire floor speech on his upcoming amendment to the immigration bill.

I want to tell a story. It goes back to the summer of 2011. Back at that point in time, we had 30 straight months of unemployment above 8 percent. I decided it was important to work on legislation to jumpstart the economy and to work in every way possible with my colleagues to put Americans back to work.

With a foundation of compelling data showing that nearly all of the new net jobs created since 1980 had been created by companies less than 5 years old, Senator Warner and I introduced the Startup Act in December of 2011. The Startup Act was a jobs bill written to help entrepreneurs who have been responsible for most of the job creation in our country over the last 30 years.

The legislation made changes to the Federal regulatory process so that the cost of new regulations did not outweigh the benefits and encouraged Federal agencies to consider the impact of proposed regulations on startups, particularly. Our bill made commonsense changes to the tax code to encourage investment in startups and reward patient capital.

The Startup Act also sought to improve the process of commercializing federally funded research so that more good ideas out of the laboratories were put into market where these innovations could be turned into jobs by companies and spur economic growth.

Finally, the Startup Act provided new opportunities for highly educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States where their talent and new job ideas could fuel economic growth and create American jobs.

When I began work on the Startup Act, I did not intend to write an immigration bill. My goal was simple: find the most cost-effective way to jumpstart the economy and create American jobs. After reviewing the academic and economic data, it became clear that any strategy to create American jobs must include highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants. Immigrants to the United States have a long history of creating business in our country.

We can all think of examples of individuals who have done so: Sergey Brin cofounded Google; Elon Must cofounded PayPal, SolarCity, SpaceX, and Tesla; Min Kao founded Garmin in my home State of Kansas. There is a long list of people from other countries who created businesses here in the United States that now employ thousands and thousands and thousands of Kansans and Americans. Of the current Fortune 500 companies, more than 40 percent were founded by first-or second-generation Americans. Immigrants are now more than twice as likely as native-born Americans to start a business. In 2011, immigrants were responsible for more than one in every four U.S. businesses founded.

Today, one in every 10 Americans employed at privately owned U.S. companies works at an immigrant-owned firm. The immigration bill drafted by eight of our colleagues and reported by the Judiciary Committee recognizes the importance of entrepreneurial immigrants. The legislation creates new visas for immigrant entrepreneurs and awards points for the merit-based visa for successful entrepreneurship. Yet this bill could be improved significantly to reflect more accurately how new businesses grow and hire workers.

Done right, an entrepreneur's visa has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of needed jobs for Americans. Now in its third version, Startup 3.0 creates an entrepreneur's visa for foreign-born entrepreneurs currently in the United States. Those individuals with a good idea, with capital and a willingness to hire Americans would be able to stay in the United States and grow their businesses. Each immigrant entrepreneur would be required to create jobs for Americans.

In many instances our country already has made a commitment to these entrepreneurs, allowing them to study in our universities and work temporarily at American companies. Providing a way for immigrant entrepreneurs to stay in the United States and create American jobs makes economic sense.

Earlier this year the Kauffman Foundation studied the economic impact of immigrant visas in the entrepreneur's visa in Startup 3.0. Using conservative estimates, the Kauffman Foundation predicts that the entrepreneur's visa could generate 500,000 to 1.6 million jobs over the next 10 years. These are real jobs with real economic impact that could affect real American families and boost our GDP by 1.5 percent or more, a 1.5-percent increase in our gross domestic product by this provision of the legislation alone.

Anticipating floor consideration of the immigration bill, I have been speaking with entrepreneurs, investors, and startup policy experts to develop an amendment that would improve the legislation. In my view, we have an opportunity to create jobs for Americans by making certain highly skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants are able to start a new business and contribute to the growth of American companies. If we miss this opportunity, we risk losing the next generation of great entrepreneurs and the jobs they will create. I will offer an amendment to the immigration bill to accomplish these goals and hope my colleagues will join me in supporting the changes to the legislation that would result in the creation of jobs for Americans.

While it is important to provide a straightforward and workable way for entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States so they can employ Americans, we also need to make sure the immigration bill addresses the needs of growing American businesses.

The current problem is twofold. American schools are not producing enough students with the skills our economy demands. While American universities do a great job of attracting foreign students to study advanced subjects, few pathways exist for these talented graduates to remain in the United States and contribute to American prosperity.

One reason for this problem is our Nation's high schools have fallen behind in STEM education--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Forty percent of high school seniors test at or below basic levels in math. Fifty percent of our high school seniors test at or below basic levels in science. By 12th grade only 16 percent of students are both math proficient and interested in a STEM career, and fewer than 15 percent of high school graduates have enough math and science to pursue scientific or technical degrees in college. It is no wonder that by the time American students go to college few are choosing to major in a STEM area subject. According to the National Science Foundation, college students majoring in non-STEM fields outnumber their math and science-minded counterparts five to one.

Moreover, the growth rate of new STEM majors remains among the slowest in any category. Unfortunately, research shows that this gap continues to widen at a time when the number of job openings requiring STEM degrees is increasing at three times the rate of the rest of the job market. The number of students pursuing math, science, and engineering is declining. The demand for the jobs is increasing. Should this trend continue, American businesses are projected to need an estimated 800,000 workers with advanced STEM degrees by 2018, about 4 years away, but will only find 550,000 American graduates with those degrees they need.

How do we solve this problem and prepare America for the future? First and foremost, we need to do more to prepare Americans for careers in STEM fields. This will take time, but our efforts to improve STEM will yield positive results across the economy, even for those without STEM skills.

Second, as we work to equip Americans with the skills for the 21st century economy, we also need to create a pathway for highly educated foreign students to stay in America where their ideas and talents can fuel economic growth.

Startup 3.0, the legislation Senator Warner and I have introduced, addresses this immediate need by creating STEM visas. Foreign students who graduate from an American university with a master's or a Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics would be granted conditional status contingent upon them filling a needed gap in the U.S. workforce. By working for 5 consecutive years in a STEM field, the immigrant would be granted a green card with the option of becoming an American citizen.

The immigration bill we will soon consider attempts to address the immediate needs for more qualified STEM workers and the longer term need for Americans to develop the skills needed to fill those jobs. I am hopeful these aspects of this bill will be strengthened in order to provide growing American businesses with the skilled employees they need now and in the future. If growing American companies are unable to hire qualified workers they need, these businesses will open locations overseas.

I was in Silicon Valley last year, and executives at Facebook told me they were ready to hire close to 80 foreign-born but United States-educated individuals, when their visas were denied. Rather than forgo hiring these skilled workers, the company hired them anyway, but they placed them in a location in Dublin, Ireland, instead of the United States. Facebook was ultimately able to get the visas for these workers after training them in Ireland.

All too often companies end up housing these jobs permanently overseas. When this happens, it is not only those specific jobs we lose but also the many supporting jobs and economic activity associated with them. Even more damaging, more damning to me than the loss of those highly skilled workers who are now working in some other country, the end result is that someone among that group will start another company such as Google, be an entrepreneur, and start another company that creates jobs, but not in the United States—in Canada or in Dublin, Ireland. The United States loses both employment today and an opportunity for American jobs to be created in the future because our immigration policies failed to help our country retain highly educated and skilled individuals.

To me, this story and many others like it illustrate the importance of getting the policy right. Creating workable ways to retain highly skilled, American-educated workers and entrepreneurs is about creating jobs for Americans and growing our Nation's economy. The United States is in a global battle for talent. If we fail to improve our immigration system, one that currently tells these entrepreneurs and highly skilled individuals we don't want you, they will take their intellect and skills to another country and create jobs and opportunities there.

Some of my colleagues may think I am exaggerating what is at stake, but this week Canada's Immigration Minister was in Silicon Valley recruiting entrepreneurs and promoting Canada's new startup visas. They have billboards in California encouraging those STEM-educated individuals to move to Canada where they have an immigration policy beneficial to them and their jobs. This Minister's message was simple: The United States immigration system is broken, so bring your startups to Canada, where we will get you permanent residency and the opportunity to build your business. Canada put up billboards along Highway 101 between Silicon Valley and San Francisco enticing entrepreneurs to “pivot to Canada.”

In fact, six other countries besides Canada in the short time I have been a Member of the Senate have changed their laws and policies to encourage these individuals to find jobs and create businesses in their countries. We have done nothing. For the sake of our country and the millions of Americans looking for work, we cannot afford to lose talented entrepreneurs.

As the Senate begins debate of the immigration bill in the near future, I encourage my colleagues to keep in mind the other 11 million, those 11.7 million American workers who are looking for work and the many others who have become so discouraged they have given up.

The United States is the birthplace and home of the American dream. For years our country has been seen as the land of opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs. We must do everything possible to make certain that remains true in the face of growing competition. When the immigration bill comes to the Senate floor, I will offer amendments to improve the bill and encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting commonsense changes that will allow the United States to win the global battle for talent. Doing so will make certain that immigrant entrepreneurs have a home in the United States. In their pursuit of the American dream, they will create jobs for Americans and strengthen the American economy.

Sens. Moran & Roberts, Reps. Pompeo & Jenkins Comment on Mcconnell AFB Selection As Home for New Kc-46A Tankers

U.S. Air Force recognizes critical role Kansas plays in national security and global air mobility

May 22 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), as well as Representatives Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) and Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), issued the following statements today upon learning that the U.S. Air Force selected McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) as the Main Operating Base (MOB) #1 for replacing KC-135R tanker aircraft with KC-46A’s beginning in 2016. Kansas was the only state to have both of its Air Force bases, Forbes Field in Topeka and McConnell Air Force Base, selected as finalists for the KC-46A Tanker Program.

"I couldn’t be more proud that McConnell Air Force Base has been selected as the Main Operating Base for the new KC-46A tankers," Sen. Moran said. "Our state and the city of Wichita have a long history of supporting air mobility and standing behind the air men and women who call McConnell home, and I’m pleased the U.S. Air Force agrees that McConnell is the option whose location, capacity and mission will best meet our country’s needs."

“The Air Force’s refueling tankers have a long history in Kansas at both McConnell Air Force Base and Forbes Field, and it is great to learn that this esteemed history will continue with the KC-46A tanker mission,” Sen. Roberts said. “Kansas airmen and airwomen time and again have demonstrated their steadfast dedication and hard work in contributing to the security of the United States, and our state, with its immense aviation infrastructure, has a great support network of civilian staff, neighbors and friends that help each installation achieve excellence. We welcome this new mission to Kansas and look forward to helping protect this nation for years to come.”

“America’s Air Force has once again called upon Kansans and McConnell Air Force Base to serve the nation with the world’s finest equipment,” said Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Co-Chairman of the Congressional Mobility Air Forces Caucus, West Point graduate, and Army veteran. “We’re thrilled that McConnell AFB has been recognized as an indispensable part of America’s defenses and excited about the opportunities this creates for the rest of Kansas. I look forward seeing the new KC-46A tanker contribute to our national security, from right here in the heartland for decades to come.”

“Kansans play an essential role in supporting our nation’s defense programs, and I commend the U.S. Air Force for naming McConnell AFB as the Main Operating Base for the new KC-46A tankers. This is good news for our state, and McConnell's distinguished history and capabilities make it an excellent choice,” said Rep. Lynn Jenkins (KS-02), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference. “Although I am disappointed Forbes Field in Topeka was not selected, I am proud the 190th Air Refueling Wing was recognized as a finalist for the tanker program. As the member of Congress representing Forbes Field, I will continue to work with them to ensure they remain a strong candidate for future basing decisions."

The selection of not just one, but both Kansas Air Force bases as candidates is a testament to the critical role our state plays in supporting all branches of our military and allied partners as they carry out missions overseas and at home. Strategically positioned in the heart of the United States, the location, capacity and mission of McConnell and Forbes make both bases exceptionally equipped to provide air mobility globally at a moment’s notice.

As the largest air tanker base in the world, McConnell Air Force Base is a key stakeholder in the Wichita community. The base has been the recipient of numerous awards since its beginning in 1941, and received more awards over the past 16 months than all other Air Mobility bases combined. McConnell supports more than 17,000 people, military and civilian, and has an economic impact of $619 million. It assists all branches of the military and allied partners, refueling off of either coast and around the world every day.

Additionally, as part of the selection process, the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Wichita Independent Business Association teamed up to form a coalition, the Tanker Task Force, to help demonstrate that the business community is behind McConnell. Last month, the Air Force hosted an event on KC-46A basing selection that boasted more than 300 area residents showing their support for the base.

Forbes is considered a reasonable alternative and will continue to be considered for future installments of KC-46A tankers, and the Kansas Delegation intends to meet with the U.S. Air Force to discuss specific selection details. Forbes Field Air National Guard Base has a force of approximately 980 military personnel and employs more than 30 federal civilian and 60 state employees supporting missions overseas and here at home. It is one of the 10 largest employers in Topeka and Shawnee County and has an estimated economic impact of $75 million.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today announced that he is accepting applications for nominations to the United States Service Academies. The academies include the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Those selected will enter the academies in June 2014.
On Thursday, May 16, 2013, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) discussed the newest revelation that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official in charge of the tax-exempt organizations at the time when the unit targeted groups based on their political leanings now runs the IRS office responsible for the implementation of President Obama's health care law. Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012 and is now the director of the IRS' Affordable Care Act office.

Sen. Moran Demands Answers from Administration on FAA Salary Bonuses

"At the time when sequestration was one month away, the FAA’s leadership ignored Secretary LaHood’s specific guidance and awarded bonuses."

May 17 2013

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) has called on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta to explain why bonuses were awarded to FAA employees earlier this year in advance of sequestration budget cuts even after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood instructed the heads of the department's operating administrations not to award bonuses.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that the FAA notified employees in January of salary bonuses. Three months later, the FAA announced plans to close contract control towers and to implement across the board furloughs due to sequestration, which resulted in travel delays for airline passengers. In April, Congress passed legislation that provided the FAA additional flexibility to transfer funding within the agency to prevent tower closures and reduced operations.

"We are very concerned by these reports as they once again indicate both a lack of sound business management and a failure by the FAA to adequately plan for implementation of sequestration,” Sen. Moran wrote in the letter to Administrator Huerta along with 16 of his colleagues. “At the time when sequestration was one month away, the FAA’s leadership ignored Secretary LaHood’s specific guidance and awarded bonuses."

Click here for a copy of the signed letter.

Below is the full text of the letter.

May 16, 2013

 

The Honorable Michael Huerta

Administrator 

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20591

 

Dear Administrator Huerta:

We are writing in regards to recent media reports indicating that you approved salary bonuses for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees earlier this year.  The Wall Street Journal’s May 14, 2013 online edition indicates that these bonuses came as the FAA was preparing to implement sequestration.    

According to The Wall Street Journal, you notified FAA employees on January 14, 2013 that most of them could expect Organizational Success Increases (OSIs) of 1%, and Superior Contribution Increases (SCIs) of 0.6% to 1.8%.  Employees at the FAA who qualified for these salary bonuses received additional pay in their February paychecks.   Also, The Wall Street Journal reports that Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood had previously instructed the heads of the department's operating administrations not to award bonuses and specifically not to award OSI or SCI bonuses.  Furthermore, Secretary LaHood reportedly instructed agencies to begin planning how to manage their funds given budget uncertainties and the looming sequester.

We are very concerned by these reports as they once again indicate both a lack of sound business management and a failure by the FAA to adequately plan for implementation of sequestration.   At the time when sequestration was one month away, the FAA’s leadership ignored Secretary LaHood’s specific guidance and awarded bonuses.  On March 5, 2013 the FAA contacted all participants in the contract tower program explaining that the FAA’s guiding principles in implementing the budget sequestration are to maintain high safety standards and to minimize the impact to the greatest number of passengers.  The FAA then announced “across the board” furloughs of FAA employees.  In an April 18, 2013 briefing with Senate staff,  the FAA Chief Operating Officer David Grizzle reported that the FAA specifically chose not to analyze alternative furlough options or alternative spending cuts because those analyses would have violated the “fundamental premise” of the FAA’s implementation of the sequester, “equity among employees.”  This fundamental premise directly contradicts the March 5 guidance issued by the FAA.  These decisions made by the FAA’s senior leadership are cause for concern.

Please share with us why you chose to ignore Secretary LaHood’s guidance, and why you felt it necessary and appropriate to award salary bonuses to FAA employees instead of adequately preparing for sequestration.  We further request that you explain what impacts these additional salary expenditures had on your decision to implement sequestration by imposing across the board furlough cuts, instead of implementing sequestration in a way that would minimize the impact to the greatest number of passengers.  Finally, we request that you share with us the savings to the FAA if the agency had not awarded salary bonuses.

We appreciate your consideration of our concerns, and look forward to receiving your written response.  Should you or your staff have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Sincerely,

Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.)

Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)

Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.)

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)

Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)

Senator Dean Heller (R-Nev.)

Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)

Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)

Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)

Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)

Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)

Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

 

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Sen. Moran on Administration's Decision to Sign U.N. Arms Trade Treaty

"The Administration has clearly abbreviated this review process to a meager six weeks… simply unheard of for a treaty of this significance and scope. I am greatly disappointed at the lack of seriousness on the part of the Administration to review the ATT before agreeing to sign it."

May 16 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – author of S. Con. Res. 7, the bipartisan resolution which makes clear a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that undermines constitutional freedoms of American gun owners will not be ratified by the Senate – today responded to Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman’s statement that the United States will sign the ATT when it opens for signature on June 3, 2013. This announcement comes on the heels of the Administration abandoning its previous insistence on consensus by allowing a vote in the U.N. General Assembly to pass the U.N. ATT.

"This news is incredibly disappointing, given Assistant Secretary Countryman has previously described the goals of the treaty as ‘ambiguous.’ Good treaties aren’t ambiguous, and our constitutional rights are too important to be entrusted to a dangerous treaty drafted by nations hostile to the ownership of firearms by private citizens.

"Upon passage of the ATT at the U.N. General Assembly on April 2, the Administration indicated it would begin an extensive and thorough internal legal and policy review – a process typically requiring several months. By already signaling a readiness to sign the Treaty, the Administration has clearly abbreviated this review process to a meager six weeks. This is simply unheard of for a treaty of this significance and scope. I am greatly disappointed at the lack of seriousness on the part of the Administration to review the ATT before agreeing to sign it.

"The United States should ratify treaties only when they are in our national interest, clear in their goals and language, respect our sovereignty, and do not create any openings to infringe upon our constitutional freedoms. The Arms Trade Treaty fails to meet any of these tests, which is why I urge the President not to sign it, and why a bipartisan coalition of 36 U.S. Senators will remain united in opposition to ratification."

Sen. Moran’s concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 7, is cosponsored by 35 U.S. Senators including: Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), John Barrasso (R-WY), Max Baucus (D-MT), John Boozman (R-AR), Richard Burr (R-NC), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Thad Cochran (R-MS), John Cornyn (R-TX), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dean Heller (R-NV), John Hoeven (R-ND), James Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Mike Lee (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Rand Paul (R-KY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Pat Toomey (R-PA), David Vitter (R-LA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

S. Con. Res. 7 has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Heritage Action, and the Endowment for Middle East Truth.

Click here to read S. Con. Res. 7 outlining criteria that must be met for a U.N. ATT to be ratified by the Senate.

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