March 21, 2013

Whitehouse Shares RI Business Story During Senate Committee Meeting

EPW Approves Re-Authorization of Water Resources Development Act

A bill to provide economic empowerment opportunities in the United States through the modernization of public housing, and for other purposes. [S.4012]

Introduced: 2024-03-21 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-03-21] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

A bill to require employers to provide paid annual leave to employees, and for other purposes. [S.4003]

Introduced: 2024-03-20 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-03-20] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week, and for other purposes. [S.3947]

Introduced: 2024-03-14 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-03-14] - Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.

A resolution designating March 15, 2024, as 'Long COVID Awareness Day'. [S.RES.590]

Introduced: 2024-03-14 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-03-14] - Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S2416)

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a corporate tax rate increase on companies whose ratio of compensation of the CEO or other highest paid employee to median worker compensation is more than 50 to 1, and for other purposes. [S.3620]

Introduced: 2024-01-18 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-01-18] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

A resolution requesting information on Israel's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. [S.RES.504]

Introduced: 2023-12-14 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-01-16] - Motion to table the motion to discharge S. Res. 504 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 72 - 11. Record Vote Number: 8.

A bill to reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act, and for other purposes. [S.3392]

Introduced: 2023-12-04 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-01-22] - Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 309.

A bill to reauthorize the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, and for other purposes. [S.3393]

Introduced: 2023-12-04 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2024-02-01] - Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 319.

A resolution supporting the nearly 150,000 United Auto Workers currently negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the 'Big Three' automakers. [S.RES.412]

Introduced: 2023-10-18 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-10-18] - Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S5090)

A concurrent resolution recognizing the decades-long effort of pro-democracy forces in Chile to end the dictatorship and restore civilian governance in the country. [S.CON.RES.20]

Introduced: 2023-09-21 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-09-21] - Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S4662)

A bill to improve access to and the quality of primary health care, expand the health workforce, and for other purposes. [S.2840]

Introduced: 2023-09-19 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-11-08] - Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 242.

A bill to provide for increases in the Federal minimum wage, and for other purposes. [S.2488]

Introduced: 2023-07-25 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-07-25] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

A bill to ensure that the Department of Defense achieves a clean audit opinion on its financial statements. [S.2054]

Introduced: 2023-06-20 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-06-20] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure College for All. [S.1963]

Introduced: 2023-06-14 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-06-14] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

A bill to impose a tax on certain trading transactions to invest in our families and communities, improve our infrastructure and our environment, strengthen our financial security, expand opportunity and reduce market volatility. [S.1990]

Introduced: 2023-06-14 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-06-14] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand entitlement of veterans to care from the Department of Veterans Affairs and to guarantee health care benefits for veterans enrolled in the patient enrollment system of the Department, and for other purposes. [S.1951]

Introduced: 2023-06-13 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-07-12] - Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

A bill to improve the provision of health care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease, and for other purposes. [S.1954]

Introduced: 2023-06-13 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-07-12] - Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for care from the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. [S.1952]

Introduced: 2023-06-13 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-06-13] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

A bill to establish a Medicare-for-all national health insurance program. [S.1655]

Introduced: 2023-05-17 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-05-17] - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

A bill to allow Americans to earn paid sick time so that they can address their own health needs and the health needs of their families. [S.1664]

Introduced: 2023-05-17 by Sen. Bernard Sanders
Latest status: [ 2023-07-18] - Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 136.

Washington, DC – Yesterday, as the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee prepared to vote on a bill to re-authorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) used a story about a Rhode Island business to highlight the importance of the legislation.  Whitehouse spoke about Hope Global in Cumberland, which was hit hard by the floods of 2010, to make a point about improving transparency in the Army Corps of Engineers’ process for approving projects under its consideration.  WRDA authorizes civil works projects and policies for the Army Corps of Engineers. 

Speaking about Hope Global, Whitehouse recalled that during the aftermath of the 2010 floods, “I literally entered that building through its shipping entrance in a boat… It’s a manufacturing company.  It exports to China.  It really is in many respects a success story, but they’re at risk now of this flooding.  And because of the lack of transparency in the Army Corps budget, although there are programs in there to try to get the various studies and work done so [Hope Global] can know whether they’re protected from a future flood, they have no idea where they are in the priorities.  And as a business, they can’t make sensible decisions without knowing where they are in this vast cloud of un-prioritized, undone Army Corps work.  So clearing up, and putting some logic and transparency into the process over at the Army Corps I think has been a very significant achievement, and a bipartisan achievement of this .”

More specifically, the final WRDA bill as approved by the Committee includes a provision authored by Senator Whitehouse to give non-federal sponsors and other stakeholders like Hope Global a clearer understanding of the Corps’ prioritization process.

Video of Whitehouse’s remarks is available here.

The WRDA re-authorization also includes a number of other proposals advocated by Senator Whitehouse, including:

  • A re-authorization of the National Dam Safety Program Act;
  • A provision that would allow shoreline protection, in addition to navigation needs, to be considered by the Army Corps as they decide whether to repair the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge Breakwater structure;
  • A measure to safeguard communities from extreme weather events by promoting research and activities that support ecosystem restoration, which in turn protects property, infrastructure, and natural resources;
  • A provision to increase the per-project federal spending limit for Army Corps Continuing Authorities Programs to account for inflation and construction cost increases. 

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Meaghan McCabe, (202) 224-2921
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