National Bison Legacy Act

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation, with Senators Blumenthal, Brown, Cantwell, Merkley, Vitter, and Wyden, that will codify an agreement reached by the nation's largest egg producer organization, the United Egg Producers, and the largest animal welfare organization, the Humane Society of the United States.

In its most simple terms, the legislation sets a national standard for the treatment of egg-laying hens and the labeling of eggs.

As of today, 6 States, including California, have set their own standards about how egg-laying hens should be raised, and 18 other States allow citizen ballot initiatives could initiate similar laws in the future.

These State standards will make it difficult for egg producers to freely ship across State lines.

Starting in 2015, eggs produced in Iowa, Indiana and other egg- exporting states can no longer be shipped to California because the hens will have been raised in cages that do not meet California's standards.

Different standards in Michigan and Ohio will take effect later, further adding to the patchwork of regulations.

As States with disparate standards continue to protect their own egg producers by banning the sale of eggs from States with lower or no standards, a complicated web of State laws will impair interstate commerce.

I have met with a number of egg producers and their concerns vary.

For some producers, different regulations increase costs because new cages must be designed for each State in which they operate.

Other producers fear that egg prices in states without regulations will plummet as imports flood their market.

Some egg producers selling to national grocery stores will have to produce eggs that meet different standards in different States.

Concerns don't end with producers.

Consumers can expect to see higher prices at grocery stores and restaurants will have to pay more for every egg they prepare.

Millions of individuals, including myself, are concerned about the living conditions of these animals.

That is why I am pleased to introduce this legislation today. The United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States worked for over a year to reach this compromise, and I believe it is one that strikes a very fair balance.

Producers must enlarge cages for egg-laying hens and allow space for the birds to engage in natural behaviors such as nesting and perching.

Producers will have up to 18 years to meet this standard and make the required investments.

The legislation will officially outlaw the practice of starving chickens to increase egg-production, a cruel practice that is rarely used today, and one with consensus to end.

The bill will also lead to improved air quality in hen-houses by prohibiting excessive ammonia levels and it requires humane euthanasia of spent hens. This is also already common practice in the industry.

At its heart, this legislation is about protecting the future of the egg industry.

The egg industry brought this legislation to Congress and has asked us to help them implement the uniform regulations needed to survive and grow.

With this legislation, egg producers will have the market certainty they need and a reasonable timetables to make the required changes.

Producers need these uniform national standards so they can invest in new cages without facing the risk of more stringent state laws rendering their investments moot.

The egg industry is prepared to make these investments, many of which can be accomplished during the normal course of replacing aged equipment.

In addition to promoting industry stability, this bill will save jobs and strengthen the economy.

Furthermore, consumers are already embracing these reforms. Polls indicate broad support for the provisions in this bill and for humane treatment of egg-laying hens in general.

A recent survey found that 64 percent of Americans say that these newer facilities should be required through Federal legislation.

A majority, 58 percent, of American consumers also support a national standard.

The survey found 92 percent of consumers support the industry transitioning to these new enriched cages.

Candidly, it is not often that we see this sort of compromise in Washington.

Two groups that have been in fundamental conflict for years sat down and reached a deal.

The egg industry and the Humane Society are lock-step in their support for this bill. They are joined in endorsing the bill by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Consumer Federation of America.

Even though the egg industry supports this bill, some still target this legislation as anti-agriculture they suggest the legislation will somehow be applied to, or set a precedent for Federal regulation of other industries.

That is simply not the case.

I want to be clear: requirements in the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 only apply to the production of eggs. The bill will not affect any other agricultural product including beef, pork, poultry and milk.

This legislation is a responsible compromise between those who advocate for more humane treatment for egg-laying hens and those who put breakfast on our tables.

I hope that even in this partisan climate we can enact this commonsense and widely endorsed legislation.

This legislation protects restaurants, bakers, food processors and American consumers from unnecessarily high egg prices. It protects egg producers from having eggs they can't sell.

This legislation is a reasonable, widely-supported solution to a real, costly and growing problem. The bill has the support of the United Egg Producers, which represents nearly 90 percent of the Nation's egg industry, as well as nine state and regional egg producer groups, more than 100 individual egg farms and more than 880 other family farms.

I urge you to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, as National Small Business Week is coming to a close, I come to the floor today to make a strong commitment that the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will not lose momentum on our relentless push to help America's small businesses grow, thrive, and excel. So today, along with the senior senator from Maine, I am introducing the Expanding Access to Capital for Entrepreneurial Leaders Act, or the EXCEL Act. This legislation will enhance the already successful Small Business Investment Company, SBIC, program at the Small Business Administration, SBA, that has helped over 100,000 small businesses. The best part of our bill is that the EXCEL Act should not cost the taxpayer anything.

The SBA runs a venture capital program by guaranteeing money borrowed by qualified investment funds who invest in small businesses. The qualified funds, or Small Business Investment Companies, SBICs, are privately owned and operated, but licensed and regulated by the SBA. Using a combination of private investments and the loans guaranteed by the SBA, typically at a ratio of $2 in guaranteed funds for every $1 of private capital, SBICs make long-term investments in American small businesses. In order to participate in the program, funds pay licensing fees which serve to cover all SBIC program costs. As a result, the core SBIC program, Debenture SBICs, not only boasts a strong success rate, but also incurs no cost to the U.S. government. Since the program's inception, over $50 billion has been invested in over 100,000 small businesses.

The Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee and I conducted a roundtable with 14 participants from the SBA, SBICs, investors in SBICs, and small businesses to elicit suggestions on enhancing the program. Out of that was born the EXCEL Act.

The EXCEL Act is a bipartisan effort encompassing much-needed changes that will allow the SBIC program to meet growing demand and will make improvements so that more small businesses can access capital.

The first thing the EXCEL Act does is raises the SBIC program authorization level from $3 billion to $4 billion and pegs it to inflation. This change is long overdue--the ceiling has been at $3 for some time, despite inflation and the impressive growth in the SBIC program. To illustrate: the program grew 50 percent in FY2011 alone. In order to meet demand, we need to give the program room to grow.

Secondly, the EXCEL Act will encourage successful investors by raising the limit on ``families of funds.'' Family of funds refers to a team of SBIC fund managers who operate several funds. These are currently limited to $225 million of SBA-guaranteed debt. However, SBIC fund managers who manage more than one fund generally see better investment results. The EXCEL Act will encourage that kind of success by giving families of funds a higher limit of $350 million, which will be indexed to inflation.

Next, the EXCEL Act improves transparency and accountability in the program. The legislation requires that

the SBA make public how effective individual SBICs are in their small business investments, guaranteeing that SBA-backed money is being used responsibly.

Finally, the EXCEL Act promotes outreach, thereby ensuring that the maximum possible number of small businesses can benefit from the SBIC program. The legislation encourages outreach to community banks and other lenders, states and municipalities, and asks the SBA to make their SBIC website more user-friendly.

The EXCEL Act contains a number of common sense provisions supported across the aisle, and is sponsored by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee. It enhances a program with proven success in providing capital to small businesses, and does so with the expectation that it will not add a dime to the deficit. Let us get this bill passed. Let us help small businesses excel.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to strengthen the resources and support that we provide to entrepreneurs, and to strengthen oversight of the SCORE program.

In 1964, the Small Business Administration recognized that retired business executives who volunteered to share their knowledge and expertise could be invaluable to entrepreneurs. From this, SCORE was established and has since grown to over 360 chapters across America. As with any type of growth, there comes an essential need for increased organization and oversight. This bill seeks to assist the SBA and SCORE with just that.

The key to getting our nation on the road to economic recovery lies in the hands of small business, which is why I am always looking for ways to improve the SBA's entrepreneurial assistance programs. By creating a SCORE Advisory Board which functions to monitor and develop initiatives for programs affecting SCORE chapters, we can ensure that entrepreneurs in all areas of our economy are served by high-quality mentoring services. Specifically, this board is compromised of six members coming from the owners and employees of small businesses themselves, in addition to current members of SCORE chapters.

While some may argue that funding for SCORE should be increased, in this budget environment, where Federal revenues and spending are misaligned to the tune of $1.1 trillion this year alone, we must find ways to be more efficient with existing resources. I am hopeful that with administrative reforms and increased transparency, we can make the SCORE program more cost effective, while maintaining its vital assistance to small businesses.

For example, there is currently no oversight for funding allocations to individual SCORE chapters. In the past three fiscal years, only $2.5 million of the $7 million appropriated to SCORE has been distributed to the SCORE districts and chapters. The bulk of their funding, $4.5 million, has been spent on

staffing, administrative expenses, technology, and overhead. As a non- profit organization, SCORE seeks to support small businesses across the country with thousands of volunteers but only very limited resources. It is imperative that there are transparent and fair practices in place for allocation of SBA funding to best provide for these small businesses. Therefore, my bill requires the creation of an Allocation Committee, comprised of Advisory Board members who will ensure that not less than 50 percent of SCORE's total allocation goes to the districts and chapters that directly serve small business clients.

To safeguard funds appropriated to SCORE, my bill also places a limit on the taxpayer funded salary of SCORE's CEO, which according to the latest Internal Revenue Service filing, is 43 percent higher than that of the SBA's Administrator, who oversees the entire agency, including SCORE. This bill establishes in statute that the SCORE CEO follow the salary cap of a Senior Executive Service level Federal employee, ensuring that more money is available for the small businesses driving our economy. Additionally, this bill proposes to limit the Federal share of this salary even further when that CEO serves in a leadership capacity on a foundation affiliated with SCORE.

Through the Advisory Board and its Allocation Committee, we will add much needed improvements to an already successful program. By enhancing integration between SCORE chapters and the SBA, small businesses will have even more support to sustain their contributions to our recovering economy.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, today I am pleased to be joined by Senator Grassley, in introducing legislation that will permanently authorize four expiring immigration programs. I thank Senator Grassley for working with me on this needed legislation.

The bill we introduce will permanently authorize the EB 5 Regional Center Program, the voluntary E-Verify electronic work authorization program, the State 30 J 1 Visa program that Senator Conrad champions and the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program that is so important to Senator Hatch. All of these programs have been in temporary status for many years, and the time has come for Congress to make them permanent so that the proponents of these programs can get to work building upon the benefits these programs bring to communities across the country. Permanency for these programs will strengthen our economy, create jobs, and enhance the security of American workers. Permanency will help medically underserved areas obtain talented physicians and religious institutions welcome individuals from around the world to participate in good works. These programs serve diverse and important interests in America, and should become permanent fixtures in our immigration law.

I am particularly pleased that the EB 5 Regional Center Program is a part of this package. With permanency, I believe this program can become an even greater economic driver than it has been in communities across the United States. Making the program permanent will also create a solid foundation for me and others interested in its success to begin in earnest to make improvements and reforms that will make it more business friendly, more predictable and stable for investors, and will provide U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with the tools it needs to ensure that the program meets the highest standards of quality and integrity. There is little reason that this program should not continue to improve as a deficit-neutral source of capital investment and job creation across America.

I hope our introduction of this legislation today is the beginning of a strong bipartisan effort to make these programs permanent. I look forward to working with Senator Grassley and others to accomplish this goal.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I wish to provide a few comments regarding the introduction of the Bison Legacy Act. Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota and I are introducing this legislation today because of the significant role the North American Bison has played in the history of our Nation. This bill honors that legacy by designating the bison as the national mammal of the United States.

The bison has been integrally linked to the economic and spiritual lives of many Native American tribes over the centuries. Since our frontier days, the bison has become a symbol of American strength and determination. The Department of Interior has depicted the bison on its official seal for 94 years and the buffalo nickel played an important role in modernizing our currency in the early 20th century. At one point in American history, bison were brought in to graze outside the original Smithsonian building here in Washington, DC.

I must also add that my home State of Wyoming is one of three states that recognize the bison as its official state mammal and has honored an image of a bison on the Wyoming state flag since it was first adopted in 1917. Today, thousands of American bison freely roam Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The bison is also important to our state's economic well-being with a growing number of ranchers raising bison for consumers all over the world.

This bill is supported by a wide variety of stakeholders. I want to recognize the National Bison Association who represents the interests of the bison ranchers in nearly every single State. Also behind this bill is the Intertribal Bison Council supporting the cultural role the bison has played in Native American history. Finally, there is the Wildlife Conservation Society who wishes to honor the restoration of bison in North America since the 19th century.

I ask my colleagues to help me support and pass this legislation honoring the bison and designating it as our national mammal. The bison has and will continue to be a symbol of America, its people and a way of life.