Putting America To Work
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Bipartisan JOBS Act will spur economy
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 When I travel across my home state, I hear the same refrain from constituents: "Why can't you guys in Washington work together? Why can't you get something done?"
I share their frustrations. I came to the Senate a year ago determined to make a difference -- to cut spending, reform our loophole-ridden tax code, and eliminate the egregious regulatory burdens that hamper job creation -- only to be stymied by constant bickering and political sideshows.
But we finally have some good news. For the past few months, I have worked with my Democratic colleagues in the Senate to craft three bills that will help growing companies raise the capital they need to expand and hire more workers.
These three bills were included in the JOBS Act, which President Obama endorsed and the House and Senate passed in March.
By lessening the regulatory burden on entrepreneurs, small businesses, and other job creators, the JOBS Act represents a limited-government solution to spurring economic growth without using taxpayer dollars.
In our struggling economy, quicker entry into the market, greater access to capital, and reduced regulations will help small companies expand, hire new workers and create thousands of new jobs. I am pleased Congress was able to work together in a bipartisan fashion, and I appreciated the opportunity to help craft this bill.
I hope President Obama will sign the JOBS Act into law as soon as possible and help put Americans back to work.
Please click the picture above to watch my floor speech urging quick Senate passage of the JOBS Act.
Please click here to read my op-ed in Politico on the JOBS Act.
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Urging the Court to overturn mandate
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 The U.S. Supreme Court's hearings last week on the constitutionality of Obamacare drew thousands to Washington to protest the government's overreach. I joined Americans for Prosperity March 27 for the Hands Off My Health Care rally on Capitol Hill, calling on the Court to overturn the mandate.
The rally and the Court's hearings coincided with the second anniversary of the law's passage. Anniversaries are usually a cause for celebration, but there is nothing to celebrate about the government-run health care program President Obama pushed through Congress.
Two years ago, President Obama made a long list of promises to the American people and today, we are stuck with a heaping pile of broken promises.
Instead of lowering health care costs, studies have shown that the cost of health care will continue to grow.
Instead of protecting people's right to keep their current health coverage, many employers have indicated they will drop their employer-provided coverage as a result of Obamacare.
Instead of helping our struggling economy, Obamacare has burdened our economy with hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes and a laundry list of new regulations.
Perhaps worst of all, Obamacare has ceded huge new regulatory powers to the government, stripping the American people of their most basic freedoms to make decisions about their lives and their own care. That is why a majority of Americans want to repeal Obamacare.
Thomas Jefferson wisely predicted, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." Today we are witnessing the fulfillment of this prescient warning, and if we allow government to gain ground today, we will be yielding many more liberties tomorrow.
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Pushing back on excessive EPA fines
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 I have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to again reconsider levying fines on cash-strapped Pennsylvania communities.
Four Pennsylvania communities -- the cities of Lebanon and York, Lancaster County's Manor Township and Dauphin County's Swatara Township -- are being fined a total of $128,608 for delays in complying with the Clean Water Act's stormwater management regulations.
In a letter I sent March 22 to EPA Region 3 Administrator Shawn Garvin, I asked the agency for a full accounting of the decision to levy these fines and to reconsider the fines entirely.
In February, the EPA announced its intent to levy these fines on these communities. As required by law, a 40-day public comment period was enacted, which closed March 26. The EPA has 30 days from March 26 to consider the comments before it can finalize the fines.
"I write to you again to echo the many concerns of my constituents regarding EPA's actions against several central Pennsylvania municipalities. ... It is my hope that we can find a compromise that allows these fines to be waived," I wrote.
To read my March 22 letter, please click here.
This is the second letter I've sent to the EPA on this issue; I sent a letter in February asking the agency to reconsider levying $21,600 in fines on Lebanon.
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Visiting Southeast Pennsylvania
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I visited Southeast Pennsylvania March 26, starting with a special trip to Delaware County's Notre Dame de Lourdes School.
I read "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" to fourth graders as part of the Read Across America reading promotion program, then took questions from the students about the White House, the federal government, and the job responsibilities of a U.S. senator.
After the school visit, I participated in an event at the University City Science Center in downtown Philly to bring attention to a new medical device tax included in President Obama's health care law.
Pennsylvania's life sciences industry creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. When this tax goes into effect in 2014, these life sciences companies will have less money to hire new workers and to develop new life-saving technologies. I am a co-sponsor of legislation to repeal this onerous tax and protect Pennsylvania jobs.
Finally, I rode the Market-Frankford line to SEPTA's headquarters, where I learned about SEPTA's financial outlook for the next fiscal year, its capital improvement projects and the impact gas prices have on public transportation.
Please click the picture above to watch a slideshow of my Southeast Pennsylvania day.
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Had Enough? Tell me your experience.
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 Through my Had Enough? public service campaign, I'm asking you to tell me your experiences with unreasonable red tape, government excess and overregulation. I want to hear how federal agencies have not worked for you and how we in Washington can improve and streamline government. This isn't about disparaging government - it's about helping you, finding solutions, and making the federal government work more effectively for Pennsylvanians.
So if you've Had Enough?, let me hear from you -- please click here to share your experiences with me. I want to hear if a new federal regulation is preventing an employer from expanding and investing in your community; if the federal government is imposing an unfunded mandate on your town; or if new agency rules and regulations are impeding your livelihood.
I look forward to hearing how the federal government can work better for you.
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