Mark R. Warner

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today introduced Startup Act 3.0, an updated version of a bipartisan jobs and high-skilled immigration plan to strengthen the economic recovery through the creation and growth of new businesses. Co-sponsors of Startup Act 3.0 include Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Roy Blunt (R-MO). Startup 3.0 builds upon Startup 2.0, which was introduced in the last Congress.

Startup Act 3.0 creates both Entrepreneur Visas and STEM Visas for highly-educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States, where their talents and new ideas will fuel economic growth and create American jobs. The legislation also modifies the tax code to encourage investment in new businesses, helps to accelerate the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures, and seeks to improve the regulatory process by requiring a rigorous cost-benefit analysis of new proposed regulations.

“With a renewed focus on comprehensive immigration reform, it is imperative that we take commonsense steps to help Virginia and America compete and win in the global competition for talented innovators and entrepreneurs,” Sen. Warner said “Our bipartisan legislation also proposes reasonable steps to reform our tax and regulatory policies to help promote investment and job creation. In addition, Startup 3.0 looks to accelerate the transfer of university R&D into the marketplace.”

Research shows that for close to three decades, companies less than five years old have created almost all of the net new jobs in America – averaging about 3 million jobs each year.  Additionally, immigrants to the United States have a long history of creating businesses in America. Of the current Fortune 500 companies – including Apple, Google and eBay – more than 40 percent were founded by a first- or second-generation American. These American companies employ more than 10 million people. Both American and foreign-born entrepreneurs are needed to jumpstart the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses.

“I'm encouraged to see continued enthusiasm and momentum in Washington to support entrepreneurs,” said Steve Case, a cofounder and former CEO of Virginia-based AOL and a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, said. “With the reintroduction of the bipartisan Startup Act, Senator Warner is demonstrating a real commitment to help the United States win the global battle for talent. By creating a new visa for foreign students with advanced STEM degrees and immigrant entrepreneurs, and by eliminating the per-country cap on employment-based visas, we will make it easier for the best and the brightest from across the globe to start businesses, innovate, and create jobs right here in the United States.”

“America has long been seen as the land of opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs. I fear those days are coming to an end,” Sen. Moran said. “At a time when our economy needs jobs first and foremost, America’s archaic government policies have us falling behind. We are losing talent and jobs by the day to countries like Canada, Chile, and the United Kingdom that are aggressively courting the world’s best and brightest. We must pass Startup Act 3.0, or we risk losing the next generation of great entrepreneurs and the jobs they create to countries that have taken action to attract and better support these innovators.”

The provisions in Startup Act 3.0 have been endorsed by CEA, TechAmerica, Financial Services Forum, the National Small Business Association, Google, CONNECT, CTIA, Engine Advocacy, Computer and Communications Industry Association, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Angel Capital Association?, ITI, Northern Virginia Technology Council, Perceptive Software, Shenandoah Valley Technology Council, Silicon Valley Leadership Group?, Tampa Bay Technology Forum, TechNet, Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Wichita Chamber of Commerce.

Startup Act 3.0 includes the following provisions:

• Creates an Entrepreneur’s Visa for legal immigrants, so they can remain in the United States, launch businesses and create jobs;
• Creates a new STEM visa so that U.S.-educated foreign students, who graduate with a master’s or Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, can receive a green card and stay in this country where their talent and ideas can fuel growth and create American jobs;
• Eliminates the per-country caps for employment-based immigrant visas – which hinder U.S. employers from recruiting the top-tier talent they need to grow;
• Makes permanent the exemption of capital gains taxes on the sale of startup stock held for at least five years – so investors can provide financial stability at a critical juncture of firm growth;
• Creates a limited research and development tax credit for young startups less than five years old and with less than $5 million in annual receipts. This R&D credit is designed to allow startups to offset employee taxes – freeing up resources to help these young companies expand and create jobs;
• Uses existing federal R&D funding to support university initiatives designed to bring cutting-edge research to the marketplace more quickly where it can propel economic growth;
• Requires all government agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of all proposed “significant rules” with an economic impact of $100 million or more. This new requirement will help determine the efficacy of regulations and their potential impact on the formation and growth of new businesses; and
• Directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to assess state and local policies that aid in the development of new businesses. Through the publication of reports on new business formation and the entrepreneurial environment, lawmakers will be better equipped to encourage entrepreneurship with the most successful policies.

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement tonight:

"I was pleased the President began his speech with a strong call for a bipartisan grand bargain to continue to address our deficits and debt.

A balanced plan that includes additional revenue, smarter spending cuts and responsible entitlement reform -- and avoids the self-inflcted wounds from sequester -- is a key component of any economic growth agenda.

The President also endorsed a proposal I unveiled last week to work to double our nation's energy productivity by 2030, and I look forward to helping to lead the effort to make smart investments to rebuild our nation's infrastructure.

We will have many opportunities in the weeks and months ahead to work together to strengthen the economic recovery and move our country forward."

“I’m proud to have cosponsored the Violence Against Women Act, which passed the Senate today on a strongly bipartisan vote of 78-22. In Virginia, this Act has doubled the resources available for prevention and intervention of sexual violence in communities and on campus. The funding provides vitally important crisis services in nearly every locality in Virginia, and I urge the House to act quickly in passing this bill so we can get it to the President’s desk for his signature.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) urged President Obama to highlight startups and small businesses in his State of the Union address next Tuesday. In May 2012, Sens. Moran, Warner and Coons introduced legislation called the Startup Act 2.0 to jumpstart the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses.

“As you prepare to deliver your State of the Union address, we encourage you to speak about the important role entrepreneurs play in economic growth and job creation,” the Senators said in a letter to the President. “Our legislation, which we plan to reintroduce next week, builds on recommendations made by your Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to jumpstart economic growth. Startup Act 2.0 provides new opportunities for highly-educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States, modifies the tax code to encourage investment in new businesses, accelerates the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures, and seeks to improve the regulatory process.

“You have the opportunity again this year to lead Congress toward enactment of significant legislation that will boost entrepreneurial activity and result in the creation of new jobs,” the Senators continued. “We stand ready to work with you on this important issue.”

Click here to read more about Startup Act 2.0. Click here to read the proposals outlined by the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

To see the letter to the President in its entirety, please see below or click here.

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February 7, 2013 

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

            As you prepare to deliver your State of the Union address, we encourage you to speak about the important role entrepreneurs play in economic growth and job creation in your speech. 

            Since 1980, entrepreneurs and their young companies have been responsible for nearly all of the net job creation in the U.S. economy—creating an average of 3 million new jobs each year.  Entrepreneurial icons like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Sergey Brin have not only created new products and services that changed the way Americans live and work, but also provided tens of thousands of jobs to our citizens.  The lesser known, but equally hard-working entrepreneurs who open a small business on Main Street provide livelihoods for their families and keep communities across our nation strong.  We need both kinds of entrepreneurs to restore prosperity to America and there are steps Washington can take to achieve this goal.

            Working together, we introduced legislation last year called Startup Act 2.0 that would unleash the power of entrepreneurs in America.  Our legislation, which we plan to introduce again next week, builds on recommendations made by your Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to jumpstart economic growth.  Startup Act 2.0 provides new opportunities for highly-educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States, modifies the tax code to encourage investment in new businesses, accelerates the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures, and seeks to improve the regulatory process.

            In your State of the Union address last year, you called on Congress to pass an agenda that helps startups and small businesses succeed.  Congress took an important step in this direction by passing the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, but there is more that must be done.  Startup Act 2.0 picks up where the JOBS Act left off, particularly by addressing the issue of talent and providing a way for highly-skilled immigrant entrepreneurs to stay in the United States and employ Americans.  Mr. President, you have the opportunity again this year to lead Congress toward enactment of significant legislation that will boost entrepreneurial activity and result in the creation of new jobs.  We stand ready to work with you on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Jerry Moran                                               Chris Coons                                        Mark Warner

United States Senator                               United States Senator                         United States Senator

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) issued the following statements upon today’s nomination of Marilyn Tavenner as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:

“I applaud the nomination of Marilyn Tavenner to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” Sen. Warner said. “Marilyn is the real deal: she began her career as a nurse and rose to become CEO of a leading healthcare company. Today she serves at the highest levels of CMS, where she has garnered bipartisan support from Congress and respect from the business community. Marilyn's background provides her with the unique skills to bring together the private and public sectors to work on the challenge of overseeing our critical healthcare programs.”

“Marilyn is an exceptional choice to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and I strongly support her confirmation,” said Sen. Kaine. “As my Secretary of Health and Human Resources in Virginia, Marilyn took a creative and results-oriented approach to finding significant savings during tough fiscal times. A nurse by training, Marilyn also never lost sight of the importance of patient care. Marilyn’s experience in both the public and private sector make her uniquely qualified to manage this critical set of programs and help find ways to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid for the long term. After 7 years without a confirmed CMS Administrator, I can't imagine why Marilyn would not be confirmed promptly.”

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) announced today that his special guest at next Tuesday’s Presidential State of the Union address to a Joint Session of Congress will be immigration reform advocate Ambar Pinto, 19, of Fairfax County. Pinto, an undocumented immigrant from Bolivia, arrived in Virginia seven years ago, along with her parents and younger brother. She graduated from Fairfax High School, and currently is a sophomore majoring in international business at Northern Virginia Community College.

“Ms. Pinto’s dreams and her drive represent the promise of so many young people across Virginia,” Sen. Warner said. “Her story reminds each of us that our commonwealth will become stronger when we create a responsible pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants and their children.”

Sen. Warner said he was moved to invite Pinto to the State of Union speech after reading her story in the Richmond, VA Times-Dispatch last week.  “I was moved by her obvious love for this country, and by her willingness to work extra hard to have a shot at achieving the American dream,” Sen. Warner said.

Paying $2,500 per semester at community college, Pinto had advocated for passage of the 2013 Virginia DREAM Act, a General Assembly proposal that would have allowed eligible undocumented immigrants to pay lower in-state tuition rates. Thus far, the proposal has been sidetracked during this year’s session of the General Assembly.

In 2003, then-Gov. Warner pursued a similar effort through amendments to legislation banning lower in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants. Gov. Warner’s amendments would have authorized in-state tuition for students who, among other specific requirements, had arrived here as children, resided in Virginia for at least five years and paid taxes for at least three years, graduated from a Virginia high school, and who could demonstrate they were taking steps to legalize their immigration status.  After the legislature rejected these amendments, Gov. Warner vetoed the legislation.

Pinto says she is excited to have an opportunity to attend next week’s State of the Union address as the special guest of Sen. Warner. “This is such a big honor,” Pinto tells the Times-Dispatch. “I am very involved in my community, but I never expected to get something back in return. It will be an unforgettable experience,” Pinto said.

Since joining the Senate in 2009, Sen. Warner has established a tradition of extending similar opportunities for notable Virginians. His guest at last month's presidential inauguration was Sara Jane Arnett of Newport News, an Army spouse and a leading advocate for Virginia's military families. Similarly, former Hopewell Mayor and civil rights leader Rev. Curtis Harris, Sr. was Sen. Warner's invited guest at the 2012 State of the Union address.  

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement upon today’s confirmation of John Kerry as Secretary of State:

“I am pleased that the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed John Kerry as Secretary of State today. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for almost 30 years and its current Chairman, as well as a decorated combat veteran, John is eminently qualified for this important position. I look forward to working with him to promote American values abroad and strengthen our national security.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined a bipartisan group of 10 senators today to introduce the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 to bring long-overdue reforms to the nation’s immigration laws for highly-skilled immigrants working in the science and technology fields. The proposal will increase the number of temporary visas that are available to these highly-skilled immigrants, so more can remain in the United States and contribute to U.S. innovation and economic growth.  This new bill complements Sen. Warner’s efforts to provide green cards to foreign-born, U.S.-educated students and entrepreneurs through The Startup Act, which he introduced in 2011 and 2012.

In addition to Sen. Warner, the nine other cosponsors of the Immigration Innovation Act are Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dean Heller (R-NV), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

“Major employers have more jobs than they can fill with highly-trained Americans. These commonsense and overdue reforms to our high-skill immigration system will help promote innovation and economic growth across Virginia and across America,” Sen. Warner said. “Our bipartisan bill reflects the growing consensus that major reforms are needed to keep the best and brightest students and skilled workers, particularly in the fields of science, technology, math, and engineering, here in America.  I am advocating for the inclusion of this proposal—and STEM green cards-- as part of the comprehensive immigration overhaul currently being discussed in Washington.”

The Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 focuses on three areas vital to ensuring the United States can attract the type of workers needed to grow its economy:  

• the quantity of employment-based nonimmigrant visas (H-1B visas), allowing for their growth depending on the demands of the economy; 

• increased access to green cards for high-skilled workers, expanding the exemptions and eliminating the annual per country limits for employment based green cards; 

• reforms to the fees on H-1B and green cards so those fees can be used to promote American worker retraining and education.  

“Our immigration system needs to be modernized to be more welcoming of highly skilled immigrants and the enormous contributions they can make to our economy and society,” said Sen. Rubio. “This reform is as much about modernizing our immigration system as it is about creating jobs. It'll help us attract more highly skilled workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, which will help our unemployed, underemployed or underpaid American workers find better jobs."

A summary of the bill is below, and the bill can be accessed here.

Immigration Innovation (I²) Act of 2013

Employment-Based Nonimmigrant H-1B Visas

• Increase H-1B cap from 65,000 to 115,000
• Establish a market-based H-1B escalator, so that the cap can adjust – up or down – to the demands of the economy (includes a 300,000 ceiling on the ability of the escalator to move)
• If the cap is hit in the first 45 days when petitions may be filed, an additional 20,000 H-1B visas will be made available immediately.  
• If the cap is hit in the first 60 days when petitions may be filed, an additional 15,000 H-1B visas will be made available immediately.  
• If the cap is hit in the first 90 days when petitions may be filed, an additional 10,000 H-1B visas will be made available immediately.  
• If the cap is hit during the 185-day period ending on the 275^th day on which petitions may be filed, and additional 5,000 H-1B will be made available immediately. 

• Uncap the existing U.S. advanced degree exemption (currently limited to 20,000 per year)
• Authorize employment for dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders
• Increase portability of high skilled foreign workers by:
• Removing impediments and costs of changing employers;
• Establishing a clear transition period for foreign workers as they change jobs; and,
• Restoring visa revalidation for E, H, L, O, and P nonimmigrant visa categories

• Allow dual intent for foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities to provide the certainty they need to ensure their future in the United States

• Enable the recapture of green card numbers that were approved by Congress in previous years but were not used
• Exempt certain categories of persons from the employment-based green card cap:
• Dependents of employment-based immigrant visa recipients
• U.S. STEM advance degree holders
• Persons with extraordinary ability
• Outstanding professors and researchers
• Provide for the roll-over of unused employment-based immigrant visa numbers to the following fiscal year so future visas are not lost due to bureaucratic delays
• Eliminate annual per-country limits for employment based visa petitioners and adjust per-country caps for family-based immigrant visas

• Reform fees on H-1B visas and employment-based green cards; use money from these fees to fund a grant program to promote STEM education and worker retraining to be administered by the states.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement upon today’s retirement announcement by U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA): 

“Leadership is about taking risks when you don’t have to. That’s why I respect Saxby Chambliss for his willingness to partner with me and other members of what became known as the Gang of Six as we worked for bipartisan solutions on debt and deficits.

Photo Credit: Alex Brandon/Associated Press

“Over the past three years, Saxby has become one of my dearest friends. We have spent hundreds of hours together working through difficult fiscal issues. Saxby has always impressed me with his steadiness and character, his love for his family, and his lifetime of service to his country and his home state of Georgia.

“Washington needs more leaders like Saxby Chambliss who are willing to step up, reach across the aisle and work toward reasonable solutions to our nation’s challenges.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued this statement following Virginia Senate passage of SB701, patroned by Sens. Don McEachin and Adam Ebbin. The Senate adopted SB701 today on a bipartisan 24-16 vote, and the measure now moves to the House of Delegates for consideration:

“In 2006, I was proud to be the first Virginia Governor to protect gay workers at state agencies from discrimination in hiring and promotions. I viewed it as a powerful tool for recruiting and retaining top talent across state government. Today, the principals of equal opportunity and fairness represent official policy for virtually every major employer in Virginia and across the country. I am very, very pleased today to see the Virginia Senate approve this commonsense protection for Virginia’s LGBT workers, making equal opportunity for state and local government employees a permanent part of the Code of Virginia so that it does not have to be renewed every four years through an executive order.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) and U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA-2) announced today that the U.S. Navy has chosen the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore as an alternate site for limited practice landings for E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound turbo-prop aircraft. Pilots based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach will practice touch-and-go maneuvers using runways at the Wallops facility prior to deploying on aircraft carriers.  

"After years of close cooperation between the Navy, the congressional delegation and state and local officials, I am glad to see the Navy has reached this agreement with local communities to allow its pilots to train at an alternate landing site that is respectful of local interests,” Sen. Warner said. “Ever since Oceana was unexpectedly targeted when I was Governor during the 2005 round of base-closings, Virginia’s elected leaders have worked as a team to strengthen the partnership between Virginia and our nation’s military. The Navy’s decision to utilize existing facilities at Wallops for pilot training helps validate Virginia’s strong commitment to support this mission."

“The Navy has long sought a Field Carrier Landing Practice [FCLP] to allow for expanded training opportunities for its pilots at Oceana.   Encroachments on Oceana and the lack of progress in finding an FCLP almost cost Virginia the closure of Oceana during the 2005 BRAC process,” said Sen. Kaine. “Today’s announcement of plans to utilize the extensive runway facilities at Wallops Island as an FCLP is good for the Navy and good for Virginia.  It will likely anchor Oceana in Virginia and reduce the risk of closure of this significant facility with its thousands of civilian employees.  And, it complements Accomac’s growing aerospace economy by co-locating Naval aviation operations with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport operation at Wallops Island.  I was proud to work on that initiative as Governor and have been happy with its progress.  Today’s announcement will accelerate that positive economic development.”

“NASA Wallops Flight Facility is a world class operation and I am encouraged that the Navy has chosen it as a partner to conduct Field Carrier Landing Practice for E-2/C-2 aircraft,” Rep. Rigell said. “Home to more active duty and retired military personnel than any other district in the country, VA-2 is proud to support our military in any way we can, and welcomes the Navy’s business to the Eastern Shore.”

The Navy released a draft environmental and operational assessment on Sept. 6, 2012, and received public comments through Oct. 19, 2012. The Navy anticipates training operations at Wallops Flight Facility could begin sometime this summer.  

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have reintroduced their legislation to make substantial improvements in the states’ administration of their elections and to make voting faster and more accessible to all voters. The Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Voting Act would create a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reform. The states that demonstrate the most comprehensive and promising reform plans will earn a greater portion of the grant funding.

“The extremely long lines and wait times that many Virginia voters experienced at the polls last November were unacceptable.  While I’m disappointed the Virginia General Assembly last week failed to act on state-level legislation to begin implementing many of these commonsense reforms, that doesn’t mean we should stop fighting for election reforms,” Senator Warner said. “The FAST Voting Act addresses election reform in a responsible way: it does not impose new mandates, and authorizes additional resources for states that step-up with reforms to make voting faster and accessible to more voters. We should be looking for opportunities to improve voting access, and voters should not have to wait in line for hours to exercise this fundamental right.”

“Making it harder for citizens to vote is a violation of their civil rights,” Senator Coons said. “The 2012 elections were a wakeup call. All over the country, in red states and blue states, Americans saw their fundamental right to vote eroded by exceptionally long lines, confusing rules and voting machine malfunctions. We have to do better than this. The FAST Voting Act is a creative way to jumpstart states’ election reform efforts and ensure that what happened last week doesn’t happen again.”

“The sight of countless Americans standing in line for hours to vote this past Election Day should remind us that our election system needs to be fixed,” Senator Whitehouse said.  “The FAST Voting Act is an important first step, providing incentives for states to take common sense steps to make voting easier for everyone.”

“We cannot permit voter suppression and intimidation, which persist in long lines, ballot shortages, machine malfunctions, bully billboards, and intrusive ID requirements,” Senator Blumenthal said. “Voting is a fundamental aspect of the electoral process that should be protected at all costs, and the FAST voting Act seeks to do exactly that by providing states with resources to reform their election processes.”

The bill was originally introduced in November 2012, just over a week after an Election Day that saw extraordinarily long lines and a myriad of voting issues in more than a dozen states, including Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Montana, Tennessee, Hawaii, Arizona, Rhode Island and more.  Some voters in Prince William County, Virginia for instance, reported waiting in lines for up to three hours. Wait times reportedly stretched to five hours at some voting precincts in Chesapeake, and more than four hours at polling places in Virginia Beach.  

This bill authorizes a federal program that would award grants based on how well applicant states are able to improve access to the polls in at least nine specified ways, including:

• Providing flexible registration opportunities, including same-day registration;
• Providing early voting, at a minimum of 9 of the 10 calendar days preceding an election;
• Providing absentee voting, including no-excuse absentee voting;
• Providing assistance to voters who do not speak English as a primary language;
• Providing assistance to voters with disabilities, including visual impairment;
• Providing effective access to voting for members of the armed services;
• Providing formal training of election officials, including State and county administrators and volunteers;
• Auditing and reducing waiting times at polling stations; and
• Creating contingency plans for voting in the event of a natural or other disaster.

The program also requires an assessment of steps the state has taken to eliminate statutory, regulatory, procedural and other barriers to expedited voting and accessible voter registration.

The New York Times offered its support for the FAST Voting Act in November, as did the Washington Post in December.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11).

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s decision to remove the military’s ban on women serving in combat:

“After two wars over 10 years in which our enemies did not recognize a clear ‘front,’ it is appropriate that we recognize the realities of modern military combat. It is entirely appropriate to open front-line combat opportunities to American military women, who have repeatedly demonstrated their competence, bravery, and reliability serving our nation in times of war. We also must ensure that when our warriors return from combat, we provide them with the top quality V-A services and support they have earned.”

Sen. Warner, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has long been an advocate for military men and women, their families and our veterans. He had an instrumental role in 2009-10 in prompting the U.S. Veterans Administration to expand and improve its services for female veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress order, traumatic brain injury and other combat-related conditions.  

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, today honored two Central Intelligence Agency veterans who played key roles in the 1994 arrest and espionage conviction of CIA spy Aldrich Ames on charges of spying for the Russians. Jeanne Vertefeuille of McLean, VA served at the CIA for more than 40 years and died on Dec. 29, 2012. CIA colleague and friend Sandy Grimes of Great Falls, VA, who also worked on the Ames task force, served as a caregiver during the final months of her life. 

Sen. Warner highlighted the service of Vertefeuille and Grimes as part of his regular series of  “Great Federal Employees” floor speeches this afternoon. Virginia has a high concentration of federal employees and is home to many of the nation’s intelligence agencies.

“Jeanne Vertefeuille and Sandy Grimes blazed a trail for women in the national clandestine service,” Sen. Warner said. “It was through their efforts, and the good work of many others, that we ultimately unmasked the notorious traitor Aldrich Ames in 1994. One cannot help but be inspired by the true-life story of service, patriotism, and friendship demonstrated by these two great federal employees.”

Sen. Warner also announced today that he will re-introduce bipartisan legislation to designate July 26th as United States Intelligence Professionals Day to honor intelligence officers, past and present, for their service and professionalism. Legislation to establish Intelligence Professionals Day was co-sponsored in the last Congress by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and 13 others. 

“I look forward to working with my colleagues to reintroduce a resolution establishing Intelligence Professionals Day in the new Congress,” Sen. Warner said. “We should bring respectful attention to quiet professionals like Jeanne Vertefeuille and Sandy Grimes who keep our nation safe every day, without any thought of recognition.”

Sen. Warner delivered the speech as part of his Great Federal Employees initiative to honor the work of extraordinary federal workers. Former Delaware Sen. Ted Kaufman started the practice in 2009 and highlighted 100 employees during his time in the Senate. Sen. Warner serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following joint statement today on Monday’s surprise action by the Virginia Senate to push through a redrawn district map:

 "On a day when Americans celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and inaugurated Barack Obama as President, Virginia Senate Republicans took advantage of the absence of civil rights leader Sen. Henry Marsh to push through a hyper-partisan change to Virginia's already gerrymandered legislative district map.  This is not the way we should be conducting the people’s business in Virginia. We are encouraged by Governor McDonnell’s statements today expressing disapproval of the tactics that were used.  We urge legislative leaders and other elected officials to do the right thing to correct this disappointing and disruptive partisan action.”