U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s eNewsletter - - Week of December 2, 2019
Majority Leader McConnell and ‘Drug Czar’ Join Kentucky Leaders to Open Volunteers of America Center in Clay County
McConnell supports life-saving work ‘by championing comprehensive legislation and securing unprecedented levels of federal funding for Kentucky.’
Local officials join (L-R) VOA Mid-States President & CEO Jennifer Hancock, KY Senate President Robert Stivers, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, KY Governor-Elect Andy Beshear, KY Attorney General-Elect Daniel Cameron, and ONDCP Director Jim Carroll.
Last week, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Jim Carroll, commonly known as the Drug Czar, and other federal and state officials in Manchester, Kentucky for the grand opening of a Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA) center focused on serving women and children suffering the effects of the opioid and substance abuse epidemic.
Senator McConnell and Director Carroll praised the leadership of VOA’s president and CEO, Jennifer Hancock, for her dynamic and strong leadership across Kentucky. VOA operates multiple centers throughout the Commonwealth serving women and children as well as our nation’s veterans. The new facility in Clay County will provide residential services to mothers and their children as they work toward long-term recovery from substance abuse.
“As Kentucky continues to endure the unfortunate consequences of opioid and substance abuse, we are reinvesting in comprehensive treatment strategies,” said Majority Leader McConnell. “I’m grateful to Director Carroll for recognizing, once again, the innovative leadership right here in our Commonwealth, and I’m glad to have his partnership as we address this national crisis. As Senate Majority Leader, I’m committed to supporting the life-saving work of Volunteers of America by championing comprehensive legislation and securing unprecedented levels of federal funding for Kentucky. As we continue to bolster our prevention, treatment, and enforcement efforts, we can make important strides to stopping the tragedy of addiction from inflicting pain on more Kentucky communities.”
“It was a pleasure to be in Kentucky today to see the incredible work being done to get more people struggling with addiction the help they need,” said ONDCP Director Carroll. “The Trump Administration, and all Americans, are fortunate to have great partners like Senator McConnell who choose to devote their time and energy to reversing the pattern of addiction and creating safer communities. Because of the leadership of Senator McConnell and the efforts underway on the front lines across the commonwealth, Kentucky has made progress in accomplishing our ultimate goal: reducing the number of people dying from drug overdoses.”
Jennifer Hancock, President & CEO, Volunteers of America Mid-States, said, “We are so grateful for Leader McConnell’s leadership on this vital issue and his support for our work. We consider our expansion in Southeastern Kentucky so much more than a group of projects. It's a movement that shows VOA’s long-term commitment to fundamental change.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (center) and VOA Mid-States President & CEO Jennifer Hancock (right) with a Kentucky family.
Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, said, “I appreciate the immense positive impact that Senator McConnell‘s policies and efforts have had on the Commonwealth of Kentucky. But I am most thankful for his partnership in helping combat the scourge of opioids in Eastern Kentucky. This center from Volunteers of America, based in my hometown of Manchester, will have an invaluable and lasting impact on our region by ensuring that mothers struggling with addiction can get clean, deliver healthy babies, and protect our future generations.”
Majority Leader McConnell Addresses Drug Epidemic During Laurel County Visit
Also last week, Majority Leader McConnell hosted the Drug Czar in Laurel County, Kentucky for a roundtable briefing with federal, state, and local officials, law enforcement, the Kentucky Air National Guard, and community leaders on efforts to combat the opioid and substance abuse epidemic.
The Sentinel Echo in Laurel County, Kentucky reports: "McConnell has been a strong advocate for fighting the scourge of drug abuse and addiction, and has consistently increased federal funding levels to battle the epidemic. Under McConnell's leadership, Kentucky has received more than $240 million to help fight the drug epidemic and recently worked with the University of Kentucky to secure an $87 million federal grant to address opioid crisis in high-risk communities. Due to his innovative approach toward battling the epidemic, Kentucky has evolved into a model program for other states and has been recognized at the national level." Click HERE to read the full article.
During his visit, Senator McConnell was presented with a plaque with an affixed machete, reading, “In recognition of many years of ardent and steadfast commitment to a drug-free Commonwealth, this machete is hereby presented to The Honorable Mitch McConnell, United States Senate Majority Leader. The affixed machete was used on the eradication of thousands of clandestine marijuana plants from within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
Majority Leader McConnell Defends Religious Liberty in America
This week, Senator McConnell delivered remarks on the Senate floor, saying:"The liberty of conscience and the freedom to live out our faiths has been a foundational principle from the Republic’s earliest days. Many of the first Europeans who arrived in the New World came here fleeing religious persecution...In the last several years, some of our Democratic colleagues have tried literally to impose religious tests on nominees for federal office - they want to just take the No Religious Test Clause and the First Amendment and throw them right out the window.
"So, look— these warning signs on religious freedom are popping up everywhere the modern political left rears its head.
"Religious freedom in America has never meant, and will never mean, solely the freedom to worship privately. It has never meant, and will never mean, the ability to practice only a subset of faiths acceptable to some subset of politicians.
"It means the right to live your life according to the dictates of your faith and conscience – free from government coercion.
"f those statements strike anybody in this chamber as remotely controversial, that is exactly why President Trump, Senate Republicans, and millions of Americans are focused on confirming federal judges who will apply our Constitution as it was originally understood."
Click the image below to view the Senator's full speech.
At McConnell’s Request, Federal Banking Regulatory Agencies Issue Joint Guidance to Assist Legal Hemp Industry
Kentucky Bankers Association praises Senator McConnell's leadership
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that at his request, four federal banking regulatory agencies – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) – joined by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors issued a guidance clarifying the legal status of hemp and the relevant requirements for banks providing financial services to hemp related businesses.
Since Senator McConnell’s initiative for full hemp legalization became law, he has worked on behalf of hemp farmers and stakeholders around Kentucky to impress upon the federal agencies the need to finalize the new regulatory framework implementing his hemp initiative before the 2020 growing season.
Many hemp farmers and producers in Kentucky faced challenges accessing capital and other important financial products as they have explored the crop’s economic opportunities, despite passage of Senator McConnell’s hemp-legalization initiative in the 2018 Farm Bill. Hearing these concerns from his constituents, Senator McConnell earlier this year, was joined by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in contacting several federal banking and financial regulatory institutions reiterating hemp’s legality and requesting timely guidance and clarification to help ease concerns from lawful hemp farmers and producers about the lack of access to financial services.
After the National Credit Union Administration fulfilled Senator McConnell’s request to issue guidance and the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its regulatory framework, Senator McConnell followed up with the federal banking regulatory agencies in October to reiterate his request for them to issue guidance to help ease this barrier for the legal hemp industry.
“This multi-agency announcement represents continued progress as we work to ensure hemp is treated just like any other legal agricultural commodity,” said Senate Majority Leader McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Even after President Trump signed my initiative in last year’s farm bill to fully legalize hemp and remove it from the list of federally controlled substances, I heard from hemp producers around Kentucky about their ongoing challenges, including the lack of access to the financial system. I’m proud federal banking regulators agreed to my request to issue new guidance that affirms hemp’s legality. I look forward to more Kentucky producers having the ability to grow their hemp businesses with the help of the Commonwealth’s financial institutions.”
“Once again, Senator McConnell showed why he is an indispensable voice for Kentucky in Washington,” said Kentucky Bankers Association President and CEO Ballard W. Cassady, Jr. “By affirming hemp’s status as a legal commodity, this federal guidance can provide much-needed clarity and reassurance to Kentucky banks exploring opportunities in our state’s growing hemp industry. For years, Senator McConnell has championed the cause of hemp, helping overcome numerous challenges at the federal level so Kentuckians are able to take full advantage of this exciting crop. Without the Senate Majority Leader throwing his weight behind this Kentucky priority, we might never have gotten it done.”
Kentucky has been at the forefront of hemp production since the authorization of industrial hemp pilot programs established by Senator McConnell’s provision in the 2014 Farm Bill. Agriculture leaders from around the country are looking to the Bluegrass State’s hemp industry as the crop is now grown in 101 of 120 counties.
Majority Leader McConnell Recognized as '2019 Person of the Year' for Leading the Effort to Legalize Hemp
Whole Foods Magazine, a national trade publication, recognized U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as the '2019 Person of the Year' for being the most influential person in the natural products industry with his work to legalize industrial hemp for farmers in Kentucky and around the country. Click HERE to read the magazine article.
Senator McConnell, Congressman Rogers File Legislation for Kentucky's First National Heritage Designation
Teaming up again to advocate for progress in Eastern Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-05) filed companion bills on Thursday in the House and Senate to begin the federal process to designate Southern and Eastern Kentucky as the Kentucky Wildlands National Heritage Area. The legislation comes on the heels of Eastern Kentucky PRIDE's grant award from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) earlier this year to brand the region, famously explored by Daniel Boone, as the Kentucky Wildlands. The Kentucky Wildlands National Heritage Area Study Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study to determine whether the region meets the requirements for a National Heritage Area designation.
“I’m proud to once again work with Congressman Rogers to tap into the great potential of Eastern and Southern Kentucky,” said Senate Majority Leader McConnell. “The scenic beauty of Kentucky’s wilderness is a link to our Commonwealth’s rich heritage and a key to our bright future. Preserving the traditions of communities throughout this region as our state’s first National Heritage Area can bring both tourism and economic opportunity. I’m grateful to all those in Kentucky who are taking part in this important effort to promote Appalachia’s unique culture.”
Click HERE to read an article from Kentucky Today: McConnell, Rogers work on branding effort for Southern and Eastern Ky.
Mike Duncan of Kentucky Confirmed Governor of USPS
On Thursday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented on the Senate confirmation of Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, of Inez, Kentucky, to serve as a Governor of the United States Postal Service (USPS), saying:
“I’m proud to congratulate my friend Mike Duncan on his confirmation to continue serving as a Governor of the U.S. Postal Service. Mike’s long career of distinguished public service in Kentucky and around the country has been marked by compassion, ingenuity and strong leadership. His colleagues on the Postal Board of Governors have recognized these traits and placed their trust in him as Chairman. I’m grateful Mike has chosen to keep lending his talents and experience to the world’s largest postal organization, and I look forward to his continued accomplishments on the Board.”
American Families, Job Creators Waiting on Speaker Pelosi to Allow USMCA Vote
Democrats Continue to Obsess Over Impeachment While Obstructing Everything Else
On Wednesday, Senator McConnell delivered remarks on the Senate floor urging House Democrats to pass the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada trade agreement (USMCA), saying:
"This week, House Democrats are continuing their three-year-long quest to impeach the president and continuing to obstruct urgent bipartisan legislation.
"This has been the Democrats’ strategy for months now: Obsess over impeachment and obstruct everything else.
‘Take the USMCA, which would create 176,000 new American jobs. Speaker Pelosi has been stalling it for months, constantly saying she is optimistic, or getting close, or almost there. For months it has been this broken record. I understand this very week, while the Speaker of the House has apparently flown to Madrid to discuss climate change, she keeps offering the same empty rhetoric that’s no different than what she was saying 10 months ago.
"American workers have waited, and waited, and waited. House Democrats keep stalling." Read his full remarks HERE.
During his weekly media availability at the U.S. Capitol, Senator McConnell urged Democrats to pass USMCA.
McConnell: I’ve Been Proud to Stand With Hong Kong for Decades
On Wednesday, Senator McConnell delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding Hong Kong, saying, "Hong Kongers are continuing to speak up for the freedoms and the autonomy that Beijing has slowly tried to erode. As long as Beijing does not relent, it looks like the people of Hong Kong will not relent either.
"Preserving freedom and promoting democracy has required constant vigilance from Hong Kongers since Communist China assumed control of the region.
"I’ve been proud to stand with them in that effort. With my original legislation, we paved the way for cooperation between Hong Kong and the United States, codifying and strengthening economic ties and facilitating the robust exchange of ideas in support of greater democracy in the autonomous region.
"We’ve laid the foundation for a U.S.-Hong Kong relationship that has strengthened both their society and ours and created leverage to hold Beijing accountable...So I’m proud of the people of Hong Kong. I’m proud of the Senate’s latest action to support them. And I’m proud to continue standing alongside them in their journey to true self-determination."
Senator McConnell continues to highlight a Kentucky county each Friday on Twitter with the hashtag: #Bluegrass120. Follow along each Friday via @McConnellPress and stay tuned for which of the 120 counties is next! Click the following images to retweet the counties highlighted recently:
Visiting D.C.
Every week, many Kentuckians from across the Commonwealth visit Senator McConnell's office in the U.S. Capitol. If you’re planning a trip to Washington, D.C., please check out Senator McConnell'swebsiteand visit his office while you are in town. Also, the Senator’s office has information on tours, places to visit and local restaurants to help make your trip to the nation’s capital one to remember.
Keeping Up With Senator McConnell
Keep up with things happening in our nation's capital and Kentucky by becoming a fan of Senator McConnell’sFacebookpage and following on Instagram at@McConnellPress. Receive news updates and alerts from Senator McConnell’s Press Office by following on Twitter at@McConnellPress.
For a more behind-the-scenes view of the Senate Majority Leader's office, be sure to follow@SenateMajLdron Twitter and@SenateMajLdron Instagram.
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