Working For PA

When traveling across Pennsylvania, I often hear from constituents that Washington needs to take serious and substantive steps to rein in our country's out-of-control spending. It is time the government started living within its means. Recently, I was proud to support Senate passage of a budget plan that reaches a balance within 10 years, honors bipartisan spending caps, does not raise taxes, and makes it easier for Congress to pass legislation dismantling Obamacare.

By taking these steps, America will be a more fiscally sound and prosperous nation, which will undoubtedly benefit our state's economy and the well-being of all Pennsylvanians.

I've been working to get rid of a tax that is driving up health care costs for all Americans and costing us jobs in Pennsylvania.

Under Obamacare, manufacturers of medical devices, ranging from surgical tools to cochlear implants to defibrillators, are required to pay a 2.3 percent excise tax hike that raises costs for patients and hinders innovation, job creation and the overall delivery of quality patient care. The tax, which took effect in January 2013, is expected to cost device manufacturers roughly $194 million per month and put thousands of American jobs at risk, according to the Advanced Medical Technology Association.

Driving up medical bills and eliminating jobs are the last things that Pennsylvania families need these days. Fortunately, the budget that the Senate passed last month will make it easier to repeal this tax.

Note: The photo above is from Precision Medical Products in Denver (Lancaster County), Pa. Employees there told me that the worst thing the government can do is impose unnecessary regulations and taxes that raise the cost of doing business.

Christian Conroy stopped by my office recently. Christian is the State Director of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (SBDC). This organization helps small businesses all over the Commonwealth expand and grow their operations so they can hire more workers and make their organizations more efficient.

Christian brought with him a basket of Pennsylvania-made candy to showcase in my candy desk on the Senate floor. The candy came from Bella Faccias (Scranton), Country Confections Chocolates (Canonsburg, Washington County), Lang's Chocolates (Williamsport, Lycoming County), Lux Artisan Chocolates (Pittsburgh), and Nibbles & Bits (Scranton). Thank you all for the deliciousness!

I am working across the aisle to help employees at fast-growing private enterprises take a stake in their company's future. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) and I introduced the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act, which makes it easier for private companies to award stock as part of an employee's compensation.

Since 1988, companies that wish to issue more than $5 million in stock to employees must comply with sensitive reporting and disclosure requirements. For new and fast-growing companies, stock compensation is a valuable tool, but many privately held companies are reluctant to issue their workers more than the $5 million in stock that would trigger mandatory reporting of potentially sensitive information.

As a former small business owner, I know that employees who feel like part of the company they work at can be the most efficient, effective, and loyal members of the team. It is time that Congress makes it easier for workers to get an ownership stake.  Let's get rid of unnecessary government red tape which inhibits this goal. The Encouraging Employee Ownership Act is commonsense, bipartisan legislation and I look forward to working with Sen. Warner on this important effort.

I am working to defend family-owned farms and businesses through commonsense tax reform. I am cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to permanently repeal the federal estate tax, better known as the "death tax," to finally put an end to a punitive tax on family farms and businesses upon the death of an owner.

Prior to joining Congress, my brothers and I owned a small chain of restaurants in the Lehigh Valley and Lancaster County. I know the hard work family farmers and business owners put in every day.  That's why I want to make sure that when the owner of a family farm or business passes away, grieving family members are not forced to sell the farm or business to pay this harmful tax. The death tax punishes a lifetime of hard work and I am proud to support this legislation and urge both chambers of Congress to pass it.