WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa marked a series of policy and government oversight accomplishments in 2015, continuing his tradition of grass roots involvement with Iowans and casting his 12,000th vote in the U.S. Senate. Grassley achieved many of his goals as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Finance, Agriculture and Budget committees.
“It’s my privilege to represent Iowans in the United States Senate,” Grassley said. “The legislative and oversight work is meant to fulfill my responsibilities to Iowans and to the U.S. Constitution, which sets up the co-equal branches of government. I try to adhere to the principles of accountability, transparency and getting the most bang for the buck for taxpayers.”
Grassley returns to Iowa every weekend when the Senate is not in session and during recesses in votes to hold meetings and attend events in Iowa. Grassley holds a meeting in each of Iowa’s 99 counties every year to hear concerns and answer questions on any subject in a free-flowing dialogue with constituents. In 2015, Grassley completed these annual county meetings for the 35th year in a row in October after holding 40 town meetings, question and answer sessions (Q&As) at 17 schools and Q&As at 42 local businesses and service clubs.
Outside of these annual county visits, Grassley also attended a variety of events and meetings including: an avian influenza round table discussion with farmers and producers, a tax roundtable discussion with tax professionals and small business owners, a Judiciary Committee field hearing on the threat of methamphetamine, and meeting with Iowans at the state fair. When the Senate is in session, Grassley sets aside eight 15-minute meetings every Monday through Thursday to meet with Iowans in Washington, D.C., including advocacy groups, associations, chambers of commerce and local business leaders, students and families. This year, Grassley held meetings with nearly 600 groups of Iowans visiting the nation’s capital during these meetings and others and discussed a variety of policy issues affecting Iowans such as the farm bill, infrastructure, expiring tax provisions, the Affordable Care Act, and tax reform. In 2015, Grassley also held 10 telephone town hall meetings, with between 3,500 and 9,500 Iowans on each call, and joined 10 Iowa school groups for Q&As via video conferencing, including two college classes, seven groups of high school students and one elementary school class.
In 2015, Grassley’s Judiciary Committee held 33 full committee hearings, 19 subcommittee hearings and 22 business meetings to consider legislation and nominations. The committee passed 15 bills, including major bipartisan legislation such as the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the PATENT Act, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act and the FOIA Improvement Act.
Highlights of Grassley’s legislative and oversight work follow here:
Accountability for sexual assaults. After hearing whistleblower accounts of inadequate procedures to assist victims of abuse at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Grassley helped craft key provisions of a bill that would improve responses to sexual misconduct at NOAA and prevent future instances of abuse. The bill cleared the Senate Commerce Committee.
Grassley is leading an effort calling on federal agencies to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for employees who contribute to the demand for human trafficking by purchasing sex. He is also continuing to investigate sexual harassment claims from over 15 whistleblowers at the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley is providing oversight and conducting hearings on the processing of untested DNA evidence to examine steps that can be taken to reduce the backlog of untested rape kits.
Agriculture. Avian flu hit Iowa extremely hard and Grassley used his experience as a farmer and lawmaker to bring this devastating disease to the attention of the federal government. Based on conversations with Iowa poultry growers and a hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee, he advocated for changes to procedures in dealing with the disease at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also worked to educate colleagues on the extreme nature of the disease should another outbreak occur.
Grassley authored the Family Farmer Bankruptcy Clarification Act to reverse a Supreme Court ruling (Hall v. United States) that makes it harder for family farmers to reorganize their finances after declaring bankruptcy.
Bureau of Prisons. After taking heat from Grassley for a decision to remove pork from the menu in federal prisons for alleged cost considerations and prisoner dislike, the Bureau of Prisons promptly reversed its decision after revealing that prisoners actually liked pork and the costs for serving pork were not prohibitive.
Grassley wrote to the Bureau of Prisons about its religious service contractor hiring procedures after learning that not only did the bureau hire an Islamic chaplain who made incendiary comments against individuals who spoke negatively about Islam but the bureau also, in error, allowed the chaplain access to federal facilities prior to the completion of a government background check. As a result of his inquiry, the bureau is performing an agency-wide audit of prison facilities to ensure compliance with federal background check procedure.
Competition. In an effort to address anti-competitive practices among prescription drug makers, Grassley co-authored the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act. The bill would increase consumers’ access to lower-priced generic drugs by helping put an end to the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers’ using pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market.
Grassley has been conducting oversight of mergers to ensure that increased consolidation does not adversely impact small businesses and rural America.
Defense oversight. As a long-time watchdog of Defense Department spending, including fixing the broken accounting system within the agency, Grassley emphasized the need to fix the accounting system to identify waste, fraud and abuse at the Pentagon. In March, the Defense Department inspector general withdrew a much-heralded clean opinion on the Marine Corps audit. Grassley praised the decision, which came about after his aggressive oversight.
In May, the Defense Department inspector general released an audit showing a number of Pentagon employees used their government charge cards at casinos and strip clubs. The audit came about because of Grassley’s bill enacted in 2012 requiring federal agencies to beef up the oversight of purchases on government-issued credit cards. In December, the Senate passed legislation Grassley co-authored to further crack down on agency abuse of charge cards.
Throughout the year, Grassley worked with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to expose wasteful spending in Afghanistan and obstruction from the Pentagon toward the inspector general. An example is an investigation of a compressed natural gas filling station in Afghanistan that cost $43 million, many times more than it should have.
Education. The tax package given final approval this month includes Grassley’s provisions to improve the already successful Section 529 college savings program. Grassley’s provisions allow 529 funds to purchase a computer on the same tax-favorable basis as other required materials; cut outdated, unnecessary rules that increase paperwork and costs on plan administrators; and provide tax and penalty relief in instances where a student may have to withdraw from school for illness or other reasons.
The education bill given final approval in December includes the bipartisan bill from Grassley and co-sponsors that makes certain the needs of high ability students are included in federal education policy. The bipartisan proposal is the TALENT Act, or the To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation's Teachers Act.
Earlier versions of the bill contained a grant program for developing innovative civics education programs. The provision Grassley negotiated in the final bill makes sure that a focus of the grant program is to support proven civics education programs that teach the history and principles of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Grassley authored the Need-based Educational Act, which extends an antitrust exemption that allows certain colleges and universities, like Grinnell College, to collaborate on issues of need-based financial aid. The bill was signed into law in August.
Energy, including renewables. In December, the Senate gave final approval to Grassley priorities including the five-year extension of the wind energy production tax credit. The extension is meant to lead to a phase-down of the industry-specific tax credit. The Senate also gave final approval of an extension of the existing biodiesel fuel blenders credit, the small agri-biodiesel producer credit, the tax credit for cellulosic biofuels producers, the alternative fuel vehicle refueling tax credit, and bonus depreciation for cellulosic biofuel facilities. Grassley authored the initial version of many of the alternative fuels provisions when Finance Committee chairman.
For months, Grassley urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise and increase its proposed volume obligations for renewable biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2014, 2015 and 2016. After hearing from Grassley and other senators, the EPA released a final rule in November that fell short but improved the volume requirements over its last proposal.
FBI. As a watchdog of the federal bureaucracy, Grassley’s efforts to protect whistleblowers continued with introduction of the FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. The bipartisan bill brings the FBI’s whistleblower disclosure protocols in line with all other federal law enforcement and civil service agencies and streamlines procedures for investigation, adjudication and oversight of employee claims.
Grassley provided oversight of his own when investigating instances of alleged retaliation against FBI whistleblowers, including the use of so-called “loss of effectiveness” orders.
Grassley asked the FBI to provide details of the legal framework governing its largely secretive aerial surveillance operations to ensure Americans’ privacy rights are protected. He’s also looking into the FBI’s spyware program and its implications for privacy rights.
Federal judiciary. The Senate Judiciary Committee provides oversight of the federal judiciary. Even before becoming Chairman, Grassley launched several initiatives to bring more transparency to the federal courts. His long-standing efforts to bring cameras into the federal courts continued with the introduction of his bill to improve public access to the federal judiciary by granting judges the ability to allow cameras in federal courtrooms.
Grassley authored the Judicial Transparency and Ethics Enhancement Act, which would establish the Office of Inspector General for the Judicial Branch, an independent office to investigate claims of fraud, waste and misconduct, and ensure that the judiciary is carrying out its duties free from corruption, bias and hypocrisy. The bill creates whistleblower protections for individuals within the judicial branch.
Grassley is working to curb frivolous lawsuits that are clogging up the court system. He’s the author of the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act, which would impose mandatory sanctions for lawyers who file meritless suits in federal court.
Foster youth, adoption. As a founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Caucus on Foster Youth, Grassley examined kinship care and how to support relatives who serve as foster care providers; the homelessness of youth and the housing challenges they face, especially as thousands of foster youth age out of the system, many times at age 18; and the mental health needs of foster youth, including the need to better train caseworkers and foster families about the trauma that many foster youth face on a daily basis.
The education bill given final approval in December includes the bipartisan Educational Stability of Foster Youth Act, which Grassley co-authored, that supports students in the foster care system by strengthening connections between child welfare agencies and state and local education institutions. Often, schools may be the only familiar place for a child in foster care, and the measure helps make sure that those kids can go to school in a safe, stable environment.
Grassley led through the Judiciary Committee legislation to help families facing challenges with international adoptions. The bill was signed into law in October after families encountered numerous delays by other countries, often as simple as the issuance of an exit visa by the foreign government.
Fraud fighting. In addition to his work to protect specific agency whistleblowers who come forward, Grassley led a bipartisan group of senators in launching the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus. Grassley is the author of reforms to the False Claims Act to encourage whistleblowers to come forward with information involving fraud against the government. Since the reforms were enacted, the government has recouped more than $48.2 billion that otherwise would have been lost to fraud. Many of the recoveries were initiated by whistleblowers who took advantage of Grassley’s provisions allowing them to bring their own case on the government’s behalf. The False Claims Act is the government’s most successful tool in rooting out fraud, especially health care fraud in recent years.
Good government (paid leave, State Department). Grassley released a report from his oversight and investigative staff analyzing 18 federal agencies’ responses to his inquiries on paid administrative leave and endorsed the report’s recommendations for reining in this largely unproductive, expensive practice. The report sets the stage for legislation to fix abuses.
Grassley continued his oversight of whether the State Department is an outlier in stretching the purpose of government personnel designations, such as the Special Government Employee designation.
In June, the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General noted that it is now posting certain investigative summaries on its website. These summaries relate to misconduct by senior agency employees or high profile cases. Grassley had urged more disclosure and worked to impose it government-wide.
Health care. In June, the Finance Committee passed four Grassley-authored bills. They are the Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act; the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act for individuals with disabilities; the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Extension Act for “tweener” hospitals, including those in Newton, Grinnell, Carroll, and Spirit Lake; and the Community Based Independence for Seniors Act.
Grassley also introduced the ACE Kids Act; the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act; the Rural Hospital Access Act; the Medicare Residential Care Coordination Act; the HELLPP Act covering podiatrists as physicians in Medicaid; the Medicare Formulary Improvement Act; the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act; a bill to Improve Standards for Orthotics and Prosthetics in Medicare; the Transition to Independence Act for Medicaid; the Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital Act; a bill to permit review of certain Medicare payment determinations for disproportionate share hospitals; and a bill to require the use of electronic visit verification systems for home health services.
Grassley pressed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on easing the transition of patients in the failed health care co-op serving Iowa and Nebraska as well as whether the agency withheld funding, leading to the co-op’s collapse.
Grassley pressed the agency on how much federal money it has given to each state health care exchange, how much money it has identified as misused, what it can do to recover money for unallowable activities, and how much money for unallowable activities it has recovered.
Grassley was the lead Republican on a bipartisan investigative report that gives rare insight into how a company prices a landmark prescription drug. In this case, the company, Gilead, anticipated it would face public outcry over a high price for a Hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi, but went forward anyway.
Housing. Grassley continued his oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and local housing authorities to be sure that the billions of dollars meant for safe, affordable housing for those in need are spent properly.
Illicit drugs, cannabidiol. Grassley was among several senators who successfully urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to re-instate its take-back program for unused medicines. The program was popular in Iowa and helpful for ridding medicine cabinets of pain relievers that could be abused by teen-agers.
The Senate passed a bill Grassley co-authored to help combat transnational drug trafficking. The bill would help the Department of Justice combat the international trafficking of methamphetamine, which is increasingly being trafficked from Mexico into the United States.
On cannabidiol, a substance that might ease severe seizures in children, Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein succeeded in persuading federal agencies to drop an extra layer of review for non-government funded cannabidiol research that it previously required the Public Health Service to complete. Also, at the senators’ request, the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services agreed to evaluate cannibidiol on whether the product can be classified on a lower schedule than the entire marijuana plant, which may make research on it proceed somewhat more easily.
In addition to the Judiciary Committee field hearing in Des Moines on the threat of methamphetamine, Grassley as Chairman of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control convened a hearing on drug trafficking across the Southwest border and oversight of U.S. counter-drug assistance to Mexico.
Immigration. Grassley led the effort on many immigration reform initiatives and has conducted thorough oversight of the executive branch’s policies. He has focused attention on making sure Americans were given the first opportunity at high skilled jobs in the United States. He has worked to ensure that criminal immigrants are released back to their home countries. He has authored legislation to close loopholes in many legal immigration programs. And, he has championed efforts to ensure that the homeland is secured --- from border and visa security to refugee resettlement.
He fought against sanctuary city policies that allow criminal immigrants to stay in communities because of state or local policies that expressly prohibit law enforcement from working with federal immigration officials. Grassley pressed the Department of Homeland Security on a number of cases involving crimes committed by individuals who were allowed to remain in the country despite entering illegally and previous criminal convictions.
Grassley held a hearing where victims’ families shared their stories and called for reforms to improve enforcement of immigration laws and prevent future crimes.
He continues to investigate problems with the vetting and placement of unaccompanied alien children who have traveled from Central and South America in increasing numbers since the border surge of 2014.
Grassley raised concerns about the insufficient vetting process to ensure terrorists posing as refugees are not granted access to the United States. ISIS has stated it will use the U.S. refugee program to infiltrate the country. Grassley has called for a halt on accepting refugees from Syria until U.S. intelligence officials are satisfied with the vetting process.
Grassley is leading a bipartisan effort to implement national security and anti-fraud safeguards following concerns of abuse raised by whistleblowers, independent watchdogs, and agency leaders. The bill he introduced, the American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act, reauthorizes and reforms the EB-5 Regional Center program to address the widespread fraud and abuse of the program.
Inspectors general. Grassley raised concerns about Justice Department efforts to block inspectors general from accessing records for its investigations, despite laws allowing such access. He held a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee to listen to both the inspector general community and the Justice Department, and to reiterate that when Congress says that inspectors general should have access to all records, Congress means all records.
Grassley introduced legislation to again restate Congress’ intent to allow IGs to access such records and overturn a recent Justice Department legal opinion that other agencies have already relied on to deny their inspectors general access to agency records.
IRS. Grassley drafted the 2006 provisions that improved the IRS whistleblower office to stop tax fraud. A report in November from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office shows the IRS whistleblower office has collected almost $2 billion since 2011 that otherwise would have been lost to fraud. The report describes several major barriers that might discourage whistleblowers from coming forward. Grassley worked throughout the year to improve the whistleblower office.
Congress re-instated private firms to collect tax debt for the IRS, something Grassley has long supported to collect billions of dollars in taxes that the IRS isn’t attempting to collect.
Congress approved several provisions from Grassley’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act of 2015, introduced in June amid gross mismanagement and inappropriate actions by IRS employees that have shaken what little confidence taxpayers may have had in the agency. The provisions include: codifying the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, such as quality service; prohibiting IRS employees from using personal email accounts for official business; improving the ability of 501(c)(4) and other exempt organizations to seek review in federal court when the IRS fails to act on an application in a timely manner or makes a negative determination as to their tax-exempt status; and the termination of employment of Internal Revenue Service employees for taking official actions for political purposes.
Even before the IRS experienced a computer hack, victimizing innocent taxpayers, Grassley was urging the IRS to improve computer security to protect taxpayers. He followed up with the IRS after its breach to make sure it was doing everything possible to help affected taxpayers.
Jobs and the economy. Abusive patent litigation practices are undermining the patent system that has made the United States one of the most dynamic and innovative countries in the world. In an effort to curb these abuses, Grassley co-authored the PATENT Act, which aims to cut down on the frivolous lawsuits that burden the economy and cost small businesses millions of dollars every year. Grassley led the bill through the Judiciary Committee and it now awaits Senate consideration.
Grassley held a hearing to help Judiciary Committee members and the public identify and gain a better understanding of the root cause of Puerto Rico’s fiscal problems, discuss what’s currently being done, and consider the options available that could help Puerto Rico out of its situation as Congress looks at solutions that can gain broad, bipartisan support. More than 17,000 Iowans have invested in Puerto Rico’s public utilities bonds.
Law enforcement. Grassley guided through the Judiciary Committee legislation that was signed into law to help law enforcement agencies apprehend criminals who have injured or killed police officers. The bill creates a voluntary nationwide system, known as a Blue Alert, that states may use to notify law enforcement agencies when a credible threat is made against a member of the law enforcement community, or when an officer has been killed or seriously injured. Under Grassley’s leadership, the committee also passed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2015.
Grassley pressed several federal law enforcement agencies on their use of technology that can sweep up cell phone locations of innocent Americans. Following Grassley’s inquiries, the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, and other federal law enforcement components adopted, for the first time, public guidelines requiring a search warrant in most cases before deploying the technology.
Grassley has made an effort to make sure that excessive use of force by law enforcement is being pursued. He inquired about the status of a drawn-out investigation into the death of Iowan Brandon Ellingson, who drowned while in Missouri Highway Patrol custody in May 2014. An officer involved in the case was charged with involuntary manslaughter following the investigation.
Grassley sought information regarding the death of a Virginia man after the local police stonewalled the family on details of the shooting for more than a year. Grassley’s efforts led to the public disclosure of information about the shooting and the creation of a board made up of community members who suggested improvements to long-standing issues regarding the police department. Subsequently, an officer who was involved in the case was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder.
Grassley helped author legislation that would help incentivize the collection of better data on police shootings of civilians.
Grassley sought details on the Justice Department’s efforts to reduce the backlog of federal benefits applications from families of injured or fallen law enforcement officers. His efforts have led to the resolution of several Iowa cases that had been pending for years. In addition, the Justice Department launched an internal business process review aimed at more quickly providing decisions to families.
Inappropriate hiring practices and the misuse of funds at the U.S. Marshals Service prompted more than 70 whistleblowers to come forward to Grassley to raise other concerns of misconduct. Since Grassley’s investigation, the agency’s director and one assistant director have stepped down, and another assistant director is no longer acting in that leadership position. Investigations by Grassley and the Justice Department’s inspector general are ongoing.
Grassley introduced the Criminal Antitrust Anti-retaliation Act to extend whistleblower protection for employees who provide information to the Department of Justice related to criminal antitrust violations. The bill cleared both the Judiciary Committee and the Senate and now awaits action by the House of Representatives.
Military sexual assault. Grassley continued working with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and fellow senators on the Military Justice Improvement Act to establish an unbiased military justice system to address the crisis of sexual assault.
National security. Grassley’s efforts in preventing new attacks on the homeland have focused on balancing the federal government’s core responsibility to ensure Americans’ security with the fundamental privacy rights guaranteed in the Constitution. For example, he cosponsored the cybersecurity bill that was included in the omnibus appropriations bill that was recently signed into law. The law will facilitate information sharing between law enforcement and the private sector to help combat cyberattacks.
Grassley’s bill to strengthen the United States’ national security laws by ensuring that the government can successfully investigate and prosecute nuclear terrorists passed the Judiciary Committee on Dec. 10.
Grassley has also been asking questions about the National Security Agency’s surveillance abuse. He pressed the Justice Department for details on its handling of alleged intentional and willful surveillance abuses by National Security Agency employees, in some cases, to spy on spouses or significant others.
Given the increasing role that encryption has had in facilitating terrorism and other crime, Grassley held a hearing in the Judiciary Committee that began a conversation in the Senate on the balance between public safety and privacy established by the current use of this technology.
Grassley has been dogged in finding more information about the detainees released from Guantanamo Bay. Grassley joined colleagues in requesting more information about three former Guantanamo Bay detainees who were released following court orders and who reportedly re-engaged in terrorist activities. He has questioned the administration’s authority, and asked for the legal advice, in releasing five detainees housed at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. The transfer occurred without notification of Congress, which is required by law.
Regulations. In an effort to rein in an overabundance of regulations that stifle innovation and job creation, Grassley is a cosponsor of the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would require congressional approval before enacting regulatory proposals that carry an annual economic impact of $100 million or more.
Grassley is the author of the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015, which would shine a light on sue-and-settle litigation and help to restore the transparency, public participation and judicial review protections of the rulemaking process.
To illustrate the need to rein in regulations and executive overreach, the independent investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, said that the EPA used “covert propaganda” to illegally promote its sweeping Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that would declare most of Iowa a regulated waterway and therefore regulate what can be done with that land.
As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley convened a hearing on the federal regulatory system where he shined a light on the EPA’s attempt to push its own agenda and drive support for the WOTUS rule, all while belittling the concerns of the public.
Second Amendment. Grassley continued his efforts to ensure the Second Amendment rights of all Americans are protected. He requested that the Justice Department explain why nearly all the names submitted to the gun ban list’s “mental defective” category belong to veterans.
Grassley led 52 senators in condemning an ATF proposal limiting access to certain rifle ammunition primarily used for sporting purposes. ATF withdrew the proposal following the criticism. He also remained vigilant in seeking justice for Brian Terry, the Customs and Border Patrol agent who was killed by a firearm that the ATF allowed to be sold to known gunwalkers. Grassley worked to ensure government employees who were involved in the failed gunwalking operation were held accountable.
Securities and Exchange Commission. Grassley expressed concern to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about the security of a public filings database after the database apparently was used for fake company takeover bids involving Avon and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The SEC named a Bulgarian man as being an architect behind the hoaxes that fraudulently drove up share prices. Grassley sought to make sure the SEC addressed any systemic problems that could lead to this happening again.
Sunshine. Grassley and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced legislation to apply the disclosure of drug company and medical device maker payments to nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The disclosures already apply to doctors, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and podiatrists under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, co-authored by Grassley and enacted in 2010. The records that apply to doctors are publicly available in the federal Open Payments database. The payments to nurse practitioners and physician assistants would be added to the database. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants write a significant number of prescriptions in Medicare and nationwide, and they were among the top prescribers for some drugs, including narcotic controlled substances.
Since 2013, the Open Payments database created by the Physician Payment Sunshine Act covers 15.71 million published records and $9.92 billion in payments. Grassley co-authored the legislation after his oversight and news stories uncovered payments from industry to doctors.
Taxes. The year-end tax package passed by Congress includes the enhanced per-child tax credit, making it permanent.
It extends enhanced Section 179 expensing for equipment purchases, which is popular with farmers and small businesses. This allows farmers and small business owners to deduct the cost, up to a limit, of major equipment and property purchases that contribute to farm and business operations and job creation. The permanence is a major achievement because this provision has been temporary over the last several years.
Included is a bipartisan measure Grassley led to increase the alternative tax liability limitation for small property and casualty insurance companies. These small companies largely serve rural communities, which rely on this adjustment to provide additional surplus and cash flow used to pay customers’ insurance claims.
The tax package adopts Grassley-led policy to ensure that those granted deferred action under the President’s executive actions on immigration cannot retroactively get the Earned Income Tax Credit based on earnings from work performed illegally in the United States.
Tax-exempt organizations. Responding to investigative reports, Grassley looked in-depth at the American Red Cross’ spending on earthquake relief in Haiti, including whether donations achieved results.
Grassley asked questions of a tax-exempt hospital in Missouri that was the subject of an investigative journalism report over suing low income patients to force them to pay their hospital bills, even when those patients reportedly were eligible for financial assistance and discounted treatment under federal tax laws. As a result of Grassley’s efforts, the hospital announced a medical debt grace period and a new financial assistance policy. Since Oct. 1, 2015, $6,549,346.55 in debt, interest, and legal fees have been forgiven.
Trade. In June, the Senate gave final approval of legislation reinstating Trade Promotion Authority, the process widely seen as critical to enacting new trade agreements. Trade expansion is important to the Iowa economy.
Transparency. As the champion for transparency and openness in government, Grassley has been investigating whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct official business was designed to circumvent the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and federal records retention laws, as well as inquiring about how it jeopardized the security of highly-classified information.
Grassley shepherded the FOIA Improvement Act out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill requires federal agencies to operate under a “presumption of openness” when considering the release of government information under the Freedom of Information Act, and it aims to reduce the federal government’s overuse of exemptions to withhold information from the public. Grassley also held a FOIA oversight hearing to shine light on areas in need of improvement and to reiterate FOIA’s importance as a mechanism by which the public can hold the government accountable.
Two of Grassley’s long-standing initiatives, saving taxpayer money and transparency in government, came together this past year as he requested a GAO study on how much taxpayer money is spent on lawsuits stemming from the government’s attempts to withhold information in violation of the Freedom of Information Act.
Veterans. Grassley continued to keep tabs on beefed up accountability measures to help root out employee misconduct and a culture of corruption within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) so veterans receive the benefits and services they deserve.
In addition, Grassley wrote to the VA with concerns about the potential misuse of government charge cards.
Congress passed a bill he cosponsored, The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, and other provisions to prioritize VA programs for caregivers, homelessness, adaptive sports and vocational benefits for veterans with severe injuries. Congress also approved reforms to the Veterans Choice Program that allow more veterans to qualify to receive health care from non-VA health care providers in their local communities.
Grassley set up a veterans fellowship program to help him reach out to Iowa veterans. Don Bailey, a Vietnam-era veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force, christened this fellowship program in Grassley’s Des Moines office.
Victims reform. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley laid out a victims reform agenda to embrace and expand opportunities for victims of injustice through his committee.
Grassley is currently working on legislation to address the perverse incentives that have nudged enforcement of civil asset forfeiture laws off kilter with basic fairness. These laws are important crime-fighting tools that enable law enforcement to seize cash or property that’s considered linked to illicit activity. However, it seems this tool is increasingly being misused as a funding source for the government with thin regard for civil rights.
Grassley is looking at an area of the law to help indigent defendants who are not being provided with counsel as the Constitution requires.
Earlier this year, Grassley introduced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2015 to ensure that at-risk youth are fairly and effectively served by juvenile justice grant programs. The bipartisan legislation, which has 16 cosponsors and the endorsement of more than 150 organizations, has cleared the Judiciary Committee and is expected to be acted on by the full Senate early next year. The bill calls for a phase-out of the shackling of pregnant girls in detention and addresses concerns uncovered in a Grassley investigation about how the Justice Department has been mismanaging for 18 years federal grants that are supposed to support at-risk youth and those who encounter the juvenile justice program. The bill is designed to increase accountability for fraud and compliance failures by states.
Grassley led through the Judiciary Committee on a unanimous vote a landmark measure known as the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. The legislation was signed into law in May and enhances penalties for human trafficking offenses; equips law enforcement with new tools to target predators who traffic innocent young people; and makes additional resources available to support the needs of human trafficking survivors in the United States. The new law contains three important Grassley provisions that clarify that federal grant resources can be used to meet the housing needs of trafficking victims and offer training on the effects of sex trafficking to those who serve runaway, homeless and at-risk youth; update the federal statute that authorizes the cyber tip line of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to ensure that child trafficking is specifically mentioned as a form of Internet-related child exploitation; and require the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to identify best practices to prevent human trafficking.
Grassley shepherded through the Judiciary Committee legislation to reverse a Supreme Court decision that limited the restitution victims of child pornography could seek from any one perpetrator. The legislation passed the Senate, 98-0, and was signed into law.
In a major accomplishment, Grassley led a bipartisan coalition of senators to introduce the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. Grassley steered the bill through the Judiciary Committee and is now working to garner additional support before the full Senate. The bill would recalibrate prison sentences for certain drug offenders, target violent criminals, and grant judges greater discretion at sentencing for lower-level drug crimes. The package seeks to curb recidivism by helping prisoners successfully re-enter society.
Grassley supported and led through the Judiciary Committee the Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act, which works to support the unique health requirements of mentally ill inmates in an effort to reduce the likelihood that they will re-offend. The bill also includes accountability measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used in the most effective and efficient ways possible. The bill cleared the full Senate and is now awaiting action by the House of Representatives.