Press Releases
Warner & Kaine Announce more than $1 Million of ARC Infrastructure Funding for Floyd County
Sep 15 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,081,958 in federal Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) funding for the Floyd County Economic Development Authority to construct a new access road for the Floyd Regional Commerce Center. The funding, which leverages $30 million in private investment—will fund approximately 0.21 miles of access road, an industrial cul-de-sac, as well as pedestrian and bike path to facilitate Floyd County’s development of the Floyd Regional Commerce Center. The Floyd County Economic Development Authority estimates that completion of the Commerce Center would promote economic development with the potential to support more than 100 new jobs in the region.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission has supported communities in Appalachia since its formation and we are proud to advocate for the program in the Senate and announce funding for projects like this that expand economic development and opportunity in the region,” the Senators said. “This funding will allow Floyd County to improve its access to the Regional Commerce Center and spur further opportunities for growth in the area. We hope that projects like this, and the impact they have in Southwest Virginia, will encourage President Trump and House Republicans to rethink their choice to end ARC in their 2018 budget proposals. ”
Since its inception in 1965, ARC has generated over 300,000 jobs and $10 billion for the 25 million Americans living in Appalachia. ARC has provided funding and support for job-creating community projects across the 13 Appalachian states, producing an average of $204 million in annual earnings for a region often challenged by economic underdevelopment. President Trump’s budget proposes eliminating the program entirely.
In June, Warner and Kaine joined a group of six other U.S. Senators urging Senate appropriators to fully fund the Appalachian Regional Commission in 2018 at $152 million and reject the Trump Administration’s proposal to end the state-federal partnership.
The project will be administered through the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced $1,357,959 in federal funding for nine Virginia fire departments through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The funding for nine fire departments in Concord, Chilhowie, Fairfax, Gasburg, Glade Spring, Kenbridge, Lovingston, Newport News, and Norton will be awarded through FEMA’s Assistant to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.
“This federal funding will provide fire departments with critical support to enhance training operations and purchase life-saving equipment that will help keep Virginians safe,” the Senators said.
The following Virginia fire departments will receive funding under the AFG program:
- The Concord Volunteer Fire Department will receive $64,762 to purchase vehicle extrication equipment;
- The Town of Chilhowie Fire & EMS Department will receive $60, 313 to purchase portable and mobile radios;
- The City of Fairfax Fire Department will receive $136, 182 to support training operations for firefighters;
- The Gasburg Volunteer Fire Department will receive $46,116 to purchase an air compressor and fill station equipment;
- The Glade Spring Volunteer Fire Department will receive $38,096 to purchase an air compressor and fill station equipment.
- The Kenbridge Fire Department will receive $54,739 to update its source capture exhaust system technology;
- The Lovingston Volunteer Fire Department will receive $142,381 to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus equipment;
- The City of Newport News Fire Department will receive $404,600 to purchase power lift cots and stretchers and;
- The City of Norton Fire Department will receive $320,358 to purchase self-contained breathing apparatus equipment and face pieces.
The primary goal of FEMA’s AFG program is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters by providing direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments, nonaffiliated Emergency Medical Services organizations and State Fire Training Academies for critically-needed resources.
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Sen. Warner Asks FTC to Probe Equifax Data, Security Practices & Customer Service Response After Recent Hack
Sep 13 2017
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Banking, Budget and Finance committees and cofounder of the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, today asked the Federal Trade Commission to examine the recent cyber hack of credit reporting agency Equifax. Last week, Equifax publically disclosed a breach which exposed sensitive personal information of 143 million Americans.
Sen. Warner requested an FTC investigation into the lapse in Equifax cybersecurity practices, and questioned the company’s widely-panned response to consumers potentially impacted by the breach. His letter asks the FTC to examine whether credit reporting agencies such as Equifax have adequate cybersecurity safeguards in place for “the enormous amounts of sensitive data they gather and commercialize.”
Sen. Warner has been a leader in calling for better consumer protections from data theft. In the aftermath of the Target breach that exposed the debit and credit card information of 40 million customers, Sen. Warner in 2014 chaired the first congressional hearing on protecting consumer data from the threat posed by hackers targeting retailers’ online systems. Sen. Warner also partnered with the National Retail Federation to establish an information sharing platform that allows the industry to better protect consumer financial information from data breaches.
Sen. Warner has been working to develop bipartisan legislation to create a comprehensive, nationwide and uniform data breach standard requiring timely consumer notification for breaches of financial data and other sensitive information.
The text of the letter is below and can be found here.
September 13, 2017
The Honorable Maureen K. Ohlhausen
Acting Chairwoman
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20580
Dear Acting Chairwoman Ohlhausen,
I write you in the wake of reports that one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies has suffered one of the largest, and potentially most impactful, breaches in recent history. According to reports, Equifax in May of this year experienced a breach affecting as many as 143 million consumers, with highly sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license records, birthdates, addresses, and credit histories potentially at risk. This information – critical to opening a new bank account or taking out a loan – will expose Americans to identity theft, tax fraud, extortion, and other risks.
By streamlining and routinizing the collection of consumer reports and credit history, the Fair Credit Reporting Act in part enshrined the nation’s major credit reporting agencies’ role as arbiters of Americans’ access to credit, and even employment and residential opportunities. At the same time, Congress sought to ensure that these firms “exercise their grave responsibilities” with a “respect for the consumer’s right to privacy,” including through “reasonable procedures…with regard to the confidentiality, accuracy, relevancy, and proper utilization of such information[.]” And Congress directed the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission” or “FTC”) to enforce key aspects of the law, including by treating violations of the FCRA as unfair or deceptive practices under the Commission’s Section 5 authority.
Today’s digital economy, in which data increasingly represents a key input, has only amplified the reach of these firms, and provided them with incentives to collect and centralize ever-growing amounts of sensitive personal information, and to commercialize this data in opaque ways. The volume and sensitivity of the data potentially involved in this breach raises serious questions about whether firms like Equifax adequately protect the enormous amounts of sensitive data they gather and commercialize.
As someone who has worked for several years with stakeholders and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on legislation to establish a comprehensive, nationwide and uniform data breach standard, I recognize Congress’s unfinished work in this area. I am hopeful that this recent development will help galvanize action among my colleagues in Congress to safeguard American consumers and our nation’s economic security.
At the same time, aspects of this breach raise questions about the data security practices of Equifax that implicate the Federal Trade Commission’s existing authority. In particular, press reports and cybersecurity experts have identified a number of security lapses, including in the days following Equifax’s disclosure of the breach, that potentially indicate a pattern of security failings.
While the precise details of the “website application vulnerability” exploited in the Equifax breach are not yet known, experts have pointed to a wide range of other lapses by Equifax – including in the wake of the breach – that indicate exceptionally poor cybersecurity practices. For instance, experts have pointed to an exceedingly broad attack surface, with thousands of domains and subdomains managed by Equifax across hundreds of network hosts. And security experts have identified a range of antiquated, unpatched, or otherwise vulnerable systems maintained by Equifax.
Equifax’s post-breach actions also raise serious concerns about the company’s data security practices. For instance, Equifax chose to register a new domain, Equifaxsecurity2017.com – but not in its own name. Reports also catalogued a litany of security mistakes, including use of potentially insecure content management software and improperly configured web encryption. These, and other lapses, resulted in a range of popular web browsers flagging Equifax’s site as a potential phishing or scam site.
Equally alarming have been Equifax’s procedures for handling customer inquiries. In order for a concerned consumer to determine if they may have been impacted, Equifax requires the consumer to submit their last name and six digits of their Social Security number. The security of this procedure is as questionable as its efficacy: researchers noted that entering the last name “Test” and the Social Security numbers “123456” returned a confirmed breach.
Similarly alarming, when concerned consumers elect to place a credit freeze with Equifax – something the Commission encourages them to do – the PIN that Equifax assigns to that consumer is a simple, non-unique timestamp (formatted as, for instance, “0910170930” for a user that submitted a request at 9:30AM on the 10th of September). Separately, experts have noted that Equifax’s central website, where American consumers go to set up credit account monitoring, features cross-site scripting vulnerabilities that would enable an attacker to execute malicious code to, for instance, redirect submitted form data (such as the Social Security number the Equifax site requests) to an attacker.
Taken as a whole, and given past breaches by other major credit bureaus, these lapses may potentially represent a systemic failure by firms currently incentivized to collect and store highly sensitive identification and financial data for Americans. The volume and sensitivity of the data involved – information critical to identity management and access to consumer credit – distinguishes this breach from many other breaches of consumer data. And in contrast to other breaches, where consumers might respond to the perceived lack of data security by taking their business elsewhere, those affected by last week’s breach in most cases do not have a direct consumer relationship with Equifax.
The implications of a breach of this magnitude are sobering, as this identifying data forms the basis for consumer credit and other financial transactions. Congress foresaw this threat in 1970, noting that failures of this industry could “undermine the public confidence which is essential to the continued functioning of the banking system.” In ways similar to the financial service industry’s systemic risk designation, I fear that firms like Equifax may illustrate a set of institutions whose activities, left unchecked, can significantly threaten the economic security of Americans.
I respectfully request that you respond to the following questions:
- 1. Equifax is currently under a consent decree with the Commission for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act related to improper handling of consumer information. Does that consent decree provide the Commission with additional remedies in the context of Equifax’s data security practices?
- 2. Given the current inability of consumers to cease doing business with a credit reporting agency which displays an arguably cavalier attitude toward cybersecurity, should the Fair Credit Reporting Act be amended to provide the Commission authority to issue rules requiring credit reporting agencies to establish a way for consumers to “opt out” of having their information stored by a particular credit reporting agency?
- 3. In many cases, Equifax collects and maintains sensitive information about consumers as a service to other businesses. Under state data breach notification statutes, a breached service provider need only inform the business it provides service to about the breaches it suffers, and has no obligation to provide public notice that it incurred the breach. In recent breach incidents involving third-party service providers, some companies (e.g., Heartland, Experian, Anthem, etc.) have provided public notice that their breach affected consumers. Would the FTC support legislation that requires all entities suffering a breach of security that creates a significant risk of financial harm, to make public notice of that breach in order to ensure a more timely and effective form of notice?
- 4. Do you interpret the Fair Credit Reporting Act to include heightened data security standards and/or requirements, given Congress’s unique concern about the “confidentiality, accuracy…and proper utilization” of this highly sensitive data?
- 5. The Commission has suggested that consumers place a credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus. Does the Commission consider a timestamp to be a sufficiently strong PIN for unfreezing a consumer’s account?
- a. Has the Commission issued guidance to credit reporting agencies on adequate security and data protection measures associated with credit freezes?
- b. Should this guidance be updated in light of security concerns with the site Equifax maintains to process credit monitoring and freeze requests?
- 6. Should Congress limit the ability of credit reporting agencies to sell data outside specific contexts, such as credit, banking, and employment inquiries?
- 7. Does the Commission hold lapses in data security practices in response to a breach to a higher standard than data security practices related to the breach itself?
- 8. Do adequate incentives to use reasonable data security practices, or penalties to deter unreasonable data security practices, exist to counter-balance the profit incentives to collect, centralize, and maintain large quantities of highly sensitive personal information of American consumers?
The American people deserve to know that their government is serious about learning from and responding to this truly concerning incident, and that it is taking all appropriate steps to help ensure it cannot happen again. Your response will be critical to this process, and I look forward to receiving that within the next two weeks. If you should have any questions or concerns, please contact my office.
As always, I appreciate your service in this important role. Thank you for your timely consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
MARK R. WARNER
United States Senator
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner applauded the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for their unanimous passage of the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017. The legislation would grant federal recognition of six Virginia tribes: the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, and the Nansemond. These tribes have received official recognition from the Commonwealth of Virginia, but have not received federal recognition, which would grant the tribes legal standing and status in direct relationships with the U.S. government. The legislation will now advance to the full Senate for consideration.
“The Committee’s vote today is an important step in bringing six Virginia tribes closer to receiving federal recognition,” said Kaine and Warner. “This bill gives Virginia’s tribes access to the educational and health care services they deserve and allows members of these tribes to properly pay tribute to their ancestors.”
Federal recognition would allow Virginia’s tribes legal standing and status in direct relationships with the U.S. government. Further, it would allow tribes to:
- Compete for educational programs and other grants only open to federally recognized tribes;
- Repatriate the remains of their ancestors in a respectful manner. Many of these remains reside in the Smithsonian, but without federal status there is no mandate to return the remains; and
- Provide affordable health care services for elder tribal members who have been unable to access care.
The Senate companion bill of this legislation, introduced by Kaine and Warner, passed the Committee in May. This version, which originated in the House of Representatives and was introduced by Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman, passed in the House unanimously and will now be considered by the full body of the Senate.
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WASHINGTON – Congress today approved a bipartisan, bicameral resolution led by Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA)—prompted by the violence and domestic terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Va. last month—condemning white nationalists, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other hate groups. The joint resolution (S. J. Res. 49) also calls upon the Trump Administration to use all available resources to improve data collection on hate crimes and to work in a coordinated way to address the growing prevalence of hate groups.
“Our nation’s elected leaders have a responsibility to stand up to forces of hatred and bigotry wherever they may be found. What happened in Charlottesville was domestic terrorism perpetrated by white supremacists who tragically cut short the life of a young woman, Heather Heyer, and led to the deaths of two Virginia State Police troopers Berke Bates and Lt. Jay Cullen. The United States Congress has spoken up with one voice to recognize the lives of those we lost, to unconditionally condemn racist speech and violence, and to denounce the white nationalists, neo-Nazis, the KKK, and other hate groups,” said the Senators. “We hope that President Trump will move quickly to sign this resolution and commit his Administration to address the rise of hate groups.”
The legislation was co-sponsored in the Senate by 57 bipartisan Senators, including Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
A companion version with identical language was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week by Reps. Tom Garrett (R-VA-5) and Gerald Connolly (D-VA-11) with support from the entire Virginia House delegation.
The joint resolution recognizes the death of Heather Heyer, 32, and the injuries suffered by many others after a car allegedly driven by a neo-Nazi slammed into a crowd of counter-demonstrators in Charlottesville. The resolution specifically describes that event as a “domestic terrorist attack.” The resolution also acknowledges the heroism and public service of Virginia State Police troopers Berke Bates and Lt. Jay Cullen, who died in the crash of their helicopter while monitoring the protests. Finally, it expresses support for the people of Charlottesville as that community heals “following these acts of violent bigotry.”
The joint resolution also has the support of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. It now heads to President Trump for his signature.
The text of the resolution is available here. More background on how a Joint Resolution works is available here.
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WASHINGTON --The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), members of the Senate Banking and Finance Committees, which would make it easier for private companies to award stock as part of an employee's compensation. The Encouraging Employee Ownership Act will entice private corporations to give their employees larger equity stakes in their companies and promote longer-term investing.
“Giving employees the opportunity to acquire stock provides them with a greater sense of ownership in their companies and has a positive impact in workplace culture,” said Sen. Warner, a former technology executive. “Allowing employees to have a stake in the success of where they work will help promote greater productivity and wealth creation and get this economy working better for more people.”
Established nearly two decades ago, current Securities and Exchange Commission rules force companies that wish to issue more than $5 million in stock to employees to comply with onerous reporting and disclosure requirements. For new and fast-growing companies, stock compensation is a valuable tool, but many privately-held companies are reluctant to cross this threshold due to the mandatory reporting requirement.
Under the Warner-Toomey bill, this threshold would increase to $10 million and would automatically index to account for inflation every five years.
The bill has been endorsed by the private supermarket chain Wegmans, and the company BIO.
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Statement on Trump Administration's Review of Department of Education Guidelines on Campus Sexual Assault
Sep 08 2017
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the below statement on the Trump Administration's review of Department of Education guidelines on campus sexual assault:
"The Trump Administration’s review of 2011 guidance about sexual assault enforcement responsibilities on college campuses and at K-12 schools under Title IX should be a red flag for those of us who care deeply about student safety. We should be vigilant in monitoring this process and look for opportunities to engage constructively when possible. Any reconsideration of the current guidance should prioritize the needs of survivors and facilitate improvements in how schools investigate, adjudicate and work to prevent sexual assaults. I hope Secretary DeVos recognizes the gravity of her responsibility: young people across the country are counting on her to get this right."
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a former technology executive, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, member of the Senate Banking Committee, and cofounder of the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, released the following statement on today’s announcement from credit reporting firm Equifax that a data breach could have potentially affected 143 million consumers in the United States:
“The recent news that one of the largest credit reporting agencies and data brokers in the U.S. suffered a breach involving over 143 million Americans is profoundly troubling. While many have perhaps become accustomed to hearing of a new data breach every few weeks, the scope of this breach – involving Social Security Numbers, birth dates, addresses, and credit card numbers of nearly half the U.S. population – raises serious questions about whether Congress should not only create a uniform data breach notification standard, but also whether Congress needs to rethink data protection policies, so that enterprises such as Equifax have fewer incentives to collect large, centralized sets of highly sensitive data like SSNs and credit card information on millions of Americans. It is no exaggeration to suggest that a breach such as this – exposing highly sensitive personal and financial information central for identity management and access to credit– represents a real threat to the economic security of Americans.”
Sen. Warner has been a leader in calling for better consumer protections from data theft. In the aftermath of the Target breach that exposed the debit and credit card information of 40 million customers, Sen. Warner in 2014 chaired the first congressional hearing on protecting consumer data from the threat posed by hackers targeting retailers’ online systems. Sen. Warner also partnered with the National Retail Federation to establish an information sharing platform that allows the industry to better protect consumer financial information from data breaches.
Sen. Warner has been working to develop bipartisan legislation to create a comprehensive, nationwide and uniform data breach standard requiring timely consumer notification for breaches of financial data and other sensitive information.
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the below statement on Randal Quarles, President Trump’s nominee to be the Federal Reserve's Vice Chairman for Supervision:
“While Mr. Quarles and I do not agree on every issue—such as his support for a rigid monetary policy rule that would have hamstrung the Fed’s response to the financial crisis—I believe he is well qualified to be the top regulator at the Fed. I expect his experience in public service and the private sector will aid him in the development of financial regulatory policy. In my role on the Senate Banking Committee, I look forward to working with him to ensure we have a financial regulatory system that promotes growth and stability, and maintains the tools included in Dodd Frank to wind down large financial institutions. As I’ve done with Mr. Quarles, I will be carefully reviewing the credentials and views of any future Fed nominees. The President should seek candidates who can gain bipartisan support.”
Sens. Warner, Kaine, Gardner, Isakson Lead Bipartisan Resolution Condemning White Nationalists, Neo Nazis And Other Hate Groups
After Charlottesville, resolution urges Trump Administration to address threats posed by hate groups
Sep 06 2017
WASHINGTON – This morning, during the first full session of the Senate since the deadly violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Va., on August 11 and 12, 2017, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) are introducing a bipartisan resolution condemning white nationalists, white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other hate groups. The joint resolution (S. J. Res.) also calls upon the Trump Administration to use all available resources to improve data collection on hate crimes and to work in a coordinated way to address the growing prevalence of hate groups.
The joint resolution recognizes the death of Heather Heyer, 32, and the injuries suffered by 19 other people after a car allegedly driven by a neo-Nazi slammed into a crowd of counter demonstrators in Charlottesville. The resolution specifically describes that event as a “domestic terrorist attack.” The resolution also acknowledges the heroism and public service of Virginia State Police troopers Berke Bates and Lt. Jay Cullen, who died in the crash of their helicopter while monitoring the protests. Finally, the resolution expresses support for the people of Charlottesville as that community heals “following these acts of violent bigotry.”
The Senators hope for quick action by the Senate to pass the resolution, which has support from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Anti-Defamation League, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The text of the resolution is available here.
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Warner & Kaine Announce $644,000 in Federal Funding to Support Three Va. Colleges and Universities
Sep 01 2017
Warner, Kaine Announce $100,000 to Promote Unmanned Systems Industry in Alleghany County
Funds will support local businesses and create new jobs in this emerging industry
Aug 29 2017
Warner, Kaine Now Accepting Applications for U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District
Aug 25 2017
Warner, Kaine Announce More Than $2.6 Million in Federal Funds to Help Protect and Restore Coastal Communities
Funds will support local jobs and assist Virginia’s coastal conservation efforts
Aug 24 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced today that nine Virginia airports will receive $18,826,746 in funds from the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help enhance new and existing infrastructure. The airports receiving funding serve the following Virginia counties: Accomack, Brunswick, Campbell, Franklin, Frederick, Hanover, Mecklenburg, Suffolk, Washington, and Wise.
“This funding is essential to help Virginia’s airports make necessary upgrades to infrastructure,” said the Senators. “These grants will help our local airports improve travel and plan for future operations and growth.”
Airports and grant amounts are listed below:
- Virginia Highlands Airport (Washington County) - $5,924,328. This grant will help construct a 1,029 foot runway extension to allow Runway 06/24 to meet the operational needs of the airport, specifically funding drainage improvements necessary to adequately handle storm water runoff associated with the extension of Runway 06/24.
- Suffolk Executive Airport - $3,756,000.This grant will fund the rehabilitation of the runway’s lighting.
- Hanover County Municipal Airport - $2,773,436. This grant will help construct a 29,200 square yard apron on the east side of the airport. The new apron will increase parking capacity for transient and based aircraft.
- Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional Airport- $2,666,151. This grant will fund the rehabilitation of 1,200 feet of the existing t-hangar taxiway pavement that requires rehabilitation to ensure safe airfield operations and the rehabilitation of 8,000 square yards of the existing terminal apron to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement.
- Franklin Municipal-John Beverly Rose Airport - $1,736,100. This grant will help fund a 1,250 foot extension of the parallel taxiway and an additional 570 feet for the connector taxiways. This project will enhance safety by eliminating the need for aircraft to back-taxi on the runway.
- Lynchburg Regional Airport - $1,111,500.00. This grant will fund the partial rehabilitation of the current Taxiway B and Taxiway G lighting system that has reached the end of its useful life and requires rehabilitation to enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions.
- Accomack County Airport - $376,131. This grant will help fund the rehabilitation of 5,000 feet of Runway 3/21 to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris and will fund the rehabilitation of the current Runway 3/21 lighting system that has reached the end of its useful life and requires rehabilitation to meet FAA standards.
- Winchester Regional Airport - $316,600.This grant will help fund the relocation of 5,500 feet of Taxiway A to assist the airport in meeting design standards, will provide funding for the acquisition of 0.52 acres of land adjacent to the existing airport property, will fund the removal of tree obstructions in the Runway 14 approach surface, and will provide funding for the removal of 6 acres of tree obstructions.
- Lonesome Pine Airport (Wise County) - $166,500. This grant will fund an update to the existing airport master plan study to show current and future needs of the airport.
This funding was granted through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), a program that provides grants for the planning and development of public-use airports that are significant to national air transportation.
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Sen. Warner Unveils Grant to Provide Teachers in Rural Southside & Southwest VA with Training in Computer Science & Coding
$361,000 Tobacco Commission grant will help prepare students for STEM careers
Aug 16 2017
After Charlottesville, Warner & Kaine Call on AG Sessions to Step Up Efforts to Combat Hate-Based Violence
Aug 16 2017
Sen. Warner Helps Launch New Southwest Virginia Mountain Brew Trail
New craft breweries will help bring jobs, new businesses and visitors
Aug 15 2017
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement in response to the violence in Charlottesville, VA:
“Virginians mourn the life taken in this morning's events and reject this hateful violence in Charlottesville. We condemn the intolerance behind it and those who would pass it off as a legitimate political movement.
“Those who traveled to Virginia to incite unrest don't understand the Virginia-born values that make our country great.
“I have been in touch today with the Governor's Office and the Mayor, and stand prepared to help connect them with any additional federal resources that might be needed. My thoughts are with the victims, the great people of Charlottesville, and the police and first responders who restored order. I will continue to monitor the situation in Charlottesville and pray for its peaceful resolution.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the uncertainty the Trump Administration has caused in the health insurance market, resulting in today’s announcement that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield will leave the Virginia marketplace in 2018:
“As a result of the uncertainty, mixed signals and deliberate sabotage from the Trump Administration, some insurers will raise premiums and scale back their health insurance offerings in the individual market, which serves more than 400,000 people in Virginia. It is unfortunate that others, such as Anthem, are choosing to leave the marketplace altogether.
“President Trump has been playing politics with health care for months now, and unfortunately, Virginians will be the ones paying the price. A report issued this week by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found that the Administration’s actions will lead to double-digit premium increases and more insurers withdrawing from the marketplaces. President Trump has said that he wants Obamacare to ‘implode,’ and his Administration is deliberately destabilizing the health insurance marketplace in order to achieve that goal.
“Insurers still have no idea whether the Administration plans to follow through on its threats to withhold cost-sharing reduction payments. In addition, there are troubling reports about the Trump Administration’s deliberate efforts to undermine the upcoming open enrollment period, the first under the Trump presidency.
“Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have already begun working in a bipartisan way to explore ways we can improve the health care system and provide additional stability to the health care marketplaces. President Trump should stop using the health coverage of millions of Americans as political leverage, and demonstrate leadership by working with responsible members of both parties to improve the Affordable Care Act.”
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement on North Korea:
“North Korea’s pursuit and development of nuclear weapons represent a serious threat to the security of the United States and our allies. However, President Trump's inflammatory rhetoric undermines our global credibility and is unlikely to de-escalate the situation. We need fewer fiery words and bombastic tweets from the President and his cable TV surrogates, and more effort to work with our international partners to expand missile defense and deterrence and put forward a strategy to roll back North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to impose new sanctions on North Korea, for the eighth time since its first nuclear test in 2006. While it’s a productive step, we need to focus on enforcement, and ensure that China in particular adheres to the terms of the sanctions.
“It’s also imperative that the Trump Administration embrace a robust policymaking process to think through all of our options, and be prepared to be realistic about what response the North Korean threat might require. Improvising our way into a shooting war on the Korean peninsula without a plan puts us all at risk. Moreover, this crisis underscores the importance of sending nominations to the Senate for key national security positions, including an Ambassador to South Korea, an Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian Pacific Security Affairs.”
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement upon learning of the death last night of former Alexandria Mayor and State Senator Patsy Ticer:
“Patsy Ticer was a colleague and a friend, and a tremendous example of a lifetime of continuous public service to her community. Patsy served as a city council member and championed creation of early childhood programs when she served as Alexandria’s first female mayor. In the state Senate, she continued her advocacy for children and families, and was a recognized leader on issues of environmental protection, especially when it came to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Patsy was a leader in a remarkable group of strong women elected officials in Northern Virginia who supported my earliest political involvement, and she was never shy about offering me advice. I celebrate Patsy Ticer’s lifetime of service, and offer my condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.”
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Warner, Isakson Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Preserve Patient Access To Home Infusion Services
Bill would create a temporary transitional payment for home infusion services
Aug 03 2017
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), members of the Senate Finance Committee, today introduced bipartisan legislation to create a temporary transitional reimbursement structure for Medicare home infusion services.
A version of legislation introduced by Sens. Warner and Isakson last Congress to restructure the way Medicare beneficiaries who need intravenous medication receive their infusion treatments from the comfort of their home was included in the landmark 21st Century Cures Act last year. However, the Cures bill did not properly align the change in payments with the new benefit, leading to a four-year gap during which patients would have challenges securing these life-saving treatments. This legislation ensures that patients receiving home infusion treatments maintain their access to these services until policies from the 21st Century Cures Act are implemented in 2021.
“Home infusion is a safe and effective alternative to inpatient care for many patients,” said Sen. Warner. “This bill expands on the progress made on 21st Century Cures by creating a transitional payment system that will allow Medicare to continue paying accurately for the drugs, while also protecting patients’ access to important services. This commonsense fix will help the Medicare program provide high-quality, lower-cost care, benefiting both patients and taxpayers.”
“Infusion therapy delivered in the home setting is the most desirable, convenient and by far the most cost-effective. We made important progress for modern medicine in the 21st Century Cures Act, and the home infusion therapy legislation that Senator Warner and I included in that bill makes a real difference for patients who need safe and effective treatments,” said Sen. Isakson. “Home infusion technology is a tremendous contribution to quality health care, and this legislation builds on the Cures Act to help ensure home infusion remains accessible.”
The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), David Perdue (R-GA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
“This bill builds upon previous legislation so Medicare beneficiaries can receive infusion treatments at home,” Sen. Grassley said. “This is an option that Medicare beneficiaries sought, and it’s a common sense, cost-effective way to provide care. The private sector recognized this long ago. Medicare should continue to reflect the modern practice of medicine and offer the best way of meeting a medical need at the lowest cost.”
The Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Access Act of 2017 would create a transitional reimbursement for Medicare home infusion services. Starting in January 2017, the 21st Century Cures Act changed the payment for home infusion drugs, aligning them with payments for other drugs paid underMedicare’s Part B benefit. The 21st Century Cures Act also created a new reimbursement structure for the professional services associated with home infusion, which is set to take effect in 2021. The four-year gap between the January 2017 drug payment change and the implementation of the infusion services payment in 2021 may threaten the accessibility of home-infusion therapy. This bill would help smooth the transition to more accurate payments for home infusions drugs while also protecting patients’ access to these medications until the new home infusion benefit is implemented in 2021.
Sens. Warner, Isakson, Roberts, Grassley, Cardin, Brown, Portman, and Bennet are all members of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare.
The legislation is supported by: Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, American Association for Homecare, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), Amerita, Inc., American Association for Homecare, Appalachian Home Infusion, ARJ Infusion Services, Best Option Healthcare PR, Inc., Big Sky IV Care, BioScrip, BJC Home Care Services Pharmacy, Brooks Home I.V., Inc., CarePro Health Services, CGH Medical Center, Chartwell Midwest Wisconsin, LLC, Chartwell Pennsylvania, LP, Choice CriticalCare Inc., Consortium of Clinical Immunologists (CIIC), Coram, CVS Specialty Infusion, Services, Druid City Vital Care, EMED Technologies, EMZA USA LLC & DeliverIt Pharmacy Inc., Fairview Health Services, Gates Healthcare Associates, Inc., Grifols, Hobbs Pharmacy, Home Health United Xtra Care Pharmacy, Home Parenteral Services, Horizon Healthcare Services, ICU Medical Inc., Infusion Solutions, Inc., Innovatix, INS, Intra Pump Infusion Systems, Intramed Plus, IV Solutions, LLC, John Hopkins Care Group, Kaup Pharmacy, Inc., Lakeland Home, Infusion, Liberty Medical Specialties, Inc., Medical Accounts Receivable Solutions, Inc. (MARs), Medical Alternatives, MK Infusion Pharmacy, LLC., MSD, Nation's Home Infusion, NuCara IV Services, One Source Homecare Services, OptiMed Infusion Services, Option Care, OptionOne Pharmacy, Paragon Healthcare Inc., Pediatric Home Service, Pharmacare Health Specialists, PharmaScript Inc., Preferred Homecare, Premier Infusion Care, Premier Nursing Group, LLC, Premier Point Home Health, Inc., PromptCare Home Infusion, LLC, Redline Specialty Pharmacy, SBH Medical, Ltd., Sentara Home Infusion Pharmacy, Sentara HealthCare, Simfarose Pharmaceutical Specialty, Smiths Medical, Soleo Health, Spectrum Infusion, Inc., TANYR Healthcare, The Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF), The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, UnityPoint at Home, University of Iowa Community HomeCare, VGM Group Inc., Vital Care, Inc., and the VNA Home Infusion Therapy Pharmacy.
Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means (H.R. 3163). The full text of the legislation is availablehere.
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