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Senator Bill Nelson

Senators request independent review of administration’s actions to combat opioid crisis

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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and others sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) today requesting an independent review of the actions taken by the administration to address the opioid epidemic since he declared it a public health emergency.

President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to declare the opioid crisis a public health emergency on Oct. 26, 2017. Despite that declaration, the administration has yet to officially allocate new funds to address the crisis and, instead, has proposed funding cuts to several agencies responding to the crisis.

“Given the severity of the crisis, we have grown increasingly concerned by reports that the President has done little to make use of his public health emergency declaration, leaving state and local communities without the resources they need to fight the opioid epidemic,” the senators wrote. “Despite saying it would work with Congress, the White House has put forward no proposals for authorizing new funding.”

To ensure the federal government is utilizing all resources available, the senators have asked the GAO to review, specifically, what resources are available to the executive branch and what steps they have taken to combat the opioid crisis since declaring the crisis a public health emergency.

An estimated 2.6 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 42,000 people died from opioid-involved overdoses in 2016. In Florida alone, more than 5,200 people have died from an opioid-related event in 2016 – a 35 percent increase from the year before.

The president’s initial emergency declaration expired on Jan. 23, 2018. On Jan. 24, Acting HHS Secretary Eric Hargan extended the emergency for another 90 days.

In addition to Nelson, the letter was signed by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

A copy of the lawmakers’ letter is here.

Congress passes legislation to protect Olympic athletes from sexual abuse

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Legislation sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson establishes independent
entity to investigate alleged abuses and protect victims

The U.S. Senate today approved legislation to require amateur athletics governing bodies – such as USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming – to immediately report sexual abuse allegations to local or federal law enforcement, or a child-welfare agency designated by the U.S. Justice Department.
The legislation – sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) – is designed to ensure that aspiring U.S. Olympic athletes can report allegations of abuse to an independent entity to investigate, and to make sure that all national governing bodies follow the strictest standards to prevent and detect child abuse.
“The system failed these young women horribly,” Nelson said today in reference to the hundreds of female gymnasts and other Olympic and collegiate athletes who have reported being victims of sexual abuse. “USA Gymnastics failed them. The USOC failed them. Michigan State failed them. By putting new safeguards into law to protect athletes from abuse we’re sending a message that this cannot and must not happen again.”
Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over federally-chartered sports-related organizations like the U.S. Olympic Committee, filed the legislation last year in the wake of recent allegations of sexual abuse against personnel involved with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, USA Taekwondo, U.S. Speedskating, and USA Cycling.
Specifically, the bill amends the Ted Stevens Amateur and Olympic Sports Act to require Olympic amateur athletic governing bodies to establish rules and policies for their respective sports, including restricting one-on-one interactions between adults and children so that child predators, like Larry Nassar, can no longer exploit the system. The statute of limitations for such cases will also be extended under the bill to give victims of abuse more time to sue sex-crime perpetrators.
The bill, which was approved by the House earlier this week, now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
A copy of the bill is available here.

Nelson opposes Interior's plan to roll-back drilling safety regs

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In a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) today submitted his formal comments in opposition to the agency’s proposal to roll back several offshore drilling safety standards that the Obama administration put in place after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster.
The letter comes as the agency prepares to close the public comment period on its latest proposal to undo the Obama-era regulations put in place to prevent another incident like the Deepwater Horizon.
The public has until midnight tonight to submit their own comments on the agency’s plan. Once the public comment period has closed, the agency will work to finalize the rule.
Nelson, a long-time opponent of having oil rigs near Florida’s coast, said earlier this month that if the agency moves forward with finalizing this rule to roll-back the regulations, he plans to invoke a procedural rule known as the Congressional Review Act to try to block it.
The Congressional Review Act gives Congress the power to overturn an agency’s final rule. As a result, any lawmaker seeking to block an agency rule from taking effect can file a so-called Resolution of Disapproval within 60 days of that final rule being sent to Congress. If a Resolution of Disapproval is approved by a majority in both the House and Senate and signed into law by the president, the agency’s rule would be overturned.
A copy of Nelson’s letter to Zinke is available here.

Nelson opposes Interior’s plan to roll-back drilling safety regs

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In a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) today submitted his formal comments in opposition to the agency’s proposal to roll back several offshore drilling safety standards that the Obama administration put in place after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster.

The letter comes as the agency prepares to close the public comment period on its latest proposal to undo the Obama-era regulations put in place to prevent another incident like the Deepwater Horizon.

The public has until midnight tonight to submit their own comments on the agency’s plan. Once the public comment period has closed, the agency will work to finalize the rule.

Nelson, a long-time opponent of having oil rigs near Florida’s coast, said earlier this month that if the agency moves forward with finalizing this rule to roll-back the regulations, he plans to invoke a procedural rule known as the Congressional Review Act to try to block it.

The Congressional Review Act gives Congress the power to overturn an agency’s final rule. As a result, any lawmaker seeking to block an agency rule from taking effect can file a so-called Resolution of Disapproval within 60 days of that final rule being sent to Congress. If a Resolution of Disapproval is approved by a majority in both the House and Senate and signed into law by the president, the agency’s rule would be overturned.

A copy of Nelson’s letter to Zinke is available here.

Nelson on administration's plan to end funding for ISS by 2025

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Following is a comment from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees our nation’s space program, on news today that the administration is reportedly planning to cut off funding for the International Space Station by 2025:
“If the administration plans to abruptly pull us out of the International Space Station in 2025, they’re going to have a fight on their hands. Such a move would likely decimate Florida’s blossoming commercial space industry, which is one of the reasons why Congress has directed NASA to look at extending the ISS to 2028 and to provide a plan to help scientists and researchers continue experimenting in low-Earth orbit beyond that.”
 

Nelson on administration’s plan to end funding for ISS by 2025

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Following is a comment from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees our nation’s space program, on news today that the administration is reportedly planning to cut off funding for the International Space Station by 2025:

“If the administration plans to abruptly pull us out of the International Space Station in 2025, they’re going to have a fight on their hands. Such a move would likely decimate Florida’s blossoming commercial space industry, which is one of the reasons why Congress has directed NASA to look at extending the ISS to 2028 and to provide a plan to help scientists and researchers continue experimenting in low-Earth orbit beyond that.”

 

Lawmakers demand action after Interior official admits Florida not “off the table” for drilling

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Republicans join Democrats in demanding Florida be removed from
plan after official tells Congress Zinke’s pledge ‘not an official act’

A bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers today called on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to remove Florida from the Interior department’s  draft five-year offshore oil drilling plan.
The move comes just days after a senior Trump administration official admitted during questioning at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing Friday that an announcement Zinke made in Tallahassee two weeks ago, in which he declared Florida “off the table” for new drilling, was “not an official act” and that Florida “is still being considered under the agency’s proposed plan.”
Last week’s stunning admission by the acting director of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Walter Cruickshank, confirmed what many lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), had been telling their constituents all along – that the announcement Zinke made following a 20-minute meeting with Gov. Rick Scott was nothing more than a “political stunt” and not an announcement of official policy.
Now, in a joint letter today to Zinke, lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle are weighing in to demand that the secretary take action to officially remove Florida from the plan.
“In light of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Acting Director Walter Cruickshank’s recent statement before the House Natural Resources Committee that the Planning Areas off Florida’s coasts are still under consideration for offshore drilling, we write to reiterate our strong opposition to any attempt to open up the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling,” the lawmakers wrote. “We object to any efforts to open the eastern Gulf of Mexico to drilling, and we urge you to remove this area from the five-year plan immediately.”
The letter, led by U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), was signed by 22 of Florida’s 27 congressional delegation members – and will serve as the delegation’s official public comment on Interior’s proposed five-year drilling plan.
Almost immediately after Zinke made his announcement, Nelson sent the secretary a letter requesting specific details on any changes made to the agency’s five-year drilling plan. Zinke has not yet responded to that request.
Later that same day, Nelson filed legislation to permanently ban drilling off Florida’s coast. And took to the Senate floor to warn his fellow Floridians that the secretary’s promise to take Florida off the table is “just empty words” until he takes the formal steps necessary to publish a new draft plan.
Nelson announced last week that he has placed a “hold” on three Dept. of the Interior nominees slated to work under Zinke and will keep that hold in place until Zinke rescinds the current draft five-year drilling plan and replaces it with a new draft that fully protects Florida’s coasts.
A copy of the lawmakers’ letter to Zinke is available here.

Key administration official admits Florida is not “off the table” for drilling

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UPDATE: Following is a comment from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s admission today that Florida is not “off the table” to new drilling:
“This confirms what we all suspected: there is no deal to protect Florida from drilling. What we saw last week was just political theater, and the people of Florida should be outraged. Drilling off of Florida’s coast is a real threat to our state and we should all be working together to protect our coasts – not playing politics with an issue that’s so important to our future.”

At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing this morning, Walter Cruickshank, the Trump administration’s director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), admitted during questioning that Florida is not “off the table” for offshore oil drilling.
When asked to justify why Florida got a special carve out, Cruickshank shocked the panel when he responded, “We have no formal decision yet on what’s in, or out, of the five-year program.”
“So there’s been no decision to exempt Florida?” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) interjected. “The secretary’s statement stands for itself,” the administration official responded.
The stunning admission confirms what many Florida lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), had suspected all along – that the announcement Zinke made following a 20-minute meeting with Gov. Rick Scott was nothing more than a “political stunt” and not an announcement of official policy.
Just minutes after Cruickshank admitted there has been no formal action taken to take Florida off the table, Florida Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) asked him to explain and further clarify exactly what he meant by the secretary’s statement “stands on its own.”
“By ‘stand on its own’ … it’s not an official action, is that what you mean?” Soto asked.  “It is not a formal action, no,” the official admitted.
“So there has been no formal action to remove Florida from the five year drilling plan, as of right now?” Soto asked. “We will be including it in the analysis,” Cruickshank responded.
Immediately after Zinke made his announcement last week, Nelson sent the secretary a letter requesting specific details on any changes made to the agency’s five-year drilling plan. Zinke has not yet responded to that request.
Later that same day, Nelson filed legislation to permanently ban drilling off of Florida’s coast. And took to the Senate floor to warn his fellow Floridians that the secretary’s promise to take Florida off the table is “just empty words” until he takes the formal steps necessary to publish a new draft plan.
Nelson announced Wednesday that he has placed a “hold” on three Dept. of the Interior nominees slated to work under Zinke and will keep that hold in place until Zinke rescinds the current draft five-year drilling plan and replaces it with a new draft that fully protects Florida’s coasts.
Interior’s admission today that – despite Zinke’s announcement – Florida is still on the table for new offshore drilling comes just days after Interior held its first public meeting on the plan. The maps Interior officials used during that meeting showed the waters off of Florida were still open to drilling. (Pictures taken at the meeting available here and here.)

Nelson to Zinke: What does Florida ‘off the table’ really mean?

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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) sent a letter today to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke demanding specific details on any new five-year offshore drilling plan the agency may be considering.
The move comes less than 24 hours after Zinke announced in an airport in Tallahassee that he was taking Florida “off the table” as the agency looks to open up additional areas to offshore oil drilling.
Nelson, who immediately called the announcement a “political stunt,” says the public has a right to know exactly what Interior is now proposing before they should be expected to comment on it.
“The public has a right to know exactly what Interior’s plan is,” Nelson wrote to Zinke, “and it is unreasonable to expect Floridians to provide input on a plan that may or may not be the plan that your agency is actually considering.”
Nelson announced the letter in a speech he gave on the Senate floor Wednesday. “While many in Florida have seen right through this shameless political stunt,” Nelson said, “it has opened up a long list of other questions that I have now asked Secretary Zinke to answer in a letter that I have sent today.”
Nelson went on to say that Zinke should extend the public comment period to give Floridians adequate time to voice their opinion on any new plan.
“For every day that goes by without answers to these essential questions, the secretary needs to add that much more time to the public comment period,” Nelson said. “I fear this announcement of Secretary Zinke’s is going to discourage Floridians from commenting on the proposal that was published just this Monday – the one that opened up Florida’s entire coastline to drilling – because our Floridians have been given false assurances that we all are in the clear.”
In that same speech, Nelson also announced that he filed new legislation Wednesday to permanently ban drilling off of Florida’s coast.
“I have filed bills to expand the moratorium on the Gulf Coast, I have sponsored other legislation to protect Florida, and today I am filing another bill that would be a permanent ban of drilling off of Florida’s coast,” Nelson announced.
A pdf of Nelson’s letter to Zinke is available here.  A link to video of Nelson’s remarks on the floor is available here.

Sen. Bill Nelson on Sec. Zinke's meeting in Tallahassee

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Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the Secretary of Interior’s meeting with the governor in Tallahassee this evening:
“I have spent my entire life fighting to keep oil rigs away from our coasts. But now, suddenly, Secretary Zinke announces plans to drill off Florida’s coast and four days later agrees to “take Florida off the table”?  I don’t believe it. This is a political stunt orchestrated by the Trump administration to help Rick Scott, who has wanted to drill off Florida’s coast his entire career. We shouldn’t be playing politics with the future of Florida.”