Alaskans For Begich Works For Alaska 10/23/14

Transcription

1 Alaskans For Begich Works For Alaska 10/23/14 Begich: When we were young, our father loved to bring us here, to this spot. When things seem impossible, I try to do what he would have done. Nick Begich Was A Conscientious, Never-Say-Die Lawmaker Focused On Constituent Service. Reported US News & World Report in March 2009, His father was a conscientious, never-say-die lawmaker who was obsessed with using 3-by-5 index cards to keep track of the colleagues he needed to lobby and the constituents he'd met. This was the day before the PalmPilot, his son says. The elder lawmaker's key achievement passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, after many years of stalemate is one that informs his son. Begich says he is apt to pick up the phone for a conversation with lawmakers of all stripes, believing, When there's a 'no,' there could be a 'yes.' They're just not sure yet. [U.S. News World Report, 3/5/09] Nick Begich Remembered By Alaskans For Strong Constituent Outreach, Leadership In Passage Of Legislation To Allocate 40 Million Acres To Alaska Natives. Reported the National Journal in March 2013, Forty years after his father s death, Begich still meets constituents who will bring him a memento, such as a campaign brochure or a copy of one of his speeches. In such a sparsely populated and hard-to-navigate rural state, voters remember when a lawmaker comes to their neck of the words. Begich's father was also known for his leadership in passing legislation that allocated 40 million acres to Alaskan natives, who currently make up about 17 percent of the state s population. [National Journal, 3/31/13] Mark Begich Known To Pick Up The Phone For Conversations With Lawmakers On All Sides Of An Issue Begich: When There's A 'No,' There Could Be A 'Yes.' They're Just Not Sure Yet. Reported US News & World Report in March 2009, His father was a conscientious, never-say-die lawmaker who was obsessed with using 3-by-5 index cards to keep track of the colleagues he needed to lobby and the constituents he'd met. This was the day before the PalmPilot, his son says. The elder lawmaker's key achievement passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, after many years of stalemate is one that informs his son. Begich says he is apt to pick up the phone for a conversation with lawmakers of all stripes, believing, When there's a 'no,' there could be a 'yes.' They're just not sure yet. [U.S. News World Report, 3/5/09] Mark Begich: Administration Officials That Want To Say No To Me, I Tell Them They Spelled Yes Wrong. In recent days, Begich tested that message on a campaign trip through Alaska s hinterlands. He had a meeting with Santa Claus. He served his supporters sliced whale. And he tried to convince people of his gift for small favors in a state used to big ones. People that want to say no to me, I just tell them they spelled yes wrong, he told a group of high school students here, explaining his relationship with the administration. [Washington Post, 7/13/14] Anchorage Daily News Editorial: [Begich] Doesn t Blink At Reality And Knows How To Deal.... No One Will Outwork Him. Wrote the Anchorage Daily News editorial board in June 2013, Begich's advantage is that he knows how to be a successful Democrat in a red state and red city. He doesn't blink at reality and knows how to deal. He may be the savviest politician in Alaska. No one will outwork him. Like the NSRC, Begich has been campaigning for months even before he had an opponent. And you can bet he's not surprised by Treadwell's decision. [Editorial, Anchorage Daily News, 6/18/13] Like when I took on Obama to open up drilling in the Arctic... Begich Successfully Pressed Regulators To Approve Colville River Bridge To Allow ConocoPhillips To Move Forward On NPR-A Drilling. Reported Hearst in February 2014, Begich has cast himself as a different Democrat from day one -- departing from the national party on gun control as well as energy policy. Begich pressed regulators to allow ConocoPhillips to build a bridge over Alaska's Colville River, despite environmental

2 objections, so the company could access its drilling lease in the National Petroleum Reserve- Alaska. That milestone in late 2011 paved the way for production expected to start late next year. [Hearst, 2/13/14] Politifact: True That Begich Forced Washington To Open Up The Arctic Ocean To Oil Drilling. According to a March 2014 fact check from Politifact, Begich s ad claimed that he forced Washington to open up the Arctic Ocean to oil drilling. Begich wasn t in the Senate when the government awarded leases to Shell, but the leases were only the first step toward drilling in the Arctic Ocean. Numerous other federal permits were required before Shell could drill there, and by multiple accounts, Begich played a key role in pushing the administration from the time he began serving in the Senate. Shell did drill in the first activity in that region of the Arctic in decades -- though after complications arose, including legal ones, the company hasn t done so again. So Begich can rightfully take credit for helping advancing Shell s oil-drilling permits in the Arctic Ocean, but there s currently no drilling taking place. We rate his claim Mostly True. [Politifact, 3/24/14] Alaska Dispatch: Begich Has Gotten Closer Than Any Republicans In Juneau In Actually Adding More Crude To Pipeline. Reported the Alaska Dispatch in November 2012, But since defeating Stevens, Begich has made a name for himself in the Senate, rising quickly in the majority leadership to help shepherd Shell Oil Arctic drilling plans through the Obama administration, thereby getting closer than any Republicans in Juneau have toward actually adding more crude to the trans-alaska pipeline. [Alaska Dispatch, 12/1/12] Scheduled 2015 Production Will Be First-Ever Commercial Production From NPR-A Since It Was Established In Reported the Alaska Journal of Commerce in December 2011, The company will seek corporate approval in the last half of the year, and will then spend about a year in engineering and planning, Lowman said. The schedule would have construction under way in 2014 and the first production from CD-5 -- the first commercial oil production from the NPR-A since it was created in toward the end of 2015, she said. [Alaska Journal of Commerce, 12/21/11] CD-5 Development Invested $1 Billion, Employed 500 Alaskans. Things are getting busy at the Alpine oil field on the North Slope.Alpine is the staging area for ConocoPhillips construction of its CD-5 project six miles west of the field, and a lot of activity there will be ramping up after the start of the new year.... Five hundred construction workers will be employed at the peak of the project.... The billion-dollar cost of CD-5, for a project that will produce 16,000 barrels a day, has attracted considerable comment in the industry. [Alaska Journal of Commerce, 12/18/13]... and I also took him on to protect our gun rights... Headline: Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Senators Vote Against Tighter Gun Control Measure. [Anchorage Daily News, 4/17/13] Begich, Murkowski Voted Against Proposal To Expand Background Checks, Backed Proposal To Bolster System With More Mental Health Data. Reported the Fairbanks News-Miner in April 2013, Alaska s senators both rejected a bill that would have expanded gun background checks on Wednesday, instead lining up behind a failed substitute that would have focused instead on bolstering the system with more mental health data. Both Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat, and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted against the controversial bill, which was billed as a bipartisan compromise. The bill, offered by Sen. Joe Manchin, D- W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and supported by President Obama, fell by a margin, six votes short of the number needed to overcome a filibuster. [Fairbanks News- Miner, 4/18/13] McClatchy: Begich Is A Strong Second Amendment Advocate. Reported McClatchy in April 2013, Begich, 50, is a strong Second Amendment advocate who breaks with most

3 Democrats in opposing a renewal of the assault-weapons ban that lapsed in Instead, he and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced legislation March 6 to prevent mentally ill people from getting guns. [McClatchy, 4/4/13] Begich Is A Lifetime Member Of The NRA. Reported NPR in December 2008, Begich plans to steer his own course, even if Democrats don't quite recognize him as one of their own. He's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and wants to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. [NPR, 12/14/08] Anchorage Daily News: Begich Has Consistently Opposed Democratic Efforts To Toughen Gun Control. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in March 2013, Begich has also consistently opposed the episodic attempts by President Barack Obama and allied congressional Democrats to toughen federal gun controls, again adopting a lonely position within his party's caucus. [Anchorage Daily News, 3/31/13]... and exempt Alaska schools from No Child Left Behind. Headline: Cordova Times: Begich: Overhaul No Child Left Behind. [Cordova Times, 2/21/11] Begich Called For Overhaul Of NCLB Argued Federal Mandate Tied Teachers Hands, Punished Schools That Needed The Most Help. Reported the Cordova Times in February 2011, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said today that he is introducing legislation to promote science, technology, engineering and math education, because the federal No Child Left Behind Act is not working for Alaska. The one-size fits all model of No Child Left Behind needs to be overhauled, Begich told the Alaska Society for Technology in Education at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. In too many cases it has tied teachers' and principals' hands and punished schools when they needed help the most. [Cordova Times, 2/21/11] Begich Urged Parnell To Seek NCLB Waiver, Said It Was Important Step Toward Returning Local Control. Reported the Associated Press in September 2011, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich encouraged Gov. Sean Parnell to seek waivers, saying the law's one-sizefits-all approach doesn't work in Alaska. But Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed frustration, saying President Barack Obama's solution to his predecessor's top-down, onesize-fits-all policy is his own top-down, one-size-fits-all policy.... Begich, in his letter to Parnell, said waivers are an important step toward returning local control, and allow the state to play a greater role in improving schools that are struggling and rewarding those that are excelling. [Associated Press, 9/23/11] Begich Repeatedly Called On Parnell To Seek State Waiver From NCLB Mandates. Reported the Associated Press in February 2012, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has repeatedly called on Parnell to seek a waiver, and four Democratic state representatives have filed a resolution saying a waiver would give control back to local districts. [Associated Press, 2/23/12] Headline: KTUU: NCLB Waiver Approved, Alaska Educators Eager To Begin New Approach. [KTUU, 8/5/13] Headline: Nome Nugget: Alaska schools free of No Child Left Behind. [Nome Nugget, 6/20/13] Headline: Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: Federal waiver allows state to leave NCLB behind. [Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, 6/8/13] And I'm fighting like hell Headline: APRN: Begich Proposing More Insurance Options For ACA. [APRN,

4 to fix the health care law so that it works for Alaska. 11/19/13] Begich Proposed Introducing Additional Tier Of Coverage In Marketplace For Consumers Willing To Pay Higher Out-Of-Pocket Costs With Lower Premiums. Reported APRN in November 2013, Senator Mark Begich is proposing a change to the Affordable Care Act that would make cheaper insurance options available. The Expanded Consumer Choice Act would add a new tier of coverage to the range of plans available on the individual market starting in Begich wants to call them copper plans. They would be less expensive and have higher deductibles than the bronze, silver, gold and platinum plans currently available.... Some consumers would be able to use subsidies to pay for copper plans. The law currently allows people under age 30 to buy higher deductible, catastrophic plans but they aren t eligible for subsidies. Begich says having another option is especially important for a state like Alaska, where health care premiums are so high. [APRN, 11/19/13] Proposed Copper Plans Would Keep Important Consumer Protections. Reported APRN in November 2013, Begich says he s been talking with small business owners and individuals who want more affordable coverage options under the new law. What I keep hearing from people is make sure the choices are there but those core benefits aren t taken away, preventive care and making sure people don t get denied because of preexisting conditions and carrying your kid to the age of 26, very important pieces of the puzzle, Begich said. [APRN, 11/19/13] Avalere Study: ACA Copper Plans Championed By Begich Could Reduce Federal Healthcare Spending By $5.8 Billion Over 10 Years. Allowing a cheaper healthcare plan on the ObamaCare exchanges could help bring down federal healthcare spending by $5.8 billion over the next 10 years, according to a new analysis. Avalere, a healthcare consulting firm, released a report Tuesday that found creating a lower-tiered plan on the health exchanges, often called a copper plan, could significantly reduce federal healthcare spending. Introducing a new tier in 2016 may cause some individuals who have already enrolled in a marketplace plan to re-evaluate their prior choice, while also attracting other individuals who are expected to enroll for the first time in a marketplace plan that year, said the report. The idea of offering a copper plan has been floated by the main health insurance lobby group, America s Health Insurance Plans, and championed by Sen. Mark Begich (D- Alaska). [The Hill, 8/19/14] Study Showed Copper Plans Would Reduce ACA Premiums By 18 Percent Compared To Bronze Plans By Under the Affordable Care Act, entry-level health plans that meet the minimum coverage requirements are called bronze plans. They tend to have the highest out-of-pocket costs but lower premiums and must cover at least 60 percent of the customer s healthcare spending. Avalere s research shows if Congress were to allow a new copper plan that would be required to only cover a minimum of 50 percent of the costs, it would reduce premiums for plan holders by 18 percent compared to bronze plans in [The Hill, 8/19/14] Federal Government Confirmed It Would Evaluate Begich s Copper Plan For Small Population States Like Alaska. Burwell told Begich while competition is working in the online marketplace, it may not work as efficiently in a high cost market with a small population, such as Alaska. She said the agency planned to look at possible contributing factors and at options for improving the functioning of the market or offering additional choices for individuals, including a new copper plan. [Associated Press, 9/12/14] July 2010: Begich Wrote A Letter To IRS Insisting They Reduce Paperwork Involved With 1099 Requirement Of Health Care Law. Politico wrote, Democrats have been reluctant to use the R word on any piece of the health law, even though many of them have a provision or two they could do without. We insist that the IRS develop ways in which

5 small businesses can reduce expected paperwork from this requirement possibly through consolidating existing forms, for example, Begich wrote in a letter to the IRS commissioner, which Sens. Ben Nelson, Shaheen and Bayh also signed. [Politico, 7/13/10] Begich Introduced Proposal To Repeal Onerous 1099 Reporting Requirements For Small Business. According to the National Small Business Association in September 2010, Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) introduced a proposal to completely repeal the expanded 1099 reporting requirement and replace the revenue with surplus funds from the 2009 federal economic stimulus package. Although, Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) signed on as cosponsors, Democratic leaders opposed the proposal. [NSBA, 9/22/10] Begich Voted To Repeal 1099 Recordkeeping Requirements For Small Businesses Under ACA. Reported the Cordova Times in February 2011, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, joined a majority of his Senate colleagues today in voting to repeal a recordkeeping requirement for small businesses under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Commonly called the 1099 provision the regulation, passed as part of health reform, would require small business owners for file an IRS form 1099 each time they make a purchase of $600 or more from a vendor. [Cordova Times, 2/2/11] Headline: Cordova Times: Begich Plan Offers Relief For Small Business Insurance. [Cordova Times, 7/26/13] Begich Introduced Small Business Relief Package To Simplify, Streamline Certain Provisions Of Affordable Care Act For Small Businesses. Reported The Hill in July 2013, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced a bill Thursday that would delay President Obama s employer healthcare mandate for two years. Begich, who is expected to have a tough reelection fight in 2016, introduced the Small Business Relief Plan, S. 1330, which combines five bills amending the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. This package will give families and small businesses more options to choose from when picking a health plan, provide much needed tax credits to more small-business owners, reduce taxes for business expenses, and delay the employer responsibility reporting requirements and penalties to give businesses time to learn about the new law, Begich said. [The Hill, 7/19/13] Begich: I m Mark Begich and I approve this message because I will go anywhere and work with anyone to do what s right for Alaskans. TEXT: Mark Begich True Alaska Paid for by Alaskans for Begich. Approved by Mark Begich. Politifact: Begich Is Among The Most Independent Senators Currently Serving. According to a February 2014 fact check by Politifact, OpenCongress ranked Begich at 45th for 2013 when it comes to voting with his party. That shows that Begich is among the most independent senators currently serving. [Politifact, 2/21/14] Begich Frequently Joined Forces With Murkowski And Young To Fight For Alaska- Centric Issues. Reported McClatchy in April 2013, And in a throwback to how things used to work routinely in Congress but now rarely do, Begich has crossed the aisle to partner with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on a slew of Alaska-centric issues, often joining forces with Rep. Don Young, also a Republican and Alaska s sole House representative. [McClatchy, 4/4/13] Don Young, On Begich: He s Followed The Example Of Myself... He Travels. He s Got Good Constituents, A Rapport. Reported the Alaska Dispatch in January 2014, Young, however, said Begich has worked to build a solid base of support in the state. He s followed the example of myself, Young said. He travels. He s got good constituents, a rapport. [Alaska Dispatch, 1/24/14] Young, On Begich: It's Because Of Our Long Shared Personal History That We Have Been Able To Work Well For Alaska. Reported McClatchy in March 2013, Young has

6 known him almost from his birth. I just celebrated 40 years in Congress, and it's ironic that I would pass that milestone while serving with the son of the man I was elected to replace under such sad circumstances, Young said in a recent interview. Back then, I would never have thought that Mark, who I've known since he was in diapers, would be my colleague in Congress one day, Young said. It's because of our long shared personal history that we have been able to work well for Alaska. [McClatchy, 3/30/13] Don Young: Mark's Done A Great Job Of Very Frankly Representing People. He's Not Always On My Page, That's For Sure, But He's Done A Good Job. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in January 2014, Begich, a Democrat, is drawing praise from across the aisle from one of Alaska's top Republicans, The Hill said on its campaign blog. Mark's done a great job of very frankly representing people. He's not always on my page, that's for sure, but he's done a good job, Young told The Hill, according to the blog item. [Anchorage Daily News, 1/15/14] Murkowski: Begich Is Working On Issues Important to Alaska Constituents - Begich Has Been Keying In On The Issues That I Think Alaskans Are Worried About And Doing What He Was Tasked To Do. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in January 2014, Asked how Begich was doing, she said, As an Alaska delegation, we've got to be working on those issues that are important to our constituents. Sen. Begich has been keying in on the issues that I think Alaskans are worried about and doing what he was tasked to do. U.S. Rep. Don Young last week said Begich was in a tough race in a conservative state, but also said the Democrat was doing a good job in the Senate. [Anchorage Daily News, 1/20/14] Anchorage Daily News: Begich Has Spent Much Of His Time In Washington... Focused On More Local And Regional Issues Of Vital Importance To His State. Reported the Anchorage Daily News in March 2013, For Alaskans, Begich has spent much of his time in Washington away from the Senate floor glare of controversial votes, focused on more local and regional issues of vital importance to his state. Begich crafted an accord that enables Indian Health Service clinics to treat non-native veterans, and he helped members of the National Guard or National Reserve gain access to seats on military planes, a perk previously limited to active-duty soldiers. Begich is working with Republicans to expedite the export of liquefied natural gas to NATO and to Japan, Alaska's largest trading partner. Crossing party lines to work with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the state's senior senator, Begich preserved surcharge-free mail delivery to Bush Alaska and blocked a plan to relocate the F-16 squadron at Eielson Air Force Base. The two senators have also teamed up to push legislation requiring all oil tankers in the Prince William Sound to be escorted by two tugs. As part of the 2009 stimulus package, Begich helped secure $197 million to modernize Alaska's military bases and $152 million to build a hospital in Nome. And the senator has proposed the creation of a U.S. ambassador to the Arctic and an Arctic Advisory Council to help coordinate policies of the United States, Canada and the other seven countries in the region. [Anchorage Daily News, 3/31/13] Begich, On Making Sure Alaska Is Represented In Legislation: Almost Every Issue Has An Alaska Nexus... And If That's Not In, Don't Talk To Me. Reported the Reported the National Journal in February 2013, Identify a big national issue, and Begich drills it down to an Alaska issue. Almost every issue has an Alaska nexus, Begich said. And then the poor leadership gets to hear from me on a regular basis, why this is important to Alaska, whatever that little segment is, and if that's not in, don't talk to me. [National Journal, 2/1/13]