Press Releases
Sens. Lee, Crapo, and Risch Introduce MORE PILT Act
Mar 25, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Thursday introduced the Making Obligations Right by Enlarging Payments in Lieu of Taxes Act, or MORE PILT Act. Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) joined as original cosponsors of the bill.
States, counties, and local governments are not able to collect property taxes on public land in their jurisdictions. The Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program was established in 1977 to provide funding to offset the absence of property tax revenue. Unfortunately, PILT payments have historically been a small fraction of what local governments would otherwise generate through property taxes, leaving rural communities in Western states deprived of crucial funds.
Sen. Lee, Colleagues Introduce U.S.-U.K. Free Trade Resolution
Mar 24, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) today introduced a resolution recognizing the mutual history and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, and expressing the Sense of the Senate that the United States President should lay the groundwork for a mutually advantageous future trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K.
Sen. Lee, Colleagues Introduce Stopping Border Surges Act
Mar 23, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday introduced the Stopping Border Surges Act, a bill to address loopholes in our immigration system which encourage vulnerable immigrant populations to take dangerous, illegal paths of entry into the United States.
“Loopholes in our immigration system perversely compel women and children to entrust their savings, futures, and lives to cartels and coyotes – endangering the safety of vulnerable immigrants, and undermining the integrity of our system,” said Sen. Lee. “This bill would help stop these dangerous opportunities for abuse.”
Sen. Lee Reintroduces Protecting American Jobs Act
Mar 22, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today reintroduced the Protecting American Jobs Act, a bill that would strip the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) of its power to prosecute and adjudicate labor disputes.
The NLRB, an independent federal agency consisting of five political appointees, was established to carry out the National Labor Relations Act. However, it has historically ignored traditional standards of due process, operated under lengthy and bureaucratic procedures, and caved to political pressures.
Sen. Lee Reintroduces Davis-Bacon Repeal Act
Mar 18, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) reintroduced the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act Wednesday, a bill designed to repeal the wage subsidy law requiring all federally funded projects worth more than $2,000 to pay workers the “prevailing wage” rate on non-federal projects in the same locality.
“The Davis Bacon Act exemplifies how big government hurts the people it purports to help, gives unfair advantages to favored special interests, and squeezes the middle class,” Sen. Lee said. “The Davis-Bacon Repeal Act would remove these government-imposed obstacles to economic opportunity facing low-skilled workers, and return wasted taxpayer dollars back into the hands of the American people.”
Sen. Lee, Colleagues Call for Judiciary Hearing on Obama-Biden FTC’s Sweetheart Deal with Google
Mar 18, 2021
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent letters to Federal Trade Commission Acting Chair (FTC) Rebecca Slaughter and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) calling for a public Judiciary Hearing into recent revelations that the Obama-Biden FTC failed to enforce antitrust law in an 2011 investigation of Google and instead let the company off with a slap on the wrist. The senators call for testimony from Google executives and relevant FTC officials, including the former Commissioners who now represent big tech firms.
Sen. Lee Reintroduces CBO Show Your Work Act
Mar 18, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today reintroduced the “CBO Show Your Work” Act, legislation designed to improve the legislative process by making the Congressional Budget Office more transparent and accountable.
“Congress does need a scorekeeper to provide budgetary estimates for the policy changes it considers,” Sen. Lee said. “But at a bare minimum, that scorekeeper should be forced to show how its models work, which the CBO doesn’t currently have to do. This bill would require the CBO to publish its data, models, and all details of computation used in its cost analysis and scoring, so that the American people and the economic community can see the math for themselves.”
Utah Delegation, State Officials Welcome Interior Secretary Haaland’s Decision to Visit Utah
Mar 17, 2021
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Representatives Chris Stewart (R-Utah), John Curtis (R-Utah), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), and Blake Moore (R-Utah), Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Brad Wilson and Attorney General Sean Reyes issued the following statement in response to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s announcement of her upcoming visit to Utah to tour Bears Ears and Grand-Staircase Escalante national monuments.
Sens. Lee, Tillis, and Paul Introduce Mens Rea Reform Act
Mar 12, 2021
WASHINGTON - Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the Mens Rea Reform Act of 2021 today, a bill that aims to reduce overcriminalization, rein in excessive regulation, and curb overzealous prosecutions.
As the power of the federal government has grown in size and scope, regulators and prosecutors have found ways to penalize activities that most Americans would view as innocent or non-criminal. As a result, ordinary Americans have found themselves facing jail time for supposedly “criminal” activities like abandoning a snowmobile on federal land, accidentally diverting sewage backups to the wrong drain, or unknowingly selling goods to the wrong person. In each of these cases, the government did not have to prove that the person knew or intended to commit a crime; they simply had to prove that the person committed the action.
Utah Delegation Meets with Interior Officials on Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Monument Concerns
Mar 11, 2021
WASHINGTON— U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Representatives Chris Stewart (R-UT), John Curtis (R-UT), Burgess Owens (R-UT), and Blake Moore (R-UT), today met with senior officials at the Department of Interior to encourage the Biden administration to work with Congress toward a permanent legislative solution that resolves the boundaries for the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. Following their meeting, they released the following joint statement:
“We appreciated the opportunity to express our desire for a permanent legislative solution that reflects state, local, and tribal input, resolves the status of these iconic national monuments, and brings certainty to land management in our state. During the meeting, we reiterated our concerns that the Biden administration’s review may result in further unilateral executive action, which will not resolve longstanding boundary or access issues. We urged the administration to instead engage state, local, and tribal leaders to develop a solution which is supported by the State of Utah and tribal governments, and codified by Congress. Because the state and delegation are willing to collaborate on an inclusive legislative solution, we believe it would be inappropriate for the administration to proceed with a unilateral executive action until there is sufficient time to negotiate broadly supported compromise legislation. The Utah Congressional Delegation looks forward to speaking with President Biden about a legislative approach that puts an end to the political back-and forth of Utah’s monuments.”
Background:
Last week, the entire Utah congressional delegation sent a letter to President Biden requesting the administration’s support in finding a permanent legislative solution for determining appropriate boundaries for the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, as well as statutory protections to prevent abuses under the Antiquities Act. It also requests that President Biden extend the 60-day review period timeline in order to allow the Secretary of the Interior time to travel to Utah, tour the monuments in question, and receive input from local stakeholders. After President Biden issued the January Executive Order, the delegation urged the administration to work with Congress toward a permanent legislative solution to the boundaries.
