Press Releases
ICYMI: Sen. Lee Visits Mexico Border, Calls for End to Crisis
Mar 29, 2021
Last week, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) joined a congressional delegation trip with 17 of his colleagues to help shed light on the humanitarian crisis caused by the recent surges in illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border. The senators toured immigration processing facilities along the border, attended a roundtable with local leaders, and heard firsthand accounts of the journeys of migrant men, women, and children.
Sen. Lee Cosponsors the Smarter Sentencing Act
Mar 26, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) cosponsored the “Smarter Sentencing Act,” bipartisan legislation designed to bring judicial discretion and flexibility to non-violent drug charge sentencing. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D- Ill.) and cosponsored by 11 of their colleagues.
Since 1980, the number of inmates in federal prison has increased by 653%. About 50% of those federal inmates are serving sentences for drug-related offenses, increasing the taxpayer burden by more than 2,000%. In short, federal incarceration has become one of our nation’s biggest expenditures, dwarfing the amount spent on law enforcement.
Sen. Lee, Colleagues Urge HHS to Expand Ethical Sources of Fetal Tissue
Mar 26, 2021
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on Friday led 15 of his colleagues in sending a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting that the agency evaluate its ability to expand the existing organ donation network to include preterm and stillborn infant donors, so as to provide an ethical alternative to aborted fetal tissue. Under no circumstance should scientific research and experimentation use cells or tissues derived from abortion.
The letter reads in part:
“Respecting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is critically important and this action would be a significant step toward protecting human life at all stages. If a consistent, high-quality, and ethically uncontroversial source of human fetal tissue exists, medical research would undoubtedly expand, advancing our nation’s understanding of human development and leading to potentially life-saving discoveries.”
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.
