WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), along with a bicameral, bipartisan group of lawmakers, introduced the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act. This legislation would reform the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to lift a current revenue cap that unfairly penalizes Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.

The RISEE Act would secure more shared resources among Gulf states, the federal government and conservation programs from the revenue generated by offshore oil, gas and wind leases. Specifically, this proposed legislation would ensure that a larger cut of Gulf states’ offshore energy profits would fund coastal protection and restoration as well as other environmental priorities in Louisiana.

“GOMESA’s current cap unfairly targets our state. Louisianians work hard to provide America with reliable, affordable energy, and they deserve their fair share from that energy production. Our communities depend on these resources to defend our coastlines against hurricanes and other natural disasters, so amending the GOMESA cap is crucial to protecting Louisiana lives and livelihoods. There’s still more to be done, but this bill is a welcome step forward,” said Kennedy.

“With strong bipartisan support and movement through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year, we look forward to advancing the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act this Congress. Louisiana has learned to use money from offshore energy production to rebuild our coastline and protect our communities. This bill takes the lessons that Louisiana has learned, adds more funding, and serves as a model for other coastal states,” said Cassidy. 

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee previously passed the RISEE Act in the 117^th Congress. 

Kennedy also formerly introduced similar legislation, the Offshore Cap Parity Act, to eliminate the GOMESA cap.

Background:

GOMESA divides federal revenues from the offshore energy production of Gulf states into three portions. The federal government returns 37.5 percent of this revenue to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. The Land and Water Conservation Fund receives 12.5 percent of offshore revenue, which largely invests in the needs of landlocked states. The final 50 percent of Gulf energy revenue goes to the U.S. Treasury.

The GOMESA cap limits the dollar value of Gulf states’ 37.5 percent revenue share to $375 million, meaning those states receive no benefit when the energy sector peaks and revenues surpass the cap. Conversely, the Mineral Leasing Act ensures that states with onshore drilling operations receive 50 percent of their revenues, and there is no cap on how much money that share can include.

States with onshore energy production typically aren’t required to spend that revenue on environmental priorities. Louisianians, however, have previously voted in favor of dedicating their state’s share of offshore energy revenue to coastal conservation and restoration projects. Such projects may include updating levee systems and shoring up silt to bolster Louisiana’s coastal defenses. These investments mitigate damage to communities, local wildlife and other natural resources.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to prevent the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from enforcing a rule that would set higher standards for emissions from trucks and buses, which would cost truckers and bus drivers thousands of dollars to make their vehicles compliant with such regulations.

“Truckers support the backbone of our economy. Congress must stop Pres. Biden’s green-at-any-cost agenda before it crushes America’s trucking industry and magnifies supply chain problems. Louisiana families can’t afford more woke ‘help’ from the Biden administration,” said Kennedy.

“The Biden Administration is saddling the trucking industry with an onerous regulation that would jack up vehicle costs and hurt good paying jobs. This aggressive EPA rule—which will hit mom and pop truck operations the hardest—is also ineffective because it incentivizes operators to keep using older, higher-emitting trucks for longer. During a period of high inflation and supply chain disruptions, the last thing this country needs is more expensive freight costs and fewer truckers. I am proud to be leading a large coalition of my colleagues to push back against the Biden Administration’s obsession with excessive climate regulations,” said Fischer.

Background:

• The EPA finalized its rule on new emission standards for heavy duty vehicles on December 20, 2022. The rule will go into effect on March 27, 2023.
• The rule’s new standards cover nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants including particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. The rule also would change requirements for emission control systems and emission-related warranties.
• The EPA estimated the technology required to meet the new rule’s standards will cost between $2,568 and $8,304 per vehicle. Existing regulations on trucks have already resulted in a decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions between 98% and 99% compared to models from the late 1990s.

Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also cosponsored the resolution.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in introducing the Fair Access to Banking Act to prevent banks from denying services to law-abiding businesses for political purposes.  

“Law-abiding Americans should have access to financial services without threat from woke political posturing. The Fair Access to Banking Act would ensure that banks rely on impartial risk assessments—rather than politicized discrimination—when providing their services. This bill would stop banks from becoming advocacy groups that ignore their clients constitutional protections and business interests,” said Kennedy.

“There is no place in our society for discrimination, and big banks and financial institutions are no exception. The Biden administration and their liberal base are weaponizing the financial system to defund, debank, or discredit industries they do not like. It is fundamentally unfair. Our bill imposes serious consequences for discriminatory decisions or de facto bans of legal industries,” said Cramer. 

Background:

• The Fair Access to Banking Act would protect Americans in the wake of major banks’ move to discriminate against legal businesses. Some of the largest U.S. banks have blocked businesses and consumers from accessing financial services based on political ideology. 
• In 2020, five of the country’s largest banks announced they will not provide loans or credit to support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge even though Congress explicitly authorized it.
• In 2021, JPMorgan Chase declared it would refuse financial services to coal producers, and Bank of America began a politically-motivated effort to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its financing activities by 2050, an effort directly targeting producers of reliable American energy. 
• Similary discrimination has also targeted industries protected by the Second Amendment, with banks like Capital One including “ammunitions, firearms, or firearm parts” in its prohibited payments section. Payment services like Apple Pay and PayPal have denied their services for transactions involving firearms or ammunition.
• In response to these developments, the last administration created the Fair Access Rule—which this legislation would codify—to prevent these and other acts of discrimination, but President Joe Biden paused the rule’s implementation. 

Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) also cosponsored the legislation.

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) announced that Marquise McGill will accompany him to this year’s State of the Union address. McGill is a Washington native who grew up in the southeast corner of the city. He works in the Senate as part of the AbilityOne Program. He and Kennedy both work in the Russell Senate Office Building.

“Marquise brings an incredible attitude and ability to the Senate. He and his colleagues make so much of what we do here possible. Marquise has already distinguished himself as an outstanding member of his team and hopes to one day run his own custodial business. It’s my honor to attend the State of the Union address with someone who has invested in his community and who helps keep the Senate running smoothly,” said Kennedy.

McGill has more than three years of experience working for Goodwill of Greater Washington. He began his role in the Senate in 2020, supporting senators and their staff as a custodian. A father of three, McGill says his children are his motivation for working hard and providing for his family. 

The AbilityOne Program is an independent federal initiative that helps people with disabilities attain meaningful employment. The AbilityOne Program employs roughly 40,000 individuals—including more than 2,500 veterans—who are blind or otherwise disabled.

This year marks the fourth time Kennedy has invited a Senate custodian as his guest for the president’s State of the Union address. This is also the first year that senators have been able to invite guests since the coronavirus pandemic began.