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News Releases
October 16, 2019
Crapo, Colleagues Express Concern Regarding Suicide Rates among National Guardsmen
- U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) expressing concerns with the high rates of suicide in the National Guard. Citing information from the DOD Annual Suicide Report for Calendar Year 2018, the letter acknowledges the suicide rate for members of the Guard was 30.6 suicides per 100,000 population, compared to 24.8 suicides per 100,000 population in the Active component, and 22.9 suicides per … Continue Reading
October 04, 2019
Crapo: Proposed Transportation Rule Would Provide Greater Autonomy to Idaho Tribes
- The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) earlier this week announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to establish a Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program at DOT. The announcement is the culmination of a three-year negotiated rulemaking process among representatives of Indian tribes, the DOT and the Department of the Interior (DOI). "The proposed rulemaking recognizes the unique self-governance capabilities of Idaho's tribes to strengthen infrastructure and reduce administrative … Continue Reading
October 02, 2019
Senators Call for Financial Certainty for Rural Counties
- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and 27 of their Senate colleagues today requested that any end-of-year legislation include at least a two-year reauthorization of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) programs. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senators wrote, "Congress has an obligation to ensure coun… Continue Reading
Editorials
October 14, 2019
Weekly Column: Federal Obligation To Idaho Counties Must Be Met
In September, Idaho County Commissioners visited my office as part of their making the case to Congress about the need to reauthorize Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS). While I welcome opportunities to get a sense of local needs, local officials should be spared the time and expense of having to continuously make the case for this federal responsibility. The federal government must meet its responsibility to rural communiti… Continue Reading
October 07, 2019
Weekly Column: Needed Changes To The Endangered Species Act
Wildlife species should be protected and recovered when possible. But, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as written and enforced has had very limited success. We can do better as envisioned in legislative reforms, including the 21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act and the Endangered Species Settlement Reform Act, and regulatory reforms advanced by the Administration. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data, 1,784 U.S. species have been listed as threatened or endangered s… Continue Reading
September 30, 2019
Weekly Column: Countering The Assault On Our Supreme Court's Judicial Independence
The Supreme Court of the United States plays a vital role in safeguarding the United States' Constitution. Threats by other members of the U.S. Senate to intimidate the Supreme Court into capitulation of its constitutionally mandated duties goes against every value of judicial independence our country has long held. Fellow Idaho Senator James E. Risch and I joined a majority of our Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the Supreme Court taking issue with legislative threats to the court's i… Continue Reading
