News Releases
Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Continue County Payments
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch today announced that they are introducing compromise legislation with a bipartisan group of senators that would enable the federal government to meet its obligations to states, counties and communities that host federal lands. The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, managed in Idaho by the U.S. Forest Service, and the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, provide funding to Idaho's counties t… Continue Reading
October 04, 2011
Crapo, Roskam Introduce Legislation to Permanently Cap Capital Gains and Dividend Tax Rates at 15 Percent
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Finance Committee with oversight on tax issues, joined Representative Peter Roskam (R-Illinois), Chief Deputy Whip and member of the House Ways & Means Committee, to introduce legislation in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to permanently cap the capital gains and dividend tax rates at 15 percent. Crapo and Roskam say the legislation is needed to avoid an impending tax hike that would particularly affect Am… Continue Reading
October 04, 2011
Idaho Senators Earn Top Marks from Taxpayer Watchdog Group
Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are two of just four U.S. Senators to score top ratings from a national taxpayer watchdog group that tracks voting records in Congress. The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) awarded Crapo and Risch its "Taxpayer Super Hero" designation in the 2010 Congressional Ratings that lists the voting records of all 535 members of Congress on measures that CCAGW tracked. The report identifies Members the group says have "stell… Continue Reading
October 04, 2011
Senators: Dodd-Frank Rulemaking Hurts Main Street
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Richard Shelby (R-Alabama), ranking member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, David Vitter (R-Louisiana), Patrick Toomey (R-Pennsylvania), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) today filed a Dodd-Frank amendment to S. 1619, the China Currency legislation. Dodd-Frank gave the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) a mandate to w… Continue Reading
September 30, 2011
Idaho Students Serving in Crapo's State and D.C. Offices
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo offers internship opportunities to college students every year in both Washington, D.C., and in his regional offices in Idaho. Internships provide students the ability to learn more about the political process and the federal government's activities while gaining experience in a competitive professional environment. Three Idaho students are now serving in Crapo's Washington, D.C., office and are learning the inner workings of Congress first-hand. The … Continue Reading
September 29, 2011
Senators Introduce Bill to Provide Consistent Gun Rules for Federal Lands
Washington, DC - Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Webb (D-Virginia), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Jon Tester (D-Montana), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) have introduced legislation to make firearm regulations consistent across all federal recreational lands by bringing Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) rules in line with those of other federal land management agencies. During the last Congress, Crapo played a key role in overturning federal regulati… Continue Reading
September 28, 2011
Crapo Office Travels to Emmett, New Meadows
Boise - To better assist Idahoans with questions and issues concerning federal agencies and policies, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo's office is visiting Southwestern Idaho cities next month as part of a regular rotation of remote office hours. Crapo's Regional Director Bryan Ricker will be in Adams and Gem counties, and can assist Idahoans with any questions or problems related to federal agencies or with problems regarding federal programs. Crapo Remote Office Hours schedule: … Continue Reading
September 27, 2011
Senators to President: Don't Sidestep Congress on Immigration
Washington, D.C. - Recent immigration policies enacted by the Administration undermine the rule of law, say Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and a group of Republican senators in a letter to the President urging to remand the proposals. The directives in question call for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to perform case-by-case reviews, focusing on criminals and public menaces, while closing the books on those not considered a threat. Additionally, U.S. Immigration and Customs… Continue Reading
September 23, 2011
Crapo Given Lifetime Achievement Award for Work to Stop Domestic Violence
Washington, D.C. - A Washington, D.C.,-based advocacy group working to stop domestic violence against women and children has given Idaho Senator Mike Crapo its first-ever WEAVE Lifetime Commitment Award. WEAVE is an acronym for the group, Washington Empowered Against Violence. WEAVE provides legal and counseling services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence and sexual assault. Last year, the group assisted 600 survivors of violent acts in the D.C. area. "While I am honored to rec… Continue Reading
September 22, 2011
CHARGE Act Empowers Northwest Companies to Create Jobs
Washington, DC - Bureaucracy and regulations can stifle job creation, and U.S. manufacturers need all the advantages they can get to compete in the worldwide field of manufacturing and technologies. Today, Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), introduced legislation that will update regulations and promote the sale and production of next generation vehicles. The Changing How America Reduces Greenhouse Emissions, or CHARGE Act, … Continue Reading
September 22, 2011
Crapo Co-Sponsors Financial Regulatory Responsibility Act
Washington, DC - As a member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo is joining Ranking Republican Committee Member Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) to introduce the Financial Regulatory Responsibility Act of 2011. The legislation holds financial regulators accountable for rigorous, consistent economic analysis on every new rule they propose. It requires them to provide clear justification for the rules, and to determine the economic impacts of proposed rulemaki… Continue Reading
September 16, 2011
Crapo, Udall Introduce Bill to Level Playing Field for Advanced Biofuels
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID)and Tom Udall (D-NM) recently introduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate that would help level the playing field for advanced biofuels like algae by reforming the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to make it more "technology neutral." The RFS includes a traditional ethanol standard of up to 15 billion gallons by 2015, originating mostly from corn feedstock, and a separate advanced biofuels standard, known as RFS2. Currently, the lar… Continue Reading
September 16, 2011
Bipartisan Group of 34 Senators Supports and Encourages Super Committee to 'Go Big' on Deficits and Debt
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan coalition of 34 U.S. Senators announced today that they will encourage and support the members of the congressional "super committee" in efforts to seek the broadest possible bipartisan agreement to address the nation's deficits and debt. As part of the August compromise on raising the debt ceiling, a bipartisan, bicameral 12-member panel was appointed to identify $1.5 trillion in budget savings over ten years in addition to the nearly $1 trillion in savings included i… Continue Reading
September 14, 2011
Grizzly Legislation Protects Acts of Self-Defense
Washington, D.C. - Ambiguities in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have prompted Idaho's Congressional Delegation to introduce legislation clarifying the rights of individuals to protect themselves and their loved ones from grizzly bear attacks. Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Congressman Raúl Labrador say the legislation would amend the ESA to permit actions carried out against grizzly bears in self-defense situations. The Delegation members note that these proposed changes to… Continue Reading
September 08, 2011
Crapo: Ending Uncertainty Frees Up Private Sector to Create Jobs
Washington, DC - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Budget and Finance Committees, released the following statement this evening regarding the President's address on jobs that was delivered to a joint session of Congress. "The President's announcement tonight was mostly temporary solutions that don't fundamentally reform our economic and fiscal policy. What I hear from business and industry leaders is that we need to refrain from the almost-daily increase in regulations that job … Continue Reading
September 01, 2011
Idaho Senators Earn Top Marks From Conservative Groups
Washington, DC - Consistent votes to cut taxes, reduce spending and decrease intrusive federal government regulation have earned Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch top marks from Congressional watchdog groups for 2010. The American Conservative Union (ACU), National Journal and Heritage Action for America have released reports to showcase who the top conservatives are in Congress, and who truly advances conservatism with their votes. Senators Crapo and Risch earned outstanding scores … Continue Reading
August 29, 2011
Crapo Legislation Increases Education About Teen Dating Violence
Washington, DC - With incidents of dating violence in the news and on the increase, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo is introducing federal legislation to boost education and awareness about teen dating violence in Idaho schools. Crapo, along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), has introduced the "SAFE Teen Act." U.S. Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) have also introduced similar legislation in the House. About 72 percent of 8th and 9th graders report dating. Of that num… Continue Reading
August 26, 2011
Crapo on Grizzly Bear Shooting
Washington, DC - The U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho recently filed federal criminal charges under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) against Jeremy Hill of Porthill, Idaho, for killing a grizzly bear on his property on May 8, 2011. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) which handles oversight of the ESA, says that Mr. Hill deserves swift and just treatment, and urges the federal government to show fairness and common sense when cons… Continue Reading
August 25, 2011
Crapo, Coalition Announce New Effort to Stop Teen Dating Violence
Boise - New federal legislation aimed at stopping teen dating violence will be announced by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and others during an event on the Idaho Statehouse Steps Monday morning. Crapo will also honor a Nampa woman Monday for her heroic actions that helped police apprehend an alleged child abuser after witnessing the incident in a thrift store. … Continue Reading
August 23, 2011
Crapo To Receive 'Hometown Hero' Medal; Note Teen Dating Violence Efforts
Pocatello - Two Pocatello physicians plan to honor Idaho Senator Mike Crapo with a new "Hometown Hero" Medal during ceremonies Friday in Pocatello. Doctors Naeem Rahim and Fahim Rahim, who have opened a world-class kidney treatment center in Pocatello, created the Idaho award after they were honored with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. That award is regarded as the third-highest civilian award in the nation. The Rahim brothers are the first residents of Idaho to receive the Ellis Island Meda… Continue Reading
