Larsen Votes to Reform NSA Surveillance

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today voted in favor of the USA Freedom Act, a bill that reforms the government’s bulk collection of phone records. The bipartisan bill passed the House of Representatives and puts in place new processes by which the government must get approval on a case-by-case basis from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). Larsen has been a vocal advocate…

Larsen Supports Bill Strengthening NW Ports

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today voted in favor of a water infrastructure bill that passed the House of Representatives and supports economic growth in the Pacific Northwest. The Water Resources Reform and Development Act authorizes federal investment in ports, flood control and ecosystem restoration. Today’s House vote approved the bill as agreed to by a conference committee. The…

Larsen: China Must Play Fair

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Justice Department’s announcement that it is indicting five members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, charging them with hacking into the networks of U.S. companies. “The Justice Department's decision to indict five Chinese accused of cyber theft sends a strong and important…

GAO: U.S. Can Do Better on Arctic Policy

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The U.S. needs a better strategy to coordinate and prioritize its policies related to the Arctic region, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study out today that was released by Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), John Garamendi (CA-03) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK). The GAO study focused on U.S. participation in the Arctic Council, a voluntary body started…

Washington Post: House Democrats introduce bill to end automatic default rules on student loans

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Tags: Education

By Danielle Douglas House Demoorats introduced legislation Friday to protect borrowers who pay their student loans on time from being placed in default when the co-signer dies or declares bankruptcy. These “auto defaults” force borrowers to either immediately repay the loan balance or ruin their credit, endangering their chances of getting a job, renting an apartment or…

Larsen Supports Bill to Improve Detention Center Conditions

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today regarding his support for a bill that would provide stronger federal oversight for immigration detention centers nationwide. The Accountability in Immigration Detention Act would improve conditions in detention centers such as the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, where detainees recently protested conditions with a…

Larsen Introduces Bill to Protect Bereaved Student Borrowers

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Tags: Education

Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, today introduced a bill to protect private student loan borrowers from “auto-defaults” when a loan cosigner, often a parent or grandparent, dies or files for bankruptcy. In its April 2014 “mid-year update on student loan complaints,” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau identified significant issues facing private student loan…

Larsen Statement on R&D Tax Credit Proposal

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today regarding his vote against H.R. 4438, the American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2014. The Act would make the research and development tax credit permanent without providing a way to pay the expected cost of $156 billion over 10 years. “Support for innovation has long been one of my top priorities. Research and…

Larsen Statement on Republican Committee on Benghazi Attacks

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Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, issued the following statement today after his vote against a Republican resolution to form a committee to investigate the attacks in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 that killed four Americans. To date, multiple panels have investigated the attacks. They have released 8 reports, interviewed dozens of witnesses, and reviewed more than 25,000 pages of documents. “The…

Larsen, Washington State Delegation Urge Quick Action on Crude-by-Rail Rule

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Today Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, led the Washington state Congressional delegation in asking the administration to move quickly in releasing a draft rule addressing standards for tank cars carrying crude oil by rail. The Department of Transportation submitted a proposal for safe crude-by-rail transport to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs last week. The letter states the…