Political briefs – July 9

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Staff report

Politics
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PORTMAN FOR SENATE RAISES $2.9 MILLION IN SECOND QUARTER – The Portman for Senate campaign today announced it will report over $2.9 million raised in the second quarter of 2015 resulting in a total of over $10 million cash on hand. These totals best the campaign’s first quarter numbers of $2.75 million raised and $8 million cash on hand.

“Rob continues his momentum, gaining more support from voters across Ohio,” said Campaign Manager Corry Bliss. “While Rob is working hard and getting results for Ohio families and workers, more and more people are realizing that Ohio can’t afford to return to the days of Governor Strickland when the state lost over 350,000 jobs and Ohio ranked 48th in job creation.”

This summer, the Portman for Senate campaign began an aggressive volunteer grassroots program that recently surpassed 100,000 voter contacts through its door-to-door and phone programs. Portman has now been endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee, over 500 key Ohio Republican leaders, including the entire Republican Congressional delegation and all statewide elected Republicans, and by over 9,000 grassroots supporters across the state.

PORTMAN UNVEILS INTERNATIONAL TAX REFORM PRINCIPLES – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released the following statement on the announcement of the bipartisan agreement on detailed principles for international tax reform. Portman, along with U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-New York), chairs the Senate Finance Committee working group on international tax reform and presented a proposal to address a number of international tax reforms including transitioning to a hybrid, territorial-like system, patent boxes, base erosion, deemed repatriation, and other major areas. The bipartisan agreement draws from elements included in prior international reform efforts by members of both political parties.

“We need comprehensive tax reform because the American people deserve a simpler tax code that will give our economy a needed shot in the arm. Our complex, burdensome, and outdated tax system is standing in the way of more jobs and opportunity, and higher wages.

“Although we need comprehensive reform, our report clearly demonstrates the urgency of addressing the international tax system, and how the right kind of international reform can be a step in the right direction for more comprehensive reform. The bipartisan international tax reform framework released today by Senator Schumer and me shows that our system of international taxation is woefully out-of-date. It has been 50 years since the U.S. has substantially updated its international tax laws, and by standing still, the U.S. has fallen behind. This report uncovers three truths about international tax reform: first, the marketplace is becoming more international, with 80 percent of global purchasing power currently residing outside of the U.S.; second, U.S. workers benefit when the businesses they work for can compete and win in those markets – winning abroad means more jobs and higher wages here at home; third, the U.S. is falling behind in those markets. Our report shows a bipartisan framework for how we can update our international tax code, giving U.S. companies the tools they need to compete and win on a level playing field with their international competitors, leading to more jobs and higher wages here at home.

BROWN INTRODUCES AMENDMENT TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS – As the Senate begins debate on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act(ESEA) – known as the “Every Child Achieves Act” – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today introduced an amendment alongside U.S. Sens. Mark Kirk (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to help ensure that all schools can provide the resources students need to succeed. The Opportunity Dashboard of Core Resources amendment aims to tackle existing disparities in public education by establishing accountability requirements that compel states and school districts to give all students equitable access to the core resources necessary to achieve college and career readiness.

“Too many teachers and schools lack the resources to ensure students can grow and succeed,” Brown said. “That’s why this amendment is so important – not just to close the achievement gap but also to raise the bar for all of America’s students. The amendment would improve access to better trained teachers, to better curricula, and to the opportunity that all students deserve, regardless of their zip code.”

In March 2014, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights published data from a comprehensive survey of schools across the nation, which illustrated the magnitude of the educational opportunity gaps that exist for students in the United States. The survey found that Black, Latino, American Indian, and Native Alaskan students, as well as students who are English learners, attend schools with higher concentrations of inexperienced teachers. The survey also found that nationwide, one in five high schools lack a school counselor, and between 10 and 25 percent of high schools do not offer more than one of the core courses in high school math and science, such as Algebra I and II, geometry, biology, and chemistry.

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