A Weekly e-Newsletter from
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

February 17, 2012

Dear Friends,

This week, President Obama submitted a budget proposal for fiscal year 2013. Unfortunately, his plan keeps the federal government on a path of reckless spending and unsustainable debt. It is a budget for failure.

The president claims that his plan will reduce the deficit by about $4 trillion over the next 10 years, but his proposal relies on a calculated series of budget gimmicks. In reality, the president’s plan achieves approximately $273 billion in total deficit reduction over 10 years. Under this plan, the country will accumulate an estimated $11 trillion in new gross debt.

As I said in a speech on the Senate floor, the only thing you can do with this budget is start over. I think that it’s time that Washington does what the American people have had to do: sit around the kitchen table, prioritize spending, live within our means and budget for the future—don’t budget for failure.

Last year, I introduced a bipartisan plan in the Senate to convert the federal budget process from an annual, chaotic rush, to a two-year, more thoughtful process that requires Congress to conduct oversight. My bill, the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act, S.211, dedicates the first year of a Congress to appropriating federal dollars and devotes the second year to scrutinizing federal programs to determine whether they are working and deserve continued funding. Additionally, I am a co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget and have supported measures to curb federal spending, reform the budgeting process and increase oversight of federal spending.

The National Labor Relations Board’s “Ambush Election” Rule
Once again, the government is overstepping its boundaries by creating a “solution” to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Prior to the December 2011 expiration of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Craig Becker’s recess appointment, the NLRB quickly issued a final rule to allow union bosses to “ambush” employers with union elections before employers have a fair chance to learn their rights and explain their views to employees, as required by law. This new rule will limit the issues and evidence that can be presented at a pre-election hearing, and that will ultimately result in having numerous questions remaining unresolved prior to a union election. In addition, this rule eliminates the current 25-day “grace period,” allowing elections to occur in as few as 20 days and putting significant strain on small business owners who lack the resources or legal expertise to address the union election process within such a short timeframe.

On Thursday, I joined 43 of my colleagues in the Senate in filing a formal challenge to this rule. We introduced a resolution of disapproval, S.J. Res 36, which, if passed, would allow Congress to stop the NLRB from implementing its ambush election rule. The House introduced a similar resolution of disapproval this week. A resolution of disapproval introduced under the Congressional Review Act cannot be filibustered and needs only a simple majority in the Senate to pass if acted upon during a 60-day window.

The NLRB’s recent rule is a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist. This is a definite attempt by the NLRB to skew the relationship between management and labor, and it turns the National Labor Relations Board into what I deem a “National Labor Unfairness Board.” It’s only fair to give a company enough time to make its case prior to a union election, and when you compress that time, you create a rush to judgment or at worse, an ambush. Our country has had stable labor laws in place for 75 years. At a time of high unemployment and a sluggish economy, trying to weigh the playing field one way or another, either against management or for labor, is just the wrong thing to do.

In Other News
On Monday, I attended Southwest Airlines’ official launch of their service at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I am optimistic about the economic benefits this will bring to the state. I also had the opportunity give constituents in the Rome and Savannah listening areas an update from Washington on WRGA and WTKS radio stations. The Paulding County Chamber of Commerce was also in Washington, D.C. for their annual legislative trip, and I heard local priorities from their delegation, as well. In addition, I got to speak to students from across Barrow County Schools from grades 4, 5, 7, 11 and 12 on Thursday via video conferencing technology and enjoyed hearing their questions and concerns. As the former Chair of the Georgia State Board of Education, it’s always great to hear from young people who are learning about our government and legislative process. 

What’s on Tap?        

Next week, the Senate will be in recess. I plan to travel to the Savannah Harbor for a briefing and tour of the port, visit the VA hospital in Dublin, participate in a briefing at Robins Air Force Base, speak to the Macon Downtown Rotary, and hold a town hall meeting in Dalton.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson