Fellow Utahns,
August is a time for Congress to return home and listen to the people. This year is no exception, and I hope you’ll be able to attend some of the remaining events I’m hosting across Utah. On Monday, August 29, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. I will be hosting the 24th Annual Conference for Seniors at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. This year’s special guest will be former United States Secretary of State James Baker, III. It will be a great event for Utah’s seniors. Anyone interested in attending can contact (801) 413-9133 to register. The Conference will begin at 9 a.m., and the cost is $10 which includes lunch and registration materials.
Also next week, on Wednesday, August 31 from 10:00 – 11:30 am, I will host an Economic Forum on Entitlement Reform at the Ragan Theater at Utah Valley University. Chairman Dave Camp, the head of the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives, will be in attendance to discuss long-overdue reforms to our tax code and entitlement system.
This Economic Forum will be a unique opportunity to hear from two of the top Republicans in Congress who are fighting to allow for you to keep more of your hard-earned tax dollars and improve the economic situation for current an future generations of Utahns. We will also be joined by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former head of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. This will be a great event for those interested and concerned with the fiscal health of our nation, and I hope to see you there.
Survey Shows Why Repealing Partisan Health Law Critical To Turning Around Nation’s Economy
Released last week, the survey, commissioned by the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), found that health care benefits costs for large employers would increase by 7.2 percent, which is more than twice the inflation rate and far exceeds the nation’s economic growth rate. It also found that two-thirds of employers surveyed said cost increases would also be borne by employees.
To read more about this survey click here.
Statement on S&P Downgrade Of U.S. Credit Rating
The downgrade of our nation’s credit rating is a direct threat to our financial stability, putting much-needed job creation and the cost of credit for every American family and business at serious risk. The acceleration of deficits and debt coupled with an unpredictable fiscal path and unsustainable entitlement promises has, regrettably, cast doubt on the full faith and credit of the United States.
Click here for the full statement.
Hatch’s Sweeping Patent Reform Bill Clears the Senate
A few months ago, the Senate passed the the America Invents Act of 2011, the bipartisan legislation which represents the most sweeping changes to the nation’s patent system in nearly 60 years. Patent Reform will likely be discussed when the Senate comes back into session this fall.
Our patent laws should be in the iPad age, not the sock hop age. This bill will bring our nation’s patent system squarely into the 21st century and will better position our inventors and entrepreneurs to compete in today’s global economy. This bill represents the first significant changes to the U.S. patent system since 1952.
To read more about this important piece of legislation, click here.
Sincerely,
Senator Orrin Hatch
P.S. If you have any concerns which my office can help with, please visit my website at hatch.senate.gov.
