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March 13, 2015     
Inside This Issue.....
Mandatory E-Verify Use Spawns Opposition
Administration Appeals Immigration Court Order
Hazardous Materials by Rail Takes Center Stage
Senate Acts to Overturn NLRB Union Election Rule
Interesting Graphic From The Weather Channel
EPA "Secret Science" Bills Draw Veto Threat
TSCA Deal Seen Close
News From The Plant Breeding Center at UC Davis.
Upcoming Classes
Upcoming Meetings

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Mandatory E-Verify Use Spawns Opposition

A bill to require all U.S. employers to use the electronic E-Verify federal system to confirm the legal status of all future hires was approved this week by the House Judiciary Committee, but the bill faces strong opposition as it moves to the floor.

 

The bill, the "Legal Workforce Act," is designed to overcome conflicting state and local laws and would replace the current paper I-9 forms with the electronic system. However, an employer could continue to use the paper-based I-9 system. The new system would be phased in for companies based on number of employees in six-month increments over two years. The bill would also increase penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers or who knowingly submit false information to the E-Verify system. It also preempts conflicting state mandatory E-Verify laws.

 

While the bill is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Restaurant Assn. (NRA), the National Chicken Council (NCC) and the Food Manufacturers Immigration Coalition, it's opposed by Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC), a coalition of growers and others who have actively worked for comprehensive immigration reform.

 

"Imposing mandatory E-Verify without fixing our country's broken immigration system will sound the death knell for thousands of farming operations across the country," the coalition said. "Any bill mandating E-Verify must only come after or in conjunction with legislation to address the labor crisis being faced by America's farmers, ranchers and growers."

 

E-Verify was created in 1996, and checks the Social Security Number (SSN) of a prospective employee against Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records to be sure a worker is eligible for legal employment. The meat and poultry industries use the system widely, and have urged Congress to make changes in the system to keep pace with technology. The program reportedly confirms 99.7% of work-eligible employees in just over two minutes, and over half-a-million employers currently use the system.

 

Administration Appeals Immigration Court Order

A federal court order blocking implementation of President Obama's executive order on deferred deportation of illegal immigrants was appealed this week by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after the Texas U.S. District Court judge who issued the injunction refused to lift it and set a March 19 hearing in the district court case.

 

Calling the order "unprecedented and wrong," DOJ filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans. DOJ said the government wants to prioritize removal of criminals or recent illegal entries, not individuals with strong family ties in the U.S.

 

Hazardous Materials by Rail Takes Center Stage

The increased shipments of crude oil crossing the continent by rail has brought significant attention to the risk to communities from all hazardous materials being transported on the nation's rail lines. The recent derailments of several trains transporting crude oil have also highlighted the risk. Crude was only one material, anhydrous ammonia for fertilizer, ethanol and pesticide materials were also identified as significant risks. This led to a report by the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) which developed a "gap analysis" of the lack of preparedness for a derailment of major spill of hazardous materials. They identified a solution providing 2 fully equipped hazmat response vehicles in each of the six OES regions in the state. They also developed a proposal including ongoing training and coordination with industry and railroads. This solution is at a cost of $40 million over 4 years with an annual cost of several million.  

 

In response, Assembly Member Freddie Rodriguez, who is a licensed EMT, introduced AB 22 which would enact a fee on hazardous material transporters to pay for emergency response. Additionally, the administration has discussed introducing a fee proposal in the budget process. The association was summoned to the Governor's office to discuss the concept, the gap analysis report and additional options. We will be working with other industries to ensure any proposal has proper oversight, cost containment and is used for the specific purposes of the program. Below is a link to AB 22 and we will continue to provide information as the issue ripens.

 

http://leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ab_22_bill_20141201_introduced.pdf 

 

 

Senate Acts to Overturn NLRB Union Election Rule

The Senate this week voted 53-46 largely on party lines to approve a resolution of disapproval to block a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rule allowing unions to seek expedited organizing elections in non-union workplaces. The Senate used the Congressional Review Act, a process that prevents opponents from procedurally blocking the measure.

 

Critics refer to the NLRB rule as the "ambush election" rule because it takes the current 38-day process of setting up organizing elections and reduces it to 11 days, which business says gives it little time to work with employees. The rule also says companies must give union organizers employee personal cellphone numbers and email addresses.

 

The White House says it will veto the measure if it reaches the President's desk, a move that would require a two-thirds majority to override the veto. The House Education & Workforce Committee is working on its own version of the Senate resolution, and is expected to be voted out of committee for full House action in the next few weeks.

 

 

 Interesting Graphic From The Weather Channel

 

 

 

EPA "Secret Science" Bills Draw Veto Threat

Two bills aimed at changing the way EPA uses science to justify rulemakings received a veto threat from the White House this week.   The first bill would require the agency to publicly release the details of all scientific research that is used to support a proposed rule. The second bill changes the way outside members are chosen to sit on the agency's Scientific Review Board (SRB).

 

The White House said in its veto declaration, "The Administration strongly supports regulatory transparency, but strongly opposes (these bills). The bill would impose arbitrary, unnecessary and expensive requirements that would seriously impede EPA's ability to use science to protect public health and the environment...while increasing uncertainty for businesses and States."

 

The administration said the new requirements could be used to block EPA from proposing, finalizing or disseminating any "covered action" until legal challenges about the legitimate withholding of scientific and technical information are resolved.

 

TSCA Deal Seen Close

 

A political agreement to move reauthorization and modernization of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the first time in decades seems to be gaining bipartisan support, as senior Senators this week floated a draft of their bill for comment.

 

Sens. David Vitter (R, LA) and Tom Udall (D, NM) released their draft bill in advance of a March 18 hearing to be held in the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee. Critics, however, say the bill doesn't go far enough to protect stricter state laws, with California particularly concerned its array of strict environmental laws would be jeopardized.   

 

Under the bill, states would be allowed to continue enforcing chemical safety laws passed before January 1, 2015, and also includes a specific exemption for a 2003 California chemical labeling law. States would have to notify EPA if they have plans to restrict use of "low-priority" chemicals, but also preempts the states from enacting new laws or regulations once EPA begins its review of high-priority chemicals. Waivers, however, could be granted to the states, according to reports.

 

The bill has been under negotiation since last year when Vitter and Udall first broached the idea of a bipartisan approach, similar to an effort Vitter undertook with the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D, NJ). Changes to the original 2014 Vitter-Udall deal have earned support from several environmental groups, including Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

 

News From The Plant Breeding Center at UC Davis

Attached is the March PBC newsletter. This month we hear from Dr. Leah McHale, Assistant Professor of Horticulture & Crop Science at the Ohio State University and alum of the Michelmore lab. We will be visiting Wolfskill Experimental Orchards on March 19th for Third Thursday, where Professor Tom Gradziel will lead our seminar. Vans will be available for transportation if you need, but you must register to use them here:

 

2015 UC Davis Plant Breeding Symposium: "Challenges in Plant Breeding: Past, Present, and Future"

Sponsored by DuPont Pioneer and held at University of California, Davis

 

Friday April 10, 2015 8am-5pm in the Student Community Center

 

SPEAKERS:

Howie Smith, DuPont Pioneer

Isabelle Goldringer, INRA

Louise Sperling, Catholic Relief Services

Dani Zamir, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Andy Baumgarten, DuPont Pioneer

Jean-Marcel Ribaut, Generation Challenge Program

 

A networking opportunity sponsored by Sierra Nevada and Sundstrom Hill Winery will be held after the symposium for registered attendees.

 

REGISTRATION

Registration is free and includes lunch.

Register today at http://plantbreeding2015.ucdavis.edu/

 

We also have 2 student talks. For that we have opened an abstract submission form, where any student can submit their work and from that we will select 2 for speaking. The Deadline for that is March 15. 

 

 

You can now find the Plant Breeding Center on Facebook and Twitter! We post photos from campus, interesting articles, and event info.  

 



Upcoming Classes

The UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center has some exciting courses available:

Seed Business 101 - Field Crops: This program will be held in St. Louis, MO from June 15-19, 2015. Registration is open.


Program Management for Plant Breeders: September 22-24, 2015, UC Davis. Registration is open (space is limited).

The European Plant Breeding Academy Class IV application is now open. The Academy starts in October 2015 in Gent, Belgium.

 

For questions, contact Sue at [email protected].


 

Upcoming Meetings

      

 

 

2015 

  • March 23-25, 2015 - CSA Annual Convention at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA 
     
  • September 29-30, 2015 - CSA Mid Year Meeting at the Hyatt Monterey