Hatch Statement on DOJ Decision to Seek Review in Microsoft Warrant Case
Washington, D.C.—Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah—the senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, released a statement on the US Department of Justice’s decision to seek Supreme Court review of the Second Circuit’s ruling that US law does not extend warrants extraterritorially:
“I’m disappointed by the Department’s decision to seek Supreme Court review of the Microsoft warrant case. As I’ve said all along, courts should respect the time-honored principle that warrants stop at the water’s edge. Nevertheless, Congress can and should modernize data privacy laws to ensure that law enforcement can access evidence in a timely manner. My bipartisan International Communications Privacy Act (ICPA) would create a workable, modern framework for law enforcement access to electronic communications, and I intend to work my hardest to enact this crucial legislation into law.”
Last month, Senator Hatch spoke on the Senate floor about ICPA. He described the drawbacks of existing data privacy approaches and outlined his proposal to better protect consumer privacy and clarify US law enforcement’s ability to obtain global electronic communications while respecting the data privacy laws of other countries.
ICPA was also praised by Microsoft President Brad Smith last month in the Senate Judiciary Committee Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee hearing on “Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Across Borders.”
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Hatch Praises Supreme Court Ruling on Religious Liberty
Washington, D.C.— Today, Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah—the senior Republican in the United States Senate and a principal author of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act—applauded the Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. The Court’s decision establishes that religious institutions with a secular intent may not be excluded from state programs.
“Religious freedom is central to the origin and identity of this country,” Hatch said. “If religious freedom means anything, it is that government may not discriminate against churches solely because they are churches. It is hard to believe that such blatant and intentional religious discrimination is tolerated in the 21st century. Churches and others who practice their faith are not second-class citizens but have the right to participate equally and fully in the life of our nation.”
Senator Hatch has championed religious freedom through his entire term of service. Last year, he delivered a series of 8 speeches on the Senate floor on the subject:
1. Basic principles of religious liberty;
2. The history of religious liberty;
3. Status and substance of religious liberty;
4. The balance between faith and public life;
5. Contemporary threats to religious liberty;
6. Threats to religious liberty abroad;
7. The importance of religious liberty to Democracy;
8. The way forward for religious liberty
Background on Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer:
The Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer tested state constitution bans on all assistance to churches. Missouri provides a grant program to help organizations, schools, etc. that want to upgrade their playground surfaces with material made from recycled tires. Trinity Lutheran's application was rejected solely because it is a church, and the state constitution (like many other states) includes a "Blaine Amendment" that prohibits even indirect aid to churches. The Supreme Court ruled that in instances of secular intent, churches may receive assistance from state programs.
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HHS Secretary Price Praises Hatch Efforts in Utah Healthcare Visit
SANDY, UT—In a visit to Utah today, Dr. Tom Price, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, is meeting with Utah business leaders to discuss a number of ways the Senate’s recently released Better Care Reconciliation Act will help Utah, focusing particularly on the flexibility the working draft gives state and local leaders to meet their states unique healthcare needs.
Touting Senator Hatch’s focus on that issue, Secretary Price said, “Your Senator, Orrin Hatch has done a great job. He has encouraged more state flexibility. It’s imperative we do that.”
Price meeting with Utah leaders at the Colonial Flag in Sandy
In a press conference last week, Governor Herbert touted the importance of this flexibility, saying “Just give me the money — we'll figure it out and do what we need to do in Utah. We already have the lowest cost healthcare in Utah, it's not like we're not doing things pretty well."
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Secretary Price in Utah Today to Tout Senate Healthcare Bill’s Wins for Utah
“The people of Utah have a long and proud tradition of knowing exactly what they are for: family, community, industry, responsible stewardship of government and the God-given right to a free conscience. These are the very values protected and enshrined in the Senate plan.”
–HHS Secretary Tom Price
Washington, D.C.—Last week, the Senate released a discussion draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, a bill to repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered reforms that empower local leaders to design healthcare programs for their states. In praising the healthcare bill, Senator Hatch touted a number of critical wins for Utahns in an op-ed published in the Deseret News on Friday.
Today, Dr. Tom Price, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, will visit Utah to discuss, among other things, the Senate’s bill to repeal and replace Obamacare and the important flexibility it gives state and local leaders like Utah’s Governor Gary Herbert.
Previewing his visit, Secretary Price wrote his own op-ed for the Deseret News over the weekend, touting a top priority of the healthcare bill that Senator Hatch fought hard to include: Allowing states to tailor healthcare programs according to their needs.
The people of Utah have a long and proud tradition of knowing exactly what they are for: family, community, industry, responsible stewardship of government and the God-given right to a free conscience. These are the very values protected and enshrined in the Senate plan.
Unlike Obamacare’s Washington knows best approach, this Administration trusts individuals and families to make their own decisions. To ensure every American has access to affordable care, we support providing targeted tax credits to those who need financial assistance and expands the opportunity for folks to save some of their hard-earned money tax-free to spend on future health needs.
Recognizing that the people closest to a problem are best equipped to fix it, states deserve maximum flexibility to create a health care system that meets the unique needs of their citizens, especially those most in need of a strong and sustainable Medicaid program.
From your pioneering days, Utah has defined itself by what it's for, not what it's against. We need this same clarity of purpose in Washington today. The patient-centered proposals in Congress right now represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to undo the damage caused by an ill-conceived experiment in government-run health care. We’ve waited long enough. Now is the time to act.
In a press conference last week, Governor Herbert touted the importance of this flexibility, saying “Just give me the money — we'll figure it out and do what we need to do in Utah. We already have the lowest cost healthcare in Utah, it's not like we're not doing things pretty well."
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The Better Care Reconciliation Act is a Win for Healthcare in Utah
By Senator Orrin G. Hatch
June 23, 2017
Yesterday, the Senate made a powerful statement to Utah and the nation: increasing premiums, unaffordable care, and regulatory red-tape should not be the standard of healthcare in this country. Our discussion draft legislation to repeal Obamacare and its mandates, as modified by the Senate, is not perfect. It is, rather, a work in the art of the doable. Through compromise and negotiation, we have managed to incorporate differing opinions representing Americans from all parts of the country, not just the East Coast and urban elites.
This proposal assures that Utahns get a fair shake. In the past, the Beehive State was known for having some of the most affordable coverage in the country, but Obamacare has reduced our quality of care and increased out-of-pocket expenses. Obamacare, from its very design to its botched implementation, did not stand a chance of bringing the quality care that Utahns deserve.
The status quo under Obamacare is simply unacceptable. Once replaced, premiums will be lower, allowing Utahns more freedom to spend hard-earned income, while quality will improve, providing Utahns the care they deserve.
I heard loud and clear from Utahns that coverage of pre-existing conditions and maintaining dependents until age 26 were top priorities for our families and loved ones, which is why I fought to include these provisions were included in this bill.
I’ve also heard Uthans’ concerns for vulnerable children, which is why I made sure children with disabilities are insulated from the new Medicaid reforms. As such, their care will remain coordinated and prioritized by the doctors that treat them every day. Moreover, Utahns asked that we protect the Medicaid preventative care benefits for children; those remain unaffected.
Another policy area that Utahns urged me to prioritize is mental health. In addition to continuing my efforts to increase funding for mental health services, we achieved a feat that even Democratic Presidents and Congresses could not achieve—we have lifted the exclusion of Medicaid services for adults receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment for mental health or addiction. This policy has been a part of Medicaid since the program passed in 1965, and it has been a burden for states ever since. This accomplishment is only a first step, but no previous Congress has successfully moved the policy forward.
We were also mindful of the benefits of Medicare, which is why we left the program untouched to protect Utah seniors.
Finally, Utahns asked me to ensure that hospitals that care for our poorest and most vulnerable neighbors and friends receive the necessary funding to continue their important work. With the help and advice of Utah’s health leaders, we have included a provision to give Utah’s hospitals—both rural and urban—with the funds they need to care for our loved ones.
We have now been debating healthcare for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve taken hundreds of meetings with stakeholders on every side of the issue, spoken with thousands of residents, chaired numerous hearings and negotiated endlessly with my colleagues in the Senate. The result is a plan that represents the culmination of a years-long effort to fix our broken healthcare system. This replacement for Obamacare will now be scored by the Congressional Budget Office, and brought to the floor of the Senate for amendments. The final product will repeal Obamacare, and replace it with something better—but only after conducting a close study and receiving input from all sides.
Significant legislation requires compromise. Senators represent different populations with different health needs. States deserve to be treated as partners, not enemies, in our health system. While this discussion draft will help move the effort forward, I will continue to review this proposal and work with my colleagues to provide better care for all Americans.
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Video: Hatch Fights for Utah’s Movie and TV Filtering Customers
“I believe that families should have the choice to screen out profanity, violence, and other objectionable content from movies and television shows if they want to. At the same time, it’s essential that we protect content creators’ intellectual property rights.”
Washington, D.C.-- Today Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Hollywood executives, internet leaders, and online filtering companies encouraging them to make filtering more widely available on internet streaming services.
Utah has been a hotbed of activity recently in online filtering, with companies like ClearPlay and VidAngel offering new or expanded capabilities for families to screen out objectionable content. Without wading into recent debates over these companies’ business models, Senator Hatch’s letter conveys a “strong desire that consumers be able to have access to effective online filtering technology.” The letter further expresses hope that “such technology could ultimately become available across multiple devices and multiple streaming services.” Senator Hatch was joined on the letter by other members of Utah’s congressional delegation.
In a separate statement, Senator Hatch said, “I want to find a way for everyone to win on this issue. I believe that families should have the choice to screen out profanity, violence, and other objectionable content from movies and television shows if they want to. At the same time, it’s essential that we protect content creators’ intellectual property rights.”
A copy of the letter can be found here and below:
June 21, 2017
The Honorable Chris Dodd
Chairman and CEO
Motion Picture Association of America
1600 I St., NW
Washington, DC 20006
Dear Mr. Dodd:
We write today on behalf of our many constituents who have used or expressed a desire to use filtering technology to watch movies and television shows over the Internet.
As you know, in 2005 Congress passed the Family Movie Act, or FMA. This legislation was intended to enable families to use filtering technology to screen out graphic violence, vulgarity, and explicit sexual content from movies and television shows. Crucially, the Act sought to balance the interests of families in screening out objectionable content with the rights of copyright holders. It applies only to filtering technology used on authorized copies of movies and television shows, prohibits viewers from creating bootleg versions, and does not protect any conduct that impairs core copyright protections.
At the time the FMA was passed, most home viewing of movies occurred via DVD. That is no longer the case. The advent and increasing popularity of online streaming has transformed the way Americans watch movies. Gone are the days when most people traveled to a video rental store, or purchased a DVD, to watch a movie at home. Nowadays when someone wants to watch a movie, more likely than not he or she goes on Netflix, Amazon, or another streaming service; selects the movie; and then streams it directly onto a computer or linked device.
Online streaming has transformed the way Americans watch television as well. Although many continue to tune in to regular broadcast and cable networks, increasing numbers prefer to watch shows through streaming services. Streaming allows viewers to watch television shows at a time of their choosing and often without advertisement interruptions.
We have heard from many constituents who are eager to use filtering technology with online streaming. Many more have demonstrated a clear interest in such technology by using one or more online filtering services.
We understand that there are outstanding legal disputes over whether the business models such filtering services employ fall within the bounds of the FMA. We do not wish to wade into such disputes, but do wish to express to you our strong desire that consumers be able to have access to effective online filtering technology consistent with the FMA and other applicable laws. We would hope that such technology could ultimately become available across multiple devices and multiple streaming services.
Sincerely,
________________________ ________________________
Orrin G. Hatch Mia B. Love
United States Senator Member of Congress
________________________ ________________________
Mike Lee Rob Bishop
United States Senator Member of Congress
________________________
Chris Stewart
Member of Congress
cc: Motion Picture Association of America
Directors Guild of America
Producers Guild of America
Internet Association
NCTA – The Internet & Television Association
ClearPlay
TVGuardian, LLC
VidAngel
