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It has a long way to go before becoming law, but the introduction of a bipartisan immigration reform bill is significant for U.S. agriculture. A group of senators has unveiled a comprehensive immigration reform bill that includes provisions for a new agricultural guestworker program. American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman said that’s extremely important for the future of agriculture.
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Before I criticize the lack of action on the part of the U.S. Senate on modest gun measures last week, I will freely admit that the Virginia General Assembly is clearly in the clutches of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
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Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) announced the introduction of the Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2013. The bipartisan legislation works to improve customer service delivery across federal agencies, and a companion bill was introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
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U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) today was reappointed chairman of the bipartisan Government Performance Task Force by U.S. Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.). The Task Force, established in 2009 with Sen. Warner as its initial chairman, supports the Budget Committee by providing oversight and recommendations on ways to increase the performance and reduce the cost of federal agencies and programs.
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Gov. Bob McDonnell today attended the signing of a contract between YingLi, a distributor that specializes in e-commerce channel and high-end retailers, and Yihaodian, the fastest-growing integrated e-commerce company, 51 percent owned by Wal-Mart, with more than 30 million registered users in China, to sell Virginia-based Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc. (Hamilton Beach) products.
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We talk a lot about agricultural exports here in Virginia. One reason is that we continue to break previous records for annual exports. I hope you all know that by now. I certainly mention it every chance I get.
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I run a small business in Nebraska. So I’ll probably raise some eyebrows when I say I’ve got immigration reform on my mind.
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Business, economics, jobs – that’s Mark Warner’s wheelhouse. On Monday, the Virginia Democrat stepped outside his wheelhouse to take a rare stand on a social issue, and not just any social issue, but the social issue – gay marriage.
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By one vote, the United States Senate was able to pass its first budget in four years. The 50-49 vote includes $1 trillion in new revenue by closing some tax loopholes on the wealthy. The passage is largely symbolic, since the vote was for a non-binding resolution that will no doubt clash with the budget resolution to be passed by the Republican-majority House of Representatives.
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Gov. Bob McDonnell today announced Red Sun Farms, a producer of high-quality hydroponic vegetables, will invest a total of $30 million to establish its first U.S. high-technology greenhouse production operation in Pulaski County. The company will erect climate controlled greenhouses on 45 acres of land in the New River Valley Commerce Park to grow quality greenhouse grown vegetables, creating 205 new jobs within five years. Virginia successfully competed against Tennessee for the project.
