Press Releases

Warner, Kaine Co-Sponsor Legislation to Extend the Children's Health Insurance Program

Legislation Would Prevent More Than 10 Million Kids Nationwide, Including More Than 196,000 Virginia Children, From Losing Health Care Coverage; Without Action, CHIP Funding Will Expire in September

Feb 12 2015

With federal funding that provides health care coverage to more than 10 million children nationwide through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) set to expire, U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine today joined 38 of their Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would extend CHIP funding through 2019.

Warner, Toomey Continue Effort to Ensure Volunteer First Responders are Exempt from Healthcare Mandate

Feb 09 2015

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are spearheading a bipartisan effort to ensure volunteer firefighters and first responders can continue protecting communities that rely on them.

The senators are introducing a bill which codifies IRS regulations prohibiting volunteer emergency responders from being counted as full-time equivalent employees for the purpose of determining the employer mandate.

“The Obama Administration has already agreed that volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel should not be counted as full-time employees under the Affordable Care Act,” said Sen. Warner. “This sensible, bipartisan fix will ensure that the law permanently and properly distinguishes between full-time, paid emergency responders and volunteers so that emergency response agencies can continue focusing on keeping our communities safe.”

“From small cities to rural communities, Pennsylvania has the largest number of volunteer fire departments in the country,” said Sen. Toomey.  “These dedicated men and women, who volunteer to risk their lives for their fellow citizens, have enough on their plate without having to worry about whether excessive Washington red tape will close their station.  The House has already passed this bill and I urge the Senate to do the same.”

In December 2013, following a similar effort spearheaded by Sen. Toomey and Sen. Warner, the IRS issued guidance stating that volunteer firefighters and emergency responders would not be counted as full-time employees under the president’s health care law.  However, absent Sen. Toomey and Sen. Warner’s legislation, the IRS could still reverse course. 

Approximately 750,000 volunteer firefighters serve in 20,000 all-volunteer and 5,000 combination career-volunteer fire departments throughout the United States.  In most cases, volunteer first responders maintain other full-time employment and choose to volunteer.  Not surprisingly, emergency response agencies which rely almost entirely on volunteer assistance do not have the resources to provide benefits.

Sen. Warner and Sen. Toomey's legislation has been co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators including:

Sens. Manchin (D-W. Va.), King (I-Maine), Portman (R-Ohio), Cotton (R-Ark.), Coons (D-Del.), Donnelly (D-Ind.), Murkowski (R-Alaska), Grassley (R-Iowa), Ayotte (R-N.H.) , Kaine (D-Va.), Flake (R-Ariz), Bennet (D-Colo.), Wicker (R-Miss.), Isakson (R-Ga.), Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Tester (D-Mont.), Murphy (D-Conn.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Moran (R-Kan.), Scott (R-S.C.), and Franken (D-Minn.)

Metro Responds to Sen. Warner, Pledging to Update Emergency Communications Safety Protocols Following Fatal Accident at L'Enfant Plaza Station

At Warner’s request, Metro board promises to ensure that Metro and local public safety agencies regularly test communications systems to ensure interoperability

Feb 03 2015

In response to a request from U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency, the board which governs the Metro transit system, pledged to implement a system for testing of Metro and regional emergency radio systems.

Statement of U.S. Senator Warner on Keystone Pipeline

In Bipartisan Vote, Senate Approves Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline ~

Jan 29 2015

"Supporters and opponents of Keystone XL have at times overstated their claims, and I voted to move forward on Keystone XL because it is in America’s economic and national energy security interests."

Warner, Isakson Introduce Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act

Bill would allow more Medicare patients to receive health care in their homes

Jan 28 2015

Senators Mark Warner and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga) today introduced the Medicare Home Infusion Site of Care Act of 2015, to allow beneficiaries who need intravenous medications to receive their infusion treatments in the comfort and convenience of their homes and at a lower cost to Medicare.

Warner, Kaine Call for Passage of Homeland Security Funding Bill Without Extraneous Policy Riders

With Homeland Security funding set to expire, 45 Senators say clean, full funding bill for 2015 fiscal year urgently needed to maintain national security efforts

Jan 27 2015

Together with the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, Sens. Warner and Kaine called on Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) to pass a clean bill that funds the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Sen. Warner Requests Better Coordination and Oversight from Metro on Interoperability Issues

Recommends more robust process to ensure effective communication during Metro emergencies

Jan 22 2015

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner asked the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency (WMATA), the board which governs the Metro transit system, to work together to create a more robust and transparent process for ensuring the interoperability of radio networks used by the region’s emergency responders.
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