William Owens on Jobs Republican CO Governor

Create block grants for Agricultural Stewardship.

• The WGA would like to join the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in proposing a new concept, one that NASDA has dubbed “A New Vision for Agricultural Stewardship.” The NASDA concept calls for the creation of a state block grant program, designed to allow states the flexibility to target resources to their specific conservation and environmental needs. Under the plan, the state departments of agriculture, in conjunction with state and local agriculture and conservation partners, develop priorities to be addressed under their block grant umbrella.
• The NASDA block grant proposal promotes broad flexibility in this development, noting that the block grant can be used to address threats to soil, air, water and wildlife; or be used to meet state or federal environmental regulations; or make “beneficial cost-effective changes to cropping systems, grazing management, manure, nutrient, pest, or irrigation management, land uses, or other measures needed to conserve and improve soil, water, and related natural resources.” The intent is to not duplicate existing programs, but to give states the ability to address areas of specific need. The funding could even be designated for use in existing state conservation or environmental programs, should a state find that’s where the most need rests.
• Under the Agricultural Stewardship Program, the states would enter into cooperative agreements with USDA on an annual basis and issue annual reports to USDA regarding the progress to date and future intentions.
• While Western Governors feel the program outlined above is extremely important, it must be defined broadly so that Governors may designate a lead state agency, and it must be weighed in conjunction with the need for improvements and adjustments to existing conservation and environmental programs.

Form unions by card-check instead of secret ballot.

Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify a bargaining representative without directing an election if a majority of the bargaining unit employees have authorized designation of the representative (card-check) and there is no other individual or labor organization currently certified or recognized as the exclusive representative of any of the employees in the unit.

Requires that priority be given to any charge that, while employees were seeking representation by a labor organization, an employer:
1. discharged or otherwise discriminated against an employee to encourage or discourage membership in the labor organization;
2. threatened to discharge or to otherwise discriminate against an employee in order to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of guaranteed self-organization or collective bardaining rights; or
3. engaged in any unfair labor practice that significantly interferes with, restrains, or coerces employees in the exercise of such guaranteed rights. Source: Employee Free Choice Act 09-HR1409 on Mar 10, 2009

   Click here for definitions & background information on Jobs. Click here for a summary of all issue stances of William Owens. Click here for a profile of William Owens. Click here for VoteMatch responses by William Owens. Agree? Disagree? Voice your opinions on Jobs in The Forum. Click here for issue positions of other [Title8] politicians.
   Other governors on Jobs:		William Owens on other issues:
   [Title7] Newly seated 2010: NJ Chris Christie VA Bob McDonnell Term-limited as of Jan. 2011: AL Bob Riley CA Arnold Schwarzenegger GA Sonny Perdue HI Linda Lingle ME John Baldacci MI Jennifer Granholm NM Bill Richardson OK Brad Henry OR Ted Kulongoski PA Ed Rendell RI Donald Carcieri SC Mark Sanford SD Mike Rounds TN Phil Bredesen WY Dave Freudenthal	Newly Elected Nov. 2010: AL: Robert Bentley (R) CA: Jerry Brown (D) CO: John Hickenlooper (D) CT: Dan Malloy (D) FL: Rick Scott (R) GA: Nathan Deal (R) HI: Neil Abercrombie (D) IA: Terry Branstad (R) KS: Sam Brownback (R) ME: Paul LePage (R) MI: Rick Snyder (R) MN: Mark Dayton (D) ND: Jack Dalrymple (R) NM: Susana Martinez (R) NV: Brian Sandoval (R) NY: Andrew Cuomo (D) OH: John Kasich (R) OK: Mary Fallin (R) PA: Tom Corbett (R) RI: Lincoln Chafee (I) SC: Nikki Haley (R) SD: Dennis Daugaard (R) TN: Bill Haslam (R) VT: Peter Shumlin (D) WI: Scott Walker (R) WY: Matt Mead (R)	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty Contact info: Phone number: (202) 225-4611

   
   
   
   
   
   Page last updated: Nov 28, 2011