July '07 Nevada Government—John Ensign Column

Ensign Commends Disney's Move To Ban Smoking In Movies To Protect Children
SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN, who chaired a hearing in 2004 on the subject of smoking in movies, praised Disney for its recent decision to prohibit smoking in its movies.

"I'm pleased that Disney has acknowledged that smoking in movies adversely impacts our children and their health," said Ensign. "By banning smoking in its movies, Disney is protecting our children because habits are formed at a young age and television shapes those habits. This voluntary action by Disney—without action by Congress—should be applauded."

Over the past few years, Ensign has met with directors in Hollywood and top executives at the Motion Picture Association of America to discuss how the habits of actors and actresses on screen impact our children.

"I hope others in the entertainment industry move in the same direction because studies have shown that children exposed to smoking in movies are far more likely to pick up this deadly habit," said Ensign.

Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School and Norris Cotton Cancer Center found that adolescents with the highest exposure to smoking in movies were 2.6 times more likely to begin smoking than those with the lowest exposure. This study, which was published in the journal, Pediatrics, also found that 38 percent of adolescent smokers started because they saw smoking in movies.

Ensign Supports Amendment to Improve Border Security First
SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN announced his support today [July 25, 2007] for an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill that would immediately provide additional resources to secure our borders with $3 billion in emergency funding.

"We can have immigration reform that is good for America only if our borders are secure," said Ensign, who visited the U.S.-Mexico border last year and witnessed first hand the workload our Border Patrol is facing. "This amendment will not solve our immigration problems, but it is an improvement and it is what the American people have demanded—action, not rhetoric, that secures our borders first. I hope the Democrats allow this amendment to be considered."

The amendment, the Border Security First Act, provides funding to hire and train 23,000 new Border Patrol Agents; end the catch-and-release policy by adding 45,000 detention beds; and put state-of-the-art technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles and camera towers on our borders to prevent illegal immigration. This amendment requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain people willfully overstaying the time authorized by their visa.

"Forty percent of illegal immigrants in the United States today have overstayed their visas, but this amendment will help address this problem," said Ensign, who sent a letter to the President urging him to enforce the border security laws already on the books. "We need to restore the trust of the American people, and the best way to do that is to secure our borders now. Starting with resources, this amendment will accomplish that."

The Border Security First Act provides additional funding to maintain a National Guard presence along the Southern border. In May 2006, Ensign authored an amendment that allowed for the deployment of National Guard troops to the border to assist Border Patrol Agents. Ensign's amendment passed overwhelmingly, and today's amendment will maintain their presence.

Ensign Introduces Bill to Require Voter-Verified
Paper Trail in Voting Machines
SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN today [July 25, 2007] introduced the Voting Integrity and Verification Act of 2007 (VIVA). The legislation requires that touch-screen voting machines provide a voter-verified paper trail to guarantee voting accuracy.

"Individuals participating in our democracy need to be ensured that their votes are accurately counted," said Ensign. "Nevada was the first state in the nation to use voter-verified paper trails in 2004, and it was a tremendous success. Voting is a fundamental element for the continued success of our nation, and we do not want to jeopardize this right if a machine malfunctions."

Ensign lost his first bid for the United States Senate by a thin margin of several hundred votes. During the recount, the accuracy of the paperless voting machines could not be verified. In the 2004 election, Nevada upgraded its voting machines to use voter-verified paper trails. Nevada's post-election audit of 60,000 electronic ballots after instituting the voter-verified paper trail showed 100% accuracy.

"I have witnessed first hand what happens when there is not a paper trail to determine the accuracy of a voting machine," said Ensign. "Nearly everyone in America has had a cell phone quit working or a computer crash, and we cannot afford to risk losing votes because of an electronic glitch."

Ensign also supported the Help America Vote Act, which was signed into law by the President in 2002. This bill provided states with funds to replace aging voting machines. VIVA adds to his previous legislation by requiring a paper voting record.