Political Scene

CBP

Chief scolded for not following hiring law

The head of Customs and Border Protection says he didn’t know he’s required by law to complete a form saying he verified that his household employees were eligible to work in the U.S.

Commissioner Alan Bersin says he collected from 10 household employees hired since 1993 Social Security cards, driver’s licenses and other documents to make sure they could work in the U.S.

But he did not fill out and keep a particular form, known as an I-9, which is signed by employer and employee and details documents accepted to verify the employee’s legal status.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee say they are surprised by that, because Mr. Bersin was a U.S. attorney.

Mr. Obama named Mr. Bersin commissioner through 2011 during a congressional recess. He must be confirmed by the Senate to serve longer.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Senate beats veto, raises tobacco tax

COLUMBIA | South Carolina no longer has the nation’s lowest cigarette tax after lawmakers voted to override a veto and raise the cost by 50 cents a pack.

Thursday’s vote increases the levy from 7 cents to 57 cents a pack on July 1 and leaves Missouri with the nation’s lowest tax at 17 cents.

The 33-13 vote in the Senate followed a 90-29 vote in the House on Wednesday after Gov. Mark Sanford had said he wouldn’t allow the increase unless some other tax was cut. The governor and House and Senate majorities are all Republicans.

The measure raises nearly $125 million to cover the loss of federal bailout cash next year in Medicaid programs for the elderly, disabled and poor. It also is expected to generate $5 million each for cancer research and efforts to curb smoking and $1 million for agriculture marketing.

INTERIOR

Salazar names two to oversee drilling

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has named two high-level officials to oversee a restructuring of an agency that oversees offshore drilling.

Mr. Salazar said this week he wants to split the Minerals Management Service in two. One agency would be charged with inspecting oil rigs, investigating oil companies and enforcing safety regulations, while the other would oversee leases for drilling and collection of billions of dollars in royalties.

Rhea Suh, assistant interior secretary for policy, management and budget, and Chris Henderson, a senior adviser to Mr. Salazar, will oversee the MMS restructuring. Mr. Salazar has said the plan will ensure there is no conflict, “real or perceived,” regarding the agency’s functions.

MEDICARE

Stepped-up fraud pursuit snags $2.5B

The government says it recovered $2.5 billion in overpayments for the Medicare trust fund last year as the Obama administration focused attention on anti-fraud enforcement efforts in the health care industry.

Investigators have new tools this year to help crack down on health care fraud, with the Justice Department and the Health and Human Services Department working cooperatively to police companies. The newly enacted Affordable Care Act is designed to lengthen prison sentences in criminal cases, and the new law provides an additional $300 million over the next 10 years for stronger enforcement. It also gives the government new authority to step up oversight of companies participating in Medicare and Medicaid.

Under the Affordable Care Act, providers could be subject to fingerprinting, site visits and criminal background checks before they begin billing Medicare and Medicaid.

To combat fraud, the act allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bar providers from joining the programs and allows her to withhold payment to Medicare or Medicaid providers if an investigation is pending.

WHITE HOUSE

Obama submits nuke treaty to Senate

The Obama administration has submitted to the Senate a nuclear arms treaty reached with Russia last month.

President Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev signed the deal to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Control Treaty. If ratified by both countries, the deal would slash the former Cold War rivals’ warhead arsenals by nearly one-third.

Ratification in the Senate will require 67 of the 100 possible votes. That means Obama will need support from Republicans, something he has found hard to come by on other issues. The deal has been held up as improvement in U.S.-Russian relations and failure to ratify it would be a setback.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev discussed the treaty and other issues in a telephone call Thursday.