The Senate Convenes at 10:00amET March 1,2011

Following any Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for 1 hour with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The Majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans will control the final half.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.23, Patent Reform Act of 2011.

The following amendments are pending to S.23:

– Leahy amendment #114 (Title amendment)

– Vitter for Toomey-Vitter amendment, #112, as modified,(Debt Limit)

– Bennet amendment #116 (small business fast track)

– Bennet amendment #117 (regional PTO offices)

– Lee amendment #115 (to express the sense of the Senate in support of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution)

– Leahy amendment #121 (managers’ amendment)

– Kirk amendment #123 (Ombudsman for small busienss concerns)

The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

At 5pm, there will be 2 roll call votes in relation to the following amendments to S.23, Patent Reform Act:

– Leahy-Grassley amendment #121, as modified (managers’ amendment); and

– Vitter for Toomey-Vitter amendment #112, as modified (Priority of payments if debt limit is reached).

The time until 5pm will be equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. No amendments are in order to the amendments in this agreement prior to a vote. The Vitter amendment #113, as modified, is withdrawn.

Votes:

27: Leahy-Grassley amendment #121: , as modified (managers’ amendment);

Agreed To: 97-2

28: Now Voting on Baucus motion to table Vitter for Toomey-Vitter amendment #112: , as modified (Priority of payments if debt limit is reached).

There will be no further roll call votes during Tuesday’s session of the Senate.

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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MARCH 1, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

4:28 P.M. –

SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

4:26 P.M. –

Mr. Sessions filed reports from the Committee on Rules, H. Res. 128 and H. Res. 129.

4:19 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded further with one minute speeches.

4:14 P.M. –

On approving the Journal Agreed to by voice vote.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal.

H.J. Res. 44:

making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011, and for other purposes

4:13 P.M. –

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 335 – 91 (Roll no. 154).

4:05 P.M. –

On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 176 – 249 (Roll no. 153).

3:34 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with ten minutes of debate on the Keating motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the Committee on Appropriations to report the bill back to the House forthwith with an amendment which inserts a section prohibiting the use of funds to be used for tax benefit or relief for any major integrated oil company.

3:31 P.M. –

Mr. Keating moved to recommit with instructions to Appropriations.

Mr. Keating moved to recommit the joint resolution H.J. Res. 44 to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report the same to the House forthwith with the following amendments: ¢ Page 18, line 21, strike the quotation marks and final period. ¢ Page 18, after line 21, insert the following: ¢ “Sec. 227. For the period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Further Continuing Appropriations Amendments,***

The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

2:08 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.J. Res. 44.

2:07 P.M. –

Rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 44 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Bill is closed to amendments. All points of order against consideration of the joint resolution are waived.

Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 115.

H. Res. 115:

providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 44) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2011, and for other purposes

2:05 P.M. –

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 251 – 170 (Roll no. 152).

1:58 P.M. –

On ordering the previous question Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 241 – 179 (Roll no. 151).

12:31 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H. Res. 115.

Considered as privileged matter.

12:11 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House resumed with one minute speeches.

12:10 P.M. –

The House received a message from the Senate. The Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 8 and S. Res. 78 .

12:03 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Duncan of TN to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

12:02 P.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS ON APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – The Chair announced that he had examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and had approved it. Mr. Duncan (TN) demanded that the question be put on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal and by voice vote, the Chair announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Duncan (TN) objected to the voice vote based upon the absence of a quorum and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal until later in the legislative day.

12:01 P.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by Pastor Alisa Lasater Wailoo, Capitol Hill Methodist Church, Washington, DC.

12:00 P.M. –

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of March 1.

11:28 A.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. today.

10:02 A.M. –

MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 12:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.

10:01 A.M. –

The Speaker designated the Honorable Daniel Webster to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

10:00 A.M. –

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Four Senate seats are all that stand between our nation moving forward or falling back.

02/28/2011 Nativegrl77

From my seat, I see President Obama and my Democratic colleagues working hard every day to do right by our families, communities and future. Across the aisle, extremist Republicans will stop at nothing to stand in our way.

The Democratic Senate is the firewall against their radical ideas. We have 23 seats to defend in 2012. Republicans have only 10. If they gain four seats, Mitch McConnell would be Majority Leader. Legislation from the House would sail through the Senate. President Obama’s agenda would end.

We can stop them. But I need your help to protect our Senate firewall. The DSCC already hit its monthly goal, but we need to keep on going. Please help us raise another $40,000 by our midnight FEC deadline. Fully 90 percent of our donations come from grassroots supporters who want to see our president succeed and know we can’t move forward by pedaling backward.

https://dscc.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=L9qYOyaXVSCPRDbgDMgAZRf57CG8nhCv

Click here to give $5 or more to the DSCC. Help us raise another $40,000 by midnight tonight to start building the campaign infrastructure needed to defend our Democratic firewall!

It seems early. It is early. But it’s never too early when the margin is this slim and the stakes are this high.

GOP-aligned outside groups are already raking in cash from corporations and billionaires thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. We can fight them, but we need your help.

A net gain of only 4 seats, and they’ll be in power. And we know what that would look like. Take a look at the U.S. House!

Radical Republicans are trying to derail the president’s jobs agenda, unravel our social safety net, and launch the biggest, most outrageous attack on women’s rights and health in modern history.

Four seats are all that stand between their agenda – and our agenda. Will you stand with me and support the DSCC? Our Democratic firewall depends on the grassroots. It depends on you!

Click here to give $5 or more to the DSCC. Help us raise another $40,000 by midnight tonight to recruit strong candidates, build wining campaigns and defend our Democratic firewall!

https://dscc.org/salsa/track.jsp?v=2&c=0AlBaykPVhn3C9rx%2BLHJhRf57CG8nhCv

Four seats. My Democratic colleagues and I are counting on your support to help us keep our majority and continue moving our nation forward. Thank you so much for standing with us.

Sen. Patty Murray

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Last Chance: Meet President Obama

02/28/2011 Nativegrl77

Time is running out to enter for your chance to meet — and get your photo taken — with President Obama in Boston.

Thanks to you, we’re off to a strong and aggressive start in our campaign to win back our Democratic House Majority. But we can’t let up, not even for a minute.

We’re less than $45,000 short of our goal. With stakes this high, we must keep up our record-breaking grassroots support.

Contribute $5 or more before Midnight Tonight and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip to Boston (airfare and hotel included). You and your guest will be our guests at a dinner with President Obama, Leader Pelosi, and leading Democrats on March 8th.

Rather than support President Obama’s job-creating plan to win the future, House Republicans have voted to repeal health insurance reform and advance an extremist social agenda on behalf of their tea party supporters.

Let’s show the media and especially the Republicans just how committed we are to making this the shortest GOP House majority in history.

Thank you,

Rep. Steve Israel

DCCC Chairman

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Tell Democratic leadership: Don’t cave to Republican budget extremists

02/28/2011 Nativegrl77

Tell Democratic Leadership: Don’t cave to Republican extremists on the budget.

No more weak backroom deals!

Clicking here will add your name to this petition: http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=7198&id=17174-2591629-s_o9PNx&t=9

“Democratic Leadership: Don’t cave and cut a backroom deal with Republican extremists on the budget.”

http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=7198&id=17174-2591629-s_o9PNx&t=10 << sign the petition

It’s breathtaking to think that the Republicans would risk a government shutdown because Democrats won’t unilaterally capitulate to their demands for concessions in some of the most intractable ideological wars of our time.

But last week the House passed and sent to the Senate for consideration an extremist’s wish list under the guise of the “Continuing Resolution.” The Continuing Resolution is a must-pass bill that is necessary to maintain funding for the federal government while Congress debates the 2011 budget.

Even worse, the Huffington Post reports that Democratic leadership and key Appropriations Committee staffers met yesterday to identify cuts in social spending drastic enough to appease Republican demands for devastating spending reductions.1

Tell Democratic Leadership: Stand your ground against Republican extremism. Don’t cave and cut a backroom deal on the budget. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Democrats must stand their ground. But progressive champions in the Senate won’t be able to fight if their leadership preemptively cuts a deal with Republicans. Unfortunately, such a deal may already be underway.

If a Continuing Resolution isn’t passed by March 4, the government will shut down. Yet the Republicans have shown no willingness to compromise on any of their extreme demands including devastating cuts to Planned Parenthood, NPR, and the EPA.

Democrats now have two choices: Stand their ground or cave to this extremism to avoid the government shutdown that Republicans are forcing.

Tell Democratic Leadership: Stand your ground against Republican extremism. Don’t cave and cut a backroom deal with Republican extremists on the budget. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

If Democrats continue to cave to Republican extremists, it will only embolden the rightwing to launch even more radical attacks against progressives, because Republicans have learned, when they don’t compromise, they win.

We’ve seen it in Wisconsin where the Republican governor turned a budget surplus into a deficit with giveaways to corporations and millionaires, and then used the completely predictable budget deficit that resulted to bludgeon the public employee unions and diminish the power of the progressive base in his state. And when Unions offered to take benefit cuts, Walker said no, because his attack isn’t really about balancing budgets, it’s about breaking the public employee unions.

And now we’re hurtling towards total disaster in Washington D.C., because Republicans are practicing the same tactics, holding the needs of everyday Americans hostage with their threats of forcing a government shutdown. Intoxicated with power and propelled by a Tea Party base, they are willing let the American people twist in the wind if Senate Democrats don’t agree to their increasingly extreme wish list of demands.

It’s the logical result of a history of caving by Democrats. Time and time again, Republicans have practiced brinkmanship and the Democrats have been the first ones to blink — preemptively caving on a range of issues from climate to the public option to Bush tax cuts for millionaires. Not surprisingly, that behavior has only emboldened the Republicans to raise the stakes even more.

Tell Sens. Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durban and Pres. Obama: It’s time to stop preemptively caving without a fight. Don’t cut a backroom deal with Republican extremists who are threatening to shut down the government. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

As you may have noticed, things aren’t working out quite as Governor Walker planned in Wisconsin. And now the politicians in Washington DC should take a page from Wisconsin’s playbook. Tens of thousands of protesters have rallied behind nurses, teachers and other public employees. And the politicians are following the people’s lead with 14 Democrats in the state senate fleeing the state to deny the governor the quorum he needs to pass his radical agenda.

This is the kind of leadership we need in the U.S. Senate. But according to the Huffington Post, Democratic leadership is already busy caving to Republicans behind closed doors.

The Continuing Resolution passed by the House is not a serious attempt to address our budget. Republicans have hijacked a bill to fund the operation of government and attached their extremist wish list of cuts meant to serve their personal ideology, not address the real needs of the American people. For example, the Republicans sought to defund Planned Parenthood by denying Title X funding that currently enables millions of women to obtain birth control, cancer screenings, HIV tests, and other lifesaving care.

And that is just one of any number of deeply unpopular items that the Republicans could never force through the Senate or overcome a presidential veto of without being attached to “must pass” legislation like the Continuing Resolution.

This is not the end game, it’s just the beginning. The Republicans will have multiple opportunities to hold the budget hostage to their extremist demands. After the Continuing Resolution comes the fight over the debt ceiling and then 2011 budget process starts. Republicans are refusing to negotiate in good faith because they are confident that their utter intransigence will pay off — as it has in practically every single significant fight during the Obama administration. If we don’t draw the line now, Republican demands will only become more radical in these successive fights.

The time is now to draw the line. We can’t continue to let the Republicans hold the needs of the American people hostage to their increasingly extreme rightwing wish list. Wisconsin has shown us what can happen when Democrats fight back. Join us in putting Democratic leadership in the Senate — Sens. Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin — and President Obama on notice: Don’t sell us out before we have get the chance to fight.

Becky Bond, Political Director

CREDO Action from Working Assets

1. “Senate Democrats Meet To Find More Cuts For Long-Term Funding Deal With GOP,” The Huffington Post, February 24th, 2011

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What happened at the special session in Wisconsin on Friday…watch the video

02/27/2011 Nativegrl77

You’ve got to see this new video of Wisconsin Assembly Republicans holding a vote at 1am Friday morning for literally a few seconds and ramming through Gov. Walker’s radical bill to cut worker benefits and rights. It’s a crazy abuse of power.

Now, the only thing keeping this horrible bill from becoming law are state Senate Democrats — who boldly left the state and are blocking the Senate from voting. Can you donate $14 to these bold leaders to show them we support their brave fight? That’s $1 for every Wisconsin Senate Democratic hero — click here to join thousands of others.

Thanks! — Adam