The Senate re-Convenes at 2pmET 2/28/2011

Following the prayer and pledge, Senator Isakson will deliver Washington’s Farewell Address.

Following the address, there will be a period of morning business until 3:30pm, with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

At 3:30pm, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of S.23, the Patent Reform Act of 2011.

The following amendments are pending to S.23:

– Leahy amendment #114 (Title amendment)

– Vitter amendment #112 (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)

At 4:30pm, the Senate will turn to Executive session to consider the following nominations:

– Amy Totenberg, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia; and

– Steve C. Jones, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia.

The time until 5:30pm will be equally divided and controlled in the usual form. At 5:30pm, senators should expect a voice vote on the Tottenberg nomination and a roll call vote on the Jones nomination.

The Senate is in a period of morning business.

This evening, Senator Reid moved to proceed to a house vehicle for a short term continuing resolution (HR359) and filed cloture on the motion. If necessary, this cloture vote would occur on Wednesday morning.

Votes:

26: Confirmation of Steve C. Jones, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia; Confirmed: 90-0

Unanimous Consent:

Confirmed Amy Totenberg, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, by

Adopted S.Res.78, relative to the death of former U.S. Senator James McClure.

Adopted S.Res.8, Women in the US Armed Forces

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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF FEBRUARY 28, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

8:11 P.M. –

The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on March 1, 2011.

On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.

Mrs. Christensen moved that the House do now adjourn.

7:23 P.M. –

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

7:11 P.M. –

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

7:10 P.M. –

Mr. Price (GA) asked unanimous consent That it may be in order at any time on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, for the Speaker to declare a recess, subject to the call of the Chair, for the purpose of receiving in joint meeting The Honorable Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia. Agreed to without objection.

H.R. 368:

to amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify and improve certain provisions relating to the removal of litigation against Federal officers or agencies to Federal courts, and for other purposes

7:09 P.M. –

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

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 396 – 4 (Roll no. 150).

7:03 P.M. –

Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 347:

to correct and simplify the drafting of section 1752 (relating to restricted buildings or grounds) of title 18, United States Code

7:02 P.M. –

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

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 399 – 3 (Roll no. 149).

6:55 P.M. –

Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 394:

to amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify the jurisdiction of the Federal courts, and for other purposes

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

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 402 – 0 (Roll no. 148).

6:33 P.M. –

Considered as unfinished business.

6:32 P.M. –

UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of motions to suspend the rules which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

6:31 P.M. –

Mr. Woodall filed a report from the Committee on Rules on H. Res. 115.

ADJUSTED WHOLE NUMBER OF THE HOUSE – Under clause 5(d) of rule 20, the Chair announces to the House that, in light of the resignation of the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Harman, the whole number of the House is 433.

The House received a communication from Representative Harman wherein she resigns as a member of the House of Representatives effective at 6:30 p.m. on February 28, 2011.

6:30 P.M. –

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 28.

2:45 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

H.R. 347:

to correct and simplify the drafting of section 1752 (relating to restricted buildings or grounds) of title 18, United States Code

2:44 P.M. –

At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.

2:37 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 347.

Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Lungren, Daniel E. moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

H.R. 368:

to amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify and improve certain provisions relating to the removal of litigation against Federal officers or agencies to Federal courts, and for other purposes

2:28 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 368.

Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Lungren, Daniel E. moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

H.R. 386:

to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties for aiming laser pointers at airplanes, and for other purposes

2:27 P.M. –

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

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

2:19 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 386.

Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Lungren, Daniel E. moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

H.R. 394:

to amend title 28, United States Code, to clarify the jurisdiction of the Federal courts, and for other purposes

2:18 P.M. –

2:14 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 394.

Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Smith (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.

2:13 P.M. –

The House received a communication from Daniel J. Strodel, Chief Administrative Officer. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, Mr. Strodel notified the House that he had been served with a subpoena for documents issued by a grand jury in the County of New York and that after consultation with the Office of General Counsel, he had determined that compliance with the subpoena was consistent with the privileges and rights of the House.

2:03 P.M. –

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

2:02 P.M. –

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Ms. McCollum to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.

2:01 P.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Gene Hemrick, Washington Theological Union, Washington, DC.

2:00 P.M. –

The Speaker designated the Honorable Robert E. Latta to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Radical Right:Radical States

02/17/2011 Nativegrl77

When President Obama took office amidst the worst recession in three generations, he immediately focused his energy on enacting a comprehensive plan to revive the nation’s economy.

Newly elected Republicans, however, have interpreted their temporary rise to power in an entirely different way. Where Obama saw an immediate need to grow the nation’s economy, GOP leaders are seizing their moment to force longstanding GOP fantasies upon the people they govern. Several GOP-led states are pushing plans to strip state workers of their collective bargaining rights.

Twelve states are considering unconstitutional bills “nullifying” the Affordable Care Act.

-Arizona Repub licans are lining up behind a plan to unconstitutionally strip citizenship from millions of Americans.

– New Hampshire Republicans have returned to the GOP’s favorite pastime of denying gay Americans their constitutional rights. Given the opportunity to lead, far-right politicians have decided instead to ignore the nation’s needs and pursue their own narrow, unpopular ideological vendettas.

INTIMIDATION FORCE: While congressional Republicans block long-needed funds intended to help the states keep police, public schools, and Medicaid running even in the middle of a weak economy, right-wing state lawmakers have seized upon their states’ budget crisis as an opportunity to make life even harder for workers. Indiana, Idaho, and Tennessee all have legislation in the works to cut teachers’ ability to collectively bargain. Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) wants to strip all state workers of their collective bargaining rights . One Missouri lawmaker even proposed rolling back child labor laws. But none of these plans hold a candle to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker‘s (R) assault on his state’s workforce. Walker plans to eliminate many collective bargaining rights and force state workers to give up nearly 20 percent of their pay to cover their existing pension and health benefits. Worse, in a statement that seems more likely to emerge from Stalinist Russia than from a modern democratic society, Walker threatened to activate the Wisconsin National Guard to intimidate any workers who protest his plans. To their credit, Walker’s constituents have not been silenced by his threat of military force. About 13,000 protesters stormed the state capitol in opposition to Walker’s anti-worker plan. Hundreds more protectors met Walker at the governor’s office. Even the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers released a statement telling Walker that “[t]he right to negotiate wages and benefits is a fundamental underpinning of our middle class.” Nevertheless, Walker doubled down on Fox News Tuesday night, reiterating his threat to use the National Guard to put down dissenting voices.

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1829: Meanwhile, 12 other states are considering an unconstitutional tactic that President George Washington once described as “preposterous and anarchic.” Last year, a leading Confederate apologist named Tom Woods published a book touting an antebellum practice known as “nullification,” in which states pass laws claiming to “nullify” a federal law. There’s only one problem — the Constitution expressly forbids this practice, proclaiming that federal laws “shall be the supreme law of the land” and binding upon each state. Nevertheless, the GOP-controlled Idaho House just passed a bill claiming to nullify the Afford able Care Act , and many other GOP lawmakers are itching to follow suit. While nullification is unambiguously unconstitutional, these bills could have a tragic effect on low-income Americans and on state budgets. Idaho’s Attorney General recently warned that, because federal law permits states to opt out of Medicaid, a state law attempting to nullify health reform could inadvertently kick Idaho out of the Medicaid program. If this occurred, the state would lose over $1 billion in federal grants to administer its Medicaid program — an amount that equals approximately two- fifths of the state’s overall budget , and it would have to chose between eliminating health coverage for the 223,198 Idahoans who currently depend on Medicaid, or implementing similarly draconian cuts such as slashing its public schools budget by 85 percent.

REPEALING CITIZENSHIP: Not to be outdone, Arizona Republicans are pushing an equally unconstitutional plan to strip citizenship from the children of undocumented immigrants. In 1856, the Supreme Court handed down its most infamous decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford holding, among other things, that a former slave was not welcome into the community of U.S. citizens. Eleven years and a bloody Civil War later, the war-torn nation ratified the Fourteenth Amendment for the very purpose of overruling this repulsive holding. As the Supreme Court explained more than a century ago , the 14th Amendment ensures that all persons born in the United States are automatically U.S. citizens — with rare exceptions such as the children of diplomats. Nevertheless, far-right Arizona lawmakers are now pushing a fundamentally un-American bill to create an underclass of children born in this country but unable to call any nation their own. Apparently, the Constitution doesn’t apply when Republicans see an opportunity to score points

~ Recent Post

Changes in the Distribution of Workers’ Hourly Wages Between 1979 and 2009

02/17/2011 Nativegrl77

http://www.cbo.gov/

This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study, which was prepared at the request of the chairman and former ranking member of the Senate Committee on Finance, documents changes in the level and distribution of hourly wages received by workers in the United States between 1979 and 2009. It also reviews the leading explanations for changes in the supply of, and demand for, workers with different sets of skills as well as the role of labor market institutions in affecting wages. In keeping with CBO’s mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, this study does not make any recommendations. A related CBO study published in October 2009 analyzed trends in the distribution of annual earnings (Changes in the Distribution of Workers’ Annual Earnings Between 1979 and 2007); a forthcoming CBO study will examine trends in the distribution of household income between 1979 and 2007.

http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12051

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell eBay to stop selling puppy mill dogs

02/17/2011 Nativegrl77

Tell eBay to shut down its sales of cruelly treated puppies and all live animals

“Puppy mills” are large-scale commercial operations where dozens of dogs are kept in small cages for their entire lives, forced to give birth to litter after litter until they’re no longer fertile, at which point they’re usually killed. Puppy mills are unsafe, inhumane, and produce thousands of puppies with serious health problems every year.

Now, puppy mills have found a national vendor: eBay. www.change.org

A few years ago, eBay had plans to sell animals via online auction. Responsible breeders would never sell dogs via online auction, so this would ha ve resulted in the site becoming a haven for puppy mills. eBay users and anti-cruelty activists spearheaded — and won — the fight to prevent eBay from selling live animals.

But now all that’s changed.

Despite eBay’s claims that it “do[es] not condone unethical treatment of animals,” eBay now allows puppy mills to sell dogs in its classified section.

This practice enables flagrant cruelty to dogs, and it has to stop. Tell eBay to shut down its sales of cruelly treated puppies and all live animals.

Puppy mill dogs spend their entire lives in small wire cages, without companionship, and often without vet care, exercise or shelter from the elements. As far as puppy mill owners are concerned, the dogs have one purpose: to supply the pet trade.

The USDA recently admitted that they’ve failed to effectively monitor commercial breeders and puppy mills. When it comes to sites like eBay Classifieds, it’s even worse: Breeders who sell directly to customers online aren’t subject to any USDA regulations.

The best chance we have to shut down puppy mills is to hold vendors accountable.

Click here to tell eBay to shut down all live animal sales immediately: www.change.org

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org Team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

$500,000,000,000

02/17/2011 Nativegrl77

According to a new groundbreaking report from Harvard, coal is costing Americans up to an extra HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS every year.

But it’s what’s behind the dollar amounts from the report that really matters. We’re talking about kids with asthma, mothers taking time off of work to take care of sick relatives, communities turning into cancer clusters, climate change…the list goes on and on.

Back in Washington, however, our elected leaders are being pressured by the deep pockets of the coal industry to take away the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate coal-fired power plants. Saying it will cost Americans too much money. Nothing could be further from the truth. Coal will cost us even more if the EPA loses this ability.

That’s why we are going to personally deliver a copy of the Harvard report to both of your Senators along with signatures from the people they’re elected to represent in Washington. We won’t let them ignore or pretend they don’t know about the extra half a trillion dollars coal is costing all of us every year or how their constituents feel about it.

Pleas join us by adding your name to our petition right now and we’ll make sure it is included in the delivery to your Senators. http://us.greenpeace.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=775&s_src=taf

This report marks the first time ever that all of the effects during the lifecycle of coal — from mining to burning in coal-fired power plants — have been accounted for and the results are staggering. The hundreds of coal-fired power plants across the country are driving these effects. Which is why Greenpeace is launching a new campaign this year that will take the fight directly to these dirty polluters.

Bridgeport, Connecticut is home to one of these plants. And Greenpeace activists were there today to send a simple message — “Shut it down. Quit coal.” It’s a message we’ll be repeating over and over again at plants everywhere. It’s the same message we’ll be delivering to your Senators along with the report. Sign the petition today and let’s make sure the Senate defends the EPA’s ability to protect us from the true cost of coal.

Quit coal,

Kelly Mitchell

Greenpeace Coal Campaigner

P.S. We’re going to collect these petitions up until March 1st. So be sure to forward this around and get your friends involved.

http://us.greenpeace.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=775&s_src=taf