Black History

Congress: – the Republican led House – the Senate considers HR2832,GSP Act:vehicle for Trade Adj Assistance

09/20/2011 Nativegrl77

Tell Congress to #PasstheBill #theAmericansJOBsACT …NOW!

the Senate Convened at 10:00amET September 20, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning
business for one hour with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10
minutes each with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority
controlling the final half.
Following morning business, the Senate will adopt the motion to proceed to
H.R.2832, the Generalized System of Preferences Act and the vehicle for Trade
Adjustment Assistance and begin consideration of the bill.
The Senate will recess from 12:30pm to 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus
meetings.
At 2:30pm, Senator Heller will be recognized for up to 20 minutes as if in
morning business in order to deliver his maiden speech to the Senate.
The Senate will begin consideration of H.R.2832 Tuesday morning. We will
work on amendments to the bill and notify Senators when votes are scheduled.

The following amendments are pending to H.R.2832, the Generalized System of
Preferences Act:

Casey-Brown (OH)-Baucus amendment #633 (Trade Adjustment Assistance)
Hatch amendment #641 (Trade Adjustment Assistance enactment dependent upon
Free Trade Agreements enactment) to Casey amendment #633

6:14PMET

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

5:48pm

The Senate began a roll call vote on the McConnell amendment #626, as modified (Trade Promotion Authority; preventing extraneous provisions in free trade agreements) to Casey amendment #633 (TAA) to H.R.2832, the GSP Act

5:20pm

The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Timothy M. Cain to be United States District Judge for the District of South Carolina; Confirmed: 99-0

5:08pmET

The Hatch amendment #641 (Trade Adjustment Assistance enactment dependent upon
Free Trade Agreements enactment) to the Casey amendment #633 (TAA) to H.R.2832,
the GSP Act.

5:04pmET

At 5:15pm, Executive Calendar #169, John Andrew Ross to be United States
District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri will be confirmed by
unanimous consent.

At approximately 5:15pm, there will be 2 roll call votes in relation to the
following:

– Confirmation of Executive Calendar #170, Timothy M.
Cain to be United States District Judge for the District of South
Carolina.

– McConnell amendment #626 (Trade Promotion
Authority), as modified with the text of the DeMint
language, which is at the desk (preventing extraneous provisions in
free trade agreements) (60-vote threshold)

At 5:00pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session with the time until
5:15pm equally divided between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.
There will be 2 minutes of debate prior to each vote.

At 5:15pm, Executive Calendar #169, John Andrew Ross to be United States
District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri will be confirmed by
unanimous consent.

At approximately 5:15pm, there will be 2 roll call votes in relation to the
following:

– Confirmation of Executive Calendar #170, Timothy M.
Cain to be United States District Judge for the District of South
Carolina.

5pmET

The following amendments to H.R.2832 have been considered:

McConnell amendment #626 (Trade Promotion Authority), as modified
(preventing extraneous provisions in free trade agreements) to Casey amendment
#633; Not Agreed to: 45-55 (60-vote threshold)

12:49pmET

Senator Menendez asked consent the Senate take up and pass Calendar #163, S.1094, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act.

Senator DeMint then objected to Senator Menendez’s request on behalf of himself and others (Senator Coburn spoke of his objections on the floor).

Senator Coburn then asked consent the Senate take up and pass S.1094 with a Coburn amendment at the desk (to require the Secretary of HHS to identify and consolidate duplicative and overlapping autism funding throughout the Federal Government).

Senator Menendez then objected to Senator Coburn’s request.

11:38amET

The Casey-Brown (OH)-Baucus amendment #633 (Trade Adjustment Assistance) and the McConnell 2nd degree amendment #626 (Trade Promotion Authority) are now pending to H.R.2832, the Generalized System of Preferences Act.

11:38amET

The following amendments are pending to H.R.2832, the Generalized System of Preferences Act:

* Casey-Brown (OH)-Baucus amendment #633 (Trade Adjustment Assistance)

* McConnell amendment #626 (Trade Promotion Authority)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Issues on the House Flr today … Vets Children and Parolees

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

7:25 P.M. – SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

7:13 P.M. – ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.

H.R. 2646:: to authorize certain Department of Veterans Affairs major medical facility projects and leases, to extend certain expiring provisions of law, and to modify certain authorities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes

7:08 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): 412 – 3(Roll no. 714).

7:02 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 2189:: to encourage States to report to the Attorney General certain information regarding the deaths of individuals in the custody of law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes

7:01 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 398 – 18(Roll no. 713).

6:54 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 2944:: to provide for the continued performance of the functions of the United States Parole Commission, and for other purposes

6:53 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 415 – 0(Roll no. 712).

6:31 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

6:30 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.The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 20.

4:27 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. today.

H.R. 1852:: to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for graduate medical education programs in children’s hospitals

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

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

4:20 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH.R. 1852.Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Pitts moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

H.R. 2005:: to reauthorize the Combating Autism Act of 2006

4:19 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

3:54 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH.R. 2005.Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Pitts moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 20.

3:48 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

H.R. 2646:: to authorize certain Department of Veterans Affairs major medical facility projects and leases, to extend certain expiring provisions of law, and to modify certain authorities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes

3:46 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.

3:33 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH.R. 2646.Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Johnson (OH) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 20.

2:25 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for approximately 3:30 p.m. today.

H.R. 2189:: to encourage States to report to the Attorney General certain information regarding the deaths of individuals in the custody of law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes

2:24 P.M. – At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Smith (TX) objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.

2:18 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH.R. 2189.Considered under suspension of the rules.

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

H.R. 2944:: to provide for the continued performance of the functions of the United States Parole Commission, and for other purposes

2:17 P.M. – At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Smith (TX) objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.

2:11 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH.R. 2944.Considered under suspension of the rules.

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

2:10 P.M. – The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. today.The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate on September 20, 2011, at 11:18 a.m., stating that that body had agreed to S.Res. 271.

2:09 P.M. – The House received a communication from the Honorable Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Ms. Wasserman Schultz submitted her resignation from the Committee on the Judiciary. The resignation was accepted without objection.

2:02 P.M. – ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

2:01 P.M. – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Wilson of SC 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.

2:00 P.M. – Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 20.

12:25 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.

12:01 P.M. – MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 2:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

12:00 P.M. – The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AFL – CIO

09/19/2011 Nativegrl77

Congress is back, but House Republicans are saying no to creating jobs.Instead, they are rushing to pass legislation that would let the Boeing Co. off the hook for its alleged violations of labor law. They’ve combined this get-out-of-jail-free card for Boeing with vicious attacks on workers’ rights.Hurry: A vote is expected as early as Thursday.

Pop quiz: What would happen if H.R. 2587—a bill that House Republicans plan to bring up for a vote as early as this Thursday—became law?

A. It would eliminate any remedy for alleged law-breaking by the Boeing Co.—which is accused of moving aircraft production away from its Washington Statefacility in retaliation for workers exercising their legal rights—before an ongoing trial can finish.B.It would gut our labor laws, so a company can never again face meaningful punishment for moving jobs to retaliate against workers who engage in perfectly legal behavior.C.It would show that a company with the right politician friends is above the law.D. All of the above.

If you answered D, you’re correct.Please help us stop these attacks on workers—combined with a get-out-of-jail-free card for Boeing—now. Click here to take action.Back in April, the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)—the federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ rights—took a routine step: enforcing a law that’s been on the books for more than 70 years.In America, no company is above the law.And on some things, the law is clear. For example, a company cannot retaliate against workers for exercising their legal rights by moving their jobs.When Boeing moved aircraft production away from its Washington State facility after workers exercised their legal right to strike, the board did its job: it investigated. And after examining the facts, the NLRB’s general counsel charged that Boeing illegally retaliated against its workers.

Rather than let the NLRB do its job, House Republicans are trying to let Boeing off the hook before their trial even finishes. They’ve already tried to interfere with the NLRB’s investigation and even threatened the agency’s general counsel. Now, they’re trying to pass a bill that both lets Boeing off the hook for alleged violations of workers’ rights and makes sweeping changes to the National Labor Relations Act that would result in serious, harmful changes to jobs and workers’ rights throughout the country.

Urge your representative to stop the partisan attacks on workers’ rights and create jobs for America.

Congress should be finding ways to work with the president to create jobs. But partisanship, led by tea party Republicans, has so dominated our national debate that many of our elected leaders are willing to ruin our economy to grab headlines and attention.

Instead of taking up bills that create jobs, House Republicans are once again pursuing a destructive political agenda. Of the many casualties, workers’ rights have climbed to the top of the list. It’s time for this to stop.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

P.S. Here are just two examples of what life would look like for workers under the Republicans’ plan:

If a group of workers walked out of a plant because of unsafe working conditions, the company could decide to move the work and the jobs rather than fix the problem, and the NLRB would be powerless to protect the workers or their jobs.
If a group of women or African Americans joined together to protest race or sex discrimination by their employer, the company could simply transfer the work somewhere else, and the NLRB would be powerless to protect the workers.

Tell your representative that the Republican plans to attack workers’ rights for Boeing are unacceptable—it’s time to start creating jobs for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Who is Bob Dold? …Michael Langenmayr, Democracy for America

09/19/2011 Nativegrl77

Bob Dold is the weakest Republican running for reelection in 2012.

He’s from Illinois‘s tenth congressional district — the most Democratic district in the country represented by a Republican.

He’s a right-winger trying to sell himself as a moderate. He says he’s pro-choice, but voted to defund Planned Parenthood. He voted for Paul Ryan‘s plan to kill Medicare. He’s voted lockstep with John Boehner and the Tea Party majority to tear down the middle class and empower big corporations.

Karl Rove, the Koch brothers — they’re going to spend millions to keep Dold in office because they need rubber stamp congressmen like Dold to ram their big corporate agenda through Congress.

But their money can’t stand up to real people power and we can win with grassroots candidate Ilya Sheyman.

Please contribute $10 right now to help Ilya win in IL-10.

Ilya’s one of us. He’s a fighter. He’s a truth-teller. He’s a longtime DFA member.

He is a grassroots progressive and he’s putting together the sort of campaign that can beat a corporate rubber stamp like Dold — one fueled by volunteers on the ground, going door-to-door and making calls to voters across the district.

Ilya isn’t afraid to take on special interests and speak truth to power — and that’s the sort of Democrat we need more of in Washington.

Contribute $10 now to elect Ilya in Illinois.

Thank you for all that you do.

-Michael

Michael Langenmayr, Deputy Political Director
Democracy for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Weekly Address: Passing the American Jobs Act

09/19/2011 Nativegrl77

Sep 17, 2011 by whitehouse

President Obama discusses the need for Congress to pass the American Jobs Act to put more people back to work, and more money back in the pockets of people who are working.

Read the JOBs Bill below

http://www.whitehouse.gov/jobsact#overview

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Time’s Running Out! Help Us Make Sure ALL Women Can Get Birth Control without a Co-pay

09/19/2011 Nativegrl77

Submit Comments to HHS – All Women Need Access to Contraception without Co-pays

When we make progress in women’s health, ALL women deserve to be part of that success, don’t they? But you’d be surprised by what some opponents to birth control think.

Recently we told you about a momentous step forward for women’s health: the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) expanded the list of preventive health services required to be offered by health insurers without a co-pay to include the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives. Unfortunately, HHS intends to exempt some religious employers from providing contraceptive services and is asking for comments on this decision.

The reality is that nearly 99% of sexually active women, regardless of their religious beliefs, use contraception at some point in their lives. It’s crucial that women have access to affordable birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies, plan the timing and size of their families, and protect their health.

We need your help to protect this important step for women’s health and ensure that all women have access to affordable contraception — tell HHS that all women, regardless of who they work for, should have access to contraception without co-pays.

Note: The comments you submit will be processed by the appropriate agency and then made publicly availble on Regulations.gov.