the DFA Wisconsin Recall Campaign.


This is it. DFA’s campaign to recall right-wing Gov. Scott Walker and four anti-union, anti-middle class Wisconsin Republican Senators is ready to go — and it’s the biggest campaign we’ve ever run.
– We’re going to be on the air with new hard-hitting TV, radio and web ads against Walker and his Republican cronies for their work to destroy unions and middle class families.
– We’re going to be on the ground with a massive door-to-door canvass, knocking on 127,353 doors in 35 days. Wisconsin Campaign Manager Kaili Lambe is on the ground right now hiring staff for our biggest-ever ground campaign.
– We’re talking directly to voters and having real Wisconsinites tell their stories because it’s the most effective tactic to win support and Get Out The Vote. A grassroots campaign run on people-power like this one is the only thing that can beat big corporate money — it’s the only thing that ever has. But we can’t do it without you.
Please chip in $8 right now to the DFA Wisconsin Recall Campaign.
Gov. Walker reminded us this week exactly what’s at stake when he pushed through a plan to throw more than 17,000 low-income Wisconsinites off Medicaid.

Wisconsin isn’t the only state where Republicans have launched all-out War on Working Families like this. But other right-wing Governors are taking their cues from Walker and his cronies.

Wisconsin is the front line in the War on Working Families and this recall campaign is our biggest ever. Join us now to put us over the top in the June 5 recall and send a message to Republicans across the country — attack the middle class and you lose.
Please contribute $8 now.
Thank you for everything you do.
-Jim
Jim Dean, Chair Democracy For America

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Congress: the Republican led House holds hearings – both Chambers back on 5/7 – the Senate


The Senate stands in adjournment under the provisions of S.Con.Res.43, the adjournment resolution.

The Senate will convene at 2:00pm on Monday, May 7, 2012. 

Following the prayer and pledge, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.2343, the Stop Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act.

At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following items:

–          Executive Calendar #508 Jacqueline H. Nguyen, of CA, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit

–          Executive Calendar #568 Kristine Gerhard Baker, of AR, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas

–          Executive Calendar #569 John Z. Lee, IL, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois

with 60 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.  Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), the Senate will conduct up to 3 roll call votes on the Nguyen, Baker and Lee nominations.  It is possible the Baker and Lee nominations will be confirmed by voice vote.

As a reminder to all Senators, on Thursday, April 26th, cloture was filed on the motion to proceed to S.2343, the Stop Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act.  By consent, the roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.2343 will be at 12:00pm on Tuesday, May 8th.

If the Senate does not receive a message from the House that it has adopted S.Con.Res.43, the Senate will convene on the following dates at the following times for pro forma sessions only, with no business conducted:

–          Monday, April 30, at 10:30am

–          Thursday, May 3, at 8:30am

———————————————————————————————–

The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on May 7, 2012.

Republicans hold hearings today …

4/30 9:30 am Field Hearing: A Review of Efforts to Protect the Health of Jockeys and Horses in HorseracingCommittee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Health 4/30 11:00 am Field Hearing: STEM Education in Action: Local Schools, Non-Profits, and BusinessesCommittee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Research and Science Education

What It Takes to Live on Minimum Wage …Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center


National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change
Help Us Raise the Minimum Wage
                Share your story about what it takes for women and families to live on the minimum wage.
Share Your Story

$14,500.
That is what a woman makes working full time for a full year at the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
That’s right — only $14,500 a year, which is below the federal poverty line for a family of three. For tipped workers, the federal minimum cash wage is only $2.13 an hour! And nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers and tipped workers are women.
We want to increase the minimum wage for all workers, including tipped workers, to give working families a boost and help close the wage gap.
But we can’t do it without your help. We want to hear about what it takes to live on minimum wage from women who’ve experienced it.
If you have a story to share, could you share it with us — or forward this message along to someone who might?
Around the country, families — especially those headed by women — are struggling to make ends meet. We want to make sure that legislators know EXACTLY what the stakes are. Women who work for the minimum wage do tough jobs — and deserve a raise!
Please share your story today, and stay tuned for more opportunities to join us as we ramp up our efforts to increase the federal minimum wage!
Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher Joan Entmacher Vice President, Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center   

P.S. Please help us continue to advocate for policies that protect and improve economic security for women and their families by making a generous donation today.

Support Jay Inslee for Governor of Washington State


 This week, when asked by a young woman to take a position on the Reproductive Parity Act, Republican Rob McKenna said: “My position is that I’m a lawyer for the state.” He then told her curtly to “go get a job.”

That’s unacceptable. A serious candidate for governor should have the courage to say whether or not he believes women deserve equal health care access, and arrogantly dismissing a hard-working Washingtonian for asking a fair and relevant question makes his lack of conviction even worse.

It just goes to show that when Republican Rob McKenna can’t have it both ways, we get a sense of who he really is — and the real Rob McKenna isn’t pretty. We need to hold him accountable.

Click here to contribute $3 to Jay Inslee’s campaign today to help us hold Republican Rob McKenna accountable.

You’ll never have to ask where Jay Inslee stands on women’s health care or reproductive rights. Jay has always stood up for women’s health and won’t allow politics or ideology to take precedence over common sense and science.

That’s why he unequivocally supports the Reproductive Parity Act and efforts to ensure that the partisan battles over women’s health care in “the other Washington” don’t endanger equal access here.

That’s also why both Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington have endorsed Jay, calling him a “steadfast champion for a woman’s right to choose.” It’s also one of the reasons I work for him.

Washington deserves a governor who will stand up for women’s health care. Jay Inslee will, but Republican Rob McKenna can’t be trusted.

Join us today, and show that you’re standing with the candidate who will stand with you.

Click here to contribute $3 to Jay Inslee’s campaign today to help us hold Republican Rob McKenna accountable.

If McKenna refuses to take a stand one way or the other on women’s health care, then maybe he’s the one who should “go get a job” —  not the young woman he insulted, who, by the way, DOES have a job leading youth empowerment programs.

We can fight back against McKenna’s political ploys and half-truths, and we can make sure there’s no way he’s elected as our next governor — but only by standing together.

Click here to contribute $3 to Jay Inslee’s campaign today to help us hold Republican Rob McKenna accountable.

Thank you for standing with Jay, and for showing your support for women’s health care and reproductive rights.

Sincerely,

Joby Shimomura Campaign Manager Jay Inslee for Washington

Congress: the Republican led House & cyber security &studen loans? – – the Senate back 5/7


The Senate stands in adjournment under the provisions of S.Con.Res.43, the adjournment resolution.

The Senate will convene at 2:00pm on Monday, May 7, 2012. 

Following the prayer and pledge, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.2343, the Stop Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act.

At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following items:

–          Executive Calendar #508 Jacqueline H. Nguyen, of CA, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit

–          Executive Calendar #568 Kristine Gerhard Baker, of AR, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas

–          Executive Calendar #569 John Z. Lee, IL, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois

with 60 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.  Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), the Senate will conduct up to 3 roll call votes on the Nguyen, Baker and Lee nominations.  It is possible the Baker and Lee nominations will be confirmed by voice vote.

As a reminder to all Senators, on Thursday, April 26th, cloture was filed on the motion to proceed to S.2343, the Stop Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act.  By consent, the roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.2343 will be at 12:00pm on Tuesday, May 8th.

If the Senate does not receive a message from the House that it has adopted S.Con.Res.43, the Senate will convene on the following dates at the following times for pro forma sessions only, with no business conducted:

–          Monday, April 30, at 10:30am

–          Thursday, May 3, at 8:30am

———————————————————————————————————–

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF APRIL 27, 2012

 112TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION

CyberSecurityVote HR2096   495 – 10  funds taken out of #ACA and will take from Women and their families health care

Student Loan Vote HR4628   215 – 195 – 13Dems voting with Rs   30 GOPs stood up with Dems

-SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.1:06:14 P.M. -Commission on International Religious Freedom – Pursuant to Section 201(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 USC 6431 Note)as amended, and the order of the House of January 5,2011, the Speaker appointed Mr. Samuel Gejdenson, Branford, Connecticut, for a term ending May 14, 2014.12:54:51 P.M. -ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.12:54:24 P.M. -S. Con. Res. 43Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.12:54:14 P.M. -S. Con. Res. 43On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.12:54:10 P.M. -S. Con. Res. 43Considered as privileged matter. S. Con. Res. 43 — “Providing for a conditional adjournment or recess of the Senate and an adjournment of the House of Representatives.”12:48:03 P.M. -H.R. 4849Mr. Hastings (WA) asked unanimous consent that in the engrossment of H.R. 4849, the Clerk be authorized to make the change placed at the desk as follows: In Section 2(b)(1), strike “C 90-4621” and insert instead “C 09-4621”.12:48:02 P.M. -H.R. 3834Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.12:47:59 P.M. -H.R. 3834On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.12:47:18 P.M. -H.R. 3834Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 3834 — “To amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to authorize activities for support of networking and information technology research, and for other purposes.”12:46:55 P.M. -H.R. 4628Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.12:46:54 P.M. -H.R. 4628On passage Passed by recorded vote: 215 – 195 (Roll no. 195).12:33:46 P.M. -H.R. 4628On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by recorded vote: 178 – 231 (Roll no. 194).12:16:43 P.M. -H.R. 4628The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.12:06:53 P.M. -H.R. 4628DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Capps motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment to protect health insurance benefits for women and children by prohibiting the underlying bill from reducing coverage or raising costs for healthcare benefits offered by insurance companies, including benefits such as contraception, mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, childhood immunizations, and health screenings for newborns.12:06:30 P.M. -H.R. 4628Mrs. Capps moved to recommit with instructions to Education and the Workforce and Energy and Commerce.12:05:17 P.M. -H.R. 4628Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 4628 — “To extend student loan interest rates for undergraduate Federal Direct Stafford Loans.”12:05:14 P.M. -H.R. 2096Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.12:05:14 P.M. -H.R. 2096On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 395 – 10 (Roll no. 193).11:42:03 A.M. -H.R. 2096Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 2096 — “To advance cybersecurity research, development, and technical standards, and for other purposes.”11:41:35 A.M. -H.R. 4628POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the bill H.R. 4628 were postponed.11:41:10 A.M. -H.R. 4628The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.10:23:30 A.M. -H.R. 4628DEBATE – The House continued with of debate on H.R. 4628.10:23:29 A.M. -The House received a message from the Senate. The Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 43 and passed H.R. 2079, H.R. 1423, H.R. 298, H.R. 2213, H.R. 2244, H.R. 2660, H.R. 2767, H.R. 3004, H.R. 3247, H.R. 3246, and H.R. 3248.10:17:46 A.M. -H.R. 4628DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 4628.10:16:48 A.M. -H.R. 4628Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3523 and H.R. 4628 with 1 hour of general debate. Motion to recommit with or without instructions allowed. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill. The rule makes in order as original text for purpose of amendment the amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 112-20 and provides that it shall be considered as read. The rule waives all points of order against the amendment in the nature of a substitute. The rule makes in order only those amendments printed in the Rules Committee report. The rule further provides that it shall be in order at any time through the legislative day of April 27, 2012, for the Speaker to entertain motions that the House suspend the rules. The rule provides further for10:16:43 A.M. -H.R. 4628Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 631. H.R. 4628 — “To extend student loan interest rates for undergraduate Federal Direct Stafford Loans.”10:15:31 A.M. -H.R. 4849Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.10:15:26 A.M. -H.R. 4849On passage Passed without objection.10:15:08 A.M. -H.R. 4849On agreeing to the Hastings (WA) amendment; Agreed to without objection.10:15:05 A.M. -H.R. 4849Amendment  offered by Mr. Hastings (WA).10:14:49 A.M. -H.R. 4849Considered by unanimous consent. H.R. 4849 — “To direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue commercial use authorizations to commercial stock operators for operations in designated wilderness within the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and for other purposes.”10:10:48 A.M. -H.R. 4849RESERVATION OF OBJECTION – Mr. George Miller (CA) reserved the right to object and was recognized to proceed under his reservation. Subsequently the reservation was withdrawn.10:10:08 A.M. -H.R. 4849Mr. Hastings (WA) asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.10:09:33 A.M. -H.R. 3834At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Hall 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.9:51:00 A.M. -H.R. 3834DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3834.9:50:40 A.M. -H.R. 3834Considered under suspension of the rules.9:50:21 A.M. -H.R. 3834Mr. Hall moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 3834 — “To amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to authorize activities for support of networking and information technology research, and for other purposes.”9:49:44 A.M. -H.R. 2096At 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.9:17:13 A.M. -H.R. 2096DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2096.9:17:11 A.M. -H.R. 2096Considered under suspension of the rules.9:17:00 A.M. -H.R. 2096Mr. McCaul moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 2096 — “To advance cybersecurity research, development, and technical standards, and for other purposes.”9:16:00 A.M. -The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.9:02:15 A.M. -ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches, which by direction of the Chair would be limited to 5 per side of the aisle.9:01:56 A.M. -PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Barletta to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.9:01:53 A.M. -The Speaker announced approval of the Journal.  Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.9:00:30 A.M. -Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Robert Ballecer, S.J., Jesuit Conference, Washington, DC.9:00:18 A.M. -The House convened, starting a new legislative day.