Monthly Archives: May 2013

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Top 3: No Relief For Oklahoma, A Congressma​n’s Hypocrisy, And The Supreme Court


OKLAHOMA SENATOR REFUSES TO SUPPORT TORNADO RELIEF WITHOUT BUDGET CUTS

CONGRESSMAN COMPARES FOOD STAMPS TO STEALING

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IN TROUBLE
Black History

the Senate debates/votes S.954 Nominees S.Res65 :::::: CONGRES :::::: the House debates


capitolphonelines

The Senate stands in adjournment until 9:30am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business for one hour with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority controlling the final half.
  • Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.954, the Farm bill. We will continue to work through amendments to the Farm bill during Wednesday’s session of the Senate.
  • At 4:00pm, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of Calendar #43, S.Res.65, resolution strongly supporting the full implementation of United States and international sanctions on Iran and urging the President to continue to strengthen enforcement of sanctions legislation.
    • There will be 60 minutes for debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form.
    • Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:00pm), there will be a roll call vote in relation to the resolution. If the resolution is agreed to, the preamble will be agreed to.
  • During Tuesday’s session of the Senate, cloture was filed on Executive Calendar #95, the nomination of Srikanth Srinivasan, Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.  Unless an agreement is reached, Senators should expect that cloture vote on Thursday morning.
  • This morning Senator McConnell asked unanimous consent that the Senate vote on Tuesday, June 4, at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, following consultation with the Republican Leader, on confirmation of Executive Calendar #95, the nomination of Srikanth Srinivasan, of Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Senator Reid objected and explained some of his frustrations over continued Republican delay on nominations. As a reminder, Senator Reid filed cloture on the Srinivasan nomination last night and the cloture vote will occur tomorrow.Senator McConnell noted that there is another circuit judge on the calendar that was reported prior to the Srinivasan nomination that the Wyoming senators would like to confirm. Senator Reid then suggested we confirm that nomination today and again asked consent to vote today on the Srinivasan today.
  • Senator McConnell objected and said he would continue working on nominations off the floor.
  • The Senate is in a period of morning business for 1 hour, with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. Following morning business (approx 11:35am), the Senate will resume consideration of S.954, the Farm bill. Today we will continue to process amendments to the bill. Currently the Leahy amendment #998 (rural broadband) is pending.As a reminder, at 5pm today, the Senate will vote on adoption of S.Res.65, a resolution strongly supporting the full implementation of United States and international sanctions on Iran and urging the President to continue to strengthen enforcement of sanctions legislation.
  • For the information of senators, there is a chance that when we resume consideration of the Farm bill Senator Inhofe will offer amendment #960 (repeal nutrition entitlements programs and establish nutrition assistance block grants) and we vote in relation to the amendment as early as 12:00 noon.
  • At 12:00 noon the Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on Inhofe amendment #960 (nutrition block grants);Not Agreed To: 36-60
  • The following amendments to S.954, the Farm bill, were agreed to by unanimous consent:-       Franken #992 (access to grocery delivery for homebound seniors and persons with disabilities); and-       Vitter #1056 (end food stamp eligibility for convicted violent rapists, pedophiles, and murders)
  • Senator Kaine asked unanimous consent to go to conference on the Budget resolution and that 2 motions to instruct conferees relative to the debt limit and taxes/revenue be in order. Senator Rubio asked that the request be modified to prohibit consideration of any conference report that includes reconciliation instructions regarding the debt limit. Senator Kaine objected to modify his request. Senator Rubio objected to the original request. Senator McCain then argued that we go through regular order and go to conference on the budget resolution, with motions to instruct conferees in order, and a debate ensued.

Senator Stabenow has called up Shaheen amendment #925 (Sugar programs ). We are working towards an agreement to vote in relation to the amendment this afternoon, perhaps around the vote on the Iran Sanctions resolution.

At 3:45pm the Senate will begin consideration of S.Res.65, Iran Sanctions. There will be up to 50 minutes for debate, with the Majority controlling 20 minutes and the Republicans controlling 30 minutes. At approximately 4:35pm, the Senate will proceed to vote on adoption of the resolution. There will then be 2 minutes for debate equally divided prior to a vote in relation to the Shaheen amendment #925 (sugar programs). No second degree amendments are in order to the Shaheen amendment prior to the vote.

4:35pm votes

–       Adoption of S.Res.65, Iran Sanctions

–       Shaheen amendment #925 (sugar programs)

The Senate has reached an agreement that tomorrow, following the cloture vote on the Srinivasan nomination and notwithstanding cloture having been invoked, if invoked, the Senate resume legislative session and consideration of S.954, the Farm bill, and the Senate then proceed to vote in relation to the pending Sanders amendment #965 (GMO food labels). No second degree amendments are in order prior to the vote. the amendment is subject to a 60 affirmative vote threshold. The time consumed during consideration of the Farm bill will count post-cloture.

There will be 2 roll call votes at 10:30am:

–          motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #95, the nomination of Srikanth Srinivasan, Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia; and

–          Sanders amendment #965 (GMO foods)(60 affirmative-vote threshold).

4:36pm The Senate began a roll call vote on adoption of S.Res.65, Iran Sanctions.

Adopted: 99-0

:04pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on Shaheen amendment #925 (sugar programs);

Not Agreed To: 44-54

The managers of the bill will continue to work on amendments,  however, there will be no further roll call votes today.

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

The following amendments are pending to S.954, the Farm bill:

The following amendments have been considered to S.954, the Farm bill:

  • Cantwell amendment #919 (Indian tribes – land and soil conservation programs) Agreed to: 87-8
  • Sessions amendment #945, as modified (eligibility criteria for agriculture irrigation assistance) Agreed to by unanimous consent
  • Roberts amendment #948 (SNAP) Not Agreed to: 40-58
  • Gillibrand amendment #931 (SNAP funding) Not Agreed to: 26-70
  • Inhofe amendment #960 (repeal SNAP and establish nutrition assistance block program) Not Agreed to: 36-60
  • Franken amendment #992 (access to grocery delivery for homebound seniors and persons with disabilities) Agreed to by unanimous consent
  • Vitter amendment #1056 (end food stamp eligibility for convicted violent rapists, pedophiles, and murderers) Agreed to by unanimous consent
  • Shaheen amendment #925 (Federal sugar program) Not Agreed to: 45-54

Senator Sanders called up amendment #965 (GMO food labels). We are working on an agreement to vote in relation to the his amendment tomorrow. As a reminder, the cloture vote on the Srinavasan will occur tomorrow, potentially in the 10:30am range. Stay tuned for a final decision on the vote time.

The Senate is in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTES

1)      Inhofe amendment #960 (nutrition assistance block grants) to S.954, the Farm bill; Not Agreed to: 36-60

2)      Adoption of S.Res.65, Iran Sanctions; Adopted: 99-0

3)      Shaheen amendment #965 (federal sugar program reform) to S.954; Not Agreed to: 45-54

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Passed H.R.258, the Stolen Valor Act of 2013.

Completed the Rule 14 process of H.R.45, the Repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.1003, the Comprehensive Student Loan Protection Act. (Coburn)

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.1004, the Anti-Trust Freedom Act. (Paul)

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

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May 2013
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Last Floor Action:
5:05:58 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on May 22, 2013.

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Pelosi – House Dems and the Headlines : May 2013


Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Pelosi Statement on LGBT Pride Month

“What emerged as a new chapter in the fight for civil rights at Stonewall in June 1969 continues today in the battle to secure basic, fundamental protections for LGBT families and workers everywhere – to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; to reject discrimination in our immigration system against LGBT families and foreign-born partners and spouses; and to make marriage equality not just a cause of one community, but the law of the land. In LGBT Pride Month, that drive endures as we act to keep the doors of opportunity and equality open for LGBT Americans and all Americans.”
Friday, May 31, 2013
 
“There is no greater way to safeguard the future of our country than to invest in the education of our children. Yet if Congress fails to act by July 1, interest rates on student loans will double, putting a college education well out of reach for millions of American students. With hardworking families already carrying $1 trillion in student loan debt, we must do more to ease – not exacerbate – that burden.
Friday, May 31, 2013
 

“As we mark another Memorial Day, we recommit to addressing the challenges of military families in our time: to ensure timely access to benefits; to end the claims backlog at the VA; to secure quality health care and good-paying jobs for our service members.  On this day and every day, we must reaffirm our solemn promise: just as the military leaves no one behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind at home.”Friday, May 24, 2013

 
“Thanks to the cooperation and commitment of California’s medical community, our health insurance marketplace will expand competitiveness, improve health care, protect the economic security of the middle class, and transform millions of lives.  I am proud to see that California is leading the way in establishing the bright and healthy future that the Affordable Care Act is meant to ensure.”
Thursday, May 23, 2013
 
“President Obama’s address reaffirmed our nation’s firm commitment to preserving our security while upholding our civil liberties.  As elected officials, we have no greater responsibility than protecting the American people; with the President’s statement today, we have a broad framework to meet that duty and maintain our commitment to our country’s highest ideals.”
Thursday, May 23, 2013
 
“Instead of working to enact a budget, or to create jobs, today the House Republicans will vote on the “Make College More Expensive Act.”  This is really stunning.  I hope you pay attention to the debate with the charts and the rest.  It clearly demonstrates how damaging this is to college affordability, to those who want to go to college, to their families who want to help them to do so…”
Thursday, May 23, 2013
 
“As we approach Memorial Day, the challenge to our conscience of that – meeting the needs of our veterans is heightened.  It is with us every day.  But it’s heightened on Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and other times of the year.  As we say in our meetings all the time on the battlefield, the military says: ‘on the battlefield, we will leave no soldier behind.’  And all of us say together, in a bi-partisan way: ‘and when they come home, we will leave no veteran behind.’  And so, it is in that spirit that this backlog is a challenge to the conscience of our country…”
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
 
“On this Harvey Milk Day – on what would be his 83rd birthday – Harvey’s green light has opened doors for LGBT elected officials nationwide: from America’s first LGBT Senator in Tammy Baldwin to six LGBT Members of the House, each contributing their leadership to the most diverse Democratic Caucus in history.  These Members are a living testament to Harvey’s principle that LGBT people deserve a place at the table.”
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
 
“I am pleased that the more than 600,000 American citizens who reside in the District of Columbia will finally have a statue representing them in the U.S. Capitol.  While the District deserves to have two statues in the Capitol, like the states, since its residents pay federal taxes and have fought and died in every American war, a statue depicting Frederick Douglass could not be a more apt representative for the people of D.C.  Douglass fought for District residents to have self-government and Congressional representation, a fight our Caucus carries on today.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
 
Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Joe Crowley, Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey, and Congressman Rush Holt met with President U Thein Sein of Burma and his delegation.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
 
“So, I hope it is a comfort to the people of the region, that their loss is one that is shared, and mourned, by people across the world, certainly in our country, and definitely in this Congress of the United States.  Whatever it is in our power to be helpful to them, we will do, and we will do quickly.  And that most importantly, they will always, always, always, and ever, be in our prayers.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Pelosi Statement on the Devastating Tornado in Oklahoma

“As rescue workers continue the search for survivors, Members of Congress stand ready to do what we can to support the communities in Oklahoma, the first responders, and state and local government in their efforts to recover, respond, and rebuild.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
 
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and senior House Democrats have sent letters to nine separate U.S. retailers calling upon them to join a broadening global coalition supporting a May 12 Accord on Fire and Building Safety, developed by the Worker Rights Consortium and a number of key stakeholders.
Friday, May 17, 2013
 
“Here we are, 134 days into the 113th Congress, without one vote on a jobs bill.  Fifty-four days after the Senate passed its budget, we still haven’t moved forward to the budget process with this do nothing agenda that does not reflect the priorities of the American people.  It is an agenda that only the Republicans are interested in pursuing.  So, you see a series of subterfuges, job evasions.  Today’s job evasion is that the Republicans have decided to vote on the Patient’s Rights Repeal Act, their 37th attempt to repeal our country’s landmark reform bill.  That’s 37 votes, 43 days, $52 million – $52.4 million – on an obvious evasion of our responsibility to work on the priorities of the American people.”
Thursday, May 16, 2013
 
“…[W]e believe there is simply no substitute for tough, comprehensive, uncompromising government support for legislation and fully-resourced law enforcement and administrative action… that both empowers workers and prevents more accidents from happening,” write the lawmakers in the letter.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
 
“First of all, it is our job to come here and act for the good of the American people.  And right now the American people see that good as the creation of jobs.  What is it, 134 days into this Congress?  And the Republican majority has yet to put forth one bill, vote one bill out to create jobs, to have evasion.  Here we are today with yet another one of their subterfuges: ‘let’s not talk about jobs.  Let’s use up time.’  And that adds to – what has been up until now – $54 million dollars, 43, some days spent on this – the 37th effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  What we should be doing is what the Republicans have asked for: regular order, to go to the budget table, to reconcile the differences between the House and the Senate, so that we can put forth a product, a budget that creates jobs, that reduces the deficit, that strengthens the middle class…”
Thursday, May 16, 2013
 
“…it’s about how it affects women specifically, that we are talking about today, but those women are part of the nearly 13 million Americans benefitting from $1.1 billion in rebates from health insurance companies last summer…”
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
 
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced today that Catlin O’Neill, longtime aide and Chief of Staff in her Congressional office (CA-12), will be departing for the private sector.  Today, Leader Pelosi named Robert Edmonson, her current Legislative Director, as Ms. O’Neill’s successor.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
 
“Today, the Pentagon’s civilian employees join the growing list of Americans bearing the brunt of the devastating sequester cuts.  As long as House Republicans refuse to replace the sequester, hard-working Americans will see crippling cuts to services in education, health, and national security.”
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Boehner, Pelosi, Bipartisan Group of Members – Call for State Department to Address Plight of Chen Guangcheng & Family

Washington, D.C. – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a bipartisan group of members sent the following letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing concern about the harassment and abuse inflicted upon Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng and his family by local officials in the Shandong Province of China.  The letter makes a series of recommendations for actions the State Department could take in its discussions with the Chinese government.
Monday, May 13, 2013
 
“While we look forward to reviewing the Inspector General’s report this week, it is clear that the actions taken by some at the IRS must be condemned.  Those who engaged in this behavior were wrong and must be held accountable for their actions.  Regardless of political affiliation or bias, there is no place for this type of activity by the IRS or its employees.”
Monday, May 13, 2013
 
“This week we gave mothers not a very good gift.  More work, less pay.  Happy Mother’s Day?  I don’t think so.  The bill that gives less flexibility to working people, more discretion to their bosses.  Here’s what the bill really does: it ends the 40 hour work week, it ends, it cuts pay for women, undermines the economic security of the middle class, gives an interest free loan, paid for by workers’ wages and unused comp time to the company…”
Thursday, May 9, 2013
 
“We feel very, very hopeful that we will be able to move forward on this before the session of this Congress is out.  That we will indeed have passed comprehensive immigration reform.  It couldn’t happen without you.”
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
 
“On Cinco de Mayo, we remember the extraordinary victory of a poorly-armed Mexican militia over larger, stronger, better-equipped French forces in the Battle of Puebla.  For 151 years, this date has been a source of pride to the people of Mexico – and here in the United States, it has been an opportunity to honor the contributions, heritage, and rich history of Mexican Americans and all Hispanic Americans.”
Friday, May 3, 2013
 
“Today’s jobs report shows signs of progress for our workers and our middle class.  Yet it is also a reminder that Americans cannot afford more Republican political games that protect the sequester, slow our growth, inject uncertainty into our economy, and create instability for our working families.  Members of Congress must work together to put people to work, invest in American businesses and manufacturers, and build a lasting recovery.”
Friday, May 3, 2013

Pelosi Statement on Nominees for Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Trade Representative

“Today, President Obama nominated two effective, passionate leaders to guide our efforts to grow our economy, strengthen the hands of American businesses and workers, and keep our nation number one on the global stage.”
Thursday, May 2, 2013
 
“Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements, rich cultures, and extraordinary contributions of the AAPI community.  Americans from Asia and the Pacific Islands have risen above hardship, prejudice, and outright persecution to become an indelible part of the American story.”
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
“Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to honor and celebrate a community rich in achievement, central to American progress, bound together by the values of fairness and justice for all.”
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
“A proud son of North Carolina, Congressman Mel Watt has spent the last 20 years as a staunch and tireless advocate for the health, economic security, and prosperity of the people he represents.  As an economic development attorney and small business owner, he will bring the real-life expertise and unwavering dedication necessary to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency.”
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
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Top3 : Same-Sex Discrimination, Racial IQ and The Lottery


TEEN EXPELLED, CHARGED WITH FELONY FOR SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIP

STUDENTS CONDEMN RACIAL IQ STUDY

WHY POWERBALL IS BAD FOR YOU, EVEN IF YOU WIN
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Stop early dismissals in Seattle schools


There’s a new petition taking off on Change.org, and we think you might be interested in signing it:

Frequent early school dismissals are a terrible hardship on families.  Parents under financial stress, working parents, multi-child families, single parents, and many other caregivers have no good childcare and/or transportation options to manage early school dismissals.  We urge you to find a family-friendly way to provide teachers with the planning time they need.

Seattle Public Schools

Superintendent Jose Banda: Stop Early Dismissals at Seattle Public Schools
                                                By F. J.
                                                Seattle, Washington