the Senate ~~ CONGRESS 2/4 ~~ the House


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The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00am on Tuesday, February 4, 2014.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R.2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.  The time until 12:30pm will be equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

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

At 2:15pm, there will be up to 20 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. At approximately 2:35pm, there will be a roll call vote on adoption of the conference report to accompany H.R.2642, the farm bill.

2:35pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on adoption of the conference report to accompany H.R.2642, the farm bill;

Adopted: 68-32

The Senate passed the FARM bill conference report by a vote of 68-32.

Following the vote, Senator Reid withdrew the pending motion to proceed to Cal. #297, S.1950, Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014.

Then, in order to make it procedurally possible to call up a new Reed amendment (3 month paid for extension of UI benefits), Senator Reid withdrew the motion to commit S.1845 by consent and asked to withdraw Reid amendment #2631. Senator McConnell reserved his right to object and asked that the pending amendments be withdrawn and that Senators be permitted to offer amendments in an alternating fashion.

Senator Reid objected to the modification without an agreement to vote on passage of the bill and Senator McConnell objected to withdrawing the Reed amendment. Senator Reid then moved to table Reed amendment #2631.

At 3:06pm, the Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the Reid motion to table the Reed amendment #2631;

Tabled: 98-0

The Reed amendment #2631 to S.1845 was tabled 98-0.

Senator Reid then offered Reed amendment #2714 (3 month extension of unemployment insurance benefits paid for with pension smoothing/no UI for millionaires). Senator Reid also filed cloture on the Reed amendment and the underlying bill, S.1845, Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014.

The cloture vote on the Reed amendment #2714 will occur at a time to be determined on Thursday, February 6. If cloture is invoked, there would be up to 30 hours for debate prior to a vote on the amendment. If cloture is not invoked, the Senate would proceed immediately to a cloture vote on S.1845.

Senator Reid then moved to proceed to Calendar #298, S.1963 (military pension COLA).

Senator Reid filled the amendment tree with the following amendments:

Reed amendment #2714 (3 month extension of unemployment insurance benefits paid for with pension smoothing/no UI for millionaires)

Reid amendment #2715 to #2714 (date change)

Reid motion to commit the bill with instructions (#2716) (date change)

Reid amendment #2717 (date change)

Reid amendment #2718 (date change)

At a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, with the concurrence of the Republican Leader, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar #629, the nomination of Max Sieben Baucus, of Montana, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People’s Republic of China. When the Senate considers the nomination, there will be up to 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form. Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the nomination.

We expect the vote to occur on Thursday, February 6, 2014.

Wrap Up for Wednesday, February 4, 2014

Roll Call Votes

1)     Adoption of the Conference Report to accompany H.R.2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013; Adopted: 68-32

2)     Reid motion to table the Reed amendment #2631 to S.1826, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act; Tabled: 98-0

Legislative Items

Adopted S.Res.344, Congratulating the Penn State University Women’s volleyball team for winning the 2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship.

Began the Rule 14 process of S.1996, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2014(Hagan and others) in order to place the bill on the Legislative Calendar.

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.1982, the Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Retirement Pay Restoration Act of 2014(Sanders) in order to place the bill on the Legislative Calendar.

No Executive Items

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Last Floor Action:
5:25:54 P.M. – The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on February 5, 2014.

The NFL


TheNFLCongress: Revoke the Tax-Exempt Status of the National Football League

By Lynda Woolard
New Orleans, Louisiana

Despite the fact that it is a $9Billion/Year industry, the National Football League (NFL) continues to enjoy status as a non-profit organization — meaning it doesn’t have to pay federal corporate taxes.

The Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, makes nearly $30 million a year — earning more than the heads of companies like Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart. Through TV deals alone, the NFL has inked nearly $30 billion with various television networks. And so often, fans like you and me are asked to foot the bill for new stadiums through our own taxes.

Yet despite being the most profitable sports league in the entire world, the NFL does not pay federal taxes.

The NFL should pay their fair share towards our economy! Just like Major League Baseball, which gave up its nonprofit status in recent years, as well as the National Basketball Association, the NFL should not be able to hide under a nonprofit status in order to avoid paying federal taxes.

The NFL has methodically worked to shift all the power to their side, leaving players, employees and PARTICULARLY THE FANS little say in what goes on with the league. We deserve a say, but do not wish to boycott our teams! Therefore, we are calling on our elected representatives to revoke the tax-exempt status we bestowed upon the league half a century ago. Please sign this petition, and let Congress know that you want them to reconsider the NFL’s tax exempt status.

USA.gov and being energy efficient


Basic Tips for an Eco-Friendly Home

Many people think that having an environmentally friendly house means spending thousands of dollars on solar panels or planting a garden on the roof to keep the house cool during the summer time.

That’s not really the case. There are many things you can do to help the environment without having to transform your home, or even spend too much money. In fact, you might end up saving hundreds of dollars per year in the process.

The following tips will help you get started.

Use ENERGY STAR Appliances

Refrigerators. Microwaves. Air conditioners. Heaters. Dishwashers. These are the appliances that eat up more than half of the $2,200 an average family spends in energy costs per year. However, you can do your part to help the planet and also save up to 30 percent of the electricity bill by using energy efficient products that have the ENERGY STAR symbol.

To enjoy some of the benefits of appliances with the ENERGY STAR symbol,

  • Replace the five most used light bulbs in the home with energy-efficient bulbs. This could save you $65 per year in electricity bills.
  • Replace, whenever you can, old and energy inefficient appliances such as air conditioning units and heating equipment. These devices alone typically consume more than half of the energy in a house.

The ENERGY STAR website has tips for saving energy and finding ENERGY STAR products.

Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

An easy way to reduce damage to the environment is to use cleaning products that are biodegradable and have low toxicity levels. These products could also make your home safer, as the lower toxicity might reduce the chance of accidental poisonings.

To use eco-friendly cleaning products:

  • Avoid those products that are highly flammable and are labeled as dangerous or poisonous.
  • Buy solvent free or bio-based products such as those made with citrus or pine.
  • Buy products that are certified by third parties such as Green Seal or Scientific Certification Systems.

You can also clean your house by using simple, non-toxic household substances such as white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and borax. However, be careful because these substances don’t work well on all surfaces.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle … Well, At Be a Seed for Change … We say in 2014, recycle only if you can’t reuse redecorate repurpose reclaim it first …

The Environmental Protection Agency says that recycling is one of the best ways to help the environment. But beyond recycling, it’s important to properly dispose household items like cleaning products, oils, batteries, pesticides and other products containing hazardous components that can harm both humans and the environment.

Your local government recycling program can give you more information on which products can be recycled and how to dispose of dangerous household items.