Daily Archives: 09/15/2015

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the Senate ~~ CONGRESS 9/15 the House


votingThe Senate stands adjourned until 9:30am on Friday, September 11, 2015, for a pro forma session with no business conducted. When the Senate adjourns on Friday it will stand adjourned until 1:00pm on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.

Tomorrow morning, Friday, September 11, at 8:46 a.m., the United States Congress will recognize Patriot Day by observing a campus-wide moment of silence. There will be no official gathering for the Moment of Silence.

On Tuesday, following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of H.J.Res.61, the legislative vehicle for the Congressional disapproval of the proposed Iran nuclear agreement. The time until 6:00pm will be equally divided between the two Leaders or their designees. The cloture vote on the McConnell substitute amendment #2640 will occur at 6:00pm.

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

  1. Motion to invoke cloture on McConnell substitute amendment #2640 to H.J.Res.61, Iran resolution of disapproval; not invoked: 56-42.

Legislative Business

Passed S.2036, to suspend the current compensation packages for the chief executive officers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and for other purposes.

Adopted S.Res.245, designating the week beginning September 13, 2015, as “National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week”.

Adopted S.Res.254, recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrating the heritage and culture of Latinos in the United States and the immense contributions of Latinos to the United States.

Adopted S.Res.255, designating the week beginning September 14, 2015, as National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week.

Adopted S.Res.256, designating September 2015 as “School Bus Safety Month”.

Began the Rule 14 process to place on the Legislative Calendar of Business S.2035, Federal Employee Fair Treatment Act (Cardin).

Began the Rule 14 process to place on the Legislative Calendar of Business H.R.36, Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (Republican request).

No Executive Business

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Last Floor Action:
 3:02:46 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on September 16, 2015.

3:00:11 P.M. The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
3:00:23 P.M. The Speaker designated the Honorable Thomas J. Rooney to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
3:00:42 P.M. Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
3:02:07 P.M. The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
3:02:11 P.M. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
3:02:46 P.M

.
.
The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on September 16, 2015.
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Right of Reagan … The Progress Report


By

Today’s Republicans Are More Extreme Than Their Conservative Idol

In two days, the GOP candidates for president will head to the Reagan Library for their second debate. Most will likely espouse their love of Reagan and try to highlight similarities between the Gipper’s policies and their own. However, as a new report from the Center for American Progress Action Fund shows, today’s candidates are in fact far more extreme than their Republican idol. To be sure, Reagan was no progressive. He has a record that includes initiating failed trickle-down economic programs that only help the wealthy, creating the false narrative of the welfare queen that still exists today, and gutting President Carter’s clean energy and energy efficiency efforts.

But, unlike today’s GOP candidates, he also was not a pure ideologue who was unwilling to negotiate and work across the aisle. His former chief of staff, James Baker, explained it well: “If Reagan told me once, he told me fifteen thousand times—I’d rather get 80 percent of what I want than go over the cliff with my flags flying.” In practice, this philosophy meant that President Reagan adopted moderate, bipartisan stances on several important policy positions – positions that the current presidential contenders would find abhorrent. Over the course of his presidency:

  • Reagan provided a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. In 1986, Reagan supported and signed the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, which provided a pathway to citizenship for 2.7 million undocumented immigrants. Current GOP candidates oppose a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, though creating such a pathway would boost the U.S. economy by $1.2 trillion over 10 years.
  • Reagan stood up to the National Rifle Association, or NRA, to establish background checks. He strongly supported the establishment of national background checks for gun purchases, as well as a ban on assault weapons. Current GOP candidates wouldn’t dare stand up to the NRA as most act to preserve their ‘A’ rating from the organization. Sens. Rubio, Cruz, Paul, and Graham have blocked legislation to expand background checks.
  • Reagan signed the Montreal Protocol, a multilateral international treaty to reduce pollution. In the face of scientific research showing that chemical gasses were depleting the protective ozone layer, Reagan signed the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that phased out nearly 100 of these dangerous gases, many of which are also greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Current GOP candidates either deny that climate change is real or ignore the science behind it and have strenuously opposed the Obama administration’s effort to regulate pollution.
  • Reagan negotiated with the Soviet Union to reduce nuclear proliferation. As president, Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with the Soviet Union, eliminating an entire category of nuclear missiles. Current GOP candidates have adopted an unyielding stance on national security, especially as it relates to President Obama’s recent deal with Iran. Mike Huckabee threatened to topple Iran using military force, and many of the other candidates also have stated that they would not uphold the current Iran nuclear deal.
  • Reagan grew the federal government through deficit spending. Despite his public image as the champion of small government, Reagan tripled the national debt, increased the federal workforce by about 324,000 workers, doubled the U.S. Department of Education’s budget, and created a new federal agency, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Current GOP candidates have embraced uncompromising positions on the federal budget, opposing any deficit spending, even in the face of pressing national need. Sen. Cruz demonstrated astounding fiscal irresponsibility, costing the economy $20 billion by orchestrating the government shutdown in 2013.
  • Reagan closed tax loopholes favoring the wealthy and raised taxes to reduce the federal deficit. In fact, he raised taxes 7 out of his 8 years in office and has said that tax loopholes “sometimes made it possible for millionaires to pay nothing, while a bus driver was paying ten percent of his salary, and that’s crazy.”

To be clear, Reagan was no progressive hero, but at times he was able to mix pragmatism with conservatism, something the current GOP candidates refuse to do. As the Washington Post puts it, despite their proclaimed love of Reagan, current GOP candidates “actually represent a break from core aspects of his approach to the presidency.”

BOTTOM LINE: Regardless of what the GOP candidates say in Wednesday’s debate, the reality is their positions are far to the right of Reagan’s actions on a number of critical issues. Despite the folklore, it is hard to imagine any of these candidates claiming fidelity to Reagan and his principles in a way that the 40th president could embrace.

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Leaving Children Behind … CAP


By

Congressional Republicans’ Education Bills Could Harm Our Most At-Risk Students

This week House and Senate Republicans are working to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—also known as No Child Left Behind. Reauthorization of our largest K-12 education law presents a rare opportunity for Congress to ensure that all students—regardless of zip code, background, or family income levels—can receive a quality public education. Unfortunately, this afternoon the House passed H.R. 5 its version of the reauthorization bill that cuts federal funding from our most at-risk students and brings us a step backwards to the days when our most underserved communities were ignored.

This letter, written by the Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights and signed by more than 50 other organizations, outlines how H.R. 5—also known as the Student Success Act—undermines important federal protections for some of our most vulnerable students.

The most egregious provision included in the House bill is a “portability” provision, which eliminates the targeting of federal funding to schools and districts with the highest concentrations of students living in poverty. That means federal funding that goes to schools with the most low-income students would flow out of those districts and into richer districts. This could cause the most impoverished districts to experience a federal resource cut as large as 74 percent, while the most affluent districts could receive an average of more than $290 dollars per student. The graph below shows how harmful that could be and more on portability can be found here.

The Senate is also working on its considerably more moderate version of ESEA reauthorization this week, known as the Every Child Achieves Act. The Senate’s bill takes important steps to curb over testing and maintains investments in research-based innovation. This afternoon the Senate also adopted an important amendment that allows schools to use Title 1 funds to create fiscal assistance teams designed to help schools spend their money efficiently.

The Senate bill does considerably more to help vulnerable students, but more should be done to ensure it fulfills its role as a civil rights law. And the bill is far from final. As it stands the Senate bill does not include a portability provision, but a portability amendment will be considered soon, which brings the potential damage one step closer to reality.

BOTTOM LINE: The opportunity to receive a quality public education should not be determined by a child’s zip code. HR 5, passed by House today, is a major step backward to a time when federal funding was inequitably distributed and our most vulnerable communities were ignored.

 

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I lost my sister, husband, and mother


Petitioning President of the United States

Declare August 30th National Grief Awareness Day
Petition by National Grief Awareness Day
13,963
Supporters

My name is Angie Cartwright.

I’ve endured a lot of loss in my life, starting with my baby sister when I was 5 years-old. In 1996, I lost my husband to a car wreck, and my mother died of a drug overdose in 2010. By then, I was paralyzed with grief.

I am now dedicated to raising awareness about bereavement and helping those experiencing grief to heal. I’m asking President Obama to make August 30th National Grief Awareness Day. Why?

By reaching out to hundred of thousands of grievers on social media for the past four years, I found that healing can only take place when grief is not shamed, rushed or tabooed. This is how I found my own healing. Unfortunately, we live in a world that sees grief differently. When we lose someone, we are told to move on and to get over our sadness, because grief is commonly perceived as something that needs to be fixed. As a result, the bereaved feel misunderstood, and they end up grieving in silence, while the topic of death becomes a stronger taboo.

And silent grief can become deadly grief. I’ve seen it too many times.

Having National Grief Awareness Day recognized by our government will be the first milestone in opening our eyes to a serious issue that has never been properly addressed. This way we’ll start seeing grief as the natural consequence of the love we have for someone we’ve lost.

Please, join me in asking President Barack Obama to declare August 30th as a day of awareness and education around grief.

Why August 30th? I picked this day because it’s my mom’s birthday.

This petition is also supported by #1MMemories, a movement where people are sharing 1 million memories of loved ones they’ve lost with the hashtag #1MMemories, via Twitter or Instagram.

All these memories will be beautifully gathered at 1MMemories.com, and then printed in a one-of-a-kind book that we will hand to President Barack Obama, along with the 1 million signatures supporting this petition.

Both your signature and you joining the #1MMemories movement will help millions of grievers.

With all my love,

Angie Cartwright, Founder of National Grief Awareness Day
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Sick Time? There’s an app for that! (And other news from ABB)


A Better Balance is delighted to announce the launch of the Earned Sick Time Advisor, a brand-new web tool that will provide individualized information to help workers understand and exercise their rights under the New York City Earned Sick Time Act! Through a series of plain-language questions, the Advisor allows workers to determine for themselves whether they qualify for paid or unpaid sick time, how many hours they have accrued, and when they may begin using it. ABB created the Advisor working in conjunction with Georgetown University Law Center and Neota Logic. This represents an exciting new outreach effort from A Better Balance, which helped to lead the campaign for sick time in New York City and continues to work around the country to enact similar protections in other cities and states.
A Better Balance
Headlines from the Frontlines.
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Ms. Betzaida Cruz Cardona, who is due to have her first child in April, is homeless, broke, and out of a job, all because she was fired from her position as a Savers cashier when she announced she was pregnant. Without a paycheck, Ms. Cruz had to move out of her apartment and is now homeless and couch-surfing at seven months pregnant.
A Better Balance and Ms. Cruz are fighting back. We filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Ms. Cruz, with our partners at the law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP. Together, we are working to ensure Ms. Cruz is adequately compensated for the unjust treatment she was subjected to at Savers.
 A Better Balance believes that every woman in New York State deserves fair and equal treatment under the law. That’s why we are working to pass women’s equality bills before the state legislature, which, among other things, would clarify employers’ obligations to accommodate pregnant workers and prevent more women from losing income at the precise moment they need it most.
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Tennessee
In Tennessee, A Better Balance worked with lawmakers to introduce the TN Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a bill that would ensure no woman has to choose between her health and her job in the state. The bill is sponsored by two Republicans (Rep. M. Hill & Sen. Massey). Second, we have worked with legislators on another bill that would authorize the state to apply for an implementation and feasibility study grant for paid family leave. This is an excellent opportunity to educate lawmakers and the public about the importance of paid family leave for family economic security, and as a public health measure. The bill has garnered bipartisan support and ABB will be available for questions at the subcommittee hearing this week. We are excited about organizing and leading a coalition of partners in support of these two fantastic bills!

ABB Southern Office Director with KY Representative Joni Jenkins

ABB Southern Office Director Elizabeth Gedmark with KY State Representative Joni Jenkins
Last Monday, Kentucky House Bill 218, called the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, unanimously passed out of the House Labor and Industry Committee.  A Better Balance’s Southern Office Director, Elizabeth Gedmark, testified in support of the bill and shared testimony from our client Officer Lyndi Trischler.  Officer Trischler was forced to take unpaid leave from her job with the Florence Police Department while pregnant last year. The economic hardship for her and women like her across the state and across the country is absolutely devastating. Officer Trischler and her 1-year-old daughter had to move out of their apartment because they could no longer afford to pay the rent.
ABB was in the audience as New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito championed some of the causes closest to our hearts in her State of the City address.  The Speaker talked about the need for an adequate support system to allow working parents to be with their newborn baby, or to care for a child who is seriously ill, the importance of predictable and stable schedules, and committed to expanding laws that defend workers from discrimination based on caregiver status. We look forward to working with the Speaker and the rest of the city council on these and other issues important to working families.