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Thursday in Congress: the Republican led House -the Senate

05/12/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

The Senate Convenes at 9:30amET May 12, 2011

Following any leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business for debate only until 1pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the first hour equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the Majority controlling the next 30 minutes.

Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Calendar #47, the nomination of Michael Francis Urbanski, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Virginia with one hour of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.

There will be no further roll call votes this week.

Votes:

70: Confirmation of the Urbanski nomination; Confirmed: 94-0

Unanimous Consent:

Passed S.498, the Independent Task and Delivery Order Review Extension Act of 2011

Discharged Intelligence and adopted S.Res.86, recognizing the Defense Intelligence Agency on its 50th Anniversary

Adopted S.Res.181, designating May 15, 2011, as “National MPS Awareness Day”;

Adopted S.Res.182, expressing the condolences of the U.S. to the victims of the devastating tornadoes that touched down in the South beginning on April 25, 2011; and

Adopted S.Res.183, designating May 14, 2011, as “National Police Survivors Day”.

Adopted H.Con.Res.16, authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby

Adopted H.Con.Res.46, authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service.

Adopted H.Con.Res.50, providing for a conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives

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The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on May 12, 2011

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MAY 12, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

4:22 P.M. – SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

H.R. 754: to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes

4:20 P.M. – Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 754 as unfinished business.

On motion that the Committee rise Agreed to by voice vote.

4:19 P.M. – Mr. Rogers (MI) moved that the Committee rise.

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Carney amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Carney demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption until a time to be announced.

4:09 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Carney amendment No. 8.

Amendment offered by Mr. Carney.

An amendment numbered 8 printed in House Report 112-75 to establish the sense of Congress that railway transportation should be included in transportation security plans for intelligence agencies.

4:08 P.M. – POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Hinchey amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Hinchey demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption until a time to be announced.

3:58 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Hinchey amendment no. 7.

Amendment offered by Mr. Hinchey.

An amendment numbered 7 printed in House Report 112-75 to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to report to the House and Senate Intelligence panels on information it has regarding the human rights violations of the military government in Argentina that resulted in 30,000 disappearances between the mid-1970’s and mid-1980’s. The amendment also seeks to help shed light on the unknown fate of hundreds of Argentine children who were born in captivity and distributed to members of the Argentine security forces.

3:57 P.M. – On agreeing to the Ruppersberger amendment Agreed to by voice vote.

3:52 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Ruppersberger amendment no. 6.

Amendment offered by Mr. Ruppersberger.

An amendment numbered 6 printed in House Report 112-75 to require, within 180 days after enactment, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to submit to Congress a report on the degree to which racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are employed in professional positions in the intelligence community and barriers to the recruitment and retention of additional racial and ethnic minorities in these positions.

3:49 P.M. – POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Gibson amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Ruppersberger demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption until a time to be announced.

3:44 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Gibson amendment no. 5.

Amendment offered by Mr. Gibson.

An amendment numbered 5 printed in House Report 112-75 to require the Director of National Intelligence to submit to Congress a report containing recommendations the Director considers appropriate for consolidating the intelligence community.

3:42 P.M. – By unanimous consent, the Dent amendment was withdrawn.

3:38 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Dent amendment no. 3.

Amendment offered by Mr. Dent.

An amendment numbered 5 printed in House Report 112-75 to require the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the CIA within 90 days of enactment of this Act to submit to the congressional intelligence committees all information possessed by the DNI and the CIA relating to the pursuit and targeting of Anwar al-Awlaki by the Federal Government, as well as an analysis of the legal impediments to pursuing the capture of Anwar al-Awlaki.

On agreeing to the Barrow amendment Agreed to by voice vote.

3:35 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Barrow amendment no. 2.

Amendment offered by Mr. Barrow.

An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 112-75 to task the Director of National Intelligence with creating a pilot grant program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to assist in creating and maintaining academic curricula that teach advanced critical foreign languages, and for study abroad programs. Amendment aims to help intelligence community meet strategic, diversity and critical language goals.

3:34 P.M. – POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Rogers (MI) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Ruppersberger demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption until a time to be announced.

3:31 P.M. – DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 264, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Rogers (MI) amendment no. 1.

3:30 P.M. – Amendment offered by Mr. Rogers (MI). An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 112-75 to clarify that Section 411 of the bill, which provides certain authorities for Defense Intelligence Agency Expenditures, applies only to National Intelligence Program funds. Would also strike Section 412 of the reported bill, providing for the establishment of certain transfer accounts for intelligence funds.

2:42 P.M. – GENERAL DEBATE – The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 754.

The Speaker designated the Honorable Kevin Yoder to act as Chairman of the Committee.

House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 264 and Rule XVIII.

2:41 P.M. – Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 754 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. The resolution waives all points of order against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence now printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule.

Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 264.

2:40 P.M. – 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 the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on May 12, 2011 at 11:30 a.m.: Appointments to the Board of Visitors of the United States Air Force Academy.

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen asked unanimous consent That, it may be in order at any time on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, for the Speaker to declare a recess, subject to the call of the Chair, for the purpose of receiving in Joint Meeting His Excellency Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel. Agreed to without objection.

2:39 P.M. – Ms. Ros-Lehtinen filed a report from the Committee on Foreign Affairs on H. Res. 209.

H. Res. 264: providing for consideration of the bill ( H.R. 754) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes

2:38 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 251 – 133 (Roll no. 322).

2:32 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

H. Con. Res. 50: providing for a conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives

2:31 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 227 – 158 (Roll no. 321).

2:26 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

2:25 P.M. – UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on adoption of H. Con. Res. 50 and H. Res. 264, both of which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

H.R. 1231: to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that each 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing program offer leasing in the areas with the most prospective oil and gas resources, to establish a domestic oil and natural gas production goal, and for other purposes

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

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 243 – 179 (Roll no. 320).

2:18 P.M. – On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by recorded vote: 180 – 243 (Roll no. 319).

2:00 P.M. – The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.

1:50 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Holt 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 require each oil and gas leasing program in the underlying bill to specify that all oil and natural gas produced from such leases under the program, is offered for sale in the United States and not exported. It would also require the Secretary of Interior, in developing a 5-year oil and gas leasing program, to seek to reduce the number of nonproducing offshore oil and gas leases by 50 percent by 2017.

1:49 P.M. – Mr. Holt moved to recommit with instructions to Natural Resources.

1:48 P.M. – The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 1231.

On agreeing to the Inslee amendment Failed by recorded vote: 160 – 256 (Roll no. 318).

1:43 P.M. – On agreeing to the Thompson (CA) amendment Failed by recorded vote: 156 – 263 (Roll no. 317).

1:40 P.M. – On agreeing to the Brown (FL) amendment Failed by recorded vote: 134 – 279 (Roll no. 316).

1:35 P.M. – On agreeing to the Tsongas amendment Failed by recorded vote: 195 – 223 (Roll no. 315).

1:11 P.M. – UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on agreeing to the amendments to H.R. 1231 which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

1:10 P.M. – The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.

1:09 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

H. Con. Res. 50: providing for a conditional adjournment of the House of Representatives

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on H.Con.Res. 50, the Chair put the question on agreeing to resolution and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Hastings(FL) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question on agreeing to the resolution until later in the legislative day.

1:07 P.M. – Considered as privileged matter.

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on H.Res. 264, the Chair put the question on adoption of H.Res. 264 and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Hastings(FL) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of H.Res. 264 until later in the legislative day.

The previous question was ordered without objection.

12:22 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H. Res. 264.

12:19 P.M. – Considered as privileged matter.

12:03 P.M. – ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches which by direction of the Chair, would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.

12:02 P.M. – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Sires to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

12:01 P.M. – The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.

Today’s prayer was offered by Monsignor Craig Harrison, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Bakersfield, California

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of May 12.

10:58 A.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. today.

10:00 A.M. – MORNING HOUR DEBATES – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debates. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 12:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.

The Speaker designated the Honorable Tom Graves to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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Barack H. Obama …Fixing what’s broken

05/11/2011 Nativegrl77

I went to El Paso, Texas, today to lay out a plan to do something big: fix America’s broken immigration system.

It’s an issue that affects you, whether you live in a border town like El Paso or not. Our immigration system reflects how we define ourselves as Americans — who we are, who we will be — and continued inaction poses serious costs for everyone.

Those costs are human, felt by millions of people here and abroad who endure years of separation or deferred dreams — and millions more hardworking families whose wages are depressed when employers wrongly exploit a cheap source of labor. That’s why immigration reform is also an economic imperative — an essential step needed to strengthen our middle class, create new industries and new jobs, and make sure America remains competitive in the global economy.

Because this is such a tough problem — one that politicians in Washington have been either exploiting or dodging, depending on the politics — this change has to be driven by people like you.

Washington won’t act unless you lead.

So if you’re willing to do something about this critical issue, join our call for immigration reform now. Those who do will be part of our campaign to educate people on this issue and build the critical mass needed to make Washington act:

http://my.barackobama.com

In recent years, concerns about whether border security and enforcement were tough enough were among the greatest impediments to comprehensive reform. They are legitimate issues that needed to be addressed — and over the past two years, we have made great strides in enhancing security and enforcement.

We have more boots on the ground working to secure our southwest border than at any time in our history. We’re going after employers who knowingly break the law. And we are deporting those who are here illegally. I know the increase in deportations has been a source of controversy, but I want to emphasize that we are focusing our limited resources on violent offenders and people convicted of crimes — not families or people looking to scrape together an income.

So we’ve addressed the concerns raised by those who have stood in the way of progress in the past. And now that we have, it’s time to build an immigration system that meets our 21st-century economic needs and reflects our values both as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

Today, we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities. But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States. That just doesn’t make sense.

We also need to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents — and pass the DREAM Act so they can pursue higher education or become military service members in the country they know as home. We already know enormous economic benefits from the steady stream of talented and hardworking people coming to America. More than a century and a half ago, U.S. Steel‘s Andrew Carnegie was a 13-year-old brought here from Scotland by his family in search of a better life. And in 1979, a Russian family seeking freedom from Communism brought a young Sergey Brin to America — where he would become a co-founder of Google.

Through immigration, we’ve become an engine of the global economy and a beacon of hope, ingenuity and entrepreneurship. We should make it easier for the best and brightest not only to study here, but also to start businesses and create jobs here. That’s how we’ll win the future.

Immigration is a complex issue that raises strong feelings. And as we push for long-overdue action, we’re going to hear the same sort of ugly rhetoric that has delayed reform for years — despite long and widespread recognition that our current system fails us all and hurts our economy.

So you and I need to be the ones talking about this issue in the language of hope, not fear — in terms of how we are made stronger by our differences, and can be made stronger still.

Take a moment now to watch my El Paso speech and join this campaign for change:

http://my.barackobama.com

Thank you,

Barack

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DOMA:The Sinking Ship

05/10/2011 Nativegrl77

From: The Progress Report …

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists have resigned themselves to not seeing any substantial legislative progress toward equality while Republicans control the House of Representatives. Nevertheless, it has never been more apparent how the times have changed in the two decades since laws like the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) passed, both of which were actually seen as progress at the time. DOMA, some argued, at least allowed for individual states to legalize marriage for same-sex couples (as some since have), and DADT at least allowed gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to serve in the military, just so long as nobody knew who they were. It’s now been 15 years since the DOMA boat set sail, but its titanic barriers to equality are slowly sinking. In the meantime, same-sex couples are still struggling to make due without the federal protections marriage provides, while conservatives try every trick they know to keep inequality on the books.

LOST AT SEA: Though DOMA blocks 1,138 federal marriage benefits from same-sex couples, there is one in particular that’s particularly hard on some couples: not having the right to sponsor a foreign-born partner for residency. Immigration Equality estimates there are 36,000 same-sex binational couples living in the U.S., 45 percent of whom are raising children. Because of DOMA, any couple not protected by employment sponsorship is at risk of being separated by deportation. The Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) legal group actually warns these couples not to get married (PDF) as doing so may expose the foreign-born partner’s status and lead to deportation. In the wake of the President’s decision that DOMA is unconstitutional and should not be defended, the Department of Justice has twice suggested it might halt deportations, only to then reassert that deportations will continue. The first occasion was in March, when Citizenship and Immigration Services announced they would suspend the cases of married gay couples, but announced the following day that nothing had changed. Then, last week, Attorny General Eric Holder vacated a case, asking the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider it outside the context of DOMA. Again, hopes were raised, and a judge in Newark, New Jersey actually adjourned in a different case on Friday to give that couple an extra six months. On Saturday, however, the DOJ reaffirmed that deportations are still underway. Two proposed bills, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and Reuniting Families Act (RFA), would protect same-sex couples from deportation, but the demise of DOMA would likely eliminate the disparities entirely.

PLUGGING THE LEAKS: As the DOJ chips away at DOMA and the military works toward certification of repeal of DADT, conservatives at both the state and federal levels are trying to halt the flow of equality in any way they can (in addition to the House’s radically expensive plan to defend DOMA). This week, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) will introduce an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act to prevent Navy bases from performing marriages for same-sex couples after DADT is lifted, even in states where those marriages are legal. He claims that “federal property and federal employees, like Navy chaplains, should not be used to perform marriages that are not recognized by federal law.” Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is going a step further, introducing the second of many expected bills and amendments intended to derail the DADT repeal process. General George Casey opposed a similar move by Hunter in January. Meanwhile, Republican-controlled states like Pennsylvania and Minnesota are following Indiana’s lead by considering constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage even though both states already prohibit same-sex marriage by law. In fact, the religious right is ramping up an extensive new multi-million dollar campaign called “Ignite An Enduring Cultural Transformation” that will push for anti-LGBT measures in states up through the 2012 election. But times have changed even since 2004, and it’s unlikely conservatives will have the same success using same-sex marriage as a wedge issue as they did then.

THE RISING TIDE: For the first time ever, opposing LGBT equality is the unpopular position in American politics. Polls have been consistently showing majority support for marriage equality, just as they showed overwhelming support for repealing DADT last fall. Target and Chik-Fil-A have gotten incredible pressure from LGBT activists for their support of anti-gay candidates and groups. Law firm King & Spalding backed out of their defense of DOMA after clients and employees voiced their dissent. Olympic gold medalist Peter Vidmar had to step down from his appointment as chef de mission for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team because of his support for Proposition 8, California’s rollback of marriage equality. Graduates of the University of Michigan Law School walked out of their own commencement ceremony this weekend to protest the anti-gay voting record of the guest speaker, Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH). Despite the clear growing unpopularity of anti-gay positions, almost every GOP presidential candidate has towed the party line in maintaining them. Romney, Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum, Pawlenty, Trump, Paul and others have all defended DOMA and come out against LGBT equality in other ways. The only exception is Fred Karger, who is actually making history as the first-ever openly gay presidential candidate, though the national stage has not given him much attention. Hopefully the history books look upon Karger kindly as the first Republican candidate to step out of the shadow of the religious right and join the Zeitgeist in embracing LGBT equality

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Greenpeace

05/10/2011 Nativegrl77

One year later and Congress has learned nothing.

Instead of making it harder for oil companies like Shell to drill in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, the House of Representatives just voted to make it easier. If this legislation becomes law, the oil industry will be even less regulated now than it was a year ago before the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

And to make matters worse, Shell already gets millions in subsidies every year from the U.S. government. In fact, last year Shell paid effectively no taxes at all to the U.S. government. Congress is giving them more incentive to take unacceptable risks with our national treasures. It’s time to put a end to this dangerous game. We have a chance to do just that.

As soon as tomorrow, Congress will be voting on a bill that would cut billions of dollars worth of subsidies to oil companies like Shell. But the industry and their friends in Washington are currently doing everything they can to stop that from happening. That’s why you need to speak up and send a message to your members of Congress.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

Congress needs to hear your voice. Ask your members of Congress to put an end to government subsidies to the oil industry now.

Shell just submitted plans to drill up to ten new wells in Alaska’s Arctic Ocean over the next two years using the same faulty technology that BP uses in the Gulf. But Shell’s plans in the shallow waters of the Arctic are even more dangerous than BP’s are in the Gulf and run a higher risk of blowouts, according to government data.

Shell isn’t prepared for a disaster in the Arctic Ocean. No one is. It’s a known fact that there’s no way to effectively clean up an oil spill in the Arctic’s harsh conditions. All they care about is their corporate bottom line.

Congress should be fighting for you. It’s your money and it’s our land. The vote could be happening as soon as tomorrow. Contact your members of Congress today and ask them to put an end to government subsidies to the oil industry before it’s too late.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

Sincerely,

Melanie Duchin

Greenpeace Arctic Campaigner

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Bin Laden Justice a Testament to our Troops and Veterans

05/09/2011 Nativegrl77

To get the complete articles go to: www.murray.senate.gov

Applauding our Service members and Veterans for Bringing Osama bin Laden to Justice

This week, I spoke on the floor of the Senate to applaud the most significant victory to date in our war on terrorism and to pay tribute to our service members, veterans, and intelligence operatives who worked so diligently to ensure that Osama bin Laden was brought to justice.

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Getting Critical Benefits for Family Caregivers of Veterans

Thisweek, I was very pleased to see that the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs listened to my concerns and reversed their decision to restrict financial and health care support to familymembers caring for severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The change will allow more caregivers of more veterans to be eligible for the long-overdue benefit. I felt sostrongly about this issue that I personally brought it up with President Obama in the Oval Office. I’m pleased the he showed real leadership and worked to ensure the VA made this right.Going forward, I will monitor how the VA implements this program, looking closely at how caregivers of veterans with the invisible wounds of war are considered for this benefit.

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Training our Workforce

Last week, I toured the Pacific Fisherman Shipyard in Seattle with local workersand business owners to discuss legislation that would make sure workers have the skills and training they need to fill local jobs. According to a recent report released by the Washington StateEmployment Security Department, statewide job openings were up 31% last fall compared to a year earlier. This is great news; however, often employers can’t find local workers with theskills needed to fill those jobs. That’s why I’m working to pass my CareerPathways legislation which would help young people leaving high school get the skills and training they need to enter the workforce. I’m also working to reform and reauthorize the WorkforceInvestment Act which offers critical retraining to workers, including those who have recently been laid off

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Ensuring Workplace Safety

Last week, I honored Workers Memorial Day and the 40 thanniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the effective date of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. In the past 40 years, we have made greatprogress in reducing workplace tragedies, but we still have a long way to go. Every worker, in every industry, deserves to be confident that while they are working hard and doing their jobs, theiremployers are doing everything they can to protect them. That’s why I joined so many others last week in recommitting to our efforts to make sure that workplaces are safe in everyindustry across America.

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Urging President Obama to Fill Vacancies on Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, DecreaseWaiting Time for Veterans Seeking Answers on their Benefits

This week, I sent a letter to President Obama urging him to quickly fill threevacant judicial positions on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. This court has the huge responsibility of reviewing rejected disability and health care benefit claims for veterans, anincreasingly large burden with a claims backlog that has doubled in recent years. Without the quick nomination of judges to fill these seats, veterans will continue waiting far too longto get answers on their benefits. Once President Obama announces his nominees, I will work with my colleagues to move them quickly through the Senate confirmation process.