the Senate ~ CONGRESS 3/2 ~ the House

03/02/2015 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands adjourned until 2:00pm on Monday, March 2, 2015.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the House Message to accompany H.R.240, DHS appropriations.

Prior to adjourning on Friday, the Senate passed H.R.33, as amended with a substitute amendment (SA#268) that contains a 7 day CR to fund the Department of Homeland Security through March 6, 2015.

The House Message with respect to H.R.240, Department of Homeland Security appropriations, was laid before the Senate.

We expect Senator McConnell to file cloture at 3:30pm on Monday, March 2 on the consolidated motion to go to conference. Under the expedited rule for going to conference, once cloture has been filed, there would be 2 hours for debate equally divided prior to a cloture vote. That would result in a cloture vote at 5:30pm on Monday (60 vote threshold) and, if cloture is invoked, an immediate vote on the motion (majority vote threshold).

The consolidated motion to go to conference includes the following motions:

1) Motion to insist upon the Senate amendment;

2) Motion to agree to a request by the House for a committee of conferees; and

3) Motion to authorize the Presiding Officer to appoint conferees.

The next vote is expected at 5:30pm on Monday, which will be a cloture vote on the motion to agree to the House request to go to a conference on the DHS appropriations bill.

The Senate has resumed consideration of the House Message to accompany H.R.240, DHS appropriations. At 3:00pm, Senator McConnell filed cloture on the request to go to conference on H.R.240, DHS appropriations. There will now be 2 hours for debate prior to the cloture vote. If cloture is not invoked, there could be a second vote. That vote would be on a motion to table the request to go to conference.

5:30pm—2 roll call votes expected:

Cloture on request to go to conference on H.R.240
Motion to table request to go to conference (if cloture fails and a motion to table is made)

5:30pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on cloture on the request to go to conference on H.R.240, DHS appropriations;

Not Invoked: 47-43

Motion to table request to go to conference (if cloture fails and a motion to table is made)

5:56pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the Cochran motion to table the House Message re: H.R.240, DHS appropriations.

Tabled: 58-31.

If the motion to table is successful, the bill would be sent back to the House of Representatives.

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

Motion to invoke cloture on the request to go to conference on H.R.240, DHS appropriations; Not Invoked: 47-43.
Cochran motion to table the House Message with respect to H.R.240; Tabled: 58-31.

Legislative Business

Passed H.R.431, to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or in the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March of 1965.

Adopted S.Res.72, Ukraine resolution, with amendments.

No Executive Business

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Last Floor Action:
9:31:03 P.M. – The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on March 3, 2015.

Last Floor Action: 2/27
10:04:20 P.M. – The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on March 2, 2015.

12:00:44 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
12:00:58 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Tom Emmer to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
12:01:32 P.M.		MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 2:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.
12:20:57 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.
2:00:33 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of March 2.
2:00:43 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
2:02:02 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
2:02:06 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Kildee to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
2:02:28 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.
2:10:57 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 5:00 P.M. today.
5:02:36 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of March 2.
5:02:55 P.M.		The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.
5:03:02 P.M.	H.R. 280	Mr. Miller (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 280 — “To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup bonuses and awards paid to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
5:03:14 P.M.	H.R. 280	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:03:16 P.M.	H.R. 280	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 280.
5:15:01 P.M.	H.R. 280	At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Miller (FL) 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 considered as withdrawn.
5:17:10 P.M.	H.R. 294	Mr. Miller (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 294 — “To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the transfer of veterans to non-Department medical foster homes for certain veterans who are unable to live independently.”
5:17:36 P.M.	H.R. 294	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:17:40 P.M.	H.R. 294	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 294.
5:23:34 P.M.	H.R. 294	At 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.
5:23:57 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. today.
6:30:19 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of March 2.
6:30:32 P.M.		UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question on adoption of motions to suspend the rules which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
6:30:54 P.M.	H.R. 294	Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 294 — “To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts and agreements for the transfer of veterans to non-Department medical foster homes for certain veterans who are unable to live independently.”
6:57:26 P.M.	H.R. 294	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 – 0 (Roll no. 107).
6:57:27 P.M.	H.R. 294	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
6:57:30 P.M.	H.R. 294	The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
6:57:34 P.M.	H.R. 280	Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 280 — “To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup bonuses and awards paid to employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
6:58:02 P.M.	H.R. 280	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
6:58:09 P.M.	H.R. 280	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
6:58:15 P.M.		Mr. Roskam asked unanimous consent That, when the House adjourns on Monday, March 2, 2015, it adjourn to meet at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Agreed to without objection.
6:59:06 P.M.		PRESIDENT’S EXPORT COUNCIL – Pursuant to Executive Order 12131, and the order of the House of January 6,2014, the Speaker appointed the following members of the House to the PRESIDENT’S EXPORT COUNCIL: Mr. Kildee and Ms. DelBene.
6:59:20 P.M.		MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION COMMISSION – Pursuant to section 2 of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715a), and the order of the House of January 6, 2015, the Speaker appointed the following member of the House to the MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION COMMISSION: Mr. Thompson of CA.
7:00:45 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.
7:11:25 P.M.		SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.
8:53:45 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.
9:30:03 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of March 2.
9:30:06 P.M.		Mr. Woodall filed a report from the Committee on Rules on H. Res. 134.
9:31:01 P.M.		Mr. Woodall moved that the House do now adjourn.
9:31:02 P.M.		On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.
9:31:03 P.M.		The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on March 3, 2015.

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A note from the President on net neutrality:

02/27/2015 Nativegrl77

The FCC just voted in favor of a strong net neutrality rule to keep the Internet open and free.

That happened, in part, because millions of Americans across the country didn’t just care about this issue: You stood up and made your voices heard, whether by adding your names to petitions, submitting public comments, or talking with the people you know about why this matters.

Read a special thank-you message from the President, then learn more about how we got to where we are today:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Introducing The Coalition For Public Safety

02/27/2015 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Foremost Progressive And Conservative Organizations Join Forces To Support Criminal Justice Reform

The United States is home to five percent of the world’s population, but holds 25 percent of the world’s prison population. Putting more offenders in jail doesn’t make people any safer — and may even be counterproductive. We spend $80 billion per year on a system that we increasingly know to be devastating communities and ineffective in fighting crime.

Clearly, there is an urgent need to reform our nation’s criminal justice system. And there are some unlikely bedfellows coming together to do it.

Today launches The Coalition for Public Safety, a non-profit that will work to reform our criminal justice system to make it more just, more fair, and more effective. The Center for American Progress is proud to be part of the Coalition, which consists of leading organizations from both sides of the aisle including the ACLU, Americans for Tax Reform, Faith & Freedom Coalition, FreedomWorks, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Right on Crime.

Through educational events, national and state-based outreach, and media, the Coalition for Public Safety will work across the political spectrum to pursue a comprehensive set of federal, state, and local criminal justice reforms that will:

Reduce our jail and prison populations and associated costs;
End the systemic problem of over-criminalization and over-incarceration – particularly of low-income communities and communities of color;
Ensure swift and fair outcomes for both the accused and the victims; and
Make communities safer by reducing recidivism and breaking down barriers faced by those returning home after detention or incarceration.

You may have noticed that, yes, this means CAP is partnering with the Koch brothers on something. But to be clear, this project won’t impact how CAP and CAP Action deal with the Koch brothers in any way. While we look forward to working together on shared goals around criminal justice reform, we strongly disagree with the Koch brothers on a wide array of issues from the economy to energy. We’ll continue to do what we’ve always done, which is hold the Koch brothers accountable for economic advocacy that benefits the wealthy few instead of the middle class, for energy advocacy that favors polluters instead of investing in clean energy, and for efforts to change the rules of our democracy to make it harder for Americans to cast a vote.

“We have in the past and will in the future have criticism of the policy agenda of the Koch brother companies, but where we can find common ground on issues, we will go forward,” said Neera Tanden, CAP’s president, in an interview with the New York Times. “I think it speaks to the importance of the issue.”

While we certainly don’t agree with these partners on everything, the issue of criminal justice is too important to wait. And in a environment of intense political polarization, the Coalition sends a message to lawmakers: we are asking you to work together, and we are willing to lead the way.

So check out the Coalition for Public Safety, and join our effort to reform our broken criminal justice system.

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Trapped and dying in Qatar

02/27/2015 Nativegrl77

Thousands in Qatar are trapped working in horrific conditions, and barred from escaping home by abusive bosses. An American company could help free them and we can make their CEO act by bringing the slave horror right to her hometown. Join the call:

Forced to work under the desert’s scorching sun, denied food, drinking water, and barred from escaping home, thousands of men in Qatar are modern day slaves. And we can help free them.

Last year, one person died every other day building a billion dollar mega-project for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup. A major part of the project is managed by an American company with a CEO who lives in a quiet part of Colorado. If more than 1 million of us stand together for freedom, we can confront her with our voices every time she leaves her house to go to work, or to ski, until she takes action.

This same tactic pushed Hilton Hotels to protect women against sex trafficking in days — join the urgent call to help free Qatar’s modern slaves:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/bloodiest_world_cup_loc/?biEWLbb&v=54097

Qatar’s “guest worker” program is at the root of the problem. It lures people from Nepal and Sri Lanka with promises of good jobs, but when they arrive their employers confiscate their passports and force them to work long hours in 50 degree heat with no chance of escape.

The US company, CH2M Hill, say the local contractors and government laws are to blame, but CH2M Hill is the public face of World Cup construction. Their CEO can and must take a lead role in ensuring we don’t see seven more years of worker deaths. She could even threaten to take their business elsewhere unless this system is changed.

CH2M Hill has a responsibility to help stop this modern day slavery. Our call now could persuade CH2M Hill to speak out and then lead other companies to weigh in until every single worker has the freedom to return home. Join the call — when we reach 1 million, our voices will be delivered directly to CH2M Hill CEO Jacqueline Hinman again, and again and again:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/bloodiest_world_cup_loc/?biEWLbb&v=54097

One big global outcry at the right time can save thousands of lives. When Hilton Hotels wasn’t doing enough to protect women and girls from sex trafficking at their hotels, Avaaz staff brought our call to the CEO’s front door and the policy was changed in days. Let’s do it again

With hope,

Emma, Nell, Mais, Ricken, Alice and the whole Avaaz team

Sources:

Death toll among Qatar’s 2022 World Cup workers revealed (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/qatar-nepal-workers-world-cup-2022-death-toll-doha

Building a Better World Cup (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/qatar0612webwcover_0.pdf

At a Qatar Project Overseen by Americans, Workers Die Almost Daily (Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-09-26/at-a-qatar-project-overseen-by-americans-workers-die-almost-daily

Qatar accused of dragging its feet over treatment of migrant workers
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/12/qatar-accused-dragging-feet-migrant-workers-world-cup-amnesty

Qatar risks losing World Cup without job reform (Reuters)
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/qatar-risks-losing-world-cup-without-job-reform-124324042–sow.html

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John Tye – Avaaz.org

02/27/2015 Nativegrl77

Stop settlement subsidies

Americans have sent $200 million to far right Israeli settlers — tax free. Millions that could pay for U.S. health care and education instead pay for sniper rifle scopes and surveillance cameras to push Palestinians off their land. Tell the IRS to enforce its own rules and stop subsidizing settlements:

Over $200 million has been funneled, tax free, from US donors to radical Israeli settler groups. Millions that should go to health care and education here at home instead pay for sniper rifle scopes and surveillance cameras to help extremist settlers push Palestinians off their land.

It’s shocking, and it’s illegal. Everyone knows these tax breaks violate IRS rules — but there hasn’t been an outcry to force the IRS to audit these pseudo-charities and cancel their tax benefits. Now is the moment to change this.

Israel’s pro-settlement Prime Minister will address Congress in Washington next week, and the media is looking for a controversy. We can give them one, with a major media outcry — and legal action to push the IRS to stop settlement subsidies. Sign now:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_settlement_subsidies_a/?biEWLbb&v=54264

Tax deductible donations are supposed to be a privilege reserved for actual charities that help people — not systematic campaigns to disenfranchise Palestinians through force. The law is clear that these “charities” don’t qualify. The IRS looks the other way because it’s taboo to criticize illegal Israeli settlements.

Stopping these tax breaks wouldn’t affect donations to support Israel or Judaism — only donations headed to extreme right-wing militias, working to occupy land that the U.S. government agrees they don’t own.

During Netanyahu’s visit, the press will be reporting on these issues in detail — and if we ensure our call is a major part of that coverage, and combine it with legal action, we can make it impossible for the IRS to keep ignoring this. Sign now:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_settlement_subsidies_a/?biEWLbb&v=54264

President Obama has made clear that there is no room for settlement expansion in the path to Israeli-Palestinian peace. With the world’s eyes on Netanyahu’s visit, we have the chance to bring the hopes of the world to bear on this key moment, and help win a key victory for a more just future, with rights for all.

With hope and determination,

John, Nick, David, Terra, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team

SOURCES

Can I Take a Tax-Deduction on My Donation to Israeli Settlements in Palestine? (Foreign Policy)
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/29/illegal-tax-deduction-charity-israel-settlements-palestine-irs/

Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in West Bank (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/world/middleeast/06settle.html

West Bank settlement expansion surged under Netanyahu (Haaretz)
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.631924

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 10/1/2014 (White House)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/01/press-briefing-press-secretary-josh-earnest-1012014