the Senate CONGRESS 10/5 the House

11/05/2013 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00am on Tuesday, November 5, 2013. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.815, the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, post-cloture.

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

All time during recess, adjournment, and morning business will count post-cloture on the motion to proceed to S.815, ENDA.

WRAP UP

No ROLL CALL VOTES

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Passed H.R.2747, to amend title 40, United States Code, to transfer certain functions from the Governmental Accountability Office to the Department of Labor relating to the processing of claims for the payment of workers who were not paid appropriate wages under certain provisions of such title.

Adopted S.Res.286, congratulating Oracle Team USA for winning the 34^th America’s Cup.

Adopted S.Res.287, a resolution congratulating the Boston Red Sox on winning the 2013 World Series.

EXECUTIVE ITEMS

Confirmed the following by unanimous consent:

AIR FORCE

Executive Calendar #393 Maj. Gen. Samuel D. Cox – to be Lieutenant General

Executive Calendar #394 Col. Jill J. Nelson – to be Brigadier General

ARMY

Executive Calendar #395 Col. Hector Lopez – to be Brigadier General

Executive Calendar #396 Brig. Gen. Keith D. Jones – to be Major General

Executive Calendar #397 Col. Garrett P. Jensen – to be Brigadier General

Executive Calendar #398 Lt. Gen. Robert B. Brown – to be Lieutenant General

Executive Calendar #399 Brig. Gen. Robert L. Walter, Jr. – to be Major General

Executive Calendar #400 Maj. Gen. William C. Mayville, Jr. – to be Lieutenant General

Executive Calendar #401 Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza – to be Lieutenant General

NAVY

Executive Calendar #402 Capt. Bruce L. Gillingham – to be Rear Admiral (lower half)

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Executive Calendar #419 Robert O. Blake, Jr. – to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Indonesia

And all nominations on the Secretary’s desk in the Air Force, Army, and Navy.

=====================================================================

Last Floor Action:
5:11:55 P.M. – The House adjourned
pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00
a.m. on November 12, 2013, unless the House receives a message from the Senate
transmitting its adoption of H. Con. Res. 62, in which case the House shall
stand adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.

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#ACA

11/04/2013 Nativegrl77

Barack Obama and his MOM

Ted Cruz 21hr diatribe on the Flr of Congress was an example of just how much misinformation there is out there about health reform — and we need to fight back with the truth.

The National Democratic Committee put together a beautiful new website that’s full of facts about how Obamacare is working across the country — including in Washington. Take a look, and share it with your friends and family:

Click on the learn more and find your State

Open enrollment in Obamacare’s exchanges have begun, so it’s never been more important to get the word out about the benefits of health reform.

So set the record straight on the misinformation about Obamacare — hold Ted Cruz and his Republican allies accountable:

Thanks,

Laura

Laura Santucci Acting Executive Director Democratic National Committee

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NYC: Tickets $10 Available for The State of Female Justice in America

11/04/2013 Nativegrl77

On Thursday, November 7,

join Laura Flanders (GRITtv), Catherine Albisa (National Economic & Social Rights Initiative), Kimberlé Crenshaw (Columbia Law School / UCLA Law School), Eve Ensler (V-Day), Monique Harden (Advocates for Environmental Human Rights in New Orleans), Donna Hylton (STEPS to End Family Violence), Saru Jayaraman (Restaurant Opportunities Centers United), and Sylvia McAdam (Idle No More) for this one-night-only panel discussion exploring why women experience economic, racial, and cultural violence; and ask ourselves what might real justice look like for women in America?

WHAT: THE STATE OF FEMALE JUSTICE IN AMERICA WHEN: Thursday, November 7, Doors: 7:30pm, Program: 8pm WHERE: Jerome Green Hall, Columbia Law School, 435 W 116 St, NYC TICKETS: $10 general admission* Purchase here > *Student tickets are available for free, please email rsvp@vday.org click on the Poster —>

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Why We Passed the Affordable Care Act in the First Place

11/04/2013 Nativegrl77

Why We Passed the Affordable Care Act in the First Place

Friends,

Earlier this week, President Obama joined Governor Deval Patrick in Boston to talk about why we passed the Affordable Care Act in the first place. The President believes that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care, and no one should ever go broke just because they get sick.

On Wednesday, Vice President Biden and actress Mariska Hargitay, visited the National Domestic Violence Hotline Center in Austin, Texas in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please read below for more information and a powerful video from the Vice President’s trip.

And on Thursday, speaking to 1,000 business leader from nearly 60 countries at the Select USA Investment Summit, President Obama reminded us that “There’s no substitute for those three proud words: ‘Made in America.’” Read more about the President’s work to bring jobs to the United States through increased business investment here.

And in case you missed it, Sesame Street’s Elmo and Rosalita joined First Lady Michelle Obama to promote fresh food choices for kids here at the White House. Be sure to read below for more on their great visit.

Thank you for all that you do!

White House Council on Women & Girls

Why We Passed the Affordable Care Act in the First Place

Earlier this week, President Obama spoke at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

The state’s progressive vision of universal coverage and the conservative idea of market competition are what formed the blueprint for Obamacare: that everyone should have access to quality, affordable health care, and no one should ever go broke just because they get sick.

And we’re seeing the benefits of reform extended nationally: According to a new report this week, nearly half of single, uninsured Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 can get coverage for $50 or less, often lower than the cost of their cable bill. That comes on top of the new benefits — including free preventive services like mammograms, and a prohibition against denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Read the full post from Senior Advisor David Simas here and the President’s full remarkshere.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks regarding the Affordable Care Act, at Faneuil Hall in Boston, Mass., Oct. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Vice President Biden Visits the National Domestic Violence Hotline

On Wednesday, Vice President Biden visited the National Domestic Violence Hotline to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Vice President Biden created the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 (VAWA) and has long championed the cause of ending domestic violence. The Vice President was accompanied by actress Mariska Hargitay, a key advocate working against abuse. Together Vice President Biden and Mariska toured the Hotline, met with frontline advocates, and observed these life-saving services in action.

You can read more and watch a powerful video from the Vice President’s visit here.

Vice President Joe Biden and Mariska Hargitay watch as an advocate demonstrates the new web chat feature, at the National Domestic Violence Hotline, in Austin, Texas, Oct. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

Elmo and Rosita Join First Lady Michelle Obama to Promote Fresh Food Choices for Kids

First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by Sesame Street’s Elmo and Rosita to announce that Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) in a two-year agreement to help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption to kids, making those healthy choices a little easier for busy parents and families to make.

Click here for more!

First Lady Michelle Obama, with Sesame Street Muppets Elmo and Rosita, makes a “Let’s Move!” announcement about marketing healthier foods to children, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Oct. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Get Updates

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End ENDA

11/04/2013 Nativegrl77

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“Kimya has a master’s degree in social work and nearly two decades of experience in the field. She was the manager of a unit of a long-term care facility for sufferers of Alzheimer’s and dementia. She enjoyed her job, and was good at it, but suffered through nearly a year of threatening messages, vandalism to her car and slurs uttered in the halls. In 2003, she was fired, her supervisors telling her, “This would not be happening if you were not a lesbian.” Kimya sought out legal help, but quickly learned that nothing in Michigan law protected her from being fired because of her sexual orientation.”1

Michigan isn’t the only state where Kimya wouldn’t be protected from blatant discrimination – in 29 states total, there is no law which explicitly protects a gay, lesbian, or bisexual person from being fired just because of who they are, and the same is true in 33 states for transgender people. But on Monday, the Senate will vote to change that.

On Monday evening, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would provide explicit nationwide employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. We need this law. People in every state deserve equal protection under the law regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Take action today: Urge your senators to vote for ENDA!

Current federal law already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability – that’s why it’s illegal for an employer to fire a woman solely because of her gender or refuse to hire someone solely because of her age or religion, for example. However, there is no clear federal law barring workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

AAUW’s member-adopted Public Policy Program is clear: “AAUW opposes all forms of discrimination and supports constitutional protection for the civil rights of all individuals.” No one should be discriminated against in the workplace, and ENDA will protect that right to be free from discrimination at work.

ENDA is a bipartisan bill that would provide clarification that LGBT Americans have the same protections that have covered other classes of persons for decades. ENDA does not create, or imply, any rights for LGBT employees that every other employee doesn’t already have. Additionally, religious employers are completely exempted from the requirements of the bill, and other employers or employees who have religious objections are not forced to change their views or beliefs.

Hardworking Americans should not be kept from supporting their families and making a positive contribution to the economic life of our nation because of characteristics that have no bearing whatsoever on their ability to do a job. The time has long since come to end this injustice for LGBT Americans and pass ENDA.

This is our chance to make sure our senators stand up for civil rights. Take action before Monday’s vote: Urge your senators to pass ENDA!

1 Story provided by the Human Rights Campaign