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mondaish Monday

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

079 Capitol Hill United States Congress 1993 (Photo credit: David Holt London)

just another rant …

It’s the middle of April , technically spring, the last day to file taxes, but some Americans are still battling snow or summer like temperature while others hear birds chirping and it feels like spring , though if you live on the left coast …. It still feels like fall.

The weather is like politics …right, seemingly straight forward with designated seasons only to find as the years progress, little bumps appear that turn into malicious masses and in spite of it those who happen to be addicted to politics like so many wait to see when and where the sequester hammer will fall. Though the sequester is only about a month old the media seems to have moved on to sizing up how Hillary will do against the various Republicans wanting to be King; I mean President.

If you did not know better and took what the media spews as the truth, it seemed as if we were closer to 2016 than the beginning of President Obama’s 2^nd term. Telling viewers that gun safety legislation was more than impossible and a filibuster was imminent; then President Obama gave a fabulous speech with families of victims of gun violence standing with President Obama in support of better gun safety laws. This led Newtown families to be advocates for their and our futures asking that members of Congress to do their jobs and let the debate on gun reform happen on the floor of the Senate and the first test vote to move forward and debate Gun Reform was taken on the Senate floor and passed 68 -31. Unfortunately, two Democratic Senators decided to side with Republicans and while gun reform seems like a no brainer to me we should give props to anyone for their bipartisan efforts to move gun laws into the 21^st Century.

Now, the media focus still seems to want viewers to accept that nothing positive can be done in Congress and we hear all their skepticism they have leaped frogged from 2016 elections to the pushing public cynicism on all that is on the Congressional calendar. Yet, this is the time that voters, people who have friend’s family or co-workers fallen victim to gun violence make calls to a Republican member of the House

This week, in Congress the political games are just about to begin; the so-called debates heated and the word filibuster will probably make its way into even the youngest members of our society’s vocabulary, but as Margaret’s Mead said fits …

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

Black History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

:::::: CONGRESS :::::: S.649

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands in adjournment until 2:00pm on Monday, April 15, 2013.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
At 5:00pm on Monday, April 15^th, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #21, Beverly Reid O’Connell– to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California with up to 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time (approximately 5:30pm), there will be a roll call vote on confirmation of the O’Connell nomination.
The Senate will continue to consider S.649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 during the week of April 15^th.

5:39pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #21, the nomination of Beverly Reid O’Connell, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California;

Confirmed: 92-0

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTE

1) Confirmation of Executive Calendar #21, the nomination of Beverly Reid O’Connell, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Confirmed: 92-0

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Began the Rule 14 process of S.729, the Disarm Criminals and Protect Communities Act. (Cruz)

Began the Rule 14 process of S.730, the Firearm Straw Purchasing and Trafficking Prevention Act. (Cruz)

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

*******************************************************************

April 2013
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

*******************************************************

Last Floor Action:
2:38:04 P.M. – The House adjourned. 4/12/2013

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on April 15, 2013.

12:00:40 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
12:00:50 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable George Holding to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
12:01:00 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.
12:13:22 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.
2:00:25 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of April 15.
2:00:34 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
2:01:38 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
2:01:43 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Wilson of SC to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
2:02:17 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.
2:12:20 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for approximately 5:00 P.M. today.

5:01:29 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of April 15.
5:01:35 P.M.		The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.
5:02:13 P.M.	H.R. 1162	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 1162 — “To amend title 31, United States Code, to make improvements in the Government Accountability Office.”
5:02:25 P.M.	H.R. 1162	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:02:26 P.M.	H.R. 1162	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1162.

5:11:36 P.M.	H.R. 1162	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.
5:12:09 P.M.	H.R. 1246	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. H.R. 1246 — “To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to provide that the District of Columbia Treasurer or one of the Deputy Chief Financial Officers of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia may perform the functions and duties of the Office in an acting capacity if there is a vacancy in the Office.”
5:12:25 P.M.	H.R. 1246	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:12:27 P.M.	H.R. 1246	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1246.
5:28:05 P.M.	H.R. 1246	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
5:28:10 P.M.	H.R. 1246	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
5:28:38 P.M.	H.R. 882	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 882 — “To prohibit the awarding of a contract or grant in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee has no seriously delinquent tax debts, and for other purposes.”
5:28:48 P.M.	H.R. 882	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:28:50 P.M.	H.R. 882	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 882.
5:45:52 P.M.	H.R. 882	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.
5:46:23 P.M.	H.R. 249	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. H.R. 249 — “To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that persons having seriously delinquent tax debts shall be ineligible for Federal employment.”
5:46:32 P.M.	H.R. 249	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:46:33 P.M.	H.R. 249	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 249.
6:19:08 P.M.		The House received a message from the Senate. The Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 8.
6:19:51 P.M.	H.R. 249	DEBATE – The House resumed with debate on H.R. 249.
6:32:25 P.M.	H.R. 249	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.
6:32:38 P.M.	H.R. 1162	in the Government Accountability Office.”
6:57:49 P.M.	H.R. 1162	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 408 – 0 (Roll no. 103).
6:57:50 P.M.	H.R. 1162	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
7:00:00 P.M.		MOMENT OF SILENCE – The Chair led the House in observing a moment of silence for the victims in Boston.
7:01:11 P.M.	H.R. 882	Considered as unfinished business.
7:08:01 P.M.	H.R. 882	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays (2/3 required): 407 – 0 (Roll no. 104).
7:08:30 P.M.	H.R. 882	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
7:08:47 P.M.	H.R. 249	Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 249 — “To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that persons having seriously delinquent tax debts shall be ineligible for Federal employment.”
7:16:46 P.M.	H.R. 249	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 250 – 159 (Roll no. 105).
7:17:14 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.
7:26:08 P.M.		SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.
8:55:04 P.M.		Ms. Frankel (FL) moved that the House do now adjourn.
8:55:44 P.M.		On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.
8:55:45 P.M.		The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on April 16, 2013.

——————————————————————————————-

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The time is NOW ~ Gun Reform Reduces Gun Violence

04/12/2013 Nativegrl77

David Simas Deputy Senior Advisor

Hello, all –For the first time since the 1990s, Congress might be on track to pass legislation aimed at reducing gun violence in the United States. And it’s because folks in Washington are starting to understand that the rest of the country isn’t going to sit by and let them ignore this issue. Your voices are the reason we have a chance to win this debate. The American people expect and demand a yes or no vote.But this is a critical moment. It’s been almost four months since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, thousands more Americans have died at the hands of gun violence, and time is on the side of those who would prefer that we do nothing.We want to make sure that your voices are impossible to ignore. So we’re asking people from all over the country to speak out online in concert — all at the same time. Will you join us?

Pledge to speak out about the need to reduce gun violence.

It’s easy to participate. Over the next few days, anyone can sign up to tweet or share a message to Facebook. Through that time, we’ll gather up as many people as we can. Then we’ll make sure that all these individual messages get posted together in the same moment for maximum effect.

That wave of social media will get seen by millions and millions of people.

We’re talking about common-sense reforms. Like the idea that any of us who want to buy a gun should have to go through a background check first — which 90 percent of Americans support.

So let’s make sure that there’s absolutely no confusion about the public consensus.

Pledge to speak out with us, and then forward this email to your family and friends:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/now-is-the-time/action

Thanks!

David

David Simas
Deputy Senior Advisor
The White House

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Now Is The Time …

04/12/2013 Nativegrl77

In January, President Obama proposed a series of executive actions to help keep our kids and communities safe — and put forward a set of commonsense proposals for Congress to consider that can make a real difference in protecting our citizens from gun violence.

As Washington debates this issue, let’s make sure the voices of the American people are impossible to ignore.

Make your voice heard by joining the White House call for action on social media.

Click on graphic below for more information

The Gun Debate

04/12/2013 Nativegrl77

By ThinkProgress War Room

Myths & Facts About Background Checks

This morning, the Senate took one of its most bipartisan major votes in years when senators voted 68-31 to begin debating a package of gun violence prevention measures. Despite being supported by more than 90 percent of all Americans and nearly as many gun-owning Americans, the National Rifle Association’s implacable opposition to common sense solutions has rendered expanded background checks controversial in Congress.

Here’s your ThinkProgress guide to the myths and facts around the policy at the center of the Senate gun violence prevention bill:

MYTH	REALITY
Background checks are ineffective and restrictive.Checks “would significantly restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans while doing little or nothing to protect against further gun violence.” [Sen. Mike Lee,4/9/2013]	Ninety percent of background checks can be completed in less than two minutes and the Manchin-Toomey proposal would expedite the process. Under the amendment, if a background check at a gun show does not result in a definitive response within 48 hours, the sale may proceed. After four years, the background check would be required to be conducted in 24 hours. Background checks have already contributed to violence reduction. In the 14 states and Washington D.C. that require background checks for private handgun sales (including Toomey’s home state of Pennsylvania): 38 percent fewer women are shot to death by intimate partners, 17 percent fewer firearms are involved in aggravated assaults, and 48 percent less gun trafficking.
Criminals will avoid background checks. “My problem with background checks is, you’re never going to get criminals to go through universal background checks.” [Wayne LaPierre, 1/30/2013]	From 1999 to 2009, 1.8 million people were blocked from purchasing guns after failing a background check because they had criminal records or suffered from mental illness. In fact, Seung Hui Cho, the shooter at Virginia Tech and Jared Loughner, who targeted Gabby Giffords, both obtained their guns legally and slipped through the cracksof the existing background check system. The Manchin-Toomey bill addresses this by encouraging states to provide their available records into the federal database and directing future grant money towards creating systems to send records into the database. The bill will also reduce federal funds to states that do not comply.
Background checks will lead to a gun registry. “The Democrats’ proposed legislation would require universal background checks for private sales between law-abiding citizens, which according to DOJ would be effective only if accompanied by a national gun registry. ” [Sen. Ted Cruz, 4/9/2013]	Federally licensed gun dealers have conducted background checks for more than 40 years without ever creating a national gun registry, which federal lawspecifically prohibits. Under this agreement, federal dealers would conduct screenings for private sellers and keep the record; the federal government would not. When a gun is recovered at a violent crime, law enforcement can use the records to track down the perpetrator. All information identifying the buyer generated by the background check would be destroyed by law enforcement within 24 hours. The Manchin-Toomey amendment explicitly bans the federal government from creating a registry in three different places and treats the misuse of records for the pursue of creating a registry as a felony punishable by 15 years in prison. From the legislative language: And:
Background checks wouldn’t have prevented Newtown.“The reality is, when you look at the tragedy of Newtown, nothing that’s been proposed would have any effect on that at all.” [Sen. John Boozman,4/10/2013]	As Toomey admitted during a press conference announcing the measure, background checks will not prevent every gun crime, but they can keep hundreds of thousands of people who shouldn’t have weapons from obtaining them. For instance, it’s estimated that 62 percent of private gun sellers on the Internet and 63 percent of private sellers at gun shows have agreed to sell a firearm to buyers who said they probably couldn’t pass a background check. More than 6.6 million gun sales were transferred in 2012 without a criminal background check and a survey of prisoners who committed crimes with handguns found nearly 80 percent of them acquired their firearm from a person who was not a licensed dealer.
Obama isn’t prosecuting people who fail background checks. “[T]he Obama Administration has failed to make this a priority — in 2010, out of more than 15,700 fugitives and felons who tried to illegally purchase a firearm, the Obama Justice Department prosecuted only 44.” [Sen. Ted Cruz,3/28/2013]	Federal firearm prosecutions has remained steady, varying by no more than 5 percent each year, data from the Department of Justice reveals. Republicans and the NRA specifically cherry pick prosecutions for background checks to imply that the Obama administration has stopped enforcing existing law, though it has gone after gun-related crimes at the same rate as its predecessors.Law enforcement officials often see these cases as a poor use of resources because prosecutors must prove that “the person knew they were lying when they tried to purchase the firearm” in order to secure a conviction which “usually carries a maximum sentence of just six months.”
Obama isn’t enforcing the laws on the books. “It’s not about new gun laws; it’s about enforcing the ones we have.” [Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), 4/4/2013]	The laws on the books are inadequate. Criminals and mentally ill individuals can buy guns at gun shows or online and many who go through a federally licensed dealer often slip through the cracks because states are not putting records into the NICS system. In fact, following the Newtown tragedy, the NRA successfully attached riders to the resolution funding the government through September that limited enforcement tools against crooked dealers and interfered with ATF gun trace reports. That’s why the Manchin-Toomey bill expands checks and improves the existing system.
Background checks are an invasion of privacy. “You just worry that you’re going to see searches of the databases and an expansion for purposes that were not intended when the information was collected.” [ACLU, 4/4/2013]	Federally licensed gun dealers have successfully performed millions of background checks without violating personal privacy and Americans disclose personal information to the DMV or the IRS and their data is successfully walled off from nefarious uses.