The Senate Convenes: 9:30amET June 10, 2010

EPA/Green House Gas Emission/Clean Air Act -possible votes

Following any leader remarks, the Senate will turn to the motion to proceed to S.J.Res. 26, a joint resolution disapproving a rule submitted by the EPA relating to the endangerment finding and the cause or contributing findings for greenhouse gases. There will be 6 hours for debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Boxer and Murkowski, or their designees. The time beginning at 9:45am will be controlled in 30 minute alternating blocks of time, with Senator Murkowski controlling the first block of time.

If all time is used, the vote on the motion to proceed to S.J.Res, 26 would occur at approximately 3:45pm.

If the motion is successful, there would be up to 1 hour for debate prior to a vote on the joint resolution.

Votes:
184: Motion to Proceed to S.J.Res. 26, a joint resolution disapproving a rule submitted by the EPA relating to the endangerment finding and the cause or contributing findings for greenhouse gases;
Not Agreed To: 47-53

Unanimous Consent:
Passed H.R.3360 the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (with a Rockefeller substitute amendment)

Adopted S.Res.550, a resolution designating the week beginning on June 14, 2010 and ending on June 18, 2010, as “National Health Information Technology Week”

The Senate confirmed the following nominations:

Calendar #932–Coast Guard promotions to Rear Admiral:

– Rear Adm. (1h) Joseph R. Castillo;
– Rear Adm. (1h) Daniel R. May;
– Rear Adm. (1h) Roy A. Nash;
– Rear Adm. (1h) Peter F. Neffenger;
– Rear Adm. (1h) Charles W. Ray;
– Rear Adm. (1h)Keith A. Taylor;

– Secretary’s Desk–promotions in Coast Guardand NOAA

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 10:00amET June 10, 2010

FHA Mortgage/Premiums/cont forbearance for victims of Chinese dry wall /Amendment was agreed to –Republicans against the cap/tax

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JUNE 10, 2010
111TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION

H.R. 5072:

to improve the financial safety and soundness of the FHA mortgage insurance program

2:22 P.M. –

On passage Roll Call 353 – Recorded vote pending.On agreeing to the Frank (MA) amendment Agreed to by voice vote.

Amendment offered by Mr. Frank (MA).

2:21 P.M. –

On motion to recommit with instructions Agreed to by voice vote.The previous question was ordered without objection.

2:13 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Lee (NY) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to report the same back to the House with an amendment to 1.) prohibit mortgage insurance for borrowers with strategic defaults; and 2.) prohibit bailout of FHA program with taxpayer dollars.

2:12 P.M. –

Mr. Lee (NY) moved to recommit with instructions to Financial Services.

The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.

2:11 P.M. –

The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 5072.

2:10 P.M. –

On agreeing to the Maffei amendment Agreed to by recorded vote: (Roll No. 352).

2:04 P.M. –

On agreeing to the Edwards (TX) amendment Agreed to by recorded vote: (Roll No. 351).

1:57 P.M. –

On agreeing to the Turner amendment Failed by recorded vote: (Roll No. 350).

1:50 P.M. –

On agreeing to the Price (GA) amendment Failed by recorded vote: (Roll No. 349).

1:40 P.M. –

On agreeing to the Garrett (NJ) amendment Failed by recorded vote: (Roll No. 348).

1:28 P.M. –

On agreeing to the Waters amendment Agreed to by recorded vote: (Roll No. 347).

1:00 P.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Maffei amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Maffei demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

12:59 P.M. –

Amendment offered by Mr. Maffei.

An amendment numbered 13 printed in House Report 111-503 to state that no funds authorized under the act may be used to pay the salary of an employee who has been officially disciplined for viewing, downloading, or exchanging pornography (including child pornography) on a Federal Government computer or while performing official Federal Government duties.

12:55 P.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Edwards amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Edwards demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

12:52 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Edwards amendment.

12:51 P.M. –

Amendment offered by Mr. Edwards (TX).

An amendment numbered 12 printed in House Report 111-503 to require individuals to certify that they have not been convicted of a sex offense against a minor in order to get an FHA mortgage.

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

12:48 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Nye amendment.

12:47 P.M. –

Amendment offered by Mr. Nye.

An amendment numbered 11 printed in House Report 111-503 to instruct the Federal Housing Administration to continue the Special Forbearance program, as it relates to Chinese Drywall, until the end of FY 2011.

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

12:43 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Clarke amendment.

12:42 P.M. –

Amendment offered by Ms. Clarke.

An amendment numbered 10 printed in House Report 111-503 to direct the GAO to include in its FHA report an analysis on the effectiveness of HUD’s loss mitigation home retention options in assisting individuals, particularly low income borrowers, in avoiding home foreclosure for mortgages.

12:41 P.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Turner amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Turner demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

12:30 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Turner amendment.Amendment offered by Mr. Turner.

An amendment numbered 9 printed in House Report 111-503 to repeal the emergency authority that allows the FHA to insure loans up to $720,000 in certain high cost areas. The amendment would create a maximum loan limit of $500,000 for a single family unit and a percentage of the same ratio for 2-, 3- or 4-family residences.

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

12:24 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Weiner amendment.Amendment offered by Mr. Weiner.

An amendment numbered 8 printed in House Report 111-503 to increase loan limits for the construction or rehabilitation of multifamily housing with elevators including rentals, cooperatives, condominiums to ensure that they represent today’s construction costs. Would create an `extremely high cost area’ category for FHA Multifamily Insurance for those areas, similar to those in Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands.

12:23 P.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Price (GA) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Price (GA) demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

12:12 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Price (GA) amendment.

12:11 P.M. –

Amendment offered by Mr. Price (GA).

An amendment numbered 7 printed in House Report 111-503 to cap the number of mortgages the FHA can issue to 10% of total loans originated in the U.S. each year. Within 90 days of enactment, FHA must submit a plan to Congress to roll back FHA market share to 10% of loans originated each year by 2012.

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

12:04 P.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Tierney amendment.

12:03 P.M. –

Amendment offered by Mr. Tierney.

An amendment numbered 6 printed in House Report 111-503 to direct the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide mortgage insurance premium refunds to eligible borrowers of FHA insured loans, which were closed prior to December 8, 2004, but which were not endorsed until December 8, 2004 or after that date, and; (2) authorize such sums as may be necessary for such refunds.

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Garrett (NJ) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Garrett (NJ) demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

11:50 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Garrett (NJ) amendment.Amendment offered by Mr. Garrett (NJ).

An amendment numbered 5 printed in House Report 111-503 to raise the FHA down payment requirement from 3.5% to 5% and prohibit closing costs from being rolled in as well.

11:49 A.M. –

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

11:42 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Bean amendment.Amendment offered by Ms. Bean.

An amendment numbered 4 printed in House Report 111-503 to require HUD to submit an annual report to Congress discussing proposed or actual increases in the minimum cash investment requirements (downpayment requirements) in the FHA program. It further gives HUD the authority to establish higher minimum cash investment requirements for all or class(es) of borrowers and requires HUD to take into consideration the findings of the annual report.

11:41 A.M. –

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

11:38 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Cao amendment.

11:37 A.M. –

Amendment offered by Mr. Cao.

An amendment numbered 3 printed in House Report 111-503 to include information about credit risk and financial counseling services to mortgagors in addition to the housing and loan modification information currently included in the bill.

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

11:31 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Cardoza amendment.Amendment offered by Mr. Cardoza.

An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 111-503 to prioritize foreclosure counseling services to areas of the country that have been the hardest-hit by the housing crisis.

11:30 A.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – At the conclusion of debate on the Waters amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Ms. Waters demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

11:26 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 1424, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Waters amendment.Amendment offered by Ms. Waters.

An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 111-503 to provide for various technical corrections, make modifications to the GAO report in section 15 of the bill, provide that the Secretary may increase loan limits for micropolitan counties surrounded by higher cost areas and experiencing significant growth, and address documentation standards for FHA loans.

11:25 A.M. –

The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.Considered as unfinished business.

S. 3473:

to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to authorize advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

11:24 A.M. –

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.

10:28 A.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 3473.Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Oberstar moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

10:27 A.M. –

The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.

10:05 A.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches, which by direction of the Chair would be limited to 10 per side of the aisle.

10:04 A.M. –

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Ms. Foxx to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

10:03 A.M. –

The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.

10:01 A.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by Bishop Miles Fowler, Big Miller Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Lithonia, Georgia

10:00 A.M. –

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

Now let’s keep the pressure on and send the loudest message possible to other Big Oil protecting Republicans: It’s time to ge t serious about ending our addiction to oil. It’s time to support pending clean energy legislation in Congress.

Your voice will make the difference in this fight.

Thanks,

Jon Vogel
DCCC Executive Director

P.S. One you sign the petition, share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

RELIGION — MUSLIM LEADER RECEIVES SUSPICIOUS WHITE POWDER IN THIRD RECENT ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENT IN JACKSONVILLE, FL: On Monday, a Florida Muslim leader named Joshua Evans was at the center of an anthrax scare, when he received a “tissue stuffed inside with white powder” in the mail. Officials had him go to the hospital for testing, although it was eventually determined that the materials were not a “biological threat.” Still, Evans said that the intent was clearly malicious: “Someone does not wrap a tissue up with powder in it and stuff an envelope and send it to you with good intentions.” Evans used to be a Christian minister before converting to Islam, and he now often attracts controversy for criticizing his former religion. What is even more disturbing about this incident is that it is the third high-profile anti-Islamic incident in the Jacksonville, FL area in recent months. As the Progress Report reported in April, when University of North Florida professor and Fulbright scholar Parvez Ahmed went before the city council for confirmation to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, he had to answer irrelevant questions “about gay marriage, God, Islam and prayer in public places.” Another councilman mocked him for being Muslim and requested that he “say a prayer to your God” during a public hearing. Last month, someone set off a pipe bomb at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida. Although dozens of people were inside, no one was injured. The attack came just a few hours before Ahmed was to attend his first Human Rights Commission meeting. Both Ahmed and Evans worship at that mosque. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) spokesman Ibrahim Hooper told The Progress Report that the three incidents are “related to the overall rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in our society, unfortunately.”

The Progress Report: ThinkProgress.org

Yesterday, President Obama sought to sell the health overhaul law to skeptical seniors, “launching a defense of his presidency’s biggest accomplishment” as the government prepared to release “the first batch of $250 checks to seniors who fall into Medicare’s prescription drug coverage gap, known as the ‘doughnut hole.'” “Each month, as more seniors hit the doughnut hole, more and more checks will hit the mail, helping more than 4 million seniors by the end of this year,” Obama explained. “Now, beginning next year, if you fall into the coverage gap, you’ll get a 50 percent discount on the brand-name medicine that you need — 50 percent. And by 2020 — it’s being phased in, but by 2020 this law will close the doughnut hole completely.” The White House’s pitch comes in the midst of a renewed Republican effort to discredit reform as a costly and unnecessary government takeover of the system. Yesterday, right-wing pundit Bill Kristol launched a new website, ObamaCareWatch.org, and “28 Republican Representatives, including top GOP House leadership,” signed onto an amicus brief “filed in support of Virginia’s constitutional challenge to the law.” As Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said in April, “House Republicans will not rest until we repeal Obama care lock, stock and barrel and replace it with health care reform that will lower the cost of health insurance without growing the size of government.” But as Obama explained yesterday, he will not allow the country to move backwards on reform. Republicans “would roll back the rebate to help you pay for your medicine, if you fall in the doughnut hole. They’d roll back the free preventive care for Medicare recipients,” Obama said. “They would roll back all of the insurance provisions that make sure that insurance companies are not cheating folks who are paying their premiums. … They’d put insurance companies back in charge.” “I refuse to let that happen. We’re not going back. We are going to move forward. That’s why I was elected.”

IMPLEMENTING INSURANCE REFORMS: On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will be freeing up $51 million in grant dollars through the health care law to help states strengthen their premium review programs and prevent insurers from dramatically increasing insurance premiums. While the federal government does not have authority to overturn so-called “unreasonable” premium increases, the law does allow the HHS Secretary to assist states in developing a plan for denying rate hikes or preventing insurers with “unreasonable” hikes from participating in the exchanges. Insurers will be required to submit “a justification for an unreasonable premium increase” to the state insurance commission authority, who then makes the appropriate recommendations “to the State Exchange about whether particular health insurance issuers should be excluded from participation in the Exchange.” Significantly, states will also be required to report their medical loss ratios — “the fraction of premium dollars collected that are actually spent on health services instead of on administrative underwriting, marketing, and capital costs including profits or surpluses or both.” Insurers will have to report their MLR ratios “in the 2010 plan year,” and by 2011, “all commercial insurers will have to meet minimum loss ratio requirements in all markets.” The regulations are designed to prevent insurers from rounding up huge profits before most of the reforms are implemented in 2014. The new law also requires individuals who “have been uninsured for at least six months and who have a serious preexisting condition be eligible to buy an insurance product” in a state-based high-risk insurance pool by the end of the month and the Department has been moving quickly to implement the measure. In April, the Secretary sent a letter to all governors “clarifying her intent to build on existing state programs and make this a joint effort with the states,” 35 of which already have high risk pools in operation. States have the choice of operating their own pools or ceding control of the operation to the federal government, as approximately 19 states have chosen to do.

ESTABLISHING THE EXCHANGES: The high-risk pools are a temporary measure that will serve as a dress rehearsal for the new health insurance exchanges. Although states can opt out of the process, “the new law gives states the clear responsibility of creating their own exchanges and offers them many choices about how to do so.” Jon Kingsdale, who until recently ran the successful Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority in Massachusetts, suggests that exchanges should function as shops for insurance and help customers choose a compatible insurance plan. A purchaser of insurance should be able to “generate rate comparisons for any level of benefits simply by providing his or her date of birth, household size, and ZIP code. These rating rules make it possible to automate insurance pricing and facilitate comparison shopping in an exchange.” But “how many choices to offer, and of what kind, are matters of judgment and consumer preference,” Kingsdale suggests. “Too much choice may confuse consumers and lead to adverse selection. On the other hand, too little choice may conflict with consumers’ preferences and stifle innovation in the design of insurance policies and benefits.” Kingsdale writes that exchanges have to create administrative efficiencies and add transparency to the health care system. “Today, in the absence of exchanges, the  non group and small-group markets offer a bewildering array of benefit choices and crate hurdles to purchasing coverage.” “Many of the functions associated with sales, enrollment, premium billing, and collections could be streamlined through a combination of manual rating and economies of scale,” he predicts.

EXPANDING MEDICAID: About half of the increase in health insurance coverage is expected to come from expanding Medicaid in 2014 “to a new nationwide eligibility threshold of 133 percent of the poverty level — $14,400 for a single adult or $29,300 for a family of four.” Throughout the health reform debate, state governors complained that this requirement amounted to an unfunded mandate, but as Leighton Ku explains in Health Affairs, the federal government will be picking up most of the cost of the expansion. For instance, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the federal government expenditures “will rise above the baseline by $434 billion during the next decade, while states will incur just $20 billion in higher expenditures.” Similarly, a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that “the federal government will bear virtually the entire cost of expanding Medicaid under the new health-care law” and states will be able “reduce payments they make to support uncompensated care costs.” As Ku notes, “some states’ projections of new costs appear to be overstated,” as governors have “not accounted for factors such as the reduced costs of serving the newly eligible.” Moreover, “most economists expect the economy and employment to brighten by 2014, so there should be fewer income-eligible people and higher state revenues than today.” The expansion and increase volume of patient needs will require plans to expand networks and states will have to take steps “to design simple application forms and procedures, including online.