Tag Archives: California

Congress: In Session on 2/14 -The Senate & The Republican led House


the Senate Covenes at 2:00pmET  February 14, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of S.223, the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization bill.

At 4:30pm, the Senate will turn to Executive session to consider the following nominations:

– Calendar #1, James E. Graves, of Mississippi, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit; and

– Calendar #5, Edward J. Davila, of California, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California.

There will be 1 hour for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order listed.

At 5:30pm, there will be a voice vote on the Graves nomination and a roll call vote on the Davila nomination.

The following amendments are pending to S.223:

– Wicker amendment #14, as modified (Excludes TSA from collective bargaining)

– Blunt amendment #5 (private screening company)

– Paul #21 (reduce authorization for FAA to FY2008 levels)

– Wyden #27 (increase test sites for unmanned aerial vehicles)

Inhofe amendment #6 (liability protection to volunteer pilots)

– Inhofe amendment #7 (flight time limitations/rest requirements)

– Ensign amendment #32 (military remotely piloted aerial systems)

McCain amendment #4 (Essential Air Service)

– Leahy amendment #50 (liability protection for volunteer pilots)

– Reid amendment #54 (noise buffering)

– Reid #55 (Convey federal land to Mesquite, NV)

– Udall (NM) #49 (Dona Ana County airport)

– Udall (NM) #51 (Advanced Imaging Technology)

– Nelson (NE) #58 (criminal penalties for distribution of airport screening x-rays)

– Paul amendment #18 (Memorandum of understanding re: OSHA)

– Baucus amendment #75, as modified (Finance title)

There will be no further roll call votes tonight.

Votes:

15: Confirmation of Edward J. Davila, of California, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California; Confirmed: 93-0

Unanimous Consent:

S.Res.49, celebrating Black History Month

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

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF FEBRUARY 14, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

7:25 P.M. –

SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

7:11 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

7:09 P.M. –

On approving the Journal Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 352 – 59, 3 Present (Roll no. 37).

H.R. 514:

to extend expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 relating to access to business records, individual terrorists as agents of foreign powers, and roving wiretaps until December 8, 2011

7:03 P.M. –

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

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 275 – 144 (Roll no. 36).

6:54 P.M. –

On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 186 – 234 (Roll no. 35).

6:33 P.M. –

The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.

6:24 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with ten minutes of debate on the motion to recommit with instructions. Pending the reservation of a point of order, subsequently the reservation was withdrawn.

6:22 P.M. –

Mr. Thompson (CA) moved to recommit with instructions to Judiciary.

Mr. Thompson (CA) moved to recommit the bill, H.R. 514, to the Committee on the Judiciary with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: ¢ At the end of section 1, add the follwing new subsection: ¢ (c) COMPLIANCE WITH CONSTITUTION. — ***

6:21 P.M. –

The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

5:13 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 514.

Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 514 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. Bill is closed to amendments. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.

Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 79.

5:11 P.M. –

The Speaker laid before the House a message from the President transmitting his Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2012 – referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 112-3).

5:10 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 a sealed envelope from the White House on February 14, 2011 at 2:35 p.m. which is said to contain a message from the President whereby he submits his Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2012.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 14.

2:06 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

2:03 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

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

2:02 P.M. –

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS ON APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – The Chair announced that he had examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and had approved it. Mr. Schock demanded that the question be put on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal and by voice vote, the Chair announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Schock demanded the Yeas and Nays and the Chair announced that further proceedings on the question of agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal would be postponed until later in the legislative day.

2:00 P.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Daniel Coughlin.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 14.

12:08 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.

12:02 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.

12:01 P.M. –

The Speaker designated the Honorable Rob Bishop to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

12:00 P.M. –

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

Congress:the Senate is in SESSION on 2/14 -the Republican led House 2/11


The Senate Covenes at  2:00pmET February 14, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of S.223, the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization bill.

At 4:30pm, the Senate will turn to Executive session to consider the following nominations:

– Calendar #1, James E. Graves, of Mississippi, to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit; and

– Calendar #5, Edward J. Davila, of California, to be a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California.

There will be 1 hour for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order listed.

At 5:30pm, there will be a voice vote on the Graves nomination and a roll call vote on the Davila nomination. Senators should expect additional roll call votes in relation to amendments to the FAA bill Monday evening.

—————————————-

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 9:00amET on February 11, 2011.

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF FEBRUARY 11, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

7:08 P.M. –

The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on February 14, 2011.

On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.

Mr. Bishop (UT) moved that the House do now adjourn.

7:07 P.M. –

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 11.

2:10 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

2:04 P.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

2:03 P.M. –

Mr. Campbell asked unanimous consent That when the House adjourns on Friday, February 11, 2011, it adjourn to meet at 12 p.m. on Monday, February 14, 2011, for Morning-Hour Debate. Agreed to without objection.

1:58 P.M. –

On approving the Journal Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 344 – 50, 1 Present (Roll no. 34).

H. Res. 72:

directing certain standing committees to inventory and review existing, pending, and proposed regulations and orders from agencies of the Federal Government, particularly with respect to their effect on jobs and economic growth

1:50 P.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by recorded vote: 391 – 28 (Roll no. 33).

1:33 P.M. –

On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 178 – 242 (Roll no. 32).

1:10 P.M. –

The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection.

1:09 P.M. –

The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the resolution to be reported back to the House forthwith with an amendment adding a new section directing committees to place a high priority on preserving the standards that ensure the safety of the Nation’s food supply, safe drinking water, and the safety of children’s toys.

Mr. Carnahan moved to recommit with instructions to Rules.

1:08 P.M. –

The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

9:13 A.M. –

DEBATE – The Chair announced that when consideration of H.Res. 72 was postponed on Thursday, February 10, 2011, 4 hours of debate remained on the resolution, with 3 hours equally divided and controlled by the chairs and ranking minority members of the Committees on the Judiciary, Agriculture, and Oversight and Government Reform, and 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Majority and Minority Leader or their designees.

Considered as unfinished business.

9:03 A.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

9:02 A.M. –

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

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS ON APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – The Chair announced that he had examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and had approved it. Mr. Poe (TX) demanded that the question be put on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal and by voice vote, the Chair announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Poe objected to the voice vote based upon the absence of a quorum and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of agreeing to the approval of the Journal until later in the legislative day. The point of no quorum was considered as withdrawn.

9:01 A.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Daniel Coughlin.

9:00 A.M. –

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

RepowerAmerica.org


Pledge to call your Senator

This year was an important year for the climate movement.

This year we proved that when we work together, we can be a powerful force for change in this country. Although we did not achieve what we needed to at the federal level, cities and states across the country continue to take important actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When this progress was threatened in California with the Prop 23 ballot initiative, we stepped forward and said no. And together we succeeded.

This year people, businesses and institutions all over the United States stood up and demonstrated their commitment to a clean energy future. For some people this was as simple as making one everyday decision that was more climate-friendly. Other people stepped forward and became climate leaders in their communities and their businesses and their governments. All of this together has an important impact that should never be underestimated.

We must carry this momentum forward into 2011, and your support today can help us do this.

http://acp.repoweramerica.org/2011shirt-d1

Make no mistake: We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Solving the climate crisis is not something we will do easily or overnight. But we have to do it. And we are doing it.

Whether its corporate action to adopt sustainable models of doing business, or a community initiative to make an elementary school more energy efficient, the change we need is happening all around us already. But we need to accelerate this change and bring it to scale.

At the end of the day, global-scale solutions will require us to change our laws and policies. But we should not lose sight of these small victories that create the roadmap to action at a much broader level.

Support Repower America with a donation of $25 or more before midnight on December 31 and help lay the foundation for continued successes in 2011.

Next year, each one of us needs to be a leader of the climate movement. Each one of us needs to demonstrate the courage and the commitment that it’s going to take to get this done.

And if we make this choice to do this work together, I have no doubt that we can and will succeed.

Best wishes in the New Year,

Al Gore

Decide which T-shirt we should make


Repower America is designing a T-shirt and you don’t have to be a fashion expert to weigh in. We’ve narrowed it down to two choices. Which one is your favorite?

Cast your vote by Tuesday at midnight for the T-shirt you want to see Repower America supporters wear in 2011.

Vote for your favorite Repower America shirt

Whether you’re part of the climate movement because you want to save money on your electricity bill or because you want to save the planet for your grandchildren, you know it’s important for supporters to come together in 2011. Climate deniers and the fossil fuel industry are emboldened, and it’s up to us to show that we will keep standing strong.

The truth is, we’re already winning this fight. Electric utilities and other corporations are taking steps to reduce their emissions. Windmills and solar panels are dotting the landscape from coast to coast. And more and more car owners are shopping for fuel-efficient vehicles.

What we need now is a way for supporters everywhere to send a clear and powerful message: We’ve got momentum behind us, and we won’t be denied our clean energy future.

That’s why Repower America is rolling out a new T-shirt exclusively for Repower America members. And we’re counting on supporters like you to help us select the best one.

Decide which T-shirt we should make. Vote here:

http://acp.repoweramerica.org/yourshirt

The climate movement has always been in your hands. Now, it’s time for you to decide how to move it forward in the weeks and months ahead.

Thanks for getting involved,

Dave Boundy
Campaign Manager
Repower America

Free Sex Trafficking Victim Sara Kruzan


Change.org Weekly November 08 – November 15
TOP ACTIONS THIS WEEK
 

Help Stop Wage Theft – Workers Should Get the Pay They’ve Earned

by Interfaith Worker Justice

Sign the Petition »

 

Help the Final Push to Repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Before Anti-Equality Lawmakers Take Control

by Human Rights Campaign

Sign the Petition »

 

Tell Boehner: We’re Watching You. Don’t Attack Our Right to Choose.

by NARAL Pro-Choice America

Sign the Petition »

THIS WEEK on CHANGE.ORG

Free Sex Trafficking Victim Sara Kruzan

Plus: Deporting Disabled ChildrenPolice Threaten Rape VictimHalliburton Fracking ControversyFighting Racist MascotsRecovering from Wrongful Imprisonment

At Change.org, we encounter a lot of stories of tragedy, injustice and triumph. None is more heart-wrenching than the story of Sara Kruzan.

Sara, who was once her elementary school’s student body president, met the man who would become her pimp when she was just 11. After acting as the father figure she never had for two years, he raped Sara at age 13 and trafficked her into the commercial sex trade.

For the next 3 years, from 6pm to 6am, strangers would pay Sara’s pimp to rape her and other adolescent girls he recruited and preyed upon.

Finally, physically and psychologically traumatized, Sara snapped. She shot and killed her pimp.

Her punishment? Life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentence was handed down by a judge in 1994 against the recommendation of the California Youth Authority, and before there was much awareness about the violence of child trafficking or an appreciation for the trauma of adolescent sexual and physical abuse.

The sentence was extreme and unjust. And it can now be overturned by one man: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Governor Schwarzenegger is leaving office at the end of the year, and will soon be considering clemency petitions. In response, there is a grassroots movement building to call on Governor Schwarzenegger to commute Sara’s sentence to time served.

Join the movement to ask Governor Schwarzenegger to free Sara Kruzan now.

Tragically, the sexual exploitation Sara suffered is not unique. But what makes her case especially poignant is not just the injustice of her life sentence, but her response.

Rather than descend in hopelessness, Sara has found redemption in jail and become an inspiration to all those around her. She has graduated from high school, is on her way to completing her college degree, and started the prison’s Committee for Youth to serve as a mentor to younger women. She was recently voted “Woman of the Year” at her prison.

However, without intervention from Governor Schwarzenegger, Sara will likely die in prison.

Don’t let this happen. Sara has more than paid her debt to society with 16 years of incarceration. It’s time to set her free.

Call on Governor Schwarzenegger to free Sara Kruzan now.

For more information on Sara’s case, click here. And for more news and opportunities for action from this week in change, see the summaries from your favorite causes below.

Deporting Disabled Children in IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

Hee Chun Kang’s parents are legal permanent residents who came to the United States when their son was 10. But he and his brother face deportation to Korea because of the snail’s pace of the immigration system: by the time the Kang parents received green cards, their children had turned 21 and aged-out of the family petition. Hee Chun also has Down syndrome, so he needs the support of his family looking after him, something he can’t get in Korea. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent on tearing children in need from their parents. Read more »

Police Threaten Rape Victim in WOMEN’S RIGHTS

A South Carolina woman who reported being raped by a Marion police officer was subject to another assault when the officers who responded to her call threatened to put her in jail if she didn’t recant her story. Instead, they forced her to write the following: “Though I didn’t agree or consent to it (it) was not rape.” Non-consensual sex is rape – there’s no getting around it. And while the accused rapist has thankfully been sent on leave, the two officers who threatened to throw the victim in jail are sitting pretty. These officers need to be suspended for gross police misconduct pending investigation before they harass any other victims. Read more »

Halliburton Fracking Controversy in ENVIRONMENT

To help the EPA complete the first-ever federal health and safety study of the dangerous gas drilling practice called “fracking,” 8 of 9 gas companies have voluntarily complied with a request to disclose their chemical brews. These formulas are a secret in the first place because Dick Cheney pushed through a provision called the “Halliburton loophole” in 2005. Take a wild guess which of the nine companies now won’t pony up the data. Halliburton wants us to trust it with our health. Will we say yes? Read more »

Fighting Racist Mascots in EDUCATION

The University of Illinois retired Chief Illiniwek, the college’s costumed, dancing Native American mascot, in 2007 after pressure from the NCAA. But more than three years later, his ghost remains on campus. The administration has not named a new mascot and students still stage unofficial “chief” rallies, resurrecting a caricature that Native American groups have found offensive, racist and misleading. A coalition of student and community groups is pushing for a new mascot, saying this will help heal racial tensions and allow the campus to move on. Read more »

Recovering from Wrongful Imprisonment in CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Gloria Killian spent more than 16 years behind bars for a murder she didn’t commit, a victim of prosecutorial misconduct and admittedly false testimony from a man who had struck a deal with the state for a shorter sentence. Her conviction overturned in 2002, Killian has gone on to campaign on behalf of other women unjustly imprisoned. But her activism is not a choice, she tells Change.org. “I’m compelled to do it,” she says. “If I don’t use my experience to help the women that I left behind, then that means my life was destroyed for no reason, and I’m not about to let that happen.” Read more »

Have a great week, 

– The Change.org Team