Tag Archives: Democratic Party (United States)

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JANUARY 20, 2011

2:05 P.M. –

The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on January 24, 2011.

On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.

Mr. Wolf moved that the House do now adjourn.

11:47 A.M. –

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

11:45 A.M. –

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

H. Con. Res. 10 : http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/bill-information.php?num=400010

providing for a joint session of Congress to receive a message from the President

11:41 A.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

Considered as privileged matter.

11:40 A.M. –

Mr. Cantor asked unanimous consent That when the House adjourns on Thursday, January 20, 2011 it adjourn to meet at 12 p.m. Monday, January 24, 2011, for Morning-Hour Debate. Agreed to without objection.

H. Res. 9 : http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/bill-information.php?num=100009

instructing certain committees to report legislation replacing the job-killing health care law

11:08 A.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 253 – 175 (Roll no. 16) . http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2011&rollnumber=16

11:00 A.M. –

On agreeing to the Matheson amendment Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 428 – 1 (Roll no. 15). http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2011&rollnumber=15

10:36 A.M. –

The previous question was ordered on the amendment and the resolution pursuant to the rule.

10:30 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to the provisions of H.Res. 26, the House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Matheson (UT) amendment.

Amendment offered by Mr. Matheson.

An amendment printed in Part B of House Report 112-2 to instruct the committees of jurisdiction to include a permanent fix to the Medicare physician payment formula in legislation to replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act.

9:15 A.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H. Res. 9. http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/bill-information.php?num=100009

9:14 A.M. –

Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2 and H. Res. 9. Measure provides for consideration of H.R. 2, as amended, with the amendment printed in Part A of the report. H.R. 2, as amended, shall be debatable in the House for seven hours, equally divided and controlled. Measure provides for consideration of H. Res. 9 which shall be considered as read, debatable for one hour, equally divided and controlled, and makes in order the amendment printed in Part B of the report.

Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 26. http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/bill-information.php?num=100026

9:03 A.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches which by direction of the Chair, would be limited to 5 per side of the aisle.

9:02 A.M. –

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

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

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.

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Congress … the Republican House of Representatives meets/votes today to repeal Health Care Reform( Final vote@5:30pm) -Democrats will lay out what the new Health Care law does for all Americans

01/18/2011 Nativegrl77

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JANUARY 19, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

10:00 P.M. –

The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on January 20, 2011.

On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.

Mr. Broun (GA) moved that the House do now adjourn.

6:13 P.M. –

SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House resumed Special Order speeches.

6:12 P.M. –

Mr. Dreier filed reports from the Committee on Rules, H. Res. 38 and H. Res. 43.

6:06 P.M. –

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

6:05 P.M. –

Mr. Bucshon requested the following general leaves to address the House on January 26: Mr. Poe of TX for 5 min and Mr. Jones for 5 min.

6:00 P.M. –

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

5:59 P.M. –

GOVERNING BOARD, OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS – Pursuant to section 4(c) of House Resolution 5, 112th Congress, and the order of the House of January 5, 2011, the Chair announces the Speaker’s nomination of the following individuals, with the concurrence of the Minority Leader: Mr. Porter J. Goss, Florida, Chairman; Mr. James M. Eagen, III, Colorado, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Ms. Allison R. Hayward, Virginia, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Mr. Bill Frenzel, Virginia, Alternate. The following individuals were nominated by the Minority Leader with the concurrence of the Speaker: Mr. David Skaggs, Colorado, Co-Chairman; Mrs. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, California, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Ms. Karan English, Arizona, subject to section 1(b)(6)(B); Mr. Abner Mikva, Illinois, Alternate .

5:57 P.M. –

Ms. Ros-Lehtinen asked unanimous consent That when the House adjourns on Wednesday, January 19, 2011, it adjourn to meet at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 20, 2011. Agreed to without objection.

H. Res. 42:

electing certain Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives

5:54 P.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

5:53 P.M. –

Considered as privileged matter.

H.R. 2:

to repeal the job-killing health care law and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

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

On passage Passed by recorded vote: 245 – 189 (Roll no. 14).

5:45 P.M. –

On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 185 – 245 (Roll no. 13).

5:23 P.M. –

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

5:16 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Andrews motion to recommit with instructions, pending reservation of a point of order. The reservation of the point of order was subsequently withdrawn. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment which requires the health care repeal shall not take effect unless a majority of Members of U.S. House of Representatives and a majority of U.S. Senators waive Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Benefits.

5:14 P.M. –

Mr. Andrews moved to recommit with instructions to Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce.

¢ Mr. Andrews moved to recommit the bill H.R. 2 to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: ¢ Add at the end the following new section: ¢ SEC. 3. HEALTH CARE REPEAL SHALL NOT TAKE EFFECT UNLESS A MAJORITY OF MEMBERS OF U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND A MAJORITY OF U.S. SENATORS WAIVE FEHBP BENEFITS.***

5:13 P.M. –

The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.

10:36 A.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with the remaining five hours of debate on H.R. 2.

Considered as unfinished business.

The Chair announced that pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule 19, proceedings will now resume on H.R. 2.

H. Res. 39:

electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives

10:35 A.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

Considered as privileged matter.

10:03 A.M. –

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches, which by direction of the Chair would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.

10:02 A.M. –

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

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 the House Chaplain, Rev. Daniel Coughlin.

10:00 A.M. –

The Speaker designated the Honorable Mike Rogers to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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AP-GfK Poll: Raw feelings ease over health law …

01/17/2011 Nativegrl77

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and JENNIFER AGIESTA, AP

WASHINGTON — As lawmakers shaken by the shooting of a colleague return to the health care debate, an Associated Press–GfK poll finds raw feelings over President Barack Obama’s overhaul have subsided.

Ahead of a vote on repeal in the GOP-led House this week, strong opposition to the law stands at 30 percent, close to the lowest level registered in AP-GfK surveys dating to September 2009.

The nation is divided over the law, but the strength and intensity of the opposition appear diminished. The law expands coverage to more than 30 million uninsured, and would require, for the first time, that most people in the United States carry health insurance.

The poll finds that 40 percent of those surveyed said they support the law, while 41 percent oppose it. Just after the November congressional elections, opposition stood at 47 percent and support was 38 percent.

As for repeal, only about one in four say they want to do away with the law completely. Among Republicans support for repeal has dropped sharply, from 61 percent after the elections to 49 percent now.

Also, 43 percent say they want the law changed so it does more to re-engineer the health care system. Fewer than one in five say it should be left as it is.

“Overall, it didn’t go as far as I would have liked,” said Joshua Smith, 46, a sales consultant to manufacturers who lives in Herndon, Va. “In a perfect world, I’d like to see them change it to make it more encompassing, but judging by how hard it was to get it passed, they had to take whatever they could get.”

His extended family has benefited from the law. A sister-in-law in her early 20s, previously uninsured, was able to get on her father’s policy. “She’s starting out as a real estate agent, and there’s no health care for that,” said Smith. The law allows young adults to stay on a parent’s plan until they turn 26.

Congress stepped back last week to honor victims of the rampage in Tucson, Ariz., that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., facing a long and uncertain recovery from a bullet through her brain.

There’s no evidence the gunman who targeted Giffords was motivated by politics, but the aftermath left many people concerned about the venom in public life. A conservative Democrat, Giffords had been harshly criticized for voting in favor of the health overhaul, and won re-election by a narrow margin.

House Republican leaders say they’re working to keep this week’s debate — and expected vote Wednesday — from degenerating into a shouting match, but it depends on the Democrats, too. Republicans want a thoughtful discussion about substantive policy differences, said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 GOP leader. The AP-GfK poll was under way when the attack in Tucson took place Jan. 8.

Opposition to the law remains strongest among Republicans. Seventy-one percent of them say they’re against it, as compared with 35 percent of independents and 19 percent of Democrats. Republicans won back control of the House partly on a promise to repeal what they dismissively term as “Obamacare.”

“I just think that the liberal left is more going for socialized medicine, and I don’t think that works well,” said Earl Ray Fye, 66, a farmer from Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa., and a conservative Republican. “It just costs too much. This country better get concerned about getting more conservative.”

One of the major Republican criticisms of the law found wide acceptance in the poll, suggesting a vulnerability that GOP politicians can continue to press.

Nearly six in 10 oppose the law’s requirement that people carry health insurance except in cases of financial hardship. Starting in 2014, people will have to show that they’re covered either through an employer, a government program, or under their own plan.

Rich Johnson, 34, an unemployed laborer from Caledonia, Wis., said he thinks the heart of the law is good. “The problem I have with it is mandating insurance so that you have to have it or you’ll get fines,” said Johnson, an independent. “I just don’t think people should be forced to have it. The rest of it, I have no problem with.”

The individual mandate started out as a Republican idea during an earlier health care debate in the 1990s. More recently, Massachusetts enacted such a requirement under GOP Gov. Mitt Romney and the Democratic Legislature. Nowadays, most conservatives are against it, and GOP state attorneys general are suing to have the mandate overturned as unconstitutional.

Other major provisions of the law, including a requirement that insurers accept people with pre-existing medical conditions, got support from half or more of the public in the poll.

Loralyn Conover, 42 a former music teacher with multiple sclerosis, says she hopes repeal goes nowhere. Senate Democrats say they’ll block it.

The new law “opens the door for people like me to have some kind of pay-as-you-go health insurance,” said Conover, of Albuquerque, N.M. “It’s nice to be able to have something . and not be dropped in the cracks of society.” She couldn’t get health insurance when she was first diagnosed, but is now covered by Medicare.

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted Jan. 5-10 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

____

Associated Press writers Douglass Daniel, Bradley Klapper and Michele Salcedo contributed to this report.

____

Online:

Poll questions and results: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com/

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Congress holds regular Session -The House of Representatives …updates when needed

01/12/2011 Nativegrl77

The next meeting is scheduled for 10amET on January 12, 2011.

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JANUARY 12, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

6:00 P.M. –

Mr. Lungren, Daniel E. moved that the House do now adjourn.

5:59 P.M. –

The House adjourned pursuant to S. Con. Res. 1. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on January 18, 2011.

H. Res. 32:

expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011

5:58 P.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to by voice vote.

The previous question was ordered without objection.

1:56 P.M. –

DEBATE – The Chair announced that when proceedings were postponed earlier, 4 hours and 6 minutes of debate remained on the resolution. The House proceeded with further debate on H. Res. 32.

Considered as unfinished business.

The Chair announced that pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule 19, proceedings would resume on H. Res. 32.

1:55 P.M. –

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of January 12.

12:42 P.M. –

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

H. Res. 32:

expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011

POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS – The Chair announced that further proceedings on H.Res. 32 would be postponed.

10:09 A.M. –

DEBATE – Pursuant to a previous special order the House proceeded with 6 hours of debate on H.Res. 32.

10:06 A.M. –

Considered pursuant to a special order.

10:05 A.M. –

Consideration initiated pursuant to a special order.

10:04 A.M. –

ORDER OF BUSINESS – Mr. Cantor asked unanimous consent that it shall be in order at any time on the legislative day of January 12, 2011, to consider in the House without intervention of any point of order a resolution relating to recent events in Tucson, Arizona, if offered by the Speaker or his designee; such resolution shall be debatable for 6 hours equally divided and controlled by the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader or their respective designees; and the previous question shall be considered as ordered on such resolution and any preamble thereto to final adoption without intervening motion. Agreed to without objection.

H. Res. 33:

electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives

10:03 A.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

Considered as privileged matter.

10:02 A.M. –

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

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

10:00 A.M. –

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

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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Tell Sarah Palin: Renounce violent political rhetoric

01/11/2011 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

CREDO Action | more than a network. a movement.

Violent threats have consequences. And they have no place in American democracy.

Tell Sarah Palin: Renounce violent political rhetoric.

click to see full image

Clicking here will add your name to this petition to Sarah Palin:

“Threats of violence have no place in our democracy. Renounce the use of shooting images in political rhetoric immediately, and stop using your platform to promote and validate violent calls to action on the right.”

Sarah Palin has a special responsibility and opportunity in the wake of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. For it was Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin alone who earlier put the crosshairs of a gun on Rep. Giffords. And so far, Palin’s response has been Facebook prayers for the victims and an official denial that her widely distributed map involved gun sights at all. This is obscene duplicity at best.

Let us be clear. We do not know why the shooter targeted Rep. Giffords. Sarah Palin did not arm him or pull the trigger. We do not know if the shooter admired, loathed or ignored Sarah Palin. We will eventually know, and that will be a different accounting.

But only Sarah Palin put 20 Democratic members of Congress in her crosshairs, and only Sarah Palin bragged that 18 are now gone, leaving Rep. Giffords and Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia.

Someone has to say it. There has been an astonishing acceleration of violent right wing rhetoric. At the same time, the mainstream media has come to accept armed revolution (second amendment remedies) and violence as legitimate political discourse instead of calling it out as behavior that crosses a very dangerous line. In the past week alone, incendiary devices were received at the offices of the Democratic Secretary of Homeland Security and the Democratic Governor of Maryland.

This is what Sarah Palin and others like her have wrought with their violent and vitriolic rhetoric that literally places gun sights on people who don’t agree with their extreme views.

Apologists on the right are already saying that while tragic, this event was simply the result of an isolated act by a deranged individual. There have always been deranged individuals. But they have not always had easy access to guns nor have they always lived in a 24-hour-a-day media machine that promotes a toxic soup of violent attacks on political opponents.

We are heartbroken by these events and our hopes and prayers are with the victims and their families. But prayers and broken hearts are not enough.

How can anyone not be haunted by the prophetic words of Rep. Giffords herself in March 2010, after her office was vandalized, threats received, and her name and district identified by Sarah Palin in her infamous crosshairs:

“Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there are consequences to that action.”¹

Will there be consequences?

Imagine the consequences if Palin were to apologize for her use of targeting imagery, pledge never to demonize her opponents in such a way again, call on all of her passionate followers to pledge to do the same, and promise that she will call out those in the media who do not follow her lead.

Will Sarah do more than offer her condolences? She might sell fewer books and have fewer Facebook fans. But the consequences would be enormous.

Tell Sarah Palin: Renounce use of shooting images in political rhetoric immediately, and stop using your platform to promote and validate violent calls to action on the right. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

What happened in Arizona yesterday was not an isolated incident, but rather the culmination of a long stream of threats and attacks, most in response to the Congresswoman’s support for health care reform.

In November of 2009, a staffer fearing for Rep. Giffords’ safety called authorities after a visitor dropped a handgun during another “Congress on your Corner” event at a local Safeway in her district.²

And on March 22, 2010, just hours after Rep. Giffords cast her vote in favor of health care reform, a vandal jumped a gate and smashed the glass front door of her Arizona office.³

It was just days later that the now infamous map featuring Rep. Giffords’ district in the crosshairs was posted by Sarah Palin’s PAC. In announcing the map, Palin issued a chilling tweet urging her supporters “Don’t retreat. Instead — reload!”⁴ Incredulously, through a spokesperson, Sarah Palin is denying that the crosshairs on her map targeting 20 Democrats who voted against health care reform represents gun sights.⁵

As if the crosshairs weren’t clear enough, Jesse Kelley, Rep. Giffords’ Republican opponent in a hard fought race for reelection held an event two months later that makes the stakes all too clear. He asked supporters to donate $50 in order to “shoot a fully automatic M16” to “get on target” and help “remove Gabrielle Giffords.”⁶ Sarah Palin subsequently praised Jesse Kelly on Fox Business News saying: “I don’t feel worthy to lace his combat boots.”⁷

Tell Sarah Palin: Threats of violence have no place in our democracy. End the use of shooting images in rightwing political rhetoric and stop validating political figures who use violent metaphors in their political calls to action. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

We agree with Keith Olbermann who said last night that “Violence, or the threat of violence, has no place in our democracy.”⁸

Our hearts are heavy for the victims of this tragedy. We must put a stop to the escalating hate rhetoric of the right and its very specific calls to armed violent action. Lines of decency have been crossed.

Michael Kieshnick and Becky Bond
CREDO Action

¹ YouTube video of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on MSNBC, March 25, 2010.
² “Gabrielle Giffords Town Hall: Gun Left Behind,” Huffington Post, August 13, 2009.
³ “Rep. Giffords’ Tucson office vandalized after health care vote,” Arizona Daily Star, March 22, 2010.
⁴ Sarah Palin’s Twitter feed, March 23, 2010.
⁵ “Palin Aide: Crosshairs On Target List Not Actually Gun Sights,” Talking Points Memo, January 9, 2011.
⁶ “Giffords Opponent, Jesse Kelly, Held June Event to ‘Shoot a Fully Automatic M16’ to ‘Get on Target’ and ‘Remove Gabrielle Giffords,'”, FireDogLake, January 8, 2011
⁷ “Sarah Palin praises Jesse Kelly on Fox Business News,” Tuscon Citizen, August 26, 2010.
⁸ “Keith Olbermann Issues Special Comment On Arizona Shooting: ‘Violence Has No Place In Democracy,” Huffington Post, January 9, 2011