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Congress:debates & votes today -the Republican led House -the Senate


The Senate Convenes at  9:30amET March 8, 2011

Morning business for 2 hours with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each with the Republicans controlling the first hour and the Majority controlling the final half.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.23, the America Invents Act, post-cloture.

By unanimous consent, all time during adjournment, morning business and recess will count post-cloture on S.23.

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

The Majority Leader hopes to reach an agreement regarding H.R.1 and the Democratic alternative. Senators should expect roll call votes during Tuesday’s session of the Senate.

The Senate has reached an agreement to complete action on S.23, America Invents Act, tonight and to set up votes on H.R.1 and the Democratic alternative offered by Senator Inouye tomorrow at 3pm.

Under the agreement, the Reid amendment #152 was withdrawn and the Reid amendment #143 (EPSCOR), was modified and agreed to. There will now there will be up to 30 minutes for debate equally divided prior to a vote on passage of S.23, as amended, the America Invents Act. Senators should expect the vote on passage to begin around 6:15pm, if all time is used. However, time may be yielded back.

Furthermore, at 12:00 noon tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9, there will be up to 3 hours for debate on H.R.1 and the Democratic alternative offered by Senator Inouye. Upon the use or yielding back of time, there will be 2 roll call votes on the following items:

– Passage of H.R.1, Department of Defense Appropriation and Long Term Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year 2011; and

– Inouye substitute amendment #149 (Democratic Alternative).

Each proposal will be subject to 60-vote thresholds. If H.R.1 achieves 60 votes, it will be read a third time and passed and, if it doesn’t achieve 60 votes, Senator Reid will be recognized to offer the Inouye substitute amendment #149. If the Substitute achieves 60 votes, the bill, as amended, would be read a third time and passed, and if it doesn’t achieve 60 votes it will be returned to the calendar. No motions or amendments are in order to the substitute or the bill prior to the votes.

Cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.1 was vitiated.

Votes:

35: Passage of S.23, as amended, the America Invents Act;

Passed: 95-5

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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MARCH 8, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

7:09 P.M. –

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

7:07 P.M. –

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

7:04 P.M. –

Mr. Bishop (UT) filed reports from the Committee on Rules, H. Res. 150 and H. Res. 151.

H. Res. 149:

electing a Member to a certain standing committee of the House of Representatives

7:03 P.M. –

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

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

Mr. Larson (CT) asked unanimous consent to consider as introduced.

Considered by unanimous consent.

H.R. 525:

to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance and increase the number of veterinarians trained in veterinary public health

7:01 P.M. –

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

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 280 – 138 (Roll no. 164).

6:53 P.M. –

Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 570:

to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance the roles of dentists and allied dental personnel in the Nation’s disaster response framework, and for other purposes

6:52 P.M. –

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

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 401 – 12 (Roll no. 163).

6:31 P.M. –

Considered as unfinished business.

6:30 P.M. –

UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of motions to suspend the rules which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of March 8.

4:31 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. today.

4:30 P.M. –

The Speaker laid before the House a message from the President transmitting a notification that the national emergency with respect to Iran shall continue – referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 112-13).

H.R. 525:

to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance and increase the number of veterinarians trained in veterinary public health

4:29 P.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.

4:23 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 525.

Considered under suspension of the rules.

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

H.R. 570:

to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance the roles of dentists and allied dental personnel in the Nation’s disaster response framework, and for other purposes

4:22 P.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.

4:13 P.M. –

DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 570.

Considered under suspension of the rules.

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

The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. today.

4:12 P.M. –

The House received a communication from the Honorable Mrs. Christensen . Mrs. Christensen submitted her resignation from the Committee on Homeland Security. The resignation was accepted without objection.

The House received a communication from Robin Reeder, Archivist, Office of the Clerk. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, Ms. Reeder notified the House that she had been served with a civil subpoena, issued before the Evidentiary Panel for the State Bar of Texas, for documents and that after consultation with the Office of General Counsel, she had determined that compliance with the subpoena was inconsistent with the precedents and privileges of the House.

The House received a communication from the Honorable Mrs. Christensen . Mrs. Christensen submitted her resignation from the Committee on Natural Resources. The resignation was accepted without objection.

4:01 P.M. –

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

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Ms. Foxx 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.

4:00 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 March 8.

2:23 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 4:00 P.M. today.

2:00 P.M. –

MORNING-HOUR DEBATES – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debates. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 4:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.

The Speaker designated the Honorable Kevin Yoder to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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Wisconsin GOP out of control!

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Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate voted yesterday to issue arrest warrants for the Senate Democrats who have left the state heroically to halt Gov. Walker’s unwarranted attack on workers. Eight of those Republican Senators are eligible for recall for their overreach. They are:

– Robert Cowles

– Alberta Darling

– Sheila Harsdorf

– Luther Olsen

– Randy Hopper

– Glenn Grothman

– Mary Lazich

– Dan Kapanke

In a move that many are contending is in direct violation of the state constitution and a departure from normal Senate rules, Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate yesterday approved an order for the state’s police to detain the Senate Democrats, who have left the state to block Gov. Scott Walker‘s attack on the middle class and workers’ rights, and bring them to the Senate chambers. Gov. Walker also threatened that he would start sending layoff notices today to state workers.

Now they’re running roughshod over state law and the rules of their own chamber … and Gov. Walker has gone from simply acting like a dictator to acting like a hostage taker, with state jobs as his hostages. Unwilling to even consider compromise on his proposal to gut workers’ fundamental rights, he is now threatening to start eliminating those state jobs if he doesn’t get his way.

Perhaps the most outrageous part is that the layoffs are completely unnecessary to address the state’s budget problems … the same way his plan to destroy collective bargaining for public employees and make the middle class bear the entire economic sacrifice in fixing the state’s budget is completely unnecessary.

If you’re like me, you are wishing more than anything right now that Gov. Walker was eligible for recall this year — especially since polling shows he would lose in an election between him and his 2010 gubernatorial opponent. Unfortunately, he can’t be recalled until 2012, but eight of the Republican Senators backing his extreme power grab are eligible to be recalled now, including:

Randy Hopper, who won his last election by just 184 votes …

Alberta Darling, who won her race by just over 1,000 …

And Glenn Grothman, who on MSNBC‘s The Last Word, called protesters at the Wisconsin state capitol “slobs,” and insisted that they were just a bunch of “college students having a fun party.”

Here’s what you can do today:

1. If you have not already done so, sign our petition indicating your support for the recall effort now underway in Wisconsin. If you have signed, make sure to spread the word! Share on Facebook and ask others to visit http://www.pfaw.org/Recall.

2. If you live in or near Wisconsin, you can start volunteering to help gather recall petition signatures. We have 60 days to get enough signatures to hold recall elections and our friends at the SEIU will be sending out a sizable wave of canvassers this weekend to get us off to a good start. Sign up here: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/wisconsinrecall

3. If you know ANYONE in Wisconsin, please call or email them as soon as you can and urge them to support the recall effort.

4. Make a contribution to PFAW‘s work on the recall campaign.

Thanks for your activism and your support!

— Ben Betz, Online Communications Manager

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Recall elections in Wisconsin …

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Republican politicians in Wisconsin have gone mad with power.

Yesterday, the state Senate president issued arrest warrants for the brave Democratic state senators who left Wisconsin to stop the attacks on workers.1 And Republicans have locked down the Capitol building, even denying access to firefighters responding to an emergency call.2

We need to put a stop to this madness, and the only way is to flip control of the state Senate with a recall election.

Grassroots progressives, students, workers, and unions in Wisconsin are coming together with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to do just that.3 But they’re going to need a lot of help. MoveOn members in Wisconsin are already volunteering to canvass voters. The rest of us need to raise $150,000 to get the recall campaign off to a great start.

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206484&id=26392-9640874-AYkUgbx&t=3

A number of Republican senators are particularly vulnerable, getting less than 51% of the vote in their last election.4 We can win this, but with billionaires like the Koch brothers supporting Walker’s plan,5 progressives in Wisconsin are going to need the support of all of us.

Over the past 36 hours, over 245,000 MoveOn members signed an emergency statement of support for the “Wisconsin 14,” the brave Democratic senators who left the state to block a vote on Walker’s plan. They’re continuing to hold firm and stay out of Wisconsin.

But the fastest way they can come home to their families—with workers’ rights intact—is if some Republican senators see the light and decide to oppose the governor. Organizing a strong recall effort is the best way to help make that happen.

$150,000 will send a clear message to Scott Walker and his allies in the Senate that there will be dire consequences if they keep pushing their radical agenda. Click here to contribute via ActBlue:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=206484&id=26392-9640874-AYkUgbx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Kat, Julia, Marika, and the rest of the team

Sources:

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Congess in Session –


The Senate Convenes at 10:00amET March 4, 2011

There will be no roll call votes during Friday’s session

Morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

1:00pm Filing deadline for all first degree amendments to S.23, the America Invents Act

This afternoon Senator Reid asked unanimous consent that upon disposition of S.23, the America Invents Act, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R.1, Defense Appropriations and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011; the Majority Leader be recognized to offer a substitute amendment (Inouye amendment #149); there be 4 hours for debate prior to a vote in relation to the substitute amendment; upon disposition of the substitute amendment, the Senate proceed to vote on passage of HR1, as amended, if amended; with no motions or amendments in order to the substitute amendment or to the bill prior to the votes; and the substitute amendment and the bill be subject to a 60-vote threshold.

Senator McConnell objected for the time being and said that his caucus needs more time to review the substitute amendment.

Senator Reid then asked unanimous consent that upon disposition of S.23, the America Invents Act, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R.1, the Defense Appropriations and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011; .

Senator McConnell also objected to this request.

Senator Reid then moved to proceed to HR1 and filed cloture on the motion.

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on March 4, 2011.

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MARCH 4, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

2:03 P.M. –

The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on March 8, 2011 for Morning-Hour Debate.

2:02 P.M. –

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House 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.

2:01 P.M. –

Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Dr. Barry Black, Chaplain of the United States Senate, Washington DC.

The Speaker designated the Honorable Thomas J. Rooney to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

2:00 P.M. –

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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RECALL Wisconsin’​s GOP Senators!


It’s time to show right-wing lawmakers that they cannot use budget gaps, created by their own massive giveaways to their corporate sponsors, as an excuse to attack Americans‘ fundamental rights.

The budget plan proposed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and advanced by his Republican allies in the legislature which would rip away the collective bargaining rights of public workers is a shocking example of extreme overreach … it’s time to hold these people accountable!

In Wisconsin, voters can recall their state elected officials after they have been in office for a year. That means that Gov. Walker cannot be recalled until 2012, but eight of the GOP Senators who have pushed for passage of Walker’s plan are eligible for recall NOW — and the state Democrats have taken steps to begin the recall process.

First things first: Let us know you’re on board and sign our petition supporting the recall effort. http://site.pfaw.org/site/R?i=GbPmpmXeNOxyIYbTQmjhcQ..

This is not just about Wisconsin — it’s about right-wing power grabs and assaults Americans’ rights everywhere. If we can successfully recall these lawmakers in  Wisconsin, it will help set us up for similar recall efforts where they are possible in other states and, more importantly, it will make governors and legislators think twice about pushing such measures to begin with.

Show lawmakers in Wisconsin and all states that this type of overreach will not be taken sitting down.

Join this effort now.

— Ben Betz, Online Communications Manager http://site.pfaw.org/site/R?i=O4zSzS3uSvIPX3v3DdxGXg..

P.S. This is going to be BIG and PFAW hopes to be a real force in this effort. That means we’ll need as many of our members and activists, from around the country, engaged in it.