Tag Archives: United States

The Senate will meet on the following dates and times for pro-forma sessions only with no business conducted:

– Friday, August 5^th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 9^th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 12^th at 12:00pm,

– Tuesday, August 16^th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 19^th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 23^rd at 2:30pm,

– Friday, August 26^th at 11:15am,

– Tuesday, August 30^th at 10:00am,

– Friday, September 2^nd at 10:00am;

When the Senate convenes at 10:00am on Friday, September 2^nd, it will adjourn until 2:00pm on September 6, 2011. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Following morning business, the Senate will be in Executive Session to consider Calendar #109, Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 6^th Circuit with 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley.

The next roll call votes will be at 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 6^th. The first roll call vote will be on confirmation of the Donald nomination. The 2^nd will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent Reform bill.

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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF AUGUST 19, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

1:07 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of H.Res. 375. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on August 23, 2011.

1:05 P.M. – The Speaker laid before the House a message from the President transmitting a message to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency with the Government of Syria first declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as expanded in scope in Exectuive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011–referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 112-50).

1:04 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 August 18, 2011, at 10:46 a.m. which is said to contain a message from the President whereby he notified the Congress that he had issued an Executive Order that takes additional steps with respect to the national emergency with the Government of Syria first declared in EO 13338 of May 11, 2004, as expanded in scope in EO 13572 of April 29, 2011.The House received a communication from The Honorable Duncan Hunter. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives Mr. Hunter notified the House that he had been served with a subpoena for production of business records, issued by the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego. After consultation with the Office of General Counsel, Mr. Hunter had determined that compliance with the subpoena is inconsistent with the privileges and rights of the House.

1:03 P.M. – NOT DISPENSING WITH LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS – Pursuant to section 4 of H.Res. 375, the Chair announced that legislative business would not be dispensed with on this day.

1:02 P.M. – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.JOURNAL APPROVED – The Chair announced that pursuant to section 5 of H.Res. 375, the Journal of the last days’s proceedings was approved.

1:01 P.M. – Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Bill Kirlin-Hackett, Interfaith Taskforce on Homelessness, Bellevue, Washington

1:00 P.M. – The Speaker designated the Honorable Mick Mulvaney to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Unemployed need not apply …Jess Kutch, Change.org

08/18/2011 Nativegrl77

On Monster.com, employers are allowed to prevent anyone who is currently unemployed from applying for a job.

It’s cruel to the millions of Americans out of work — but you can put an end to it this week.

Kelly Wiedemer, who lost her job in 2008, has launched a campaign demanding that Monster.com ban these discriminatory ads. Please click here to sign Kelly’s petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/monstercom-ban-job-listings-that-discriminate-against-the-unemployed?

A nationwide backlash against the company, which treasures its reputation as a website that helps people find jobs, will force Monster.com to act.

Please sign the petition today asking Monster.com to stop discriminating against the unemployed.

http://www.change.org/petitions/monstercom-ban-job-listings-that-discriminate-against-the-unemployed?

Thanks for being a changemaker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Verizon strike … Jess Kutch, Change.org

08/16/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

Verizon made billions in profits in just the last four years — but right now, the telecom giant is demanding $1 billion from its own workers in pay and benefit cuts.

Worse, rather than negotiate fairly with their employees, Verizon representatives cut off all negotiations and are refusing to talk.

So more than 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike demanding that Verizon stop its attack on the middle class. If Verizon sees the public and its customers behind the striking workers, the company can be forced back into good faith negotiations.

Sign the Change.org petition by the Communications Workers of America asking Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam to restart negotiations and stop Verizon’s attack on the middle class.>> http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-verizon-stop-attacking-the-middle-class?

If $1 billion in cuts is hard to grasp, consider this: Verizon is demanding each of its employees forfeit $20,000 in wages and benefits every year.

Verizon’s executives aren’t forced into outrageous cuts with their workers. In the last four years, Verizon’s top five executives were paid more than a quarter-billion dollars.

While Verizon makes record profits, its workers shouldn’t be made to suffer. Let Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam know you stand with workers against the company’s refusal to bargain. Click here to add your name to the workers’ petition on Change.org:

www.change.org

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Tuna Industry’s Dirty Little Secret

08/15/2011 Nativegrl77

There’s a lot more to a can of tuna than the friendly looking label might suggest. Behind every happy bumble bee and smiling mermaid there’s an ocean of destruction.

That’s why Greenpeace is launching a new campaign to get the canned tuna industry to clean up its act and end its destructive ways. And to kick things off we’ve teamed up with Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Mark Fiore on a brand new video to expose the industry’s dirty little secret.

Our goal is to reach 25,000 views in the first 48 hours. If we do that, we have a great chance of giving the video the momentum it needs to really get the tuna industry’s attention.

Together we have already transformed the supermarket seafood industry in this country — getting companies like Costco, Trader Joe’s and Target to adopt real sustainable seafood policies. Now it’s time to take on the companies most responsible for ocean destruction in the United States.

You’ll be hearing a lot more about this campaign in the weeks and months to come. I can’t wait to get started.

In the meantime, check out the video and pass it along on Facebook and Twitter. The more we spread the word the faster we expose the tuna industry’s dirty little secret and save the oceans.

Sincerely,

Casson Trenor

Senior Markets Campaigner

P.S. One of the fastest and easiest ways to get people to watch the video is to forward this email to the people in your email address book.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Guns vs. Butter — why we need to cut military spending and invest at home instead

08/15/2011 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

Dear Friends,

Many of you called my offices last week to comment on my recent appearance on New England Cable News, in which I called for significant cuts to military spending. I believe there is no reason we should continue to spend money as if we were still fighting the Cold War when there are so many pressing needs at home.

Some people have asked where they can find the video so they can share it with friends. NECN has posted it here.