Mon 15 Jun 2009
The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It’s courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available.
In the House:
- The House convenes at 12:30 p.m. for Morning Hour, proceeding to legislative business at 2:00 p.m.
- Unlimited “One Minutes” Per Side
- The following votes will be considered under suspension:
- S. 615 – Providing additional personnel authorities for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sen. Collins – Foreign Affairs)
- H.Res. 430 – Expressing condolences to the citizens of Italy and support for the Government of Italy in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the Abruzzo region of central Italy (Rep. Pascrell – Foreign Affairs)
- H.Res. 309 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that North Korea should immediately stop any hostile rhetoric and activity towards the Republic of Korea and engage in mutual dialogue to enhance inter-Korean relations (Rep. King (NY) – Foreign Affairs)
- H.Res. 479 – Honoring the contributions of Takamiyama Daigoro to United States-Japan relations (Rep. Hirono – Foreign Affairs)
- H.R. 2422 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 702 East University Avenue in Georgetown, Texas, as the “Kyle G. West Post Office Building” (Rep. Carter – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2325 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1300 Matamoros Street in Laredo, Texas, as the “Laredo Veterans Post Office” (Rep. Cuellar – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2470 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19190 Cochran Boulevard FRNT in Port Charlotte, Florida, as the “Lieutenant Commander Roy H. Boehm Post Office Building” (Rep. Rooney – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.Res. 493 – Recognizing the significant contributions of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life to college campus communities in the United States and around the world (Rep. Klein – Education and Labor)
- H.Res. 428 – Recognizing the immeasurable contributions of fathers in the healthy development of children, supporting responsible fatherhood, and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their children, especially on Father’s Day (Rep. McIntyre – Education and Labor)
- H.R. 729 – Phylicia’s Law (Rep. Rothman – Education and Labor)
- H.R. 780 – Student Internet Safety Act of 2009 (Rep. Putnam – Education and Labor)
- H.Res. 390 – Recognizing the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, Missouri, as “America’s National Churchill Museum”, and commending its efforts to recognize the importance of the historic legacy of Sir Winston Churchill and to educate the people of the United States about his legacy of character, leadership, and citizenship (Rep. Luetkemeyer – Education and Labor)
- H.Con.Res. 135 – Directing the Architect of the Capitol to place a marker in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center which acknowledges the role that slave labor played in the construction of the United States Capitol (Rep. Lewis (GA) – House Administration)
- H.Con.Res. 131 – Directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the National Motto of “In God We Trust” in the Capitol Visitor Center (Rep. Lungren – House Administration)
- H.Res. 540 – Expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the catastrophic explosion at the ConAgra Foods plant in Garner, North Carolina (Rep. Etheridge – Judiciary)
- H.R. 2765 – To amend title 28, United States Code, to prohibit recognition and enforcement of foreign defamation judgments and certain foreign judgments against the providers of interactive computer services (Rep. Cohen – Judiciary)
- H.Res. 530 – Commending the purpose of the third annual Civil Rights Baseball Game and recognizing the historical significance of the location of the game in Cincinnati, Ohio (Rep. Driehaus – Judiciary)
- H.R. 2661 – Court Security Enhancement Act of 2009 (Rep. Gohmert – Judiciary)
- H.R. 2247 – Congressional Review Act Improvement Act (Rep. Cohen – Judiciary)
- House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey’s (D-WI) plan to ban funding of projects named after Members in this year’s appropriations bills has drawn sharp criticism from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) who wants to direct $1 million to an employment center in her district bearing her name. House Republicans have sought legislation banning the practice of so-called “monuments to me.”
- The House Armed Services Committee meets Tuesday to consider the FY10 defense authorization bill, and Republicans — led by their new ranking member, Rep. Buck McKeon (CA) — are expected to make the markup their latest stage from which to portray Democrats as failing to keep America safe from rogue nations and terrorists.
- Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) is pressing to end the Census Bureau’s policy of excluding Americans overseas in its once-a-decade headcount. During the last census, some 11,000 Utah residents living overseas, mostly as Mormon missionaries, were not counted. Utah wound up 855 people short of a fourth Congressional district.
In the Senate:
- The Senate is expected to convene at 1:45pm
- No votes during today’s session of the Senate.
- The Senate will be in a period of Morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.
- Sen. Kent Conrad’s (D-N.D.) recent idea to set up a health insurance cooperative – rather than a government-run insurance plan has gained popularity among Senate Republicans as a compromise in the health care reform battle. However, Senate Democratic leaders have been more lukewarm in their reaction and have said a co-op would be acceptable only if it works as a competitor to private insurance companies and lowers health care costs.
Other News
- “Under pressure to pay for” his proposed health care reforms, Obama this weekend outlined $313B in Medicare/Medicaid spending cuts “over the next decade” (LAT).
- In addition, President Obama “has been making the case that reducing malpractice lawsuits – a goal of many doctors and Republicans – can help drive down health care costs, and should be considered as part of any health care overhaul… a position that could hurt Mr. Obama with the left wing of his party and with trial lawyers who are major donors to Democratic campaigns.” (NYT)
- Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner over reform-minded challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, and alleged irregularities have resulted in massive protests in the state capital of Tehran. “Tehran’s main streets have been turned into urban battlegrounds. Groups of mostly young men have set large garbage bins on fire in the middle of streets, torn out street signs and fences, broken the windows and ATM machines of state banks and burnt at least five large buses in the middle of streets.” (Time)
- Appearing yesterday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Vice President Joe Biden said that “‘there’s some real doubt’ that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was legitimately reelected president of Iran, going further than any other high-ranking American official in questioning the validity of Friday’s election.” (Politico)
- “After enjoying months of towering poll numbers, legislative victories and well-received foreign policy initiatives, the White House has become increasingly concerned that President Obama’s spending plans, which would require $9 trillion in government borrowing over the next decade, could become a political liability that defines the 2010 midterm elections.” (WaPo)
Federal Grant of the Day
- The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) announces its Community Connect Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. In addition, RUS announces the minimum and maximum amounts for Community Connect grants applicable for the fiscal year. The Community Connect Grant Program regulations can be found at 7 CFR 1739, subpart A. The deadline for applications is June 19, 2009.
Today in History
- On June 15, 1969, the variety show “Hee Haw,” a fast-paced mixture of country music and comedy skits, premiered on CBS-TV.
Source and thanks to www.anchor-consult.com | For more information, contact Jamie Gregorian at 571-205-1393 or jgregorian@anchor-consult.com
