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Articles By marci, page 3
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POPVOX Daily Digest - February 25, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House and Senate each had relatively easy workdays on Monday, as each chamber passed just one non-controversial bill.
The Senate approved S. 298, the North Korea Nonproliferation and Accountability Act, a bill stating the opinion of Congress that North Korea's recent nuclear test violates the United Nations resolution. The bill reads much like a non-binding resolution, as it finds that the U.S. government should work for tougher UN sanctions against North Korea. It goes beyond a non-binding resolution, however, by calling on State Department to issue a report by May on U.S. policy toward North Korea.
The House approved H.R. 667, which would rename a NASA flight center in California after Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. This bill passed 394-0. -
POPVOX Daily Digest - February 16, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House met for a few hours yesterday and passed two measures:
- HR 273 to eliminate the 2013 statutory 0.5 percent pay adjustment for Federal employees.
- HRes 65 condemning North Korea's nuclear testing. This is a non-binding resolution that calls on the Obama administration to step up pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, and also asks the United Nations Security Council to write a new resolution against North Korea.
The bill had heavy Republican support as a way to reduce federal spending. It also gained the support of 43 Democrats in the final vote. The House passed the bill 261-154.
Passage by the House sends the bill to the Senate, which has not indicated that it will be considered. Still, Republicans are expected to continue pushing for a third year of frozen federal pay as the debt ceiling and a spending bill for the second half of 2013 are debated.
The House passed this resolution 412-2.
With those votes, both the House and Senate are out next week. They return February 25, when Senate Democrats are expected to quickly pass legislation that avoids the $85 billion sequester that is now slated to take effect on March 1.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - February 13, 2013
From our Hill sources:
The House held a brief legislative session on Wednesday and approved two bills:
- HR592 the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act. This bill would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offer grants to houses of worship seeking disaster aid.
A bipartisan group of House members introduced the bill because FEMA currently does not offer grants to churches, temples, mosques or other houses of worship.
Supporters of the bill say that because disaster aid affects so many entities, and this aid would not be a specific grant to any religion, aid to houses of worship does not violate the First Amendment.
Opponents of the bill say it would essentially require taxpayers to fund the reconstruction of houses of worship, in violation of the First Amendment.
The House approved the bill 354-72, sending it to the Senate for possible consideration.
The House also passed:
- HR267 the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act, which would make it easier to develop small hydropower plants across the country. This bill was approved 422-0.
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Live-tweeting the State of the Union
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POPVOX Daily Digest - February 12, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House and Senate complete business early on Tuesday to prepare for a joint session of Congress in which President Obama will present the annual State of the Union address.
In the Senate:
Earlier in the day, the Senate passed a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA): S. 47.
Senate passage of S. 47 restarts a debate the House and Senate had last year over how to reauthorize VAWA. In the last Congress, each chamber passed its own version, and the House and Senate appear to be moving down that path again this year.
While the Senate bill is different from one House Republicans will likely pass, it appears to raise fewer GOP objections than the version approved by the Senate last year.
For example, S. 47 does not contain a provision expanding access to visas for non-citizens that are victims of domestic violence. Republicans argued last year that this expansion would add to the deficit. The issue became a major hurdle to a House-Senate agreement.
The Senate-passed bill does, however, retain a provision giving tribal courts new authority to prosecute the non-native abusers of Native American women on Indian reservations. Republicans say that language could limit Constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, and pushed for clear language in the bill allowing for tribal court decisions to be appealable to U.S. courts. That push failed in the Senate, though the House is likely to include the GOP-favored language on this issue in their bill.
As of Tuesday, House leaders had not said whether or when they might consider their own VAWA reauthorization bill, or whether they would consider working on the Senate version.
The House passed two non-controversial bills Tuesday:
- HR235 the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act This would provide for federal grants to states that streamline the process by which veterans with medical backgrounds can become emergency medical technicians.
- HR316 the Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act, allowing for limited hydropower development along the Farmington River in Connecticut.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - February 4, 2013
According to our Hill Sources:
Today in the Senate:
- S 47 The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act: Senators voted 85-8 to proceed to this bill later in the week.
The Senate is out Tuesday and Wednesday for a Democratic retreat, which means work on this bill will continue on Thursday.
- S 227 The Improve Security of Foreign Embassies Act The Senate also approved this bill, which would allow the State Department to transfer funds in order to boost security at various at-risk embassies.
Today in the House:
- HR 225 The National Pediatric Research Network Act, which creates federal grants for research into children's diseases.
- HR 297 The Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act, which allows for grants for medical education programs in children's hospitals.
Both were approved easily, as they were supported by Republicans and Democrats. House passage sends them to the Senate for consideration.
- S 47 The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act: Senators voted 85-8 to proceed to this bill later in the week.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - January 31, 2013
From our Hill sources:
The Senate spent the day passing legislation to suspend the debt ceiling until the middle of May:
- HR 325 the No Budget, No Pay Act. The bill lets the government off the hook for the debt ceiling through May 18. But the bill also puts pressure on both the House and Senate to approve a budget resolution by April 15 — if either chamber fails, its members will have their salaries withheld.
Many Members hope that getting a budget out of the Senate for the first time in almost four years will help inform the debate over a longer-term agreement.
The bill effectively launches a three-month period of what is likely to be, at the least, an attempt at cooperation between the two parties on a long-term debt deal. But those talks will likely suffer from the usual disagreements over how to get there: Republicans want spending cuts, and Democrats want tax increases.
The Senate rejected a handful of Republican amendments to the bill during the day. Republicans wanted a commitment to cut spending as much as any eventual increase in the debt ceiling, and proposed language meant to help guarantee there is no threat of a government shutdown even if no budget deal is reached.
All amendments failed, allowing the Senate to pass the same bill the House passed earlier this month. Senate passage sends the bill to President Obama for his signature.
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Constituent Perspectives: Senate Judiciary Hearing on "What Should America Do About Gun Violence?"
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing entitled, "What Should America Do About Gun Violence?". Committee Members will hear from expert witnesses, ranging from former Representative Gabby Giffords to the CEO of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre.Over the past six weeks, however, Congress has been hearing from real people in their home states. POPVOX has pulled together a slideshow with a sample of what constituents have been writing to Members of the Judiciary Committee -- on both sides of the issue.The slideshow is available here:As always, highlighting a bill or proposal on POPVOX is not an endorsement. -
POPVOX Daily Digest - January 28, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The Senate passed a major bill on Monday providing relief to people hit by Hurricane Sandy: The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (H.R. 152).
The House-passed bill appropriates just over $50 billion for relief efforts, and for longer-term storm mitigation projects.
The measure was barely approved in a 62-36 vote. Many Republicans opposed its lack of spending cuts to offset the cost of the bill.
Just before the final vote, the Senate rejected a Republican amendment that would have required spending offsets by spending cuts. It failed in a 35-62 vote.
Senate passage sends the bill to President Obama, who has said he will sign it.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - January 23, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House met briefly on Wednesday to debate and approve a bill dealing with the debt ceiling: The No Budget, No Pay Act (H.R. 325) suspends the debt ceiling until the middle of May, allowing the government to take on what will likely be several hundred billion dollar in debt without violating the statutory debt limit.
Republicans agreed to provide this grace period in order to reach a longer-term agreement to raise the debt ceiling, which they hope will include new spending reductions. House Republicans hope to pressure the Senate into passing a budget, which would be the first in nearly four years. H.R. 325 states that if the House or Senate fails to pass a budget by April 15, members of that chamber will have their pay withheld.
Senate Democrats indicated they would quickly approve the bill, and welcomed a bill that would not immediately tie an increase in the debt ceiling to spending cuts
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POPVOX Daily Digest - January 22, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House debated and quickly approved one bill on Tuesday:
The Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act (H.R. 307), which reauthorizes several federal programs aimed at keeping the U.S. prepared for biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear attacks.
Members easily passed the bill in a 395-29 vote, sending it to the Senate.
As of 6:00 PM ET, the Senate had not yet taken up the bill, but may do so later in the evening.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - January 15, 2013
From our Hill sources:
The House spent the day passing H.R. 152, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act. The bill provides $50.7 billion in new funding to help with Hurricane Sandy cleanup.
The bill passed 241-180 vote, with most Republicans voting against it to protest its size and lack of offsetting spending cuts. Just 49 Republicans supported the bill, while 179 opposed it.
Several Republicans sought to amend it by requiring a partial offset of the bill, and by cutting back its size, but most of these efforts were turned away. Several votes revealed a Republican party that was split between those who wanted to trim or offset the bill, and the several dozen — including many from New York and New Jersey — who opposed these efforts.
House passage will allow the Senate to consider the bill as early as next week, when Senators return to Washington.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - January 14, 2013
According to our Hill sources:
The House came back today and passed one bill during its brief Monday session.
- HR 219 The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act: This bill contains several reforms meant to speed up the delivery of federal disaster aid. It was approved 403-0 after a brief debate.
The bill allows the government to make payments to storm victims based on estimated damages, a practice that has allowed for faster payments when it has been used in pilot programs. It also allows the government to pay for minor repairs to storm-damaged dwellings rather than pay for the use of temporary housing.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has recommended that these reforms be approved before March, so they can be used for the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort. House passage sends the bill to the Senate, which could consider it when it returns next week.
Tomorrow, the House is expected to consider The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (H.R. 152.)
- HR 219 The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act: This bill contains several reforms meant to speed up the delivery of federal disaster aid. It was approved 403-0 after a brief debate.
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POPVOX Daily Digest - January 4, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House and Senate both approved H.R. 41 on Friday, a bill that would extend the borrowing authority of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by nearly $10 billion.
The bill partially addresses damage that Hurricane Sandy did to northeastern states. Members of both parties expressed disappointment on Tuesday that the 112th Congress ended without taking up a bill.
H.R. 41 will allow the NFIP to continue paying out claims to people who suffered damages due to the storm. But the next step later in January will be consideration of another bill that could add billions more in Sandy-related aid.
Both the House and Senate are out next week.
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POPVOX Transitioning to the New Congress
Today at 12:00 PM ET, the House and Senate will convene the 113th Congress. New Members will be sworn in. The House will vote on a new Rules package. The Congress will restart. POPVOX will be transitioning too.
POPVOX TRANSITION:
- Redistricting - All POPVOX users will be "redistricted" and placed in their new Congressional districts, based on the address associiated with your account.
- New Legislators - New Members of Congres will get their own GetToKnow pages on POPVOX, though some of the information there will be sparse as the new offices get up and running.
- Bill archiving - All of the bills that have been pending over the past two years will be archived -- along with the comments and input submitted through POPVOX.
- Reintroduction - Once a bill is archived, you will no longer be able to send a message to Congress for or against the archived bill, but you will be able to advocate for its re-introduction.
CONSITITUENT MESSAGES WILL BE DELIVERED - During the transition, many offices are not receiving messages and new Members of Congress are not yet set up with correspondence systems. However, POPVOX will work with each Congresional office to ensure delivery of your messages, including any pending from the past few days, as soon as possible.
Check back here for updates on the transition. Please feel free to leave questions in comments.
UPDATE 11:57 AM ET: The 112th Congress was declared adjourned "sine die."
UPDATE: 12:00 PM ET: The 113th Congress is being called to order.
UPDATE: 12:15 PM ET: POPVOX will transition to the 113th Congress just before 2:00 PM ET.
UPDATE: 1:15 PM ET: POPVOX has switched to the 113th Congress.
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POPVOX Update: January 3, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
The House and Senate each passed a handful of bills Wednesday in what was likely to be the last day of legislative work for the 112th Congress.
The House passed two bills to go to the White House for President Obama to sign:
- HR 6586extending a limitation on liability against commercial space launch companies.
- S 3250Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry (SAFER) Act
The Senate passed a handful of bills by voice vote, the first two of which go to the White House:
- HR 4606allowing natural gas pipelines in the Glacier National Park in Montana.
- HR 6655The Protect Our Kids Act, creating a commission to find ways to reduce child abuse and neglect.
- S 3716including seasonal vaccines on the list of taxable vaccines.
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POPVOX Update: January 2, 2013
From our Hill Sources:
After several hours of delay, the House finally approved legislation to avert the fiscal cliff. The House adopted the Senate-passed version, which passed 257-167.
The bill, H.R. 8 as amended, reinstated tax cuts for most U.S. residents, a large part of the fiscal cliff that economists feared would hurt economic growth. The bill largely avoids the spending sequester, by delaying it for two months.
The House also passed several suspension bills, including:
- HR 1464The North Korean Child Welfare Act, meant to boost the adoption of Korean children by U.S. families. Passed voice vote.
- HR 2076The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act
- HR 6029The Foreign and Economic Espionage Penalty Enhancement Act
- HR 6328The Clothe a Homeless Hero Act, requiring the Transportation Security Administration to donate unclaimed clothing at airports to homeless veterans.
- HR 6621 amending the America Invents patent reform law.
- HCR 145condemning North Korea's missile launch.
- HCR 134condemning Iran's treatment of a religious minority within the country.
- S 2318The Department of State Rewards Program Update and Technical Corrections Act
- S 3331The Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act
- S 3472The Uninterrupted Scholars Act
- SJR 44 approving an agreement between the U.S. and Canada on emergency management assistance.
The Senate passed one bill on Tuesday:
- HR 4365amending the tax code to make thrift savings accounts subject to federal tax, and to use those revenues for deficit reduction.
Both chambers are scheduled to return today for the last session of the 112th Congress.
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POPVOX Update: January 1, 2013
Overnight, in a historic New Years Eve session, the Senate passed a bill containing the Fiscal Cliff "deal" brokered by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell [R, KY] and Vice President Joe Biden. The final vote at 1:44 AM was 89-8.
The "American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012," sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [D, NV], was presented as an amendment to the House-passed Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 8), replacing all previous text. By amending a House bill, rather than introducing a new Senate bill, the deal avoids any "blue-slip" objections from the House.
The bill now moves to the House for a vote expected later on January 1, 2013.
Bill language is available here. Suzy Khimm at the Washington Post has a summary of the provisions.
The House passed several bills before the end of 2012 and is back on January 1 to take up legislation to fund Hurricane Sandy cleanup efforts, in addition to the fiscal cliff deal.
- S 3454The Intelligence Authorization Act, authorizing intelligence agency activities in 2013. Passed 373-29.
- HR 6364The Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act, establishing a commission to plan World War I commemoration activities. Passed 401-5.
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POPVOX Evening Update: December 30, 2012
From our Hill Sources:
Both the House and Senate approved non-controversial bills in a rare Sunday session, but passed nothing related to the fiscal cliff. Congress returns Monday morning in the hopes of finding some way forward on the cliff.
The House passed three suspension bills in easy votes:
- HR 3159The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act,requiring the government to set out goals for foreign aid.
- HR 4057The Improving Transparency of Education Opportunities for Veterans Act,clarifying higher education opportunities for veterans.
- S 3202The Dignified Burial of Veterans Act, providing burial services for veterans.
The Senate approved several bills by voice vote, including more than a dozen land use bills. By voice vote, the Senate also approved:
- S 3250The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry Act, which provides for federal grants to states that audit samples of forensic evidence.
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PRESS CLIP: Fiscal Cliff Deal Likely To Avoid Spending Cut
(For media inquiries, please contact Marci Harris, POPVOX’s CEO, at info@popvox.com.)
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