Been A Long Time!

Been a long, long time since I last posted. Think I'll be starting again.

House and Senate are leaving for recess today and back on the April 17th....should be an interesting year of messaging bill after messaging bill with nothing much substantially done until lame duck.

Earlier this week, the House passed Budget Committee Chairman Ryan's budget proposal. This was nothing more than another messaging bill and frankly, seems risky on the Republicans' part. Budgets are typically used to determine what discretionary spending levels will be set at for the appropriations process. This was already determined by the Budget Control Act passed last summer to avery a government shutdown. So the levels were already set and the Senate is working off of those levels. The House passed this bill and it will not move anywhere else. It's now dead. Some Republicans are angry to have to vote on passage of another harsh bill of spending cuts and changes to Medicare and Medicaid after getting hit hard by Democrats after passage of a similar proposal the year before. However, some Republicans cherished the opportunity to show how their vision of government differs from Democrats and Obama.

There will be a lot of these messaging bills and the real work won't start until lame duck session, when the Congress will have to deal with the looming Jan 2013 deadlines of the Bush Tax cuts expiring, sequestration hitting, and another need to raise the debt limit.

On the Senate side, S. 2204, a bill to eliminate unnecessary tax subsidies and promote renewable energy and energy conservation, was unable to get cloture (60 votes needed for 'cloture' - to move to debate and vote on final passage) only getting 51 votes for and 47 against. To see how your Senator voted, you can click here: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=2&vote=00063


The House and Senate did pass a 90 day extension of the Highway/Transportation bill, so that will be something they will have to work on in the coming months. I guess they just wanted to make sure they will be busy instead of passing a longer bill and making sure there was less uncertainty ahead.


Some Interesting Bill Introduced this past week:

Bill of Note Introduced on 3-26-2012

By Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. FRANKEN,
Mr. RUBIO, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. LIEBERMAN, and Mrs. MCCASKILL):
S. 2234. A bill to prevent human trafficking in government
contracting; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

By Mr. BENNET (for himself, Mr. HATCH, and Mr. BURR):
S. 2236. A bill to provide for the expedited development and
evaluation of drugs designated as breakthrough drugs; to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.


Bill of Note Introducedon 3-27-2012

By Mr. CRAWFORD:
H.R. 4265. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
impose a 5 percent tax on so much of adjusted gross income of any individual as
exceeds $1,000,000, and to provide incentive for Congress to pass a balanced
budget amendment, or spending limit amendment, to the Constitution; to the
Committee on Ways and Means.

By Mr. AMASH (for
himself and Mr. FLAKE):
H.R. 4268. A bill to abolish the Export-Import Bank of the
United States, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Financial Services.

By Mr. GRIFFITH
of Virginia (for himself, Mr. OWENS, and Mr. POE of Texas):
H.R. 4269. A bill to amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States
Code, to more comprehensively address the interstate transportation of firearms
or ammunition; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


Bill of Note Introducedon 3-28-12

By Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. BOOZMAN,
Mr. LUGAR, Mr. VITTER, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. KYL, Mr. HELLER,
Mr. MORAN, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. ENZI, Mr. GRASSLEY,
Mr. LEE, Mr. PAUL, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. BARRASSO,
Mr. CORNYN, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. HOEVEN,
Mr. KIRK, Mr. WICKER, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. COCHRAN,
Mr. BURR, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. TOOMEY, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr.
RISCH, Mr. COBURN, Mr. JOHANNS, Mr. DEMINT, and Mr.
COATS):
S. 2242. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
repeal the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Finance.

By Mr. WYDEN (for
himself and Mr. PORTMAN):
S. 2243. A bill to establish a program to provide incentive
payments to participating Medicare beneficiaries who voluntarily establish and
maintain better health; to the Committee on Finance.

By Mr. YOUNG of
Indiana (for himself, Mr. HULTGREN, and Mr. LATTA):
H.R. 4279. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
waive the 10 percent early distribution penalty with respect to withdrawals by
unemployed veterans from certain retirement accounts; to the Committee on Ways
and Means.

By Ms. HAHN:
H.R. 4286. A bill to restore and extend the grace period before
repayment begins on Federal Direct Stafford loans and Federal Direct
Unsubsidized Stafford Loans; to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

By Ms. HAHN:
H.R. 4287. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to
expand the definition of homeless veteran for purposes of benefits under the
laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs.

By Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky (for himself, Mr. WOLF,
and Mr. AUSTRIA):
H.R. 4292. A bill to direct the Attorney General to establish
uniform standards for the exchange of controlled substance and prescription
information for the purpose of preventing diversion, fraud, and abuse of
controlled substances and other prescription drugs; to the Committee on Energy
and Commerce.


Bill of Note Introduced on 3-29-12

By Ms. STABENOW (for herself, Mr. HELLER, Mr. MENENDEZ,
Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. ISAKSON):
S. 2250. A bill to prevent homeowners from being forced to pay
taxes on forgiven mortgage loan debt; to the Committee on Finance.

By Mr. HARKIN:
S. 2252. A bill to rebuild the American middle class by creating
jobs, investing in our future, building opportunity for working families, and
restoring balance to the tax code; to the Committee on Finance.

By Ms. SNOWE (for
herself, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. ALEXANDER,
and Mr. CORKER):
S. 2258. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
make permanent the rule providing 5-year amortization of expenses incurred in
creating or acquiring music or music copyrights; to the Committee on Finance.

By Mr. TESTER (for himself, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. BURR,
Mr. BEGICH, Mr. WEBB, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. BROWN of
Massachusetts, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. MORAN, Mr. WICKER, Mr. ROCKEFELLER,
Mr. AKAKA, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, and Mr. SANDERS):
S. 2259. A bill to provide for an increase, effective December
1, 2012, in the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected
disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the
survivors of certain disabled veterans, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

By Mr. JOHNSON of South
Dakota (for himself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. INOUYE, and Mr. BEGICH):
S. 2262. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to
reauthorize and extend the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome prevention and services
program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions.

By Mr. BURR:
S. 2266. A bill to improve sharing of immigration information
among Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials, to improve State and
local enforcement of immigration laws, and for other purposes; to the Committee
on the Judiciary.

By Mrs. HARTZLER
(for herself, Mr. STUTZMAN, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. FRANK of
Massachusetts, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, and Mr. CRAVAACK):
H.R. 4296. A bill to amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy
Act to repeal a duplicative program relating to inspection and grading of
catfish; to the Committee on Agriculture.

By Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. WILSON
of South Carolina, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. WESTMORELAND,
Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. GRAVES of Georgia, Mr. BROUN of Georgia,
Mr. MULVANEY, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mr. GOWDY, and
Mr. LANDRY):
H.R. 4301. A bill to contribute to the growth of the American
economy and the strength of American national security by streamlining
regulatory permitting procedures and increasing domestic production from all
energy sources; to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the
Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, the
Judiciary, Rules, Ways and Means, Agriculture, Armed Services, and Oversight
and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction
of the committee concerned.

By Mr. MCCAUL (for himself and Mr. MACK):
H.R. 4303. A bill to direct the Secretary of State to designate
as foreign terrorist organizations certain Mexican drug cartels and submit a
report on the activities the Department of State is taking to assist Mexico
with drug cartel violence, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the
Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

By Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan (for himself, Mr. ROYCE,
Mr. CLAY, and Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia):
H.R. 4323. A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act to improve
upon the definitions provided for points and fees in connection with a mortgage
transaction; to the Committee on Financial Services.

By Mrs. NOEM:
H.R. 4331. A bill to respond to the extreme fire hazard and
unsafe conditions resulting from pine beetle infestation, drought, disease, or
storm damage by declaring a state of emergency and directing the Secretary of
Agriculture to immediately implement hazardous fuels reduction projects in the
manner provided in title I of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, and
for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the
Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. BOUSTANY,
Mr. HERGER, Mr. BERG, Ms. JENKINS, Mr. MARCHANT,
Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky,
and Mr. ROSKAM):
H.R. 4336. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
extend the exclusion from gross income of discharges of qualified principal
residence indebtedness; to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Everything will now be better with this measure passed on the senate
on March 28th:

Measures Passed:
Take Our Daughters and Sons
To Work Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 408, supporting
the goals and ideals of Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day.
Page
S2184

Medical Marijuana - Co-Sponsor List is Growing: July 12, 2009

Barney Frank offered this bill last year and was the sole sponsor. Several months later, he introduces the bill again - this time with 12 co-sponsors...and bi-partisan support. The tides may be shifting.

By Mr. FRANK (D-MA)(for himself, Mr. BLUMENAUER (D-OR), Mr. FARR (D-CA), Mr. MCDERMOTT (D-WA), Mr. PAUL (R-TX), Ms. WOOLSEY (D-CA) , Mr. ROHRABACHER (R-CA), Mr. GRIJALVA (D-AZ) Mr. THOMPSON (D-CA), Mr. GEORGE MILLER (D-GA), Mr. STARK (D-CA), Mr. HINCHEY (D-NY), Mr. OLVER (D-MA) and Ms. BALDWIN (D-WI)):

H.R. 2835. A bill to provide for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various States; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Ceiling Fans, Films and Working Abroad for Child Support - June 4, 2009

Been quite a while - a few odd bills introduced in June 4th, 2009 - 2 seems pretty special interest oriented and the third makes me wonder what circumstances arose that triggered the need for the bill.

By Mr. CROWLEY (D-NY):
H.R. 2719. A bill to extend the temporary suspension of duty on certain ceiling fans; to the Committee on Ways and Means.

By Mr. CROWLEY (D-NY) (for himself and Mr. DREIER (R-CA)):
H.R. 2720. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the election to treat the cost of qualified film and television productions as an expense which is not chargeable to capital account; to the Committee on Ways and Means.

By Mr. GERLACH (R-PA) :
H.R. 2723. A bill to amend the Social Security Act to provide for an exemption to allow an individual otherwise ineligible to travel outside the United States to do so for employment purposes to pay child support arrearages, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Credit Card Ratings, Child Marriage, Tax on Single-Use Bags and Selecting Programs Your Taxes Go To

Here are several interesting bills from the last week:

This first one seems like a pretty good idea - coming up with standard rating system from credit cards to help consumers weed out the shady card companies.

By Mr. WYDEN (D-OR):
S. 900. A bill to require the establishment of a credit card safety star rating system for the benefit of consumers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.


Another good idea to treat physical activities same as medical care in terms of tax and credits.

By Mr. KIND (D-WI) (Mr. BRADY (R-TX), Mr. BLUMENAUER (D-OR), and Mr. WAMP (R-TN):
H.R. 2105. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat certain amounts paid for physical activity, fitness, and exercise as amounts paid for medical care; to the Committee on Ways and Means.


Interesting bill with good motive, but how the heck would we be able to enforce?

By Ms. MCCOLLUM (D-MN) (for herself, Mrs. CAPPS (D-CA), Ms. CORRINE BROWN (D-FL), Ms. JACKSON-LEE (D-TX), Mr. OBERSTAR (D-MN), Ms. LEE (D-CA), Mrs. MALONEY (D-NY), Ms. WATSON (D-CA), Mrs. TAUSCHER (D-CA), Mr. HONDA (D-CA), Mr. HINCHEY (D-NY), Mr. MOORE (D-KS), Mr. MCGOVERN (D-MA), Mr. BISHOP (D-GA), Mr. MORAN (D-VA), Mr. ELLISON (D-MN), Mr. FILNER (D-CA), Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (D-TX), Ms. DELAURO (D-CA), Mr. CARNAHAN (D-MO), Mr. FARR (D-CA), Ms. ESHOO (D-CA), Mr. MCNERNEY (D-CA), Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (D-IL), Mr. WALZ (D-MN), Mr. CROWLEY (D-NY), Mr. HASTINGS (D-FL), and Ms. MOORE (D-WI)):
H.R. 2103. A bill to protect girls in developing countries through the prevention of child marriage, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.


I imagine the environmentalists will love this bill:

By Mr. MORAN (D-VA):
H.R. 2091. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a retail tax on single-use carryout bags, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.


Finally, I don't see this bill going anywhere - basically opens the door to each person deciding what they put their tax dollar to.

By Mr. LEWIS (D-GA) (for himself, Mr. OBERSTAR (D-MN), Mr. ELLISON (D-MN), Mr. STARK (D-CA), Mr. MCDERMOTT (D-WA), Mr. PAYNE (D-NJ), Mr. RUSH (D-NJ), Mr. FATTAH (D-PA), Ms. BALDWIN (D-WI), Mr. MCGOVERN (D-MA), and Mr. HOLT (D-NJ)):
H.R. 2085. A bill to affirm the religious freedom of taxpayers who are conscientiously opposed to participation in war, to provide that the income, estate, or gift tax payments of such taxpayers be used for nonmilitary purposes, to create the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund to receive such tax payments, to improve revenue collection, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Test Message Spam & Industrial Hemp - April 2009

The U.S. Congress is still on recess and return next Monday, April 20th. Here are two bills introduced before they left on recess that caught my eye.

I am all for both of these pieces of legislation and am happy to see both have bipartisan support:

By Ms. SNOWE (R-ME) (for herself and Mr. NELSON (D-FL)):

S. 788. A bill to prohibit unsolicited mobile text message spam; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (Source GPO Page: S4309)



By Mr. PAUL (R-TX) (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN (D-WI), Mr. CLAY (D-MO), Mr. FRANK (D-MA), Mr. GRIJALVA (D-AZ), Mr. HINCHEY (D-NY), Mr. MCCLINTOCK (R-CA), Mr. GEORGE MILLER (D-CA), Mr. ROHRABACHER (R-CA), Mr. STARK (D-CA) and Ms. WOOLSEY (D-CA)):

H.R. 1866. A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. (Source GPO Page: H4518)

FDR Docs, Unlawful Entry Aggravated Felons, US Using Other Currency & Alien Students

I definitely need to change the title of this blog. 'Daily' tidbits have become too difficult. I presume things will slow down a little once (if) the 2010 budget passes. This week will be a big step towards its passage.

Here are some bills that stood out to me over past week:

This first one makes me just think....huh? Claims of US to certain FDR docs?

By Mr. SCHUMER:

S. 692. A bill to provide that claims of the United States to certain documents relating to Franklin Delano Roosevelt shall be treated as waived and relinquished in certain circumstances; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.


Not so sure about this one . Would an illegal cited for something as minor as 'jaywalking' be considered an aggravated felon? Perhaps the purpose of bill meant to speed up deportation by labelling aggravated felonies to all crimes.

By Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida (for herself, Mr. BILBRAY, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. JONES, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. POE of Texas, and Mr. AKIN):

H.R. 1753. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to include in the definition of the term ``aggravated felony'' a criminal violation committed by an alien who unlawfully entered the United States; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


Here's a House Joint Resolution. Don't see this ever being an issue, but who knows. It would create constitutional amendment to prohibit US from using another country's currency. I have a few trillion Zimbabwe Dollars burning a hole in my pocket, so I'm still holding out hope.

By Mrs. BACHMANN (for herself, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. KIRK, Ms. FOXX, Mr. PITTS, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. WAMP, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. FLEMING, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. AKIN, Mr. ISSA, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. PAUL, Mr. CULBERSON, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. JONES, Mr. POSEY, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, and Mr. CONAWAY):

H.J. Res. 41. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to prohibit the President from entering into a treaty or other international agreement that would provide for the United States to adopt as legal tender in the United States a currency issued by an entity other than the United States; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


Interesting bill about immigrant students. I have to think there are some horror stories out there that caused this bill to come up.

By Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Mr. NUNES, Mr. POLIS, Mr. CAO, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. CONYERS, and Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida):

H.R. 1751. A bill to amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to permit States to determine State residency for higher education purposes and to authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Travel to Cuba, Flat Tax, Cell Phone Photo Noise, Dying on Wrong Date, Double Decker Horse Transport & College Football Bowls/Playoffs: Feb 27, 2009

Here are several bills from the past two weeks that have peaked my interest and will likely be controversial.

This first bill would allow travel between US and Cuba:

By Mr. DORGAN (D-ND) (for himself, Mr. ENZI (R-WY), Mr. LUGAR (R-IN), and Mr. DODD (D-CT)):

S. 428. A bill to allow travel between the United States and Cuba; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.


This second bill would create a flat tax alternative for paying income tax:

By Mr. BURGESS (R-TX):

H.R. 1040. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide taxpayers a flat tax alternative to the current income tax system; to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.


Here is a bill building off the paranoia of the digital age (most of the paranoia is deserved) - which requires cell phones to make noises when they take photos:

By Mr. KING (R-NY):
H.R. 414. A bill to require mobile phones containing digital cameras to make a sound when a photograph is taken; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.


This next bill is an odd one that can potentially cost folks who die on the wrong day of the month. I wonder why the PA Congressmen jumped on this piece of legislation.:

By Mr. HOLDEN (D-PA) (for himself and Mr. PLATTS (R-PA)):

H.R. 954. A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide that a monthly insurance benefit thereunder shall be paid for the month in which the recipient dies, subject to a reduction of 50 percent if the recipient dies during the first 15 days of such month, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Ways and Means.


Ahhh, yes, the ole' double decker horse transport bill:

By Mr. KIRK (R-IL) (for himself, Mr. COHEN (D-TN), and Mr. WHITFIELD (R-KY)):
H.R. 305. A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the transportation of horses in interstate transportation in a motor vehicle containing 2 or more levels stacked on top of one another; to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.


For those of us who are college football fans, these next two are devoted to college football playoffs/bowl games:

By Mr. BARTON (R-TX) (for himself, Mr. RUSH (D-IL), and Mr. MCCAUL (R-TX)):
H.R. 390. A bill to prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, the promotion, marketing, and advertising of any post-season NCAA Division I football game as a national championship game unless such game is the culmination of a fair and equitable playoff system; to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.


Got to love pushing for playoff system in college football:

By Mr. GARY G. MILLER (R-CA):
H.R. 599. A bill to prohibit the receipt of Federal funds by any institution of higher education with a football team that participates in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, unless the national championship game of such Subdivision is the culmination of a playoff system; to the Committee on Education and Labor.