This Week in the People's House

This Week in the People's House
6/27/2010
By Bobby Frederick

The House convened on Monday, June 21st (first votes at 6:02 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22nd) and adjourned on Friday, June 25th* (last vote at 7:09 p.m. on Thursday, June 24th), registering 19 votes for the week. For the third week in a row, Democrat leadership cancelled votes for Friday in the House. The House was in session for a total of 26 hours and 22 minutes.

This week, the House passed a controversial bill in response to the Supreme Court’s also controversial Citizens United vs FEC Supreme Court ruling from January 21, 2010. The 5-4 decision overturned existing law to effectively allow corporations and unions to spend freely on campaign commercials.

Republicans cheered the decision as a victory for free speech while Democrats vowed to fashion a legislative fix so that election spending by corporations [and presumably unions] would not, in the words of President Obama, "drown out the voices of everyday Americans." For three weeks House Democrats struggled to find the votes to pass their response measure, but after carve outs for certain groups, a promise by the Senate to act on the measure and a voice of support from the Administration, H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act passed (more after the jump).

Current Balance of the House stands at 433 members : 255 Democrats, 178 Republicans and 2 vacancies (NY-29 & IN-3).

*On Monday the House was in session for 3 minutes to approve the Journal and say the pledge of allegiance. Similarly, on Friday, the House was in session for 3 minutes to receive a message from the Clerk and recite the pledge.

Rule Bills

H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, introduced by Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Brief History:

For more than a century, corporations have been legally banned from contributing money to federal campaigns. The Taft-Hartley Act spelled out the same prohibition to labor unions in 1947. In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (aka BICRA or McCain/Feingold) banned "soft" (read unregulated) money and set limits for "hard" (read regulated) money. Limits on "hard" money for the 2010 cycle can be found here. BICRA also banned unions and corporations from producing "electioneering communications" which are defined as ads that mentioning a federal candidate 60 days prior to the general and 30 days leading up to the primary election.

Citizens United vs FEC:

Fast Forward to the 2008 election when conservative interest group, Citizens United produced "Hillary: The Movie" a film critical of then presidential-candidate Hillary Clinton. The group wanted to advertise the movie and offer it free via cable, but under BICRA's 30 day pre-primary rule, this was against the law. Citizens United sued and the case reached the Supreme Court. After 2 sets of oral arguments, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United saying that from now on, they (along with corporations and unions) can spend money on ads (through their general treasury fund as opposed to setting up a Political Action Committee) that advocate for or against a federal candidate at any time before the election. However, the provision preventing corporations and unions from donating directly to a campaign still stands.

Bill Summary:
During his State of the Union Address, President Obama memorably took the Supreme Court to task over their decision which had Justice Samuel Alito shaking his head. In response, House Democrats pushed the DISCLOSE Act which places stricter disclosure rules on corporations and unions that engage in campaign advertising. Under this legislation, individuals or groups that fund these ads must be identified in a disclaimer. Corporations and unions must also reveal those donors that give $600 or more in a single year for campaign activities. Foreign controlled corporations would be banned from making contributions to U.S. campaigns.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced its vehement opposition to the DISCLOSE act and successfully sought an exemption from its requirements. House Democrats, not being able needing the votes of conservative Democrats to pass the legislation, coalesced to the NRA's demands, altering the language of the bill, and ultimately exempting other groups such as AARP, the Sierra Club and the Humane Society. These carve-outs had both conservative and liberal special interest groups railing against the legislation.

On the House floor, Democrats supported DISLCOSE saying it was necessary to prevent corporations from a "take over [of] the political system." Republicans opposed DISCLOSE by decrying the backroom exemptions and arguing that the bill restricted free speech.

DISCLOSE narrowly passed 219-206 (Voting Yes- 217 D's & 2 R's : Voting No- 36 D's & 170 R's). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised action on this legislation in the Senate. In order for DISCLOSE to take effect before the 2010 election, Congressional Democrats and President Obama must act quickly.

Suspensions

The House suspended the rules to pass 13 measures, including: Supporting men's health week, recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day, supporting goals of high-performance building week, require Treasury to certify purchases under small business lending fund program, recognizing national home ownership month & national Caribbean-American Heritage month, granting subpoena power to the national commission set up to investigate the BP oil spill, calling card consumer protection act, supporting hurricane preparedness week, recognizing the 50th anniversary of the US Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. For vote tallies, click here (376-384, 387 & 392).

The House also passed, 417-1, a suspension that would prevent the 21% cut in Medicare payments to physicians (aka the "doc fix") through the end of November. The House was forced to pass this measure after the Senate failed to pass their tax extenders legislation (which would have included this provision).

The House passed a conference report to the President, via suspenion that would place tougher economic sanctions on Iran. The Vote was 408-8-1.

Big News Recap

Washington was rocked this week as General Stanley McChrystal was relieved of his duty as Commander of US forces in Afghanistan after a Rolling Stone article surfaced in which McChrystal and his staff were dismissive and critical of certain Administration officials including Vice President Biden.

General David Petraeus will take over, leaving his job as commander of CENTCOM in Tampa, Florida to run war operations from Kabul, Afghanistan. Petraeus will be confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday.

This shake-up in Afghanistan comes as the US offensive in Kandahar has stalled and June has become the deadliest month of the nearly nine-year war, for coalition forces as 80 have lost their lives so far.

On June 21st, would be Times-Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad pled guilty and promised more Islamist extremist attacks.

BP Oil Spill- Day 67; Finally, in a bit of "good news" for the Gulf clean-up efforts, tropical storm Alex looks likely to miss the spill site.

Upcoming Action in the People's House

With just 128 days until the 2010 Midterm Elections and a mere 34 days left on the House Session Calendar, time is running short for legislative priorities.

This coming week, the House will vote on approving the Conference Report to H.R. 4173, the Financial Regulatory Reform Bill.

After a couple of weeks of delay, the House is likely to consider H.R. 4899, the War Supplemental Bill which contains $84.3 billion in emergency funding (money for surge in Afghanistan, state funding, Pell Grants, border enforcement, etc).

This Week in the People's House

This Week in the People's House
6/20/2010
By Bobby Frederick
Happy Father's Day!

Another light week on the legislative front as House Democrat leadership cancelled Friday's session for a second week in a row. Convening at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 14th (first votes at 6:32 p.m.) and adjourning at 7:33 p.m. on Thursday, June 17th (last vote at 2:03 p.m.), the House registered 21 votes for the week. The House was in session for a total of 33 hours and 2 minutes.

The House completed two pieces of legislation geared towards assisting small businesses, however this week was most notable for what the House did NOT get done. On Thursday, after a three-hour-and-twenty minute recess, Democrat leadership sent members home for the week when it became clear they did not have the votes for their campaign finance bill (H.R. 5175), AND that the long-stalled tax extenders bill (H.R. 4213) would not be sent back from the Senate.

Current Balance of the House : 255 Democrats, 178 Republicans and 2 vacancies (NY-29 & IN-3). Tom Graves (R-GA-9) was sworn in on Monday June 14th.

Rule Bills

6/16/2010

H.R. 5486, the Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act of 2010, introduced by Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI).

Summary: Among the 6 tax provisions in this bill is a 22-month 100% exclusion on the capital gains tax from selling small business stock (held for a minimum of five years).

H.R. 5486 also increases - from $5,000 to $20,000 - the start-up expenses that small businesses can deduct in 2010 and 2011.

According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, these tax incentives will cost $3.6 billion over 10 years. To offset these costs, the authors altered the tax code for estate planning by requiring a ten year term for "grantor retained annuity trusts", and made tall crude oil ineligible for the Cellulosic Biofuel Producer Credit. The JCT ruled that these provisions would increase government revenue by $7.1 billion through FY 2020 for a net gain of $3.5 billion (which will be used to offset the cost of H.R. 5297).

Arguments: Proponents of the legislation argued that it would create jobs for small business while opponents argued the tax relief did not go far enough and that the $3.5 billion surplus would be used to fund another bailout type program.

Motion to Recommit (MTR): Using their final opportunity to amend the bill, Republicans offered an MTR that would repeal the section of the health care bill that requires a person to purchase health insurance (aka the individual mandate). The Motion failed 187-230 (Voting Yes- 21 D's & 166 R's : Voting No- 229 D's & 1 R).

H.R. 5486 passed by a vote of 247-170 (Voting Yes- 242 D's & 5 R's : Voting No- 8 D's & 162 R's).


6/17/2010

H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010, introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA).
Summary: Would authorize the Treasury Department to administer a $30 billion fund to invest in eligible financial institutions in an effort to encourage banks to lend to small businesses. H.R. 5297 also authorizes $1 billion in financing for "early stage" businesses.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) put the cost of this bill at $3.3 billion through FY 2015. This would be covered by the aforementioned surplus from H.R. 5486.

Arguments: Supporters maintained that this bill would increase lending to small businesses and ultimately "make a profit" for taxpayers. Opponents countered by likening the bill to another version of the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) and arguing that the bill would not guarantee that banks lend to small businesses.

H.R. 5297 passed by a vote of 241-182 (Voting Yes- 238 D's & 3 R's : Voting No 13 D's & 169 R's).

Next Step: Pursuant to the terms of the rule for H.R. 5297, both H.R. 5297 and H.R. 5486, after being passed individually, will be combined into one bill and sent to the Senate.


YouCUT
For the 4th week, Republican leadership sought the counsel of citizens in an effort aimed at reducing the deficit. People vote via text-message on a spending cut and then Republicans offer it on the House Floor (usually through a parliamentary method known as Ordering the Previous Question).

This week, Congressman Jason Chafettz (R-UT) offered a cut that could save up to $15 billion by speeding up the process for selling excess federal property

This effort failed 241-179 (Voting Yes- 241 D's & 0 R's : Voting No- 7 D's & 172 R's).

Suspensions

The House suspended the rules to pass 10 pieces of legislation this past week. Measures include supporting National Dairy Month, American Eagle Day, a gift card measure, honoring FFA advisor Larry Case, recognizing father's day, honoring 20th anniversary of the Albert Einstein fellowship program and honoring the NAACP, Department of Justice, Flag Day and the Urban Prep Charter Academy. Click here for vote tallies (roll call vote 355-58, 361-62, 364-67 & 370). H.R. 4855, the Work-Life Balance Act failed on suspension (roll call vote 360).

Other Big News : Gulf Oil Spill & Afghanistan

President Obama used his first oval office speech to address the nation on the oil spill crisis in the Gulf. His remarks were criticized by some on the left.

Lawmakers' anger spills out at BP CEO Tony Hayward as he testifies on Capitol Hill. By the end of the week, he had gotten "his life back".

As we head in to Day 62 of the spill (Monday June 21st), BP's own worst case scenario estimates a possible leak of 100,000 barrels of oil a day.

Ranking Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) had to apologize for his apology to BP in order to keep his spot on the panel.

A United Nations report claims that coordinated attacks and assassinations are increasing at an alarming rate in Afghanistan. This comes ahead of the summer surge of 30,000 U.S. troops.

The People's House Political Extra (135 Days until the 2010 Midterm Elections)

Paraphrased quote of the week: "The bad news for Democrats is that we're low in the polls. The good news is that the Republicans are right down there with us. They (American voters) don't like any of us." Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Hoyer might be on to something. Democrats have surely seen better days as this NPR poll shows. Using data from 60 Democratic incumbent districts and 10 Republican incumbent districts, NPR found that 56% of those in Democratic districts said they would not vote to re-elect their Congressman, compared to 39% in GOP districts. Meanwhile, Republicans hold a 49%-41% advantage on a generic ballot question.

However, not all the news is good for Republicans as this Rasmussen Reports poll shows. Seventy-two percent of Republican voters say that Republican members of Congress are out of touch with the party base.

Five months outside of the election where they are expected to lose seats in both the House and Senate, Democrats are employing $50 million into the risky strategy of trying to tap back in to those first-time voters who helped put President Obama in office in 2008.

Upcoming Action in The People's House

Democrats hope that the third time is the charm after shelving H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, for the past two weeks. The National Rifle Association was successful in getting an exemption from the provisions of this bill (including having to physically appear in ads they sponsor and disclose their contributions). This move, designed to secure the votes of Blue Dog Democrats, ended up upsetting liberal democrats and other interest groups, putting the status of the bill in limbo.

The House MAY consider an $84.3 billion war supplemental funding bill. $33 billion would go to defense efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan while the rest would fund states, Pell Grants, disaster assistance in Haiti and border enforcement.

Finally, this week Democrat leadership announced it was cancelling session the week of August 2nd, which means there are now 39 days left on the Legislative Calendar for the year.

This Week in the People's House

This Week in the People's House
6/13/2010
By Bobby Frederick

It was a light legislative week as Congressional leaders cancelled session on Friday, leading to a 3-day-week. Convening at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8th (first votes at 6:03 p.m.) and adjourning at 5:46 p.m. on Thursday, June 10th (last vote at 2:47 p.m.), the House registered 18 votes for the week. The House was in session for a total of 22 hours and 57 minutes.

Current Balance of the House : 255 Democrats, 177 Republicans and 3 vacancies (GA-9, NY-29, IN-3).

Note: Republican Tom Graves won the special election in GA-9 and will be sworn in on Monday, June 14th. He replaces former Republican Congressman Nathan Deal who resigned to focus on his race for Georgia Governor.

Constituents in NY-29 & IN-3 are likely to go without representation until November as Governors Patterson and Daniels are leaning towards holding these special elections on Election Day 2010.

Rule Bills

H.R. 5072 - The FHA Reform Act of 2010 introduced by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA).

Summary:
Via its website, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) "...provides mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved lenders throughout the United States..insuring over 34 million properties since its inception in 1934." Traditionally, FHA has served low-income borrowers with low-cost mortgages, however the exodus of the private sector from the mortgage market due to the subprime crisis and recession increased FHA's share of the mortgage market.

H.R. 5072 would give FHA the authority to increase its premiums on mortgage insurance to 1.55% (up from .55%) on those whose down payment is less than 5% of their mortgage. This move is aimed to raise capital for the FHA.

H.R. 5072 passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 406-4 (Voting Yes- 241 D's & 165 R's : Voting No- 1 D & 3 R's). This bill now heads over to the Senate.

Suspensions

The House suspended the rules to consider 8 pieces of legislation this week. Of particular note, both House and Senate passed a measure allowing the President to access more of the Oil Spill Liability Trust fund for Gulf cleanup efforts. Current law only allows using $150 million of this fund per Fiscal Year. The President can now access multiple payments of up to $100 million for the Deepwater Horizon Spill.

The House also passed legislation regarding the Hoh Indian Tribe, honored Jacques Cousteau, made access to CBO scores more transparent, recognized World Ocean Day and named two Post Offices on suspension. Roll Calls 337-38, 342, 344-46. A measure urging the House to pursue international agreements on preventing ocean acidification (by controlling carbon) failed.

Other Big News

The BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill reaches day 54. President Obama plans to address the nation on Tuesday, June 15th. BP has spent $1.6 billion on cleanup efforts. Meanwhile, Congress is pressuring BP to suspend its second quarter dividend payment.

In a blow to the US economic recovery, retail purchases unexpectedly fell 1.2%.

General Stanly McChrystal warns that violence will rise over the summer in Afghanistan as the Obama troop surge battles insurgents in Kandahar.

The March to November continues as 12 states cast votes this past week. Senate incumbent Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) who had been written off by pundits, lived to fight another day, while House incumbent Bob Inglis (R-SC) looks to be in trouble.

There are 142 days until Election Day 2010. No primary contests this week.

Upcoming Actions in the House

This week, the House will consider H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2o10 which was introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). This bill aims to increase capital for small businesses by authorizing a new $30 billion lending fund to be administered by the Treasury Department.

The House may also consider H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, which was introduced by Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). This legislation is in response to the Supreme Court's Citizens United case decision and would provide rules on election spending by corporations.

Also this month, the House will consider H.R. 4899, the Supplemental Appropriations Act for 2010 which was introduced by Congressman David Obey (D-WI). This measure will include funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as FEMA disaster assistance. It could include other "projects" as well. Last month the Senate passed a $58.8 billion supplemental, so now the ball is in the House's court.

This Week in the People's House

5/31/2010

By Bobby Frederick

Happy Memorial Day

The House finished with a flurry of activity before the weeklong Memorial Day District Work Period. Convening at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, May 24th (first votes at 6:32 p.m.) and adjourning at 5:58 p.m. on Friday, May 28th (last vote at 4:19 p.m.), the House registered 46 votes for the week. The House was in session for a total of 43 hours and 59 minutes.

Current Balance of the House : 255 Democrats, 177 Republicans and 3 vacancies (GA-9, NY-29, IN-3).

Rule Bills

5/28/10
H.R. 5136, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, introduced by Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO).

This year's 692 page defense policy legislation authorizes $759.6 billion, mostly for Fiscal Year 2011. This includes $33.7 billion in FY 2010 to fund the surge in Afghanistan and $159.3 billion in FY 2011 funds for war operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other terror operations.

A 1.9% pay raise for military personnel, $20 billion for base construction and $7.9 billion for troop protection in the form of countermeasures for IED's and up-armored vehicles is also included.

The President would have to provide a plan to Congress before transferring any Guantanamo detainees. $10.3 billion is for missile defense and additional $11 billion will go toward the development of 42 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

Notable Amendments
The Rules Committee ruled in order 82 amendments for H.R.5136. Sixty-eight of these amendments were packaged together en bloc, which is a non-controversial ,time saving maneuver where numerous amendments can be considered at one time and usually passed by a voice vote . There were 9 en bloc packages for H.R. 5136.

Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) offered an amendment to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy put in place by the Clinton Administration in 1993. As a presidential candidate, Clinton had promised to end the longstanding ban on homosexuals serving in the military, but he only succeeded in relaxing that policy. The DADT Presidential directive stated that military applicants should not be asked about their orientation, nor should they openly acknowledge participating in "homosexual conduct". In February, Defense Secretary Gates announced the forming of a working group in support of President Obama's goal of repealing DADT. Gates' Pentagon Working Group will produce a report on the effects of DADT on December 1, 2010.

The Murphy Amendment allows for the repeal of DADT after Gates' report is released and the President signs off on it (which he as promised to do). During debate, supporters argued that repeal was long overdue while opponents countered that a change in policy could cause "serious problems" and Congress shouldn't vote until the Pentagon report is released. The amendment passed 234-194 (Voting Yes- 229 D's & 5 R's : Voting No- 26 D's & 168 R's).

In addition, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) offered an amendment to strike $485 million in the underlying bill for an alternative engine to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Pentagon is planning for nearly 2,500 JSF's over the next 3 decades with a price tag in the neighborhood of $1 trillion. Originally, DOD had 2 teams working on the engine for the F-35, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric/Rolls Royce. However, DOD has sided with Pratt Whitney and did not ask for any funding for the GE/RR team in its last four budget requests. Congress has continued to fund development of a second engine nevertheless. Supporters of the second engine argue that competition will generate cost savings. Opponents argue that Congress is just throwing extra money at the program as an earmark to districts where the second engine would be built.

The Pingree amendment failed 193-231-3 (Voting Yes- 136 D's & 57 R's : Voting No- 115 D's & 116 R's : Voting Present 3 D's & 0R's). Defense Secretary Gates has warned to advise President Obama to veto this bill because of the funding for the second engine, however this same threat was issued last year and Obama still signed the measure into law. With the DADT repeal included, the chances of Obama vetoing this legislation are very slim.

FINAL VOTE: The underlying Defense Authorization measure, which usually finds it place in the 400+ votes club, passed by a much closer margin 229-186 (Voting Yes- 220 D's & 9 R's : Voting No- 26 D's & 160 R's). The Senate will take up this measure sometime after the current recess.

5/28/10

H.R. 4213, The American Workers, State and Business Relief Act of 2010, introduced by Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY).

After two weeks of delays, negotiations and searching for votes, House Democrats were able to pass a scaled back, $113 billion package extending unemployment benefits, numerous tax credits (education expenses, biodiesel incentive, etc), and a short-term fix preventing payment cuts to Medicare doctors ("doc fix"). To pay for the bill, "carried interest" of investment bankers would be taxed as ordinary income, not as capital gains. The bill also raises, by 26 cents-per-barrel, the tax that goes to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that H.R. 4213 would increase the deficit by $54 billion through 2020.

Originally, Democrat Leadership wanted to pass a $200 billion measure, but objections by some rank and file members on the price tag forced changes. Shortening the unemployment benefits extension by one month, addressing the doc fix for 19 months (rather than 48 months) and dropping COBRA health insurance subsidies, trimmed the spending to $113 billion.

Democrats split the measure in to two votes. The first vote contained the tax extenders and passed 215 to 204 (Voting Yes- 214 D's & 1 R : Voting No- 34 D's & 170 R's). The second vote was on the "doc fix", which was accepted 245-171 (Voting Yes- 230 D's & 15 R's : Voting No- 15 D's and 156 R's).

The Senate left town before these measures were passed and the current extensions for the "doc fix" and unemployment benefits will run out while Congress is in recess. The Senate could consider these measures the week of June 7th.


5/28/2010

H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 introduced by Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN)

The third time proved to be the charm for Democratic leadership intent on passing this bill before the recess. After pulling the bill the week of May 10th when a Republican Amendment passed and watching a scaled back measure fail on the Suspension Calendar during the week of May 17th, Democrats used a rare parliamentary tactic known as "dividing the question" to force 9 separate votes on the measure while preserving the five-year, $85.6 billion authorization level for science and research programs.

The House agreed to quit paying the salaries of government employees caught looking at pornography on government computers by a vote of 409-0. An effort to cut two years from the authorization levels failed 181-234. The final product passed 262-150 (Voting Yes- 245 D's & 17 R's : Voting No- 0 D's and 150 R's) The Senate must now take up this measure.

Suspensions

This week, the House suspended the rules to pass eighteen pieces of legislation ranging from veterans wellness to recognizing National Mental Health Month. Click here and here for vote tallies (Roll Call votes 291-305, 308-09 & 320).

Other Big News

Happy Memorial Day

BP's latest effort to reign in the oil gushing in the Gulf, "TOP KILL", has failed and the spill could continue until August. Late Tuesday (6/1) the Justice Department opened up a criminal investigation of BP.

The People's House Political Extra

154 days until 2010 Midterm elections

May 25, 2010 revealed another Primary upset as state lawmaker and tea party favorite, Raul Labrador, bested Vaughn Ward who had been heavily backed by the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), 47.6% to 38.9% in the Idaho Republican Primary. Labrador will take on Democrat Congressman Walt Minnick in November.

The Obama Administration reached out to Congressman Joe Sestak, via President Bill Clinton, in an effort to get him out of the Senate Primary race against Senator Arlen Specter. Sestak resisted and defeated the incumbent earlier last month. Some argue that this is par for the course in Washington while others point out that Obama ran on change.

6/1/2010- Primary results will be in tonight from Alabama, Mississippi and New Mexico. Will Parker Griffin's party switch (to Republican) come back to haunt him in his primary? Will anti-establishment candidates best those backed by the NRCC? Chris Cillizza on what to watch for.

6/8/2010- Another super Tuesday as Iowa, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota & Virginia hold their Primaries. Arkansas will also hold its run-off on this date.

Next Week in the People's House-

53 days left on 2010 legislative calendar

When the House reconvenes on June 8th, it is likely to consider an $84 billion emergency supplemental funding bill that contains money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, relief to Haiti and Pell Grant Funding.

The House could also consider H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act of 2010, introduced by Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

which aims to counter the January Supreme Court Decision on campaign finance.

This Week in the People's House 5-23-10

This week in the People's House
By Bobby Frederick
5/23/2010

Another light work week in the House which convened at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18th (first votes at 6:33 p.m.) and adjourned at 9:04 a.m. on Friday, May 21st (last vote at 4:23 p.m. on May 20th), registering 18 votes for the week. The House was in session for a total of 30 hours and 47 minutes.

Current Balance of the House : 255 Democrats, 176 Republicans and 4 vacancies (GA-9, NY-29, HI-1, IN-3). Congressman Mark Critz (PA-12 was sworn in on 5/20 and Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN-3) resigned on 5/21 after he admitted to an affair with a staff member. The HI-1 vacancy will be filled this week by Congressman-elect Charles Djou (R-HI).

Notable Floor Proceedings

5/19
While there were no rule bills this week, there were some notable moments on the House floor. First, Democrats tried again to pass a reauthorization of the America COMPETEs Act, which would authorize funding for science and technology research programs.

Last week, Democrats pulled H.R. 5116 (a five year, $85.6 billion bill) from the floor after Republicans & Democrats voted to amend the bill by freezing spending at FY 2010 levels, cutting it down to a three year bill and banning any government funds from being spent to pay the salaries of any federal employee who has been caught looking at pornography on government computers.

This week, Democrats introduced a new version of America COMPETEs, H.R. 5325, which was trimmed to a $48 billion, three year authorization. It also included the no salary for federal employees/pornography provision. During floor debate, Democrats argued that this compromise version included Republican ideas and would create jobs. Republicans countered that the bill contained duplicative programs and that the spending levels were still too high.

Process-wise, this bill was placed on the Suspension Calendar which bars any amendments and requires a two-thirds majority of those present and voting to pass. H.R. 5325 failed 261-148 (Voting Yes-246 D's & 15 R's : Voting No 0 D's & 148 R's). Majority Leader Hoyer said the bill would be brought up, under a rule, next week.

5/20

Mexican President Felipe Calderon addressed a joint session of Congress and criticized Arizona's new immigration law.

5/20

The House also considered H Res 1363, a non-controversial measure granting the Education and Labor Committee deposition authority to investigate the April 5th West Virginia mine disaster.

Towards the conclusion of debate, Rules Chairwoman, Louise Slaughter (D-NY) ordered to "move the previous question." If adopted, this procedural motion essentially cuts off debate and moves to a vote on the resolution at hand (H Res 1363). If defeated, the minority earns an extra hour of debate, with the possibility of offering an amendment.

Republicans urged a "no" vote so that they could offer an amendment to cut $2.5 billion from a program that gives states extra money if they increase welfare caseloads. This was part of a new effort by Republican Whip Eric Cantor called "You Cut", a program that allows citizens to vote on where they would like to see spending cut. The winning submissions are then taken and voted on by the House (usually through a "Motion to Recommit" or "Ordering of the Previous Question").

In this case, the previous question passed 240-177 (Voting Yes- 240 D's & 0 R's : Voting No- 9 D's & 168 R's) thus preventing the amendment to cut spending and moving on to a vote on H Res 1363 which passed 413-1 (Voting Yes- 247 D's & 166 R's : Voting No- 0 D's and 1 R).

Suspensions

Generally reserved for non-controversial measures, legislation can be passed under Suspension of the Rules by 2/3’s of those present and voting.

This week, the House suspended the rules to pass fifteen pieces of legislation: Endangered Fish Recovery, Enhanced DNA collection, Honoring Floyd Dominy, Juvenile Accountability Grants, National Missing Children's Day, Celebrating life of Lena Horne, Michael Rothberg Post Office, National Teacher Day, Congratulating Emporia State women for winning DII NCAA basketball championship, Honoring they historic Chatham County Courthouse, Assist Israel with anti-missile defense system, Congratulating Phil Mickelson, University of Texas men's swim team, North Carolina Central University and naming the Interior Department building after Stewart Udall. H.R. 5325, America COMPETEs failed on Suspension. Click here for vote tallies (Roll Call votes 273-87, & 290).

Other Big News

On 5/20, the Senate passed their financial overhaul bill 59-39 with northeast Republicans Scott Brown, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe voting "YES" and Democrats Maria Cantwell and Russ Feingold voting "NO". This bill would create a new consumer financial protection agency and place more regulations on banks with the goal of avoiding future financial crises. The Wall Street Journal has a GREAT summary. Dems hope to have a bill on Obama's desk by July 4th.

On 5/18, The New York Times reported that the American death toll in Afghanistan has reached 1,000. The Washington Post estimate this sad milestone was reached in late February. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense has Operation Enduring Freedom casualties at 1,070 American deaths.

One month later, the Gulf Oil Spill is still not contained and new reports show that the 5,000 barrel a day rate leak estimate is inaccurate. Anger is building as the oil continues to spread along the Gulf Coast.

The People's House Politics Extra!

With 163 days until Election Day 2010, this week's primary contests from PA, AR, KY & OR gave political pundits plenty to chew on. Another incumbent ousted, a tea-party favorite wins (then stumbles) and Republicans finally break the Democrats long special-election winning streak.

-In Pennsylvania, party-switching incumbent Senator Arlen Specter was taken down by Congressman Joe Sestak (another incumbent of sorts) 54%-46% in the Democratic primary for Senate.

-In a special election in PA-12, former John Murtha staffer Mark Critz (D) bested former small business owner Tim Burns (R) 52.6% - 45.1% as both sides poured more than $1 million into this race. Republicans pointed to this as the type of race they need to win to earn back the majority in the House. Some argue that this result should allow D's to breathe easier while others argue that Critz (a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-cap & trade, anti D health care plan) is hardly an endorsement of the Democrat policy agenda. The two face off again in November.

-In Arkansas, Incumbent Blanche Lincoln could not earn a majority of the vote and will face a runoff against LT. Gov Bill Halter on June 8th for the Democrat nomination for Senate.

-In Kentucky, Tea Party favorite Rand Paul (R) defeated the establishment candidate, Secretary of State Trey Grayson 59% to 35%, but immediately found himself in hot water over comments on the Civil Rights Act.

-In the Aloha State, Republican Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou won a special election to fill out the term of 21 year Democrat incumbent Neil Abercrombie. This is Obama's home district and the President took 70% here in the 2008 election. Full results here.

-Idaho holds its Primary on Tuesday, May 25th.

Next week in the People's House

The House is likely to take up a possible $150 to $200 billion package of tax extenders (unemployment, Medicare Doc Fix and COBRA benefits, etc). Democrats did not have the votes to pass this last week as conservative Blue Dog Democrats continued to have cost concerns.

The House may also take up H.R. 5136, the FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Act introduced by Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO). This bill would authorize $726 billion for Defense programs as well as fund for the Afghanistan troop surge and operations in Haiti. Finally, the bill includes a 1.9% pay raise for military personnel.

Democrats hope that the third time is the charm as they take another crack at H.R. 5116, The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act introduced by Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN).

This week in the People's House 5-16

This week in the People's House
By Bobby Frederick
5/16/2010

Light lifting this week as the House convened at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3rd (first votes at 6:30 p.m.) and adjourned at 11:36 a.m. on Friday, May 14th (last vote at 1:11 p.m. on May 13th), registering 17 votes for the week.

Current Balance of the House : 254 Democrats, 177 Republicans and 4 vacancies (GA-9, NY-29, HI-1, PA-12). Two of these vacancies will likely be filled by the end of this week.

Rule Bills

5/12 & 5/13/ (2010)
H.R. 5116, The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act introduced by Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN).

Democrat leadership pulled this bill from the floor when it became apparent that a Republican Motion to Recommit (parliamentary procedure that makes changes to the bill) with which they could not live with, would pass. The bill will be back on the floor the week of 5/17 under more structured rules.

Summary: Authorizes $85.6 billion in funding over five years for science and technology programs. The funding would go to the National Science Foundation , the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and two other government science agencies. The intent of this legislation is to strengthen U.S. competitiveness when it comes to math and science. The Rules Committee ruled in order 50 Democrat Amendments and 4 Republican Amendments on this bill.

During Debate, Democrats promoted this as a jobs-creating measure while Republicans pointed to increased spending and creation of more government programs as a cause for concern.

In 2007, Congress passed and then-President Bush signed the first iteration of the COMPETE's act which authorized around $42 billion through FY2010 (3 years) Again, H.R. 5116's authorizing period is through FY 2015 (5 years) at double that amount.

The aforementioned Motion to Recommit offered by Republicans altered the bill by making the bill a three year authorization (instead of five), freezing spending for many programs at FY2010 levels and barring ANY funds in the bill from being used to pay the salaries of government workers who had been caught viewing pornography on their government computers. In 2009, an Inspector General report revealed rampant porn watching at the NSF.

The Motion passed 292-126 (Voting Yes-121 D's & 171 R's : Voting No 125 D's & 1 R) at which point the Democrat leadership pulled the bill from consideration.

Suspensions

Generally reserved for non-controversial measures, legislation can be passed under Suspension of the Rules by 2/3’s of those present and voting.

This week, the House suspended the rules to pass seven pieces of legislation: Supporting National Explosive Ordnance Disposal Day, Honoring William "Ernie" Harwell, Supporting Peace Officers Memorial Day and Women's Health Week, a clarification of a Veterans health care policy, Honoring AmeriCorps and Expressing Sympathy to those affected by floods in the Southeast. Click here for vote tallies (Roll Call votes 256-58, 260-61, 271-72).

Other Big News

On May 10th, President Obama announced that current Solicitor General, Elana Kagan, was his choice to fill the Supreme Court Chair being vacated by Justice Stevens. Under the Constitution, only the Senate has "Advice and Consent" powers over this matter.

BP came to the Hill to face the House and Senate for what can only be described as blame game hearings. While no one knows how much oil is leaking per day, BP appeared to be making some progress in stemming the spill late Sunday, 5/16.

On the international front, in the aftermath of U.K. elections, Prime Minister Gordon Brown resigned on May 11th making room for new Prime Minister David Cameron whose Conservatives became the largest part in Parliament with 306 seats (short of a 326 majority).

Michelle Obama released the White House's Obesity Report with the goal of reducing childhood obesity to 5% of the population by 2030. Today 1 in 3 kids are either overweight or obese.

The People's House Politics Extra

With 170 days until Election Day 2010, this week's primary calendar ushered out the first House incumbent as 14-term Democrat Alan Mollohan of West Virginia was ousted 56% to 44%.
4 House incumbents lost their primary in 2008, while 2 each lost in 2006 and 2004.

Primaries:
West Virginia and Nebraksa (each with 3 Congressmen) held their primaries on 5/11. In WV, Shelly Moore Capito (R) was unopposed while Nick Rahall (D) won with 67.5%. In NE, Adrian Smith (R) won with 88%, Jeff Fortenberry (R) won with 84% and Lee Terry (R) won with 63%.


Republicans on the Rise:
A new NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll shows R's getting their mojo back with Independent voters who prefer the GOP over the D's 38% to 30%. At this time in 2006, that number favored D's 40% to 24%.

R's should be careful though as this quote by Tennessee voter Joe Carter best sums up what's going on right now. "Both parties do things I disagree with," Mr. Carter said. "But just to stop what's going on now, I will vote Republican."

Finally, the latest Rasmussen Poll shows R's besting D's on the "generic ballot" 44%-38%. R's first took the lead in the generic back in June 2009, but this week's 6% margin ties the smallest lead for R's in 2010.


Contests to watch this week and predictions:

May 18th- Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon all hold primaries.

PA- Tim Burns (R) vs Mark Critz (D) to replace the late John Murtha.
Prediction: Burns with 52%

PA- Party Switching Incumbent Senator Arlen Specter (D) vs Congressman Joe Sestak (D).
Prediction: Specter's out.

AK- Incumbent Blanche Lincoln (D) vs Lt. Gov Bill Halter (D) for the D Senate Primary.
Prediction: Lincoln won't cross the 50% needed to avoid a June 8th runoff.

KY- Tea Part favorite Rand Paul (R) vs KY Secretary of State Trey Grayson.
Prediction: Rand Paul with 54%

Chris Cilliza and Dan Balz of the Washington Post provide a great run down here.


May 22nd- Winner takes all, mail in special election in Hawaii-1.
Prediction: With the DCCC pulling out of Hawaii, Charles Djou (R) will outlast Ed Case (D) and Colleen Hanabusa (D)

Next week in the People's House

The House is likely to take up a possible $200 billion package of tax extenders (unemployment, Medicare Doc Fix and COBRA benefits, etc).

The House will take another crack at H.R. 5116, The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act introduced by Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN).

Summary: Authorizes $85.6 billion over five years for science and technology programs.

This week in the People's House
By Bobby Frederick
5/9/2010
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

The House convened briefly at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 3rd (first votes 6:30 p.m. on May 4th) and adjourned at 10:01 a.m. on Friday, May 7th (last vote at 3:44 p.m. on May 6th), registering 13 votes for the week.

Current Balance of the House : 254 Democrats, 177 Republicans and 4 vacancies (GA-9, NY-29, HI-1, PA-12)

Rule Bills

5/6/10
H.R. 5019- The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, Introduced by Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT).

Passed 246-161 (Voting Yes- 234 D’s & 12 R’s : Voting No- 7 D’s & 154 R’s)


Summary: Dubbed "cash for caulkers", H.R. 5019 authorizes $6 billion for a new rebate and loan program for contractors and homeowners who employ energy-efficient home renovations. Consumers would receive discounts from contractors, who in turn would be reimbursed by the government for employing retrofits. "Silver Star" rebates would provide up to $3,000 for energy improvements such as insulation, window or air conditioner replacement. "Gold Star" rebates would provide up to $8,000 for projects that reduce overall household energy-consumption.

The bill also authorizes a new $600 million program for lower income individuals residing in "manufactured" (mobile or modular) homes before 1976 to purchase newer, more energy-efficient homes. The Congressional Budget Office stated, that if fully funded, this measure would cost $6.6 billion through Fiscal Year 2015.


Republicans successfully added provisions to the bill through a Motion to Recommit (the minority party's last and sometimes only chance to alter or stop the underlying bill) that would end the program if it increases the deficit, bar participating contractors from hiring sex offenders and prevent rebates for home pool heaters. The motion passed 346-68.


Proponents of the bill aruged that it would create 168,000 jobs, lower home energy costs and benefit the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.


Opponents of the bill objected to the price tag and argued that the $787 billion stimulus package had already created a similar program with subpar results, creating only 8,500 of the promised 87,000 jobs.


Next step: The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on similar legislation this month. The Obama Administration supports this policy.

Suspensions

Generally reserved for non-controversial measures, legislation can be passed under Suspension of the Rules by 2/3’s of those present and voting.

This week, the House suspended the rules to pass seven pieces of legislation: Honoring 60 years of NSF, Supporting National Lab day, Honoring the Navy's USS New Mexico, expressing support for New York city after the failed terror attack on May 1st, Commemorating 40th Anniversary of Kent State shooting, Supporting National Train Day and Celebrating Mothers Day. The Telework Improvements Act failed on Suspension. Click here for vote tallies (Roll Call votes 243-248 & 250-51).

Other Big News

Department of Labor's April jobs report a mixed bag. 290,000 jobs were added in April (the most since the recession began), but unemployment rose to 9.9% and "real unemployment" (broader gauge of the economy that includes individuals who have stopped looking for or cannot find jobs) rose for the third straight month to 17.1%.

Failed Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad was captured on May 3rd as he was about to flee the country. Today on "This Week", Attorney General Eric Holder claimed the Pakistani Taliban orchestrated the attack.

A grey-hair-inducing day ensued on Wall Street as the Dow plunged more than 900 points on May 6th before recovering to lose 348 points. The cause of the crash is not fully known, but Congress plans to investigate. Meanwhile, the Senate will continue debate on financial services reform.

Gulf oil spill cleanup efforts continue as the political reality sets in that a climate/energy bill this year is likely deader than dead.

The People's House Politics Extra

With 177 days until Election Day 2010, this week's results from primaries in 3 states, the ousting of a sitting-Senator in Utah, and the retirement of an institution in the House, provided the strongest clues yet as to the uphill road incumbents will face this year.

Primaries: The week started off turbulent, but primarily safe for incumbents as Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina each held primary contests on May 4th where every sitting-incumbent seeking re-election won.

Still, two incumbent Congressmen from Indiana, Dan Burton (R) and Mark Souder (R) failed to receive a majority of the vote, scoring 29.7% and 47.8% respectively.

In Ohio, most incumbents were either unopposed or received at least 80% of the vote. Congressman Charlie Wilson (D) and Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R) earned 69% and 62% respectively.

Finally, in North Carolina, most incumbents registered in the mid 70% range, but four incumbents, Larry Kissell (D), Heath Shuler (D), Patrick McHenry (R) & Howard Coble (R) did not reach two-thirds of the vote.

Retirement Watch:

On May 5th, Congressman David Obey (D-WI) who has served in the House since 1969, announced his retirement. This news led election handicapper, Charlie Cook, to move this race from a "likely Democrat" to "Toss-up". District Attorney, competitive lumberjack and "Real World" alum Sean Duffy is the likely Republican candidate to take on a yet to be determined Democrat.

This latest retirement means that 42 House incumbents (20 D's and 22 R's) will not seek reelection in 2010. Parties like to keep their retirement number low due to the extra time, money and effort it costs to hold an open seat.

First incumbent ousted:

The week ended with the sternest blow to incumbents yet as third term Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah was ousted from the 2010 ballot by delegates at the state convention on May 8th. The Tea Party declared victory and the two remaining Republicans will face off in a June 22nd primary.

Upcoming Contests:

May 11th - West Virginia and Nebraska hold primaries.

May 18th- Pennsylvania-12 holds race to replace the late Congressman John Murtha.

May 22nd- Winner takes all, mail in special election in Hawaii-1.

Next week in the People's House

H.R. 5116, The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act introduced by Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN).

Summary: Authorizes $85.6 billion over five years for science and technology programs.