Congress: Republican led House ::::: Democratic Senate

the Senate will reConvene at 2:00pmET February 4, 2013

and the session will begin … read below

• Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
• Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.47, the Violence Against Women Act with the time until 5:30pm equally divided and controlled.
• At 5:30pm, the Senate will vote on the motion to proceed to S.47, the Violence Against Women Act.

———————————————————————-

11:05:39 A.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on February 4, 2013.

1:00:57 A.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
11:01:10 A.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
11:02:03 A.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Andrew Heintz, Queen of Apostles Catholic Church, Alexandria, VA.
11:03:04 A.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal.  Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
11:03:12 A.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
11:04:01 A.M.		>The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on January 31, 2013 at 5:34 p.m.: That the Senate passed H.R. 325, without amendment.
11:04:32 A.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on January 31, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.: Appointments to the Board of Trustees of Gallaudet University; President’s Export Council; and National Council on the Arts.
11:05:39 A.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on February 4, 2013.

« Previous Day

Ultimate Bucket List Getaway at Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina

Reblogged from Bucket List Publications:

• 
• 

Each year I create a bucket list that is totally unrealistic and appears to be completely unbelievable. Yet every year, I figure out how to make it happen. I recently heard about a Valentine's Day package that is so over-the-top that it could make up a year of bucket list adventures, travel, and romance in five days. It's called Spoil Me Rotten at the…

Read more… 265 more words

Congress: the Republican led House :::::: the Senate led by Democrats

the Senate Convenes: 9:30amET January 30, 2013

• Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for two hours with Senators permitted to speak therein for up 10 minutes each with the Majority controlling the first hour and the Republicans controlling the second hour.
• At 2:30pm, Senator Kerry will be recognized for up to 30 minutes for the purposes of delivering his farewell address.
• We hope to complete action on the debt limit legislation (H.R.325) before the end of the week.

The period for morning business has been extended until 3pm. We hope to be able to lock in an agreement to consider H.R.325, an Act to ensure the complete and timely payment of the obligations of the United States Government until May 19, 2013, and for other purposes (Debt Limit). Another message will be sent once an agreement is reached.

The Senate has reached an agreement to consider H.R.325, the debt limit legislation. The agreement results in up to 6 roll call votes tomorrow (4 amendments, 1 motion, and passage of the bill). We expect to have one vote at approximately 12:15pm and the remaining votes at 2:15pm. The amendments and motion are subject to 60-affirmative vote thresholds, but we expect motions to table those items, which would require a simple majority of votes to table.

The votes would be in relation to the items listed below.

12:15pm:

- Portman (dollar for dollar cuts – S.43 text);

(recess for caucus meetings)

2:15pm:

- Portman (government shutdown prevention – S.29 text);

- Toomey (full faith and credit);

- Paul (prohibition of F-16s to Egypt);

- Vitter motion to commit (spending cuts); and

- Passage of H.R.325, as amended, if amended (Debt Limit).

The text of the agreement can be found below.

Following Leader remarks on Thursday, January 31^st, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of Calendar #7, H.R.325. Following amendments, the text of which are at the desk, be the only first degree amendments in order to the bill:

- Portman (dollar for dollar cuts – S.43 text);

- Portman (government shutdown prevention – S.29 text);

- Toomey (full faith and credit); and

- Paul (prohibition of F-16s to Egypt).

The only motion to commit in order to the bill is a Vitter motion to commit regarding spending cuts. The time until 12:15pm will be for debate on the amendments, motion and the bill, to run concurrently and equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees, prior to votes in relation to the amendments and the Vitter motion in the order listed. Upon disposition of the amendments and the Vitter motion, the Senate will proceed to a vote on passage of H.R.325, as amended, if amended. The amendments and the Vitter motion are subject to a 60 affirmative vote threshold. No amendments are in order to any of the amendments or the Vitter motion prior to the votes. Finally, there will be two minutes equally divided prior to each vote and that all after the first vote will ten minute votes.

After Senator Reid asked the consent, Senator Inhofe stated that he intended to seek a vote on an amendment regarding sequestration, but he would not object at this time.

WRAP UP

No ROLL CALL VOTES

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Discharged the Judiciary Committee and adopted S.Res.13, Congratulating the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for 100 years of service to communities throughout the United Stated and the world, and commending Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for its promotion of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.

Adopted S.Res.22, Recognizing the goals of Catholic Schools Week and honoring the valuable contributions of Catholic schools in the United States.

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.177, To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 entirely. (Cruz)

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

——————————————————–

Watch Most Recent House Floor Activity

The next meeting is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on February 1, 2013.

CONGRESS: the House :::::: the Senate

the Senate Convenes: 10:00amET January 29,2013

• Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 12:30pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the Majority controlling the first 30 minutes and the Republicans controlling the second 30 minutes.
• The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.
• We anticipate the Foreign Relations Committee will report out Senator Kerry’s nomination and expect full Senate consideration during Tuesday’s session.

At 2:15pm today, the Senate will turn to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #1, the nomination of John Kerry, of Massachusetts, to be Secretary of State. There will be 2 hours for debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form. Upon the use or yielding back of time the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the nomination.

If all time is used, the vote would begin around 4:15pm today.

4:03pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #1, the nomination of John Forbes Kerry, of Massachusetts, to be Secretary of State

4:03pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #1, the nomination of John Forbes Kerry, of Massachusetts, to be Secretary of State; Confirmed: 94-3-1 (present)

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTE

1) Confirmation of Executive Calendar #1, the nomination of John F. Kerry, of Massachusetts, to be Secretary of State; Confirmed: 94-3-1

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Discharged the Judiciary Committee and adopted S.Res.14, Raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking by designating January 2013 as “National Stalking Awareness Month”.

Adopted S.Res.20, Designating Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Began the Rule 14 process of S.177, To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 entirely. (Cruz)

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.164, to prohibit the United States from providing financial assistance to Pakistan until Dr. Shakil Afridi is freed. (Paul)

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

———————————————————-

Watch Most Recent House Floor Activity

The next meeting is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on January 29, 2013.

1:00:18 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
1:00:27 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Fred Upton to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
1:01:03 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
1:02:17 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
1:02:20 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
1:02:29 P.M.		The Chair announced that, without objection, when the House adjourns on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. on Friday, February 1, 2013.
1:02:30 P.M.		The Chair announced that, without objection, when the House adjourns on Friday, February 1, 2013, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2013.
1:03:21 P.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate on January 28, 2013 at 5:05 p.m. stating that that body had made appointments to the Social Security Advisory Board, the Congressional Award Board, and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
1:03:40 P.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate on January 29, 2013 at 9:12 a.m. stating that that body had passed H.R. 152, without amendment.
1:03:52 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on February 1, 2013.

The President and Vice President Discuss Reducing Gun Violence with Law Enforcement Officials.

The President and Vice President Discuss Reducing Gun Violence with Law Enforcement Officials bywhitehouse

President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with representatives from the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs Association to discuss the common-sense policies the President put forward last month that would reduce gun violence in communities across America. January 28, 2013.

White House Women’s Update: Inauguration 2013 – Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall

Council on Women and Girls

Greetings All-

We hope this message finds you well. It has been an exciting and busy week here at The White House, with the start of a new term and great news for women and all Americans.

On Monday, President Obama delivered his Second Inaugural Address. He inspired us with his words, and set the tone for our work by saying: “the most evident of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall.”

This week, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced a decision to rescind the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule for women. The Department of Defense plans to remove gender-based barriers to service, including combat positions.

President Obama issued a statement reaffirming the Administration’s commitment to protecting the reproductive rights of women in honor of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade which took place on January 22nd.

The President’s second term offers many ways for you to participate in conversations with the President and his team. Read on for opportunities to engage, and don’t forget to follow the Chair of the White House Council on Women & Girls, Valerie Jarrett on Twitter, “@vj44.” We look forward to continuing the conversation!

Best wishes,

The White House Council on Women & Girls

The Second Inauguration of Barack Obama

On Monday, January 21st, 2013, President Obama delivered his Second Inaugural Address. The speech was 2,137 words long and took 15 minutes to deliver.

“For our journey is not complete,” he said, “until our wives, our mothers and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.”

You can read the official transcript here.

You can watch the video here.

Be a Part of the Next Four Years

The President’s second term will offer many ways for citizens to participate in conversations with the President and his team about the issues that are most important to them, from immigration reform to preventing gun violence to changing our tax code. In keeping with President Obama’s commitment to creating the most accessible and participatory Administration in history, the next four years will feature ongoing opportunities for citizens to add their voices to discussions in Washington, creating an open dialogue and working together to move our country forward.

We put together a video that looks at some of the ways President Obama has engaged with ordinary citizens over the last four years, and highlights ongoing opportunities for Americans to raise their voices and join the national conversation:

Defense Department Expands Combat Role of Women

Thursday marked a historic moment where the Department of Defense moved to integrate women into more occupational fields and positions in the military – including combat. The President released a statement which can be found here, in which he said:

“Today, by moving to open more military positions—including ground combat units—to women, our armed forces have taken another historic step toward harnessing the talents and skills of all our citizens. This milestone reflects the courageous and patriotic service of women through more than two centuries of American history and the indispensable role of women in today’s military. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice, including more than 150 women who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan—patriots whose sacrifices show that valor knows no gender.”

More on this announcement can be found here.

Statement by the President on Roe v. Wade Anniversary

On January 22nd, 2013, President Obama issued the following statement on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade:

“On the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we reaffirm its historic commitment to protect the health and reproductive freedom of women across this country and stand by its guiding principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters, and women should be able to make their own choices about their bodies and their health care. Today and every day, my Administration continues our efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, and minimize the need for abortion. On this anniversary, we recommit ourselves to supporting women and families in the choices they make and redouble our efforts to promote safe and healthy communities.”

You can read the President’s statement here.

CARE2 : Take Action

Dems Call GOP Bluff On Domestic Violence Act. Will It Work?                               House Republicans have not been shy with their misogyny. In particular they seem most proud to grind their collective axes on the backs of immigrant…                                read more

	Do You Know Where Your Oil Comes From?                                     If you drive a car that runs on gas or diesel, you’ve probably thought about where the crude oil that made your fuel came from, especially when… read more
Tell Nintendo Slavery is Not a Game                                     signatures: 10445 created by: sign now

The GOP’s Plan to Rig the Electoral College & Steal the White House

By ThinkProgress War Room

Republican politicians have a big problem. Their massively unpopular policies and offensive rhetoric about minorities, women, and LGBT people have alienated vast swaths of the electorate, making it increasingly difficult for them to win national elections. And these problems are only getting worse as the country’s attitudes evolves and its demographics change. In fact, the Republican candidate has lost the popular vote in 5 of the last 6 presidential elections. The Republicans’ Solution: Re-Write the Rules to Game the System and Rig Elections Instead of addressing their fundamental problems, Republican politicians have instead devoted themselves to re-writing the rules and rigging the game:

• Make it Harder to Vote: Republican politicians are engaged in a systematic campaign to change voting laws and election procedures in order make it harder for young people, minorities, and others likely to vote Democratic to vote.

• Gerrymander: Because of partisan gerrymandering after the 2010 Census, Republicans have a structural advantage when it comes to the House of Representatives. Even though more than a million more people voted for Democrats for the House in 2012, Republicans still managed to hold on to the House with a 15-seat majority.

• Rig the Game: Now Republican-controlled swing states are trying to rig the Electoral College in order to steal the White House.

How It Works

• Red States Stay the Same: Truly red states keep the current winner-take-all system, thus delivering all of their electoral votes to the Republican candidate.

• Swing States Get Divided Up: Swing states currently controlled by Republicans (VA, OH, WI, MI, PA, NC, and FL) will award their electoral votes by Congressional District. Through gerrymandering, Republicans have managed to pack Democrats into a small number of districts, giving the GOP a large advantage in the aggregate number of House seats they hold in these states.

• Bonus Votes for Republicans: In some versions of this plan, the two remaining electoral votes in each state that are not associated with a House district would still be awarded to the winner of the state’s popular vote. Virginia, however, has an even more pernicious plan; its plan would award the other two votes to the winner of a majority of the state’s congressional districts. If other swing states adopted this plan, it could shift an extra dozen or more electoral votes to the Republican candidate — a number equivalent to the electoral votes of Virginia or the votes of Iowa and Nevada combined.

The Result — President Romney

The GOP plan to rig the Electoral College means that even if a Democrat wins the popular vote in a state by a comfortable margin, the Republican candidate could still walk away with as many two-thirds or even three-quarters of the state’s Electoral College votes.
If Republican-controlled swing states had put this plan into effect before the 2012 election, Mitt Romney would likely be the president today thanks to the shift in electoral votes in key states. If all of these states chose the Virginia model that gives Republicans two bonus electoral votes per state, then Mitt Romney would definitely have been the one to be sworn in this past Monday.

This Threat Is Real & Is Happening Now

This GOP plan to rig the Electoral College and steal the White House is not simply theoretical in nature. It’s a real threat to our democracy. Republicans — including two GOP governors — are actually considering this plan in several of these states, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Republicans in the Virginia Senate are trying to pass just such a plan right now. For more information on this scheme, please see the full report released today by the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

BOTTOM LINE: Instead of trying to win fair and square by persuading voters that their values and ideas are the best for America, Republicans are now instead trying to re-write the rules in order to rig the system in their favor and steal the White House.

and we thought the last Congress was extreme

By ThinkProgress War Room

The 8 Most Extreme Moments of the New Congress

The 113th Congress has barely started, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from already dishing out plenty of extreme, offensive, and out-of-touch comments. Here’s a roundup of the eight most extreme moments so far:

• Impeach the president because he wants to reduce gun violence: Freshman Reps. Trey Radel (R-FL) and Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) along with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) all suggested that the president be impeached because of his efforts to reduce gun violence, particularly a set commonsense executive actions the president took. They also falsely claimed the president wants to ban guns or take away guns away from law-abiding gun owners.  Finally, Stockman also recently compared the president to Saddam Hussein.
• Gays are too powerful to get equal rights: House Republicans have now wasted nearly $2 MILLION in taxpayer funds, some of which was approved in secret, defending the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act.  Yesterday, the Republicans filed their legal brief with the Supreme Court ahead of the March oral arguments in two marriage-related cases. Among the arguments advanced by their $520 an hour lawyer was the contention that gay people are already too politically powerful to merit equal rights. Republicans recently and once again in secret authorized another million dollars to pay their high-priced lawyer to combat LGBT rights.
• Give citizens the same weapons as the military: It’s apparent that we already have too many military-style weapons of on our streets. But that’s not enough for freshman Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL), who argued that everyone should be allowed to have the same weapons as the military in order to “protect them against the tyrannical government.”
• Senator questions Secretary of State about right-wing conspiracy theory: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) used this morning’s hearing on the terrorist attack in Benghazi to dress down the Secretary of State, saying that he’d fire Clinton if it was up to him. He also used Clinton’s appearance and his limited time to question her to advance a bizarre right-wing conspiracy theory involving alleged gun-running from Libya to Syria, via Turkey.
• “Welfare Moms” wanting to commit fraud are to blame for gun violence: Rep. James Lankford (R-OK), a member of the House Republican leadership, identified an unlikely culprit for the nation’s gun violence epidemic: “welfare moms.”Specifically, Lankford says welfare moms who are intentionally drugging their children in order to commit Social Security fraud are to blame. Lankford also vowed this week to use the “power of humiliation” to undermine an LGBT program.
• Obama only upholds the “Soviet Constitution”: Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) attacked the president this week by alleging that “the only Constitution that Barack Obama upholds is the Soviet constitution.” With the retirement of Rep. Ron Paul, Broun is now also the House’s foremost opponent of the Federal Reserve.
• Senate Minority Leader promotes Obama gun grab conspiracy theory: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) personally recorded a robocall and sent supporters an email advancing the completely unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that commonsense gun violence prevention measures are a pretext for seizing guns. Specifically, McConnell falsely claimed President Obama and “the gun-grabbers in the Senate” are in “full battle mode” to “get your guns.”
• Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11: Former Vice President Dick Cheney spent years telling America that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the 9/11 terror attacks, an assertion that turned out to be categorically false. Two weeks ago, Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR), himself an Iraq War veteran, resurrected this conspiracy theory as part of an effort to discredit Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, former Sen. Chuck Hagel. After voting to authorize the Iraq War, Hagel subsequently became a vocal critic of the war.
• Voted to leave Hurricane Sandy victims out in the cold: House Republicans broke a longstanding, bipartisan tradition of assisting their fellow Americans who are in need following a disaster. Speaker Boehner had already delayed aid for weeks due to political considerations in his caucus and 179 Republicans added insult to injury when they voted against helping Sandy victims. At least 36 of these Republicans voted against the aid despite having previously sought aid for disasters in their own states. Fortunately, the aid package still passed because House Democrats overwhelmingly backed it.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

Secretary of Defense lifts ban on women in combat.

Hillary Clinton schooled a Republican senator during a hearing on Benghazi. He later accused her of faking an emotional outburst during the hearing.

The GOP’s latest plan to destroy almost every function of the federal government.

How Yahoo uses foreign tax havens to dodge tens of millions of dollars in taxes.

Top NRA lobbyist: Obama is ruining Christmas with his plan to track stolen guns.

Union membership sinks to lowest level since the Great Depression.

The House passed a gimmicky plan to suspend the debt ceiling for the next three months.

Tea Party budget amendment has no takers so far in the new Congress.

Lawsuit uncovers more bad behavior from bankers before the 2008 financial crisis.

They are gaining ground … by jamming legislation through: We need to push back

 

Today is the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Stand with us today and resolve: We won’t let the anti-choice radicals win. DONATE Today is the 40th anniversary of the historic Roe v. Wade decision — which granted women the power to control their own reproductive lives and futures. And while I wish we could simply celebrate today, the fact is that Roe v. Wade was only the start of the fight for our reproductive freedom, not the end. Will you make a generous donation to NARAL Pro-Choice America? Your support today shows that you understand we must keep fighting. Because this constitutional right has been under attack for 40 years. And, as I’m sure you know… radical anti-choice politicians are gaining far too much ground in the states. Just consider these frightening statistics: 87 percent of U.S. counties have no abortion provider… 111 abortion restrictions were enacted in the states in 2011 and 2012 alone… 33 states have laws that subject women seeking abortion services to biased-counseling requirements and/or mandatory delays… and 45 states and the District of Columbia have laws subjecting abortion providers to burdensome restrictions not imposed on other medical professionals. Can I count on you to make a contribution right now to help us turn the tide on this dangerous trend? We’ve been here before. We’ve stood up to extreme anti-choice groups and politicians in the states and won. In Mississippi, we mobilized activists and helped defeat a dangerous “personhood” ballot measure. And in North Dakota, we helped beat a ballot measure that would have allowed a boss to deny basic health-care coverage to his employees… just based on his personal beliefs. But I need you with us again… because these attacks won’t slow down any time soon. I need your help today. I need you to make a generous contribution right now. We cannot leave women in states across the country without a voice. You and I must be their voice. Make your voice heard loud and clear. Help NARAL Pro-Choice America protect and defend choice at all levels of government. We can’t do this without you. And women in all 50 states? They need you too. Thank you for all that you do,Sincerely, Nancy Keenan President, NARAL Pro-Choice America