Bills & Hearings in the House ~~ June 2013 ~~

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Hearing: Assessing VA’s Capital Investment Options to Provide Veterans’ Care

10:00 AM | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC
Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Full Committee

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Hearing: Coast Guard Readiness: Examining Cutter, Aircraft, and Communications Needs

10:00 AM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

Hearing: How Logistics Facilitate an Efficient Freight Transportation System

1:00 PM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Full Committee

Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 331, H.R. 821, H.R. 1357, H.R. 1796, H.R. 1842, H.R. 2011, H.R. 2150, H.R. 2210, H.R. 2327, and a draft bill entitled, “To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make an alternati

2:00 PM | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC
Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

Friday, June 21, 2013

Field Hearing: Building a Better Partnership: Exploring the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s Regulation of Southern Appalachian Mining

9:30 AM | Mitchell City Couthouse, Bakersville, NC Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on Government Operations

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Hearing: POSTPONED: Oversight Hearing on “Mining in America: Powder River Basin Coal Mining the Benefits and Challenges”

9:30 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Hearing: Chairman Brady Announces Hearing on the 2013 Medicare Trustees Report

9:30 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Health

Hearing: ROOM CHANGE: Oversight Hearing on “Why Does the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Want to Expand the Boundaries of the Chickasaw and Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuges in Tennessee and at What Cost?”

9:30 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs

Hearing: “The Value of Education for Veterans at Public, Private and For-Profit Colleges and Universities”

10:00 AM | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC
Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity

Hearing: The New Domestic Energy Paradigm: Potential for Small Businesses and the Economy

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Small Business | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade

Hearing: A Competitive Edge for American Manufacturing: Abundant American Energy

10:00 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade

Hearing: Ethiopia After Meles: The Future of Democracy and Human Rights

10:00 AM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Markup: H.R. 5, “Student Success Act”

9:00 AM Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Full Committee

Hearing: Federal Government Approaches to Issuing Biometric IDs: Part II

9:30 AM | 2154 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on Government Operations

Hearing: Subcommittee Mark Up – FY 2014 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Bill

10:00 AM | 2358-A Rayburn Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Markup: H.R. 1871, H.R. 1874

10:00 AM | 210 Cannon HOB Host: Committee On The Budget | Full Committee

Hearing: NASA Authorization Act of 2013

10:00 AM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Space

Hearing: Chairman Johnson Announces Hearing on Encouraging Work Through the Social Security Disability Insurance Program

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Social Security

Hearing: Made in the USA: Stories of American Manufacturers

1:00 PM Host: Committee on Small Business | Full Committee

Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 1490 ‘Veterans’ Privacy Act;’ H.R. 1792, ‘Infectious Disease Reporting Act;’ and H.R. 1804, ‘Foreign Travel Accountability Act’

1:30 PM | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC
Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations

Hearing: Regional Security Cooperation: An Examination of the Central American Regional Security Initiative -CARSI- and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative -CBSI

2:00 PM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Hearing: Reinventing Government

9:00 AM | 2154 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Full Committee

Markup: H.R. 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act-The SAFE Act

10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee

Hearing: Threat, Risk and Vulnerability: The Future of the TWIC Program

10:00 AM | 311 Cannon HOB Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security

Hearing: Oversight Hearing on “Citizen and Agency Perspectives on the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act”

10:00 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation

Hearing: The Impacts of DOT’s Commercial Driver Hours of Service Regulations

10:00 AM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Hearing: “Promoting the Accuracy and Accountability of the Davis-Bacon Act”

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

Hearing: Continuing Concerns Over BioWatch and the Surveillance of Bioterrorism

10:00 AM | 2322 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Hearing: Department of Energy Science and Technology Priorities

10:15 AM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Full Committee

Hearing: U.S. Energy Abundance: Regulatory, Market, and Legal Barriers to Export

10:15 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Energy and Power

Hearing: Subcommittee Mark Up – FY 2014 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill

10:30 AM | 2362-B Rayburn Host: Committee on Appropriations | Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies

Hearing: Elections in Iran: The Regime Cementing its Control

10:30 AM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa

Hearing: Oversight Hearing on “Update from tribal leaders and tribal telecommunications providers on the implementation of the Federal Communications Commission’s rule on the Universal Service Fund”

11:00 AM | 1334 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs

Hearing: Chairman Reichert Announces Hearing Reviewing How Today’s Fragmented Welfare System Fails to Lift Up Poor Families

2:00 PM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Human Resources

Hearing: Why Are Veterans Waiting Years on Appeal?: A Review of the Post-Decision Process for Appealed Veterans’ Disability Benefits Claims

2:30 PM | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC
Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs

Monday, June 17, 2013

Hearing: H.R. 1947 and H.R. 1797

5:00 PM | H-313 Capitol Host: Committee on Rules | Full Committee

Friday, June 14, 2013

Hearing: Why Can’t DHS Better Communicate with the American People?

9:00 AM | 311 Cannon HOB Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency

Hearing: Closed Hearing on Ongoing Intelligence Activities

9:00 AM | HVC304 Capitol Host: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence | Full Committee

Hearing: Defining the Problem and Scope of Over-criminalization and Over-federalization

9:00 AM | 2237 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Over-Criminalization Task Force

Hearing: Chairman Brady Announces Hearing on the President’s and Other Bipartisan Proposals to Reform Medicare Post-Acute Care Payments

9:30 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Health

Hearing: Examining the Federal Government’s Response to the Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis

9:30 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Health

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Markup: Full

Hearing: Closed Hearing on the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

10:00 AM | HVC304 Capitol Host: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence | Full Committee

Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 553, H.R. 1308, H.R. 1399, H.R. 1425, H.R. 1491, and H.R. 2219

10:00 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs

Hearing: Examining the Government’s Record on Implementing the International Religious Freedom Act

10:00 AM | 2154 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on National Security

Hearing: Oversight Hearing on “Mining in America: The Administration’s Use of Claim Maintenance Fees and Cleanup of Abandoned Mine Lands”

10:00 AM | 1334 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

Hearing: The Fiscal Year 2014 U.S. Department of Energy Budget

10:00 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Energy and Power

Hearing: “Keeping College Within Reach: Discussing Program Quality through Accreditation”

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training

Hearing: Oversight Hearing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation

10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee

Hearing: Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act: Understanding its History and Reviewing its Impact

10:15 AM | 2322 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy

Hearing: Closed Hearing on Ongoing Intelligence Activities

2:00 PM | HVC304 Capitol Host: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence | Full Committee

Hearing: H.R. 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act -The SAFE Act

2:00 PM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary |

Committee Mark Up – FY 2014 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

10:00 AM | 2359 Rayburn Host: Committee on Appropriations | Multiple Subcommittees

Hearing: Putting the Strategy in Sourcing: Challenge and Opportunities for Small Business Contractors

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Small Business | Contracting and Workforce Subcommittee

Hearing: Camp Announces Hearing on Tax Reform: Tax Havens, Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Full Committee

CONGRESS

English: The western front of the United States Capitol. The Neoclassical style building is located in Washington, D.C., on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the National Mall. The Capitol was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Senate will meet in pro forma sessions only with no business conducted on the following dates at the following times:

-          Friday, April 26^th at 11:30am,

-          Tuesday, April 30^th at 10:00am, and

-          Thursday, May 3^rd at 2:00pm.

• The Senate will convene at 2:00pm on Monday, May 6, 2013.
• Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:30pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
• At 5:30pm, the Senate will resume consideration of S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013, post-cloture. The filing deadline for 2^nd degree amendments to S.743 is 4:00pm.
• At 5:30pm, all post-cloture time will be yielded back, the Durbin amendment #745 will be withdrawn, no other 2^nd degree amendments will be in order and the Senate will proceed to 2 roll call votes in relation to the following:
  • Enzi-Durbin amendment #741 and
  • Passage of S.743, as amended, if amended.
• Upon the disposition of S.743, there will be a 3^rd roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.601, the Water Resources Development Act of 2013.

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May 2013

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The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on May 3, 2013.

12:00:22 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
12:00:36 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
12:00:41 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, Washington, DC
12:02:21 P.M.		JOURNAL – The Chair announced that pursant to Section 2(a) of H. Res. 178, the Journal of the last day’s proceedings was approved.
12:02:31 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
12:02:52 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 April 30, 2013 at 2:56 p.m. stating that that body had passed S. 853 and H.R. 1765, without amendment.
12:03:23 P.M.		Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission – Pursuant to section 672(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Pub. L. 112-239), the Minority Leader appointed Mr. Christopher Carney, Dimock, PA; General Peter W. Chiarelli, Seattle, WA.
12:04:02 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to H. Res. 178.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on May 6, 2013 for Morning Hour Debate.

CONGRESS

Capitol Building (Photo credit: andrewmalone)

The Senate will meet in pro forma sessions only with no business conducted on the following dates at the following times:

-          Friday, April 26^th at 11:30am,

-          Tuesday, April 30^th at 10:00am, and

-          Thursday, May 3^rd at 2:00pm.

Senate Reconvenes
Schedule for Monday, May 6, 2013

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April 2013

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 The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on April 30, 2013.

2:00:00 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
2:01:00 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
2:02:00 P.M.		Today‘s prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Brian Lee, Christ Reformed Church, Washington DC.
2:04:01 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
2:04:05 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
2:04:50 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 the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on April 30, 2013 at 10:41 a.m.: That the Senate requests the return of S. 853 to make corrections in the engrossment of the bill.
2:04:51 P.M.		The Clerk read the message from the Senate: Ordered, That the Secretary be directed to request the House of Representatives to return to the Senate, the bill (S. 853) entitled “An Act to provide the Secretary of Transportation with the flexibility to transfer certain funds to prevent reduced operations and staffing of the Federal Aviation Administration, and for other purposes.”, and that upon the compliance of the request, the Secretary of the Senate be authorized to make corrections in the engrossment of the aforesaid bill.
2:05:01 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to H. Res. 178. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on May 3, 2013.

Students Speak: The Power of STEM

Earlier this month, President Obama met with 40 of the Nation’s top scientists and engineers—discoverers of new drug candidates to treat common cancers; inventors of tools to help surgeons in the operating room; developers of complex algorithms that can help robots navigate; and more. All of these innovators were finalists in the 2013 Intel Science Talent Search competition, and all of them are in still in high school.

Bills & Hearings in the House 3/20

Hearing: Entrepreneurial Assistance: Examining Inefficiencies and Duplication Across Federal Government Programs

12:00 AM                                                 Host: Committee on Small Business | Full Committee

Hearing: POSTPONED: Oversight Hearing – Forest Service

9:30 AM                 | B-308 Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

Hearing: Crisis in Syria: The U.S. Response

9:45 AM                 | 2172 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Full Committee

Markup: H.R. 1120, “The Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act”

10:00 AM                                                Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training

Hearing: The Posture of the U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command

10:00 AM                 | 2118 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Armed Services | Full Committee

Hearing: How Innovation Benefits Patients

10:00 AM                 | 2123 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Health

Hearing: Oversight Hearing – The Judiciary

10:00 AM                 | 2359 Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government

Hearing: Focusing on People: A Review of VA’s Plans for Employee Training, Accountability, and Workload Management to Improve Disability Claims Processing

10:00 AM                 | 334 Cannon House Office Building Washington DC                                Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Full Committee

Hearing: Measuring Outcomes to Understand the State of Border Security

10:00 AM                 | 311 Cannon HOB                                Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security

Hearing: Chairman Johnson Announces Hearing on the Challenges of Achieving  Fair and Consistent Disability Decisions

10:00 AM                                                Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Social Security

Hearing: POSTPONED: Budget Hearing – Federal Aviation Administration

10:00 AM                 | 2358-A Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Hearing: Hearing entitled “State of Community Banking:  Is the Current Regulatory Environment Adversely Affecting Community Financial Institutions?”

10:00 AM                 | 2128 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Financial Services | Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit

Hearing: Oversight Hearing – Major Construction Projects of the Department of Energy

10:00 AM                 | 2362-B Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies

Hearing: Oversight Hearing – Children’s Mental Health

10:00 AM                 | 2358-C Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Hearing: CLOSED: Oversight Hearing – Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure

10:00 AM                 | H-405 Capitol                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Homeland Security

Business Meeting: meeting to consider the following measures:  H.R. 634, H.R. 677, H.R. 742, H.R. 992, H.R. 1003, H.R. 1038

10:00 AM                 | 1300 Longworth HOB                                Host: Committee on Agriculture | Full Committee

Markup: Markup on H.R. 367, and H.R. 982

10:00 AM                 | 2141 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law

Hearing: POSTPONED: Budget Hearing – Commodity Futures Trading Commission

10:00 AM                 | 2362-A Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

Hearing: Oversight Hearing – National Guard and United States Army Reserve

10:00 AM                 | H-140 Capitol                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Defense

Hearing: Improving EPA’s Scientific Advisory Processes

10:00 AM                 | 2318 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Environment

Business Meeting: H.R. 1211, H.R. 1163,H.R. 1162,H.R. 328, H.R. 1133, H.R. 1104, H.R. 249,H.R. 882, H.R. 313,and legislation concerning the DC CFO Act

10:00 AM                 | 2154 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Full Committee

Markup: Markup on H.R. 527, H.R. 254, H.R. 291, H.R. 507, H.R. 588, H.R. 678, H.R. 716, H.R. 1033, and H.R. 1159

10:00 AM                 | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C.                                Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Full Committee

Hearing: Hezbollah’s Strategic Shift: A Global Terrorist Threat

1:30 PM                 | 2172 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade

Hearing: Cyber Threats from China, Russia and Iran: Protecting American Critical Infrastructure

2:00 PM                 | 311 Cannon HOB                                Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies

Hearing: Fulfilling the Good Friday Agreement

2:00 PM                 | 2200 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations

Hearing: Examining the Effectiveness of NIST Laboratories

2:00 PM                 | 2318 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Technology

Hearing: Oversight Hearing – National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2:00 PM                 | 2359 Rayburn                                Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

Hearing: The Register’s Call for Updates to U.S. Copyright Law

3:30 PM                 | 2141 Rayburn HOB                                Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, And The Internet

Sierria Club …newsletter

Climate Rally Reverberates from Sea to Shining Sea

Thank you.

Thank you to the nearly 50,000 who attended the Forward on Climate
Rally at the Washington Monument on Sunday, the thousands at 20-plus
solidarity rallies across the country, and the more than one million
online activists who stood up and spoke out to tell President Obama that
this is the time to lead. This truly was the largest climate rally in
U.S. history.

The president needs to know that this is a national movement — and it’s up to you to show him. Will you call the White House today and demand immediate climate action? (If it’s after hours, call and leave a message!)

 

Sierra Club President and Executive Director Arrested in Peaceful Pipeline Protest
Washington, D.C., police arrested Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, Board of Directors President Allison Chin, and 46 other climate-crisis activists outside the White House on February 13 for engaging in an act of peaceful civil disobedience — the first in the Club’s 120-year history. Others arrested included 350.org founder Bill McKibben, longtime civil rights leader Julian Bond, and Waterkeeper Alliance founder Robert Kennedy, Jr.
The protest was an announcement to President Obama and other leaders that it is vital to take immediate action to combat climate disruption and slash fossil-fuel pollution. The action was national news for days afterward.

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Gust Junkies

The soul-lifting joy of flight, the heart-pumping thrill of speed, and the mind-altering beauty of the outdoors are the elements that draw windsurfers, paragliders, sailors, and other wind addicts to their sports.

Our latest photo gallery explores the high-adrenaline world of wind sports and the athletes who can’t feel a breeze without wanting to ride it. Are you tempted to join them?
Photo: Richard Hallman

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Beating the Drums Against Coal in Montana
The Otter Creek coal tracts, straddling the Montana-Wyoming border, contain 1.3 billion tons of coal that will deface the land and emit 2.4 billion tons of global-warming pollution if it’s strip-mined and burned as Big Coal intends.

When the Montana Department of Environmental Quality tried to mute public opposition to mining Montana’s share of the Otter Creek tracts, the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Foundation, and Northern Cheyenne tribal activists called them on their tactics and made their voices heard.

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Sierra Club Teams Up With eBay
The Sierra Club is excited to be working with eBay, the planet’s largest online platform for reuse. Starting in April (Earth Month), we’ll be auctioning off celebrity items and experiences to benefit The Sierra Club Foundation, and our chapters and groups will be selling gently-used outdoor gear and apparel on eBay.

What can you do right now? Select The Sierra Club Foundation as a favorite nonprofit on eBay; start stashing your gently used outdoor gear and apparel to donate to a chapter or group during local collection events in April; and volunteer to help with a collection event. To learn more, contact kelly.kirchner@sierraclub.org.

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Don’t Give the Cold Shoulder to Low-Income Americans
During President Obama’s inauguration speech, he spoke about the bedrock American value of providing every citizen with a basic measure of security and dignity. The government’s Weatherization Assistance Program is a remarkable success story that has made one million low-income families more comfortable and secure by making their homes more energy-efficient and lowering their annual utility bills by an average of $437.

We need a robust weatherization assistance program for low-income Americans. Tell President Obama to make sure the Weatherization Assistance Program has adequate resources to continue its important work.

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Help Us Put an “X” on the Keystone XL Pipeline
The Keystone XL pipeline hangs in the political balance. Snaking through America’s Heartland to deliver dirty tar sands crude from mines in Canada to Gulf Coast refineries for international export, it would produce as much carbon pollution as seven new coal-fired power plants — or another 5.5 million new cars on the road every year. It’s no wonder NASA’s top climate scientist, James Hansen, says future tar sands development will mean “game over” for the climate.

This is the environmental battle of our time. Make your voice heard loud and clear with other Sierra Club supporters by making a generous gift today.

Inaug2013

The Inauguration of a President bywhitehouse

Historians Robert Caro, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Douglas Brinkley and Michael Beschloss speak on the historical significance of a Presidential Inauguration and a President’s second term.

Emancipation, 150 Years Later

FYI: More often than not, all my links for more information and or images are in Red possibly in blue..thank you

Emancipation Proclamation: Up Close

by Jenée Desmond-Harris on

December 31, 2012

A National Archives expert told us why African Americans should see the document in person.

Read

(31) Comments

• Emancipation Images, 150 Years Later
  by Hillary Crosley on
  December 27, 2012
  On the proclamation’s birthday, read the stories and see rare photos of blacks at the dawn of freedom.

  Must see images :
  http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/images-emancipation-150-years-later?wpisrc=root_lightbox
  

CBO : Status of the Highway Trust Fund Under MAP-21

Status of the Highway Trust Fund Under MAP-21

Principal Analyst Sarah Puro’s Presentation to the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

 

 

 

the New 113th House Democrats

In the last week alone, over 30,000 of you renewed your 2013 membership and committed to stand with us in President Obama’s second term. Your continued activism ensures that we can fight right-wing extremism and make progress on behalf of the middle-class.

We can’t thank you enough for all that you do. All the best in 2013!

Nancy

P.S. There’s still time to join us in Washington, DC for President Obama’s inauguration weekend. Donate $3 or more today and you will be automatically entered to win!