This week R&P Report from National Write Your Congressman for 10/19/2009 ...

National Write Your Congressman’s Mission
To encourage
responsible Americans to use their influence in government to preserve the
freedoms set forth by our Founding Fathers.

REVIEW

Health Care Bill (H.R.3200): As Democratic leaders meet behind closed doors to prepare health care overhaul legislation to be brought to the floor of the House and the Senate, they are weighing key options, including abortion, immigration and coverage choices.

Shrewdly Avoiding Filibuster - ‘Nuclear Option’: The House Ways and Means Committee structured their portion of the health care reform bill in a way that would allow the Senate to exploit a budgetary loophole to skirt a filibuster threat. Committee chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) stated the move is simply to advance the legislation. But minority party lawmakers say that by circumventing rules and procedures, politicians are trumping the best interest of the nation and further fueling gridlock and partisanship. They charge that the majority party is showing poor quality and lack of character that will create more division and less cooperation in Congress. Though Republicans called this a “hit below the belt,” the panel voted 22-18 to transmit its portion of the chamber’s health care overhaul to the House Budget Committee. The reconciliation process would allow that bill to pass with a simple majority in the Senate, and not the usual 60 votes necessary to end a filibuster. Click here to express your opinion on this issue.

‘Public Option’: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) offered a spirited defense of a ‘public option’ in health care overhaul legislation, framing it as an essential ingredient for helping America’s middle class deal with rising insurance costs. She said at her weekly press conference that if Congress is going to require nearly all Americans to obtain health insurance, it must include a public insurance plan that could compete with policies from private companies.

HIV/AIDS Bill: The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that would reauthorize a federal assistance program for HIV/AIDS patients. It would authorize $1.3 billion in fiscal 2010 for certain grants, with yearly increases until reaching $1.6 billion in fiscal 2013. (H.R.3792)

Defense Authorization: Lawmakers are considering a measure that would authorize
$680.2 billion for defense programs in fiscal 2010, with nearly $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would also extend federal hate crimes laws to cover offenses motivated by a victim’s sexual orientation or disability and would prohibit attacks on military personnel based on their military service. (H.R.2647)

Homeland Security: The House adopted a $44.1 billion Homeland Security spending measure after rejecting a challenge from congressional Republicans to ban the transfer of detainees from the base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States. The vote was 307-114. It also would provide $5.4 billion for immigration and customs enforcement, including $1.5 billion for identifying and removing from the U.S. criminal aliens once an immigration judge has ordered them deported. (H.R.2892)

Energy-Water Spending Bill: The Senate sent a $33.5 billion Energy-Water spending bill to the President after long objections by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK). He objected to the elimination of language calling for transparency that was stripped from the bill during conference. By a vote of 80-17, the chamber passed the measure making it the third of 12 fiscal 2010 spending bills to be cleared for enactment. (H.R.3183)

PREVIEW

Baring Journalists’ Casualty Photographs: As President Obama weighs expanding the war in Afghanistan, some members of Congress are objecting to a new presidential policy barring journalists from publishing photographs of identifiable U.S. casualties. Click here to express your opinion on this issue.

Iran Sanctions: The Senate is considering a House-passed bill that would prevent investment in companies with investments of $20,000,000 or more in Iran’s energy sector. (H.R.1327)

Unemployment Aid: The Senate is expected to take up a bill this week that would provide 14 additional weeks of unemployment aid in all 50 states. Those in states with high jobless rates — defined as a three-month average rate of at least 8.5 percent — would get an additional six weeks of benefits, for a total of 20 weeks. (H.R.3548)

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