Podcast appearances and mentions of rodney frelinghuysen

Local Beat is the NJ News Commons’ weekly roundup of the best reporting by community news sources. BEYOND HATE: A CONVERSATION WITH A REFORMED, FORMER KKK MEMBER Chaplain Joe Bednarsky was once the head of the Ku Klux Klan. Today, he preaches love over hate for all at a church in South Jersey, Ahmad Graves-El of SNJ Today reports. ICE OFFICER IMPRISONED AFTER ABUSING POWER FOR BRIBES AND SEX Arnaldo Echevarria of Franklin Township was a deportation officer for ICE before he was convicted of demanding bribes and sexual favors from undocumented immigrants in exchange for shielding them from deportation, reports Charlie Kratovil of New Brunswick Today. Echevarria is now behind bars in a Michigan federal prison. SPARTA COUNCILMAN MURPHY STRIKES DEAL IN DWI CASE Sparta Councilman Jerry Murphy struck a deal with the Hopatcong Municipal Court to avoid conviction on charges of driving while intoxicated, speeding, and careless driving. Jennifer Derricks of TAPinto Sparta says Murphy instead pleaded guilty to a minor charge involving his license plate, nearly two years after he was first arrested. ACTIVIST OUTED BY FRELINGHUYSEN: 'THIS WAS A GOOD DAY' Saily Avelenda, the activist who resigned from her job at a bank after she was "outed" by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, says she was glad to learn that Frelinghuysen had announced his retirement on Monday, reports Kevin Coughlin of Morristown Green. NEWARK COUNCILWOMAN TO INTRODUCE SEXUAL HARASSMENT LEGISLATION Newark Central Ward Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins plans to introduce an ordinance next week that would allow victims of sexual harassment to come forward without fear of reprisal or retaliation, reports Mark Bonamo of TAPinto Newark. The ordinance would also require all Newark City Hall staff and elected officials undergo sexual harassment training and would form a five-member sexual assault and harassment policy task force. JACKSON MAYOR ATTENDS TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE MEETING Republican Mayor Michael Reina of Jackson was one of roughly 50 mayors who attended President Trump's recent meeting of mayors at the White House last week, according to Bob Vosseller of Jersey Shore Online. Reina, an avid Trump supporter, was the only Ocean County mayor to attend the meeting, the theme of which was municipal infrastructure.

A portion of our Young Turks Main Show from January 30, 2018. For more go to http://www.tytnetwork.com/join. Hour 1:  Cenk. Despite widespread coverage of corporations gifting their employees with cash, just 2% of Americans say they've seen any kind of benefit thanks to the Republican tax law signed by President Trump in December. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee who defied his party to vote against President Trump's tax cuts, announced Monday that he will not seek reelection. The Netherlands' spy service broke into the computers used by a powerful Russian hacking group and may be sitting on evidence relating to the breach of the U.S. Democratic National Committee. The US has released a sweeping list of prominent Russian business and political figures, in defiance of Moscow and implementing a Congressional law designed to punish Russia for election meddling. The US Treasury report, published shortly before a midnight deadline, listed every senior member of the political administration at the Kremlin, and every Russian oligarch with a net worth of $1 billion or more. Some of those named are already subject to US sanctions. But the administration stopped short of imposing any new punishments, saying the legislation was already doing its job. The report was "not a sanctions list," it said. Instead, the Treasury report resembled an exercise in naming and shaming -- putting individuals on notice that they may be subject to sanctions in the future. Cenk’s prediction/theory: Trump laundering money to Russian oligarchs for decades. Hour 2: Face recognition technology to put celeb faces on porn. Between 2006 and 2016, a total of 20.8 million prescription painkillers were sent to two pharmacies in Williamson, in Mingo County, West Virginia, a town with a population of only 2,900 people. A U.S. government panel is now questioning how drug wholesalers could have sent millions of prescription pills to two pharmacies in West Virginia without flagging any suspicion, The Charleston Gazette-Mail reported. The panel is centered around two drug wholesalers who provided drugs to the pharmacies, Ohio-based Miami-Luken and Illinois-based H.D. Smith. Shipment papers indicate the wholesalers made large deliveries of the drugs over several consecutive days. The papers also show extreme increases in the number of drug orders from year to year. Both of these records should have sparked suspicion. The main drugs identified in the investigation are hydrocodone and oxycodone, two prescription painkillers. A New York Times investigation into a company that sells Twitter followers and retweets - many from automated accounts - names a variety of celebrities, including Cleveland-based celebrity chef Michael Symon. According to the Times, the company, Devumi, has a library of 3.5 million bot accounts that can be sold repeatedly. The Times says Devumi "has provided customers with more than 200 million Twitter followers." Millions of Americans believe God made Trump president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

January 30, 2018 Snow showers early and cloudy later with high temperatures near 40 degrees. CHRISTIE JOINS ABC AS CONTRIBUTOR, APPEARS ON ‘GOOD MORNING AMERICA’ Former Gov. Chris Christie made his debut as an ABC News contributor this morning with an appearance on “Good Morning America” in which he talked about the abrupt departure of the deputy director of the FBI and what he expects to hear in tonight’s State of the Union address. FRELINGHUYSEN SAYS HE WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a 12-term Republican congressman from Harding Township, announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election, Politico.com reports. Frelinghuysen, chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, is the second Republican congressman from New Jersey to announce his retirement, joining Frank LoBiondo, who made his announcement in November. NJ DEMOCRATS INVITE ‘DREAMERS’ TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS Elizabeth Vilchis, an undocumented immigrant who was brought to the United States when she was 7 years old, will be Sen. Cory Booker’s guest for the State of the Union address tonight, The Record writes. Vilchis, of Ridgefield Park, is one of three New Jersey residents covered by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy who will be in the gallery for President Donald Trump’s speech. MURPHY TO NAME KEVIN CORBETT TO HEAD TROUBLED NJ TRANSIT In a move that a number of news organizations reported a week ago, Gov. Phil Murphy will introduce Kevin Corbett today as his choice to head NJ Transit, The New York Times writes. Corbett is an executive at Aecom, a global construction and engineering firm. NJ LAWMAKERS TAKING UP ISSUE OF OUT-OF-NETWORK HEALTH CARE COSTS The Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee listened to comments from groups representing patients, business interests, physicians, hospitals, and insurance providers as the issue of high out-of-network health care costs gained renewed prominence in Trenton, NJ Spotlight reports. Meanwhile, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, which all have operations in New Jersey, announced today that they would form an independent health care company to serve their employees in the United States, The New York Times reports.

Josh Kraushaar and Alex Rogers join Adam Wollner to discuss the latest immigration negotiations, President Trump's upcoming State of the Union address, whether lawmakers will take action to protect special counsel Robert Mueller, the uptick in activity in the special election Pennsylvania's 18th district, and House Appropriations Committee chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen's decision to retire.

Plenty of rain with highs in the upper 50s.  THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER IN NJ AS UTILITY CREWS WORK TO RESTORE SERVICE Thousands of homes and businesses across the state remain without power this morning as the wind and rain that has been slamming New Jersey since Sunday continues to knock down utility lines. NJ.com says more than 20,000 were without power before dawn, but those numbers have been dropping. Wind advisories will remain in effect in most of the state until at least noon today. CHRISTIE DEFENDS PRESIDENT'S OPIOID CRISIS DECLARATION Despite continued criticism from the substance abuse treatment community, Gov. Chris Christie is defending President Trump's decision to declare the opioid crisis a temporary public health emergency instead of declaring it a national emergency. NJTV says the public health emergency declaration does not come with any extra federal funding, but Christie says funding will come from Congress.  SHARP DIVIDE ON ABORTION AND SCHOOLS IN NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR RACE The two frontrunners in the race to become the next governor of New Jersey disagree on many issues, including school funding and women's health issues, where there are stark differences. WNYC and NJ Spotlight have teamed up to create an interactive voter guide to help you understand where each of the major candidates stand on various issues at stake in this year's election. MOST NJ REPUBLICANS IN HOUSE OPPOSE THEIR PARTY'S BUDGET OVER THREAT TO TAX BREAK Every member of the New Jersey delegation – except Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen –  voted against the adoption of the Senate-passed Republican budget plan last week. The Record says the opposition from New Jersey delegates was driven largely by an effort to protect the deduction for state and local taxes, often referred to as SALT.  SURGE IN NJ, NY PORT TRAFFIC BOOSTS JOBS BY 20 PERCENT IN 2 YEARS The amount of containers traveling through the Port of New York and New Jersey grew by 24 percent from 2014 to 2016, and job growth at the ports grew by a comparable rate. NJ.com says a new bi-annual report released this week found the growth led to increases in personal and business incomes, which boosted local and state tax revenues. Want more? Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

"Remember That Time Your Congressman Tried to Get You Fired, and Other Stories From the Resistance"In today's episode the Podcast tries something new with a phone-in interview with Saily Avelenda of NJ 11th for Change. Saily updates us on NJ 11th's activities, as well as recounting the time Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen sent a letter to her boss complaining that she was a "Ringleader" of a radical group of concerned citizens expressing their First Amendment rights! Nevertheless, she persisted! While she may not be at her job anymore, it's freed up her time to work for NJ 11th and take a moment to speak with us! #RoleModel

"Remember That Time Your Congressman Tried to Get You Fired, and Other Stories From the Resistance"In today's episode the Podcast tries something new with a phone-in interview with Saily Avelenda of NJ 11th for Change. Saily updates us on NJ 11th's activities, as well as recounting the time Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen sent a letter to her boss complaining that she was a "Ringleader" of a radical group of concerned citizens expressing their First Amendment rights! Nevertheless, she persisted! While she may not be at her job anymore, it's freed up her time to work for NJ 11th and take a moment to speak with us! #RoleModel

(Bloomberg) -- Brendan Fischer, the FEC reform program manager at the Campaign Legal Center, discusses news reports that New Jersey representative Rodney Frelinghuysen sent a letter to a woman's employer describing her as a "ring leader" in a local activist group, eventually resulting in her resignation. He speaks with June Grasso and Greg Stohr on Bloomberg Radio's "Bloomberg Law."

(Bloomberg) -- Brendan Fischer, the FEC reform program manager at the Campaign Legal Center, discusses news reports that New Jersey representative Rodney Frelinghuysen sent a letter to a woman's employer describing her as a "ring leader" in a local activist group, eventually resulting in her resignation. He speaks with June Grasso and Greg Stohr on Bloomberg Radio's "Bloomberg Law." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Stop the laws! In this episode, learn the details of three bills that passed the House of Representatives in January which would make enforcing laws more difficult for Federal agencies. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bills Highlighted in This Episode H.R. 1155: Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2016 (SCRUB Act)" Retrospective Regulatory Review Commission Establishes a new five-year commission that will review government rules to determine which ones should be eliminated "to reduce the costs of regulation to the economy." The Chairman will be appointed by the President and must have "experience in rulemaking". The other eight members will come from lists created by the majority and minority leaders in Congress of "individuals learned in rulemaking". The commission will have subpoena power and "the attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence may be required from any place within the United Stats at any designated place of hearing within the United States." The bill appropriates $30 million which are available until expended. The commission members will be paid, and will be given travel expenses including a per deim. The commission will hire staff, who will also be paid. The commission can hire "experts or consultants", and may "lease space and acquire personal property" "to the extent funds are available" The commission will review the Code of Federal Regulations to find rules "that should be repealed to lower the cost of regulation to the economy". Priority will be given to "major rules" which have been in effect more than 15 years, impose paperwork burdens" which could be reduced without "significantly diminishing" regulatory effectiveness. Goal is to reduce the cost of Federal regulations by 15% with a "minimal reduction" in the effectiveness of the regulations. Criteria for recommending repeal Whether the rule achieved its purpose and could be repealed without "significant" recurrence of adverse effects If technology, time, economic conditions, market practices, or "other relevant factors" have rendered the rule obsolete. If the rule is ineffective If the rule has "excessive compliance costs" or "is otherwise excessively burdensome", as compared to rules that give goals instead of orders and "give economic incentives to encourage desired behavior" If the rule "inhibits innovation in or growth of the United States economy" If the rule "harms competition" of entities based in the United States "Such other criteria as the Commission devises..." Repeal procedure If Congress passes a joint resolution approving the Commission's repeal suggestions, the Federal agencies will have to repeal the rules within 60 days of the joint resolution's enactment. Repealed rules can not be reissued without a new law enacted All records of public meetings and hearings will be published on the Commission's website within 1 week, Regulatory Cut-Go When an agency makes a new rule, they have to repeal a rule recommended by Commission so that costs of enforcement offset each other, but the agency must have a net reduction in costs Vote Passed the House of Representatives 245-174 There is an identical bill in the Senate: S. 1683 President Obama issued a veto threat Author Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri's 8th district Organizations Who Lobbied for H.R. 1155 America's Natural Gas Alliance U.S. Chamber of Commerce H.R. 712: Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act H.R. 712 is a combination of three bills: The Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act, the All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act, and the Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act. Title 1: Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Any agency that is challenged by a private company on a regulation must publish the complaint online within 15 days. The suit can not be dismissed until after the complaint is published online and there is a public comment period. The agency much have a public comment period before settling cases and must respond to every comment received. A court can not approve of consent decree that doesn't "allow sufficient time and incorporate adequate procedures" for the agency to comply with all administrative rule making procedures and any Executive order that governs rulemaking. Title II: All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act Makes every Federal agency submit monthly reports) on the status of every rule they are working on. Rules can’t go into effect) until they have been published on the Internet for at least 6 months. Exemption for national security, emergencies, or implementing international trade agreements. Requires the first report to include cost-benefit analysis for all proposed or final rules for the 10 years) before the enactment of this law. The agencies will have 30 days to complete this report. Title III: Providing Accountability Through Transparency Requires agencies to publish summaries of their regulations on the Internet, capped at 100 words. Vote Passed the House of Representatives 244-173 Five members of the House of Representatives own Berkshire Hathaway stock and voted "Aye" on H.R. 712 Michael Burgess of Texas's 26th district Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey's 11th district Bob Gibbs of Ohio's 7th district Thomas Rooney of Florida's 17th district Michael McCaul of Texas's 10th district There is an identical bill in the Senate: S. 378 Author Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia's 9th district Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa wrote the Senate version Organizations Lobbying for H.R. 712 Peabody Energy Gas Processors Association Berkshire Hathaway Energy U.S. Chamber of Commerce H.R. 1644: Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act (STREAM Act) Publication of Science Used to Create Rules The Secretary of the Interior would have to publicly publish on the Internet all the scientific data, environmental analysis, economic assessments, policies or guidances used in developing a new rule 90 days before before the new rule or draft of a rule is published. If the research is not published on the Internet 90 days before a rule or draft's publication, the rule cannot move forward for 60 days plus the number of days the research publication was delayed. If the publication of research data is delayed by 6 months, the Secretary must withdraw the rule unless that would cause "imminent and sever threat to human life". Study Which Delays Regulations A study on the regulatory effectiveness of the Stream Buffer Rule must be completed within two years and 90 days of this bill's enactment. The Secretary of the Interior can not issue any new rules or regulations related to the stream buffer zone rule until one year after the study is submitted. Vote Passed the House of Representatives 235-188 Author Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia's 2nd district His third largest contributor is Murray Energy Organizations Lobbying for H.R. 1644 Peabody Energy Arch Coal National Mining Association Patriot Coal Corporation Organizations Lobbying Against H.R. 1644 Sierra Club National Wildlife Federation Congressional Budget Office Reports Analysis of H.R. 1155, SCRUB Act of 2015, May 8, 2015. Analysis of H.R. 712, Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015, April 16, 2015. Analysis of H.R. 1644, STREAM Act, September 23, 2015. Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Markup of H.R. 348, H.R. 712, H.R. 1155, H.R. 690, and H.R. 889, House Judiciary Committee, March 24, 2015. Television show: 60 Minutes: King of Coal, CBS, March 6, 2016. Additional Reading Article: House Clears Two Bills to Rein in Regulators by Charles Clark, Government Executive, January 8, 2016. Article: 5 years after a deadly coal mine disaster, what's changed by Mason Adams, Grist, April 3, 2015. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

More bills than anyone could possible read were passed by a branch of Congress in June, including the 994 page National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), four government funding bills, and thirty bills governing a wide range of topics, including Wall Street, MediCare, fishing, carbon dioxide emissions, stolen art, chemical storage, taxes, and more. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! New Congressman Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi's 1st district was sworn into office Emergency The Obama Administration continued the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13405 on June 16, 2006 with respect to Belarus Bulletin: Prospects for Belarus' Membership in the WTO by Anna Maria Dyner, The Polish Institute of International Affairs, July 31, 2013. Laws H.R. 2048: USA Freedom Act Outlined and discussed in Congressional Dish Episode 98: The USA Freedom Act H.R. 2620: United States Cotton Futures Act Hearing: House Agriculture Committee, June 17, 2015. Exempts cotton from foreign companies from part of the United Sates Cotton Futures Act, which will allow foreign cotton companies to participate in cotton futures trading. Current law only allows 100% U.S. cotton to be traded on the futures exchange. Passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by voice votes Sponsored by Rep. David Scott of Georgia's 13th district His #2 contributor is ICE Group, (stands for Intercontinental Exchange) which is a network of financial exchanges and clearing houses; it operates eleven exchanges, including three in the United States, Canada, and Europe that deal with agriculture futures. The company has ten lobbyists and has spent over $1.3 million lobbying for the last Congressional election. In the last election cycle, ICE Group gave more to Rep. David Scott than to any other politician, and over the years, the company has given Rep. David Scott at least $73,850. 1 page H.R. 1626: DHS IT Duplication Reduction Act Makes the DHS submit a report about the department's technology and gives them no additional money to complete it. Passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by voice votes Sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd of Texas's 23rd district 2 pages Bills H.R. 1735: National Defense Authorization Act Passed the House of Representatives 269-151 The version passed by the House of Representatives received a veto threat by President Obama Passed the Senate with changes 71-25 Sponsored by Rep. Mac Thorneberry of Texas's 13th district 994 pages Weird advertisement for the NDAA H.R. 2685: Department of Defense Appropriations Act Passed the House of Representatives 278-149 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey's 11th district 170 pages H.R. 2596: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 Passed the House of Representatives 247-178 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Devin Nunes of California's 22nd district 63 pages H.R. 2578: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 Passed the House of Representatives 242-183 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. John Culberson of Texas's 7th district 218 pages H.R. 2577: Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act Passed the House of Representatives 216-210 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida's 25th district 354 pages H.R. 1335: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act Hearing: House Rules Committee, May 19, 2015. Changes the rules for management of an overfished fishery so that there is no hard deadline (currently 10 years) to replenish the fishery and adds exceptions, including one that allows the overfishing to continue if replenishment can't be done "without significant economic harm to the fishery". Doubles the amount of time an emergency regulation can adjust a fishery management plan. Adds economic impact to "fishing communities" to the list of factors that need to be considered when creating catch limits and exempts for some fish with short life spans. Regional Fishery Management Council meetings will have to be posted online All requirements of the the National Environmental Policy Act and all related implementing regulations will be deemed approved if the Regional Fishery Management Council completes a fishery impact statement. Creates a pilot program for using electronic monitoring at fisheries. Repeals independent peer-reviewed analysis' of the quality of statistics collected on fishing populations and a requirement for catch limits for Gulf of Mexico red snapper for recreational and commercial fishermen Ensures that this law will trump the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Antiquities Act, and the Endangered Species Act Prohibits the government from factoring in red snapper killer during the removal of offshore oil rigs when determining catch limits. Prohibits the government from factoring fish caught by foreign vessels in the U.S. economic zone when determining catch limits. Requires new guidelines be issued that will use nongovernmental sources for fisheries management decisions. Passed the House of Representatives 225-152 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Don Young of Alaska His #4 contributing industry for the upcoming election is Fisheries and Wildlife; he has taken $9,000 from them for this election cycle as of 9/11/15. 57 pages H.R. 2042: Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 23, 2015. Prohibits any final rule to address carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil-fuel powered electric utilities from being enforced until all lawsuits and appeals filed within 60 days of the final rule's publication are complete. Exempts states from complying with a final rule addressing carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel powered plants if the Governor informs the EPA that the rule would increase rates or have a significant adverse effect on the reliability of the State's electricity system. Hydropower will be counted as renewable energy Passed the House of Representatives 247-180 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky's 1st district His #1 and #2 industries for the upcoming election are Oil and Gas and Electric Utilities; he's taken $46,100 from Oil and Gas and $38,500 from Electric Utilities as of 9/11/15. Over the course of his Congressional career, he has taken at least $771,315 from Electric Utilities and $562,097 from Oil and Gas. 6 pages H.R. 2289: Commodity End-User Relief Act Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 2, 2015. Extends operations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Limits the rules and regulations that can be enacted on futures commissions merchants Adds seven more considerations (including alternatives to regulation) to the requirements of cost-benefit analysis of regulations. Orders the CFTC cost benefit analysis to be reviewed by a judge. Allows the traders to be regulated to challenge new CFTC rules directly to the US Court of Appeals, the second most powerful court in the country. Limits the subpoena power of the CFTC Removes the requirement that the CFTC be immune from lawsuits that arise from sharing data about swaps with domestic and foreign authorities and backdates this change to July 21, 2010, the effective date of Dodd Frank Financial Reform. Adds "a utility operations-related swap" to the list of swaps that can be traded, which allows gambling on the future of natural gas or electric generation, purchases, sales, supplies or delivery. Exempts traders from being classified and regulated as a "swaps dealer" if they trade less than $8 billion (current CFTC rule exemption limit is $3 billion). Expands the number of financial models swaps dealers will be allowed to use to determine how much actual money they need to hold onto. Passed the House of Representatives 246-171 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district His top contributor for the upcoming election is Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, which is a swaps clearing house; he received $15,000. His top 5 contributors over the course of his career are, in this order, the American Institute of CPA's an international association of accountants, KPMG LLP, a multinational corporation specializing in auditing and regulation compliance, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and even larger multinational corporation specializing in regulation compliance, Energy Future Holdings Corp, a portfolio of energy companies, and Deloitte LLP, the self-proclaimed "world's largest" multinational corporation that specializes in auditing and risk management. From these five companies, Conaway has taken at least $319,873. 80 pages H.R. 1190: Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 16, 2015. Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which is designed to suggest solutions if Medicare costs get out of control. Drastically cuts funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, cutting it by a total of $8.8 billion by 2026, which is a 61% cut. Passed the House of Representatives 244-154 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee's 1st district His #1 contributing industry over the course of his career is Health Professionals; he has taken $435,088 as of 9/11/15. 3 pages H.R. 160: Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 16, 2015. Repeals the medical device excise tax The effects of this repeal on the budget will not be counted The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this will increase the budget deficit by $24.4 billion Passed the House of Representatives 280-140 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota's 3rd district His #3 contributing industry over the course of his career has been Pharmaceuticals/Health Products; he has taken at least $654,929. His #4 contributing industry has been Health Professionals; from them, he has taken $622,645. 4 pages H.R. 2200: CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2015 Allows the Office of Intelligence an Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security to share information and work with the Intelligence community to analyze possible chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks. Allows the Department of Homeland Security to share information related to terrorist attacks with the public. Passed the House of Representatives 420-2 Sponsored by Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona's 2nd district 6 pages H.R. 805: DOTCOM Act of 2015 Press Release: NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions, March 14, 2014. Prohibits the transition of NTIA's functions in Internet domain name registry until 30 days after a report is submitted. Passed the House of Representatives 378-25 Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois's 15th district 4 pages H.R. 2576: TSCA Modernization Act Eliminates a requirement that EPA use the "least burdensome requirements" when regulating toxic chemicals Orders the EPA to do risk evaluations on chemicals used, stored, sold or disposed of by commercial companies. The risk evaluations will not consider cost If the risk evaluation is requested by a manufacturer, the manufacturer will pay for the risk assessment The EPA will be required to do at least 10 risk assessments per year "subject to the availability of appropriations". Adds an exemption for "replacement parts" from the EPA rules prohibiting chemicals unless the replacement parts "contribute significantly to the identified risk". Adds the requirement that any rules created "shall provide for a reasonable transition period." Eliminates the requirement for an informal hearing when making rules about toxic chemicals. Creates a "critical use exemption" option for the EPA if the requirement is not "cost-effective", if it would "significantly disrupt the national economy, national security, or critical infrastructure" The exemption would be valid for 5 years at a time The exemption will include conditions on the use of the toxic chemical Allows data to be shared with State, local, or tribal governments and with health care professionals to assist with diagnosis or treatment. Forces companies that want to keep information confidential to explain their reasons and automatically releases the information to the public in 10 years, unless the company justifies the confidentiality again in writing. Eliminates caps of fees that can be collected and creates a "TSCA Service Fee Fund" to collect, store, and disperse the funds to pay for the EPA's costs for regulating chemicals. Passed the House of Representatives 398-1 Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois's 15th district 48 pages H.R. 1615: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015 Orders the Chief Freedom of Information Act Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to update Freedom of Information Act regulations within 90 days of the bill's passage. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to identify the total annual cost of implementing the FOIA within 90 days. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to identify unnecessary actions taken in the course of processing requests and eliminate them within a year of identifying them. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to develop a plan to to process requests electronically. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to issue guidance to the necessary people to reach the goal of reducing the FOIA request backlog by 50 percent by 2018. Passed the House of Representatives 423-0 Sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia's 1st district 7 pages S.611: Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act Authorizes $15 million per year until 2020 to provide technical assistance to small public water systems. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi 5 pages S. 653: Water Resources Research Amendments Act Adds a requirement for additional research into new water treatments into the Water Resources Research Act Requires an evaluation of water resource research projects every three years and withdraws funds from projects that do not qualify based on the evaluation. Authorizes $13.5 million per year through 2020. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland 5 pages H.R. 2088: United States Grain Standards Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 Reauthorizes the Department of Agriculture's process for grain inspections until September 30, 2020. Forces the Secretary of Agriculture to waive weighting and inspections of grain in an "emergency, a major disaster"; currently, the Secretary has the option to do so, but does not have to. A "major disaster" is defined to specifically include "a sever weather incident causing a region-wide interruption of government services". Changes the location of export inspections to specifically "export elevators" at export port locations. Widens the criteria for who is qualified to perform official inspections by deleting a list of requirements. Delegations of authority to conduct grain inspections to a State will expire every five years, and my be renewed. Adds a public comment period before the Secretary can delegate inspection responsibility to a State and requires a notice in the Federal Register announcing if the State was approved and the rational for the decision. The State would have to give at least 90 days notice advanced notice in writing to the Dept. of Agriculture if they want to stop performing grain inspections, unless there has been a major disaster. The public must be given online a list of the States delegated to perform official inspections, which needs to be updated at least twice a year. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district His #2 contributing industry over the course of his career has been Crop Production and Basic Processing; he has taken at least $646,470. 18 pages H.R. 2051: Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2015 Extends mandatory price reporting requirements for livestock until September 30, 2020. Clarifies that reports are expected on days the Dept. of Agriculture is open for business, including days when the government is "on shutdown or emergency furlough as a result of a lapse in appropriations". Allows transactions between pork packers and producers to take place using a new pricing formula. Changes the definition of an importer of lamb to include anyone who imports an average of 1,000 metric tons per year; currently importers have to comply with regulations if they import and average of 2,500 metric tons of lamb per year. Changes the definition of a lamb packer to someone who owns 50% or more of a facility and slaughters an average of 35,000 heads of lambs per year; currently if they slaughter 75,000 lambs per year. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district 8 pages H.R. 2394: National Forest Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2015 Reauthorizes and appropriates $3 million per year until 2018 for the National Forest Foundation Act, which established a partnership with a non-profit to study and restore national forests. This is triple the previous funding. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania's 5th district 3 pages H.R. 235: Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act Article: Internet tax moratorium extended again by Grant Gross, IDG News Service, December 15, 2014. Makes the moratorium on Internet access taxes permanent. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia's 6th district 2 pages H.R. 889: Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act Prohibits art imported into the United States to be temporarily displayed from being seized by the United States, even if that art is discovered to have been stolen. This immunity does not apply to art stolen by the Nazis. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio's 1st district 5 pages S. 184 and H.R. 1168: Native American Children’s Safety Act Requires criminal background checks of any person who lives in a house applying to provide foster care to an Indian child and prohibits placement if anyone in the home is found to have committed certain crimes. This will not apply to emergency foster care placement Both bills passed the Senate and the House of Representatives by voice votes S. 184 was sponsored by Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota and H.R. 1168 was sponsored by Kevin Cramer of North Dakota S. 184: 12 pages H.R. 1168: 10 pages S. 246: Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act Establishes the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. All 11 members will be appointed by the President and Congressional leaders and their appointments will be for the entire duration of the commission. The Commission's job will be to complete a study on the effectiveness of programs aimed at the health and education of native children and to make recommendations for fixing the inadequacies. The Commission will terminate 90 days after they submit their report. Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $2 million. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota 27 pages H.R. 404: Authorizing early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska Allows Nebraska landowners to repay construction debts at any time. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska's 3rd district 3 pages H.R. 1493: Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act Directs the State Department to designate an existing employee to coordinate efforts to protect art around the world from being stolen and/or destroyed. Establishes a committee, which will meet once a year and be made up of representatives from various Federal agencies, who will "coordinate and inform Federal efforts to protect international cultural property". Blocks importation of "archaeological or ethnological material of Syria" starting 120 days after the bills enactment. The import restrictions will expire in five years, but can be extended. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel of New York's 16th district 19 pages S. 253: Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act Orders a public report every two years on competition, availability of services, and regulatory barriers to entry into the communications services business. Repeals an annual public report on privatization of the communications services industry, which includes public comments. Repeals an annual report on foreign and domestic competition in the communications satellite market. Eliminates an annual report on the "status of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming". Eliminates the requirement that a report on cable industry price be completed annually. Eliminates the requirement that a report on regulatory barriers be reviewed every three years. Eliminates an FCC analysis "of whether any of such competitors have a dominant share of the market" Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada 16 pages S. 565: Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act Encourages Federal agencies to use remanufactured vehicle parts to maintain Federal vehicles. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan 4 pages H.R. 2570: VBID for Better Care Act Establishes a three year demonstration project to test "value-based insurance" for Medicare patients at two Medicare Advantage sites. Value based insurance allows insurance companies flexibility with co-payments, allowing them to lower co-payments for services deemed to be "high value" preventative services and increasing rates for services with uncertain value. It's designed to "create financial disincentives for poor health choices". The demonstration projects would not allow increases in co-payments to discourage the use of services. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee's 6th district 17 pages H.R. 2507: Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act Extends the amount of time between proposed Medicare rate changes are announced and when they can go into effect from 60 days to 90 days. Requires more information about why the changes are being implemented. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas's 8th district 4 pages H.R. 2505: Medicare Advantage Coverage Transparency Act Requires an annual report to Congress detailing the location and number of people enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania's 3rd district 4 pages H.R. 2582: Securing Seniors' Health Care Act Prohibits the government from terminating a contract for a Medicare Advantage organization because it fails to meet minimum quality standards until the end of 2018. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida's 16th district 10 pages H.R. 1633: DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015 Article: Administrative Leave Restrictions at DHS Backed, FedWeek, July 8, 2015. Orders a report to be completed by the Department of Homeland Security four times per year on the number of people on paid administrative leave for more than six months and the cost associated. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia's 11th district 7 pages H.R. 1646: Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act Orders a report on how commercially available small and medium sized drones could be used to commit terrorist attacks and what the Department of Homeland Security could do to stop this type of attack. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey's 12th district 4 pages H.R. 1637: Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015 Orders an annual report on the Federally funded research projects being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas's 4th district 3 pages H.R. 2390: Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act Orders an annual report on the effectiveness of using universities to conduct Department of Homeland Security research. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's 2nd district 5 pages June Hearings Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Security Assistance in Africa, June 4, 2015. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Trade Promotion and Capacity Building in the Asia-Pacific Region, June 16, 2015. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Western Hemisphere Drug Interdiction Efforts, June 16, 2015. House Committee on Financial Services: The Impact of the International Monetary Fund: Economic Stability or Moral Hazard?, June 17, 2015. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Drones: The Next Generation of Commerce?, June 17, 2015. House Committee on Energy and Commerce: A National Framework for the Review and Labeling of Biotechnology in Food, June 18, 2015. House Committee on Foreign Affairs: The Future of Property Rights in Cuba, June 18, 2015. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: American Energy Exports, June 23, 2015. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Cannabidiol, June 24, 2015. House Committee on Homeland Security: DHS' Efforts to Secure .Gov, June 24, 2015. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: The State of Positive Train Control Implementation in the United States, June 24, 2015 House Committee on Ways and Means: Repatriation of Foreign Earnings as a Source of Funding for the Highway Trust Fund, June 24, 2015 Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Country of Origin Labeling, June 25, 2015 Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Global Impact of a Greek Default, June 25, 2015. Jen's Podcast Appearances September 9, 2015 episode of American Workers Radio Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Money, Money, Money by The Undercover Hippy (found on Music Alley by mevio)

In this episode, we discuss the bills that passed in August and September, the last bills to pass before the election. Included are bills that give money to Israel, screw over immigrant kids, audit the Fed, poison the environment, create huge corporate tax cuts, and more. Also, the story of CryptoWall, the computer virus holding our memories hostage. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.J. Res 76: A bill that gives $225 million to Israel's Iron Dome [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Iron Dome By Israel Defense Forces and Nehemiya Gershoni[/caption] Gave $225 million to Israel for their Iron Dome missile defense system. Article: Gaza Crisis: Toll of Operations in Gaza, BBC World, September 2014. Article: Raytheon a key in Israeli defense plan, Boston Globe, July 2014. Written by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey's 11th district. It passed the House of Representatives with by a vote of 248-176. All Republicans voted yes. There was no recorded vote in the Senate. H.R. 5272Ship Off Children of Immigrants Act of 2014 Prevents leniency as ordered in a 2012 Department of Homeland Security directive that discourages deportation proceedings for illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as young children. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="299"] Rep. Marsha Blackburn[/caption] Prevents all undocumented people from working in the United States. Written by Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee's 7th district. Passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 216-192. Every Representative from the following states voted yes: Alaska Arkansas Idaho Kansas Montana Nebraska North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota West Virginia Wyoming H.R. 5078: Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 Prevents implementation and enforcement of a proposed EPA rule that would clearly protect seasonal and rain-dependent streams and wetlands near streams and prevents any rule like it in the future. Written by Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida's 2nd district. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 262-152. H.R. 3522 A bill that allows health insurance companies to provide less coverage. Allows health insurance companies to continue to offer health plans to employer that don't comply with the minimum standards set by the Affordable Care Act until 2019. Written by Rep. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana's 6th district The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 247-167. All Republicans voted yes. H.R. 24 Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2013 Requires an audit of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve banks within a year of this bill becoming law. Eliminates a list of things in the Federal Reserve that are not allowed to be audited, including: Transactions for or with foreign central banks, foreign governments, or international financing organizations. Debates and decisions on monetary policy The amount of money in member banks Written by Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia's 10th district. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 333-92. H.R. 5462 A bill that increases air travel fees Increases the TSA fee from a maximum $5 each way to $5.60 each way or $11.20 roundtrip. Written by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina's 8th district. Passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 423-0. H.R. 4 Jobs for America Act This bill is a package of bills that have already passed the House of Representatives in the 113th Congress. The entire bill will not be counted in the PAYGO budget. Ways and Means Includes the Save American Workers Act, which requires an employee to work 40 hours per week, instead of 30 hours per week, in order to be considered “full-time” and get employer-provided health insurance. CBO said this bill would increase the deficit by $45.7 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD075: The April Bills. Includes the American Reseach and Competitiveness Act of 2014, which expands and permanently extends the tax credits businesses receive for research and development expenses. The CBO said this bill alone would increase the deficit by $156 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD077: The May Bills. Includes the America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act, which expands and makes permanent an expiring corporate tax cut. CBO said this bill would increase the deficit by $73 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD078: The June Bills. Includes the S Corporation Permanent Tax Relief Act, which reduces the number of years that some corporate income is taxable. CBO said this bill would increase the deficit by $1.5 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD078: The June Bills. Includes the corporate tax cuts for upgrading the inside of retail stores which CBO said would increase the deficit by $287 billion dollars over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD081: The July Bills. Repeals the medical device excise tax, which is a 2.3% tax on corporations who sell expensive medical equipment. Repealing the medical device tax was discussed in episode CD046: Shutdown Assured. Financial Services Includes the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act, which exempts private equity fund advisers from registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This bill was discussed in episode CD058: Space Travel, TSA, Wall Street, & Patents. Includes the Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act, which exempts mergers and acquisition brokers from registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This bill was discussed in episode CD064: Chemicals Shall Spill. Oversight Includes Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act which forces the government to let private companies write the rules that will govern them and says political factors must be considered. Includes the All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act, which makes it slower and harder for the government to enact any regulations. This bill was discussed in episode CD072: The February Bills. Judiciary Includes the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (RIENS Act), which shuts down all regulations (except those enacted by the Federal Reserve) by requiring Congressional approval for all major rules that cost over $100 million or affect the finances of businesses; rules that don't pass in under 70 days are automatically killed. This bill was discussed in episode CD038: Wasting July. Includes the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibits State and local taxes on Internet access. Natural Resources Includes the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, which forces the government to cut down trees and lets the Secretary of Agriculture waive the Endangered Species Act. Packaged by Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan's 4th district Passed the House of Representatives on September 15, 2014 by a vote of 253-163. H.R. 2 American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="550"] 113th House of Representatives is devoted to fossil fuels[/caption] This bill is a package of bills that have already passed the House of Representatives in the 113th Congress. Includes the Northern Route Approval Act, which grants or eliminates all the permits needed to build the KeystoneXL pipeline. This bill was discussed in CD029: The Keystone XL Pipeline. Includes the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act, which rushes permits for natural gas pipelines and automatically approves applications that take too long. This bill was discussed in CD055: Three Bills for Fossil Fuels. Includes the North American Energy Infrastructure Act, which eliminates the permit needed to modify existing oil and gas pipelines. This bill was discussed in CD079: The June Bills. Includes the Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2014, which prohibits the EPA from enacting expensive rules. This bill was discussed in CD038: Wasting July. Includes the Electricity Security and Affordability Act, which shuts down EPA regulations of emissions from fossil fuel powered utilities. This bill was discussed in CD074: The March Bills. Includes the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, which speeds up the permitting for natural gas export facilities. This bill was discussed in CD079: The June Bills. Includes the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act, which forces the government to lease at least 50% of the area in the ocean with oil to the oil companies, automatically approves drilling permits that take too long, charges citizens a $5,000 protect fee to fight drilling in court, and abolishes the Minerals Management Service - which no longer exists. This bill was discussed in CD079: The June Bills. Includes the Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act, which exempts hydropower projects from environmental reviews. This bill was discussed in CD022: Crippling the Regulators. Includes the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act, which prohibits the Federal government from regulating fracking. This bill was discussed in CD055: Three Bills for Fossil Fuels. Includes Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America, which brings back a Bush Administration rule - which was recently thrown out by the courts for failing to comply with the Endangered Species Act - which would allow waste from mountaintop removal for coal mining to be dumped into rivers and streams. This bill was discussed in CD074: The March Bills. Includes the Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2014 (RAPID Act), which lets companies conduct their own environmental reviews, automatically approves permits that aren't finished on time, and prohibits judicial review of Federal permits. This bill was discussed in CD074: The March Bills. This bill was packaged by Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska's 2nd district. The bill passed on September 18 by a vote of 226-191. CryptoWall Article: CryptoWall: What is it and how to protect your systems, TechRepublic, October 2014. Music Presented in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) I Want Rosa to Stay by Alun Parry (found on Music Alley by mevio) Summer's Over by Jonathon Coulton (found on Music Alley by mevio) Step Up by Dona Oxford (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Before the House (finally) agreed to give recovery money to Hurricane Sandy victims, they made new rules for the 113th Congress, including more private jets for themselves and less rights for gays. Then, despite Republican efforts to short them, the House finally voted to give Hurricane Sandy victims the $60 billion they asked for... Well, sort of. THE RULES FOR THE 113TH CONGRESS: H.RES. 5 Changed the Nepotism rule to include grandchildren. Allows members to take private jets using official funds. Starts to open the door to using campaign funds (which Senate members can do) but a statute still prohibits that from members of the House. Eliminates a portion of ObamaCare that prevents the House from repealing authority for IPAB. Enacts the Ryan budget until a budget for 2014 is adopted. Prohibits lobbyists from trolling the Congressional gym. Authorizes the continuation of the "Fast and Furious" investigation. Authorizes the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (the five members are John Boehner as Speaker of the House, Eric Cantor as House Majority Leader, Nancy Pelosi as House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy as Majority Whip, and Steny Hoyer as Minority Whip) to direct the House Office of General Counsel to defend the Defense of Marriage Act -the gay marriage ban- to "protect the interests of the House." Karen Golinski has been fighting the House for four years to get her wife health insurance. HURRICANE SANDY RECOVERY October 29, 2012: Hurricane Sandy hits the Northeast, devastating the coastlines of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut and causing widespread damage to the surrounding states. (Amazing before and after pictures from NOAA)   December 2012: The Senate passed a $60 billion aid package and sent it to the House of Representatives. January 2, 2012: After voting on the fiscal cliff bill on the last day of the 112th Congress, Speaker Boehner had promised a vote on the Senate's Sandy bill. He lied. There was no vote. The bill died when the 112th Congress adjourned. January 4, 2012: The House passed HR 41, a piece of the dead Senate bill which authorized FEMA to borrow about $9.5 billion to make payments to victims insured through the National Flood Insurance Program. January 15th, 2012: The House passed HR 152, a bill which, after being heavily amended by a Republican congressman from New Jersey, finally authorized the remaining $50.5 billion requested by the states damaged by Hurricane Sandy. HR 152: "Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013" The original bill, written by Hal Rogers of Kentucky, gave the Northeast $17 billion, which was $33 billion short of what was requested. An amendment by Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey gave the Northeast states the rest of the money. TITLE I DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE $6 million from Rogers (Kentucky) bill + $218 million from Frelinghuysen (New Jersey) amendment to be spent on: Food for victims of Hurricane Sandy Floodplain protection Forest Restoration Money to help farmers from drought TITLE II (Completely replaced by Frelinghuysen amendment) ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS $20 million  $50 million for a study of flood risks to coastal populations affected by Hurricane Sandy (due 2 years after bill is signed). $9 million $3.461 billion for repairs to projects that were under construction and damaged by Hurricane Sandy. $7.42 million $8.21 million to dredge navigation channels damaged by Hurricane Sandy. $500 million $1 billion for emergency operations and repairs. TITLE III (Completely replaced by Frelinghuysen amendment) SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION $10 million $20 million for grants to organizations helping with disaster recovery, response, and long term recovery to small businesses damaged by Hurricane Sandy. $1 million $5 million to the Inspector General to perform oversight on the grants. $100 million $520 million for direct loans for disaster recovery. $50 million $260 million for "direct administration expenses" of loan making TITLE IV DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY - COAST GUARD $144 million $274 million for expenses caused by Hurricane Sandy FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY - DISASTER RELIEF FUND $5.4 billion $11.5 billion for national disaster relief (not limited to Hurricane Sandy). SCIENCE AND RESEARCH $585,000 $3.2 million available until September 30, 2013 2014 TITLE V DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR $50 million $78 million for construction expenses of the Fish and Wildlife Service $234 million $348 million for construction by the National Park Service TITLE VI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES - PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES EMERGENCY FUND $100 million (Rogers of Kentucky bill) + $800 million (Frelinghuysen of New Jersey amendment) for the Head Start program and the costs of repairing and rebuilding health care facilities, child care centers, or other social services facilities. The money is only available to victims of Hurricane Sandy. TITLE VII DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE   $24.2 million, available until September 30, 2017, for construction by the Army National Guard. "...such funds may be obligated to carry out military construction projects not otherwise authorized by law." "CONSTRUCTION, MAJOR PROJECTS" $207 million, available until September 30, 2017 for renovations and repairs as a consequence of Hurricane Sandy. "...such funds may be obligated and expended to carry out planning and design and major medical facility construction not otherwise authorized by law." (Added by the Frelinghuysen of New Jersey amendment) Money that must be spent on "operations and maintenance" expenses caused by Hurricane Sandy by September 30, 2013: $40 million for the Navy $8.5 million for the Air Force $5.8 million for the Air National Guard $5.3 million for the Army + $1.3 million to buy ammunition $3.1 million for the National Guard and $24.2 million for "Defense Working Capital Funds"... whatever that means. Department of Defense will be getting $348 million from the Sandy relief bill. TITLE VIII (Completely replaced by Frelinghuysen amendment) DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION - FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT $14.6 million $30 million available until September 30, 2013 for expenses due to Hurricane Sandy FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION $2.022 billion for an emergency fund for the repair of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that have suffered serious damage as a result of a natural disaster. No more than $100 million can be spent on any single disaster. The Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Mariana Islands can not be given more than $20 million. The Secretary of Transportation is allowed to spend up to $500 million on Hurricane Sandy repairs. AMTRAK $32 million $86 million for expenses related to Hurricane Sandy. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM $5.4 billion $10.9 billion for repairs to the public transportation system most affected by Hurricane Sandy. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT $3.85 billion $16 billion for disaster relief, long-term recovery, and repairs to infrastructure and housing damaged due to Hurricane Sandy and other disasters in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Funds will go directly to the state or local government. TITLE IV... Doesn't appear to exist. TITLE X NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) $140,000,000 available until September 30, 2014, which includes: $50 million for mapping and charting of debris from Hurricane Sandy $50 million for weather and ocean research programs $25 million to improve weather forecasting $7 million to repair/replace ocean monitoring equipment damaged by Sandy $5 million to fisheries damaged by Hurricane Sandy $3 million to states for their own damage assessments $186,000,000 available until September 30, 2015, which includes: $111 million to get the polar weather satellites $44.5 million to repair and upgrade hurricane reconnaissance airplanes $13 million to speed up NWS ground readiness (Rep. Broun of Georgia tried to remove this one) $9 million to repair NOAA facilities damaged by Hurricane Sandy $8.5 million to improve weather forecasting equipment and supercomputers TITLE XI (Added by Rep. Bishop of Utah) Prevents the Federal government from buying any land with Sandy relief money.

Did we deal with the spending problem or just avert it.  The House okays fiscal cliff bill.  It is now headed to President Obama.   At roll call, 85 Republicans and 172 Democrats voted YEA; 151 Republicans and 16 Democrats voted NO.  The following representatives in NJ voted YEA for the bill and Jon Runyan (NJ D3) said this, Given the choices on the table, I ultimately decided to support the compromise to spare my constituents and 99% of American taxpayers an income tax hike that neither they nor our economy can afford. Unfortunately, this legislation is merely another Washington-generated band-aid that does little more than kick the can down the road again, while failing to address the federal government's unhealthy addiction to spending. I am hopeful the President and members of both the House and Senate can do more problem-solving and less finger-pointing in the next Congress and address the very serious fiscal problems we face.” Other yeas in NJ were  Representaives Chris Smith, Rodney Frelinghuysen,Frank LoBiondo, and Leonard Lance. Scott Garret vored no.  Guest Professor Fernado Uribe http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theuribesociety This show is sponsored by campusteaparties.com.  Log onto campusteaparties.com/blog/