Podcasts about senate budget

Thursday, February 27th, 2025Today, the Office of Personnel Management sent out a memo directing massive reductions in force; the Trump administration threatens a permanent visa ban for trans athletes; Musk cancelled contracts that help veterans only to reinstate them the next day; Jeff Bezos announced a revamp to the Washington Post op ed section causing the editor to quit; a Democrat in Maine won her state special election by 43 points; the US logs its first measles death in a decade; judge Amy Berman Jackson extends the restraining order keeping Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger in his job through Saturday; Republicans in the House have passed Trump's budget including sweeping cuts to Medicaid; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.Stories:Wednesday's Campaign Round-Up: Minnesota's Tim Walz passes on Senate race | MSNBCDemocrat Sean Faircloth easily wins Bangor-area legislative seat in special election | Bangor Daily NewsTrump administration sets stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in new memo | AP NewsHouse narrowly adopts budget plan to advance Trump's agenda in a win for Speaker Johnson - Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Melanie Zanona, Syedah Asghar and Julie Tsirkin | NBC NewsJeff Bezos' revamp of 'Washington Post' opinions leads editor to quit - David Folkenflik | NPRFirst measles death reported in Texas as Kennedy downplays the outbreak - Erika Edwards | NBC News Good Trouble:ACTION REQUEST -  Today USAID staff in Washington received word that they can go into USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan Building to retrieve their personal belongings. The entire Washington-based staff will have two days, this Thursday and Friday, in one-hour windows by bureau and in 15-minute increments per person. No boxes or packing materials will be provided. There are staff who have worked at the RRB for 20-30 years, and it is the "mother ship" for most of us. This will be an extremely emotional two days. So, we would like to encourage anyone who is able to join us at the RRB to "clap out" staff, with signs of support. If you're able to bring extra packing materials and / or drinks and snacks please do. We want to show these people how you treat public servants who have given their lives to the important work we do.THURSDAY 7:30 am - 6:00 pmFRIDAY 7:30 am - 3:30 pmUSAID Ronald Reagan Building 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWThere is public parking in the RRB garage, and the closest metros are Metro Center (red line) and Federal Triangle (orange/blue). If you are planning to park in the garage please make sure to have a government-issued ID (driver's license).*Tomorrow is The Blackout. Don't buy anything unless it's from a small local business on Friday, February 28th.Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen. Check out muellershewrote.com for my interview with a systems security expert about the massive breach at opm.gov caused by Elon MuskCheck out other MSW Media podcastsShows - MSW MediaCleanup On Aisle 45 podSubscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on SubstackThe BreakdownFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaAllison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/From The Good NewsIRS Free File: Do your taxes for freeIowa DOGE - FeedbackCleanup on Aisle 45 - MSW MediaHRC.org/events Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

On today's Top News in 10, we cover: Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner is just a few weeks on the job, but he's already saving money for American taxpayers. The HUD secretary spoke with The Daily Signal from CPAC today. It took an all-night vote-a-rama, but finally at 4:45 a.m. the U.S. Senate […]

On today's Top News in 10, we cover:    Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner is just a few weeks on the job, but he's already saving money for American taxpayers. The HUD secretary spoke with The Daily Signal from CPAC today.    It took an all-night vote-a-rama, but finally at 4:45 a.m. the U.S. Senate approved a $340 billion budget reconciliation bill. The final vote was 52 to 48, with just one Republican—Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky—voting against the measure.    President Trump met with the nation's governors at the White House today, and he used the occasion to call out Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the issue of male athletes competing against women in sports.    Plus, our news flash:    Sen. Josh Hawley reintroduced legislation to assign a special inspector general to investigate U.S. funding for Ukraine.    Hamas handed over the bodies of four deceased Israeli hostages Thursday, but one of them was not Shiri Bibas.    New York City Mayor Eric Adams' upcoming trial date was vacated, but Judge Dale Hol refused to dismiss the federal charges.    President Trump will close out the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday. The Daily Signal will be at CPAC to cover his remarks.    Keep Up With The Daily Signal    Sign up for our email newsletters: https://www.dailysignal.com/email    Subscribe to our other shows:    The Tony Kinnett Cast: https://www.dailysignal.com/the-tony-kinnett-cast  Problematic Women: https://www.dailysignal.com/problematic-women  The Signal Sitdown: https://www.dailysignal.com/the-signal-sitdown    Follow The Daily Signal:    X: https://x.com/DailySignal  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/  Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DailySignal  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/TheDailySignal    Thanks for making The Daily Signal Podcast your trusted source for the day's top news. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been 30 days since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office. On today's episode of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Politically Georgia podcast, hosts Patricia Murphy and Greg Bluestein examine how his policies have already shaped Georgia's political and economic landscape.   Then, we speak with Georgia Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, who is co-sponsoring a bill modeled after the Trump administration's federal budget-cutting efforts. Kennedy explains why he believes Georgia should follow Washington's lead.   Next, we turn to Governor Brian Kemp's top advisor, Cody Hall, who gives us insight into the governor's relationship with Trump after the White House denied Kemp's request to extend the deadline for Hurricane Helene aid.   And in Washington, former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler has officially secured her place in Trump's cabinet as the head of the Small Business Administration. We'll break down the confirmation process and how her role could impact Georgia's economy.   Have a question or comment for the show? Call the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 770-810-5297. We'll play back your question and answer it during the listener mailbag segment on next Friday's episode.   Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special episode: Explore the latest developments in the House and Senate budget resolutions and their impact on future tax legislation.

We go in-depth with Senate budget leaders June Robinson and Chris Gildon. Plus, Capitol reporters look at the 2025 Legislature.

Yes, they're trying to do it again: sneak a massive expansion of anti-crypto powers into a bill that has nothing to do with crypto. Same play as the 2021 infrastructure bill. This time, however, the crypto political machine is watching much earlier. Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast: https://pod.link/1438693620 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nathanielwhittemorecrypto Subscribe to the newsletter: https://breakdown.beehiiv.com/ Join the discussion: https://discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8 Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownNLW

The State Senate throws down the gauntlet in the budget process.Oklahoma moves forward with its first execution of the year.Southeast Oklahoma is gearing up for a total eclipse of the sun.You can find the KOSU Daily wherever you get your podcasts, you can also subscribe, rate us and leave a comment.You can keep up to date on all the latest news throughout the day at KOSU.org and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at KOSU Radio.This is The KOSU Daily, Oklahoma news, every weekday.

This week: In-depth with Senator June Robinson, the new chair of the budget-writing Senate Ways & Means Committee. Plus, veteran State Senator Karen Keiser on her newly published "how to" book for beginning state legislators: "Getting Elected is the Easy Part."

On this show, we talk about the budget changes to the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission and how those changes largely eliminate the participation of lawyers and give one party the power to select the vast majority of the members. Our guests are Former NC Court of Appeals Judge and former NC Judicial Standards Commission chair, Wanda Bryant, and former NC Court of Appeals Judge Chris Brook, a lawyer with Patterson Harkavy and an adjunct Constitutional law professor at NCCU School of Law.

Rea Hederman, VP of Policy at The Buckeye Institute has some good news for Ohioans

WTVN Contributor, Mehek Cooke is very pleased with the way things are headed!

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Gov. Chris Sununu has been on a national media tour for months teasing a possible run for president. This week, he announced he will not enter the race for the White House. The New Hampshire State House endorsed the Senate's two-year budget, foregoing usual negotiations. We dig into what's included in the budget and the 2024 GOP presidential primary on this week's edition of the New Hampshire News Recap with the New Hampshire Bulletin's Annmarie Timmins and NHPR's Josh Rogers.

This week, the Massachusetts State Senate begins debate on their 2024 budget, with plans to finalize a proposal by the end of the week. And while it's easy to think of a budget as an overwhelming sheet of dollar signs, on Beacon Hill, a budget is a moral document that can tell you a lot about what your elected representatives are prioritizing, and what they're not. Boston Globe Political Reporter Samantha J. Gross joins The Common to walk us through how the Senate plans to spend your tax dollars, and how this plan lines up with the budgets already presented by the governor and House. Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

The N.C. Senate's budget is approved, setting up negotiations with the House over tax cuts and how much state employees will get in their paychecks. But the budget debate was overshadowed by this week's veto override on new abortion restrictions. Sen. Kandie Smith, D-Pitt, joins WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell to sort through a busy week at the legislature. Smith also talks about her bill to add video streaming in the Senate and her bipartisan legislation to find alternatives to jail for people who fall behind on child support. And she shares some tips on barbecue in the Greenville area.

Republicans in the North Carolina legislature made quick work of Gov. Roy Cooper's abortion bill override. And new restrictions are scheduled to go into effect July 1. Plus, there’s bipartisan support in the state Senate for a budget proposing lower raises for teachers and state employees than the House backed last month. And will that budget threaten every big city hospital in the state with closure? WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie and WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain break it all down. 

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Indiana Catholic Action Network (ICAN) Podcast This week Angela and Alexander discuss a bill that was recently amended to include a controversial change in the state regulation of wetlands. They also cover the recently released Senate budget proposal and how that effects policy areas the Church is interested in this session: namely, education and mental health funding.

Environmentalists are blasting Governor Newsom for making climate change programs bear the brunt of the state's projected budget deficit. To help balance the books, the governor wants to slash six billion dollars from climate and transportation spending in the next fiscal year Newsom defends the cuts by saying the state will still spend 48 billion dollars over five years on climate initiatives, and that's a lot, an unprecedented amount, so it makes more sense to trim that than cut other programs. He also hopes the federal government may make up the difference, and the legislature could always issue bonds to raise the necessary money. But the bottom line is the governor projects a 22 billion dollar deficit and he has to cut spending somewhere. For more, KCBS Radio's Bret Burkhart, Patti Reising and Goug Sovern spoke to State Senator Josh Becker, Democrat from San Mateo, who is on the Senate Budget committee and chairs its subcommittee on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy. 

The Senate's passage of the Inflation Reduction Act is a major legislative victory for the Biden administration and it comes after months of negotiations on Capitol Hill. Brian Deese, chair of the National Economic Council and President Biden's top economic adviser, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

We were joined again by Matt Reiffer, VP of Transportation Programs  and Katharine Mottley, VP of Tax and Workforce Policy with the ACEC Advocacy team to provide an update on the progress of the Senate budget deal.  

The Senate's passage of the Inflation Reduction Act is a major legislative victory for the Biden administration and it comes after months of negotiations on Capitol Hill. Brian Deese, chair of the National Economic Council and President Biden's top economic adviser, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

We were joined by Matt Reiffer, VP of Transportation Programs and Katharine Mottley, VP of Tax and Workforce Policy at ACEC to take a closer look inside the moving parts of the Senate budget deal that is expected to reach the floor later this week.

This week's episode begins with community voices of eastern KY for healthcare followed by excerpts from the recent U.S. Senate Budget hearing for Medicare for All healthcar.e

This week majority Democrats in House and Senate released their proposed supplemental operating budgets -- we discuss with Senate Ways & Means Chair Christine Rolfes, and the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Lynda Wilson. Plus, the state's chief economist, Steve Lerch, talks about the state of the state's economy and the billions in new revenue in the latest state revenue forecast.

The post House and Senate budget blueprints underinvest in core services and structures (again) appeared first on NC Policy Watch.

Having passed a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill, the US Senate moved directly into debate on an even larger budget resolution. In this latest episode, Deloitte Tax Policy leader Jon Traub dives deep into the significance of the bipartisan effort behind the infrastructure bill and explores the potential tax implications and other challenges that lie ahead for the Senate's budget resolution.

Bernie Sanders is behaving a lot like a pragmatist (just don't say it to his face). As the Senate Budget chair and a member of Sen. Chuck Schumer's leadership team, the 79-year-old progressive is one of the most powerful people in Washington and finally has the opportunity he's been waiting for his whole career: to pass a reconciliation bill with sweeping social reforms. If successful, the $3.5 trillion bill would be the biggest ever passed by Congress. The trick: Can he get it past the members of his own party? Rachael Bade is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO. Laura Barrón-López is a White House correspondent for POLITICO. Faiz Shakir is an advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders. Adrienne Hurst is a producer for POLITICO audio. Annie Rees is a producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is the senior producer for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO audio. Read more:  Strange but true: Bernie takes a 'very pragmatic' turn

On today's show: Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and member of the Senate Budget, Appropriations, and Judiciary Committees, unpacks the $3.5 trillion reconciliation spending bill before the Senate and talks about how the Biden

Tom Campbell suggests it would be nice if state leaders could work together to craft a budget. If the legislature passes a budget similar to that proposed by the Senate it is sure to be vetoed by Governor Cooper.

The post Budget and Tax Center policy analyst Suzy Khachaturyan discusses NC's economic outlook and the Senate budget proposal appeared first on NC Policy Watch.

The post Budget and Tax Center policy analyst Suzy Khachaturyan discusses NC’s economic outlook and the Senate budget proposal appeared first on NC Policy Watch.

The post Senate budget proposal is pathetically inadequate appeared first on NC Policy Watch.

The post Senate budget proposal is pathetically inadequate appeared first on NC Policy Watch.

North Carolina Senate leaders rolled out their $25.7 billion budget proposal. What's in it? What's not? Are there poison pills designed to provoke a veto from the Governor? Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/petekalinershow See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Hampshire Senate votes Thursday on its version of the next two-year state budget. Here's an overview of what's in it.

All eyes are on Washington D.C., with commissions to study the January 6 insurrection, expansion of the Supreme Court, and coronavirus origins. But that means much can be overlooked at home. Do you know the names of your local school board members? What about the folks on your city council?  It’s time to dive into local leadership and why it matters.Helping us to address these questions and more are our very special guests: the badass women running the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors—the largest local government in the nation—making history with the first all-women board in its more than 150-year history. Supervisor Kathryn Barger proudly serves the residents of the 5th District. Barger was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2016, where she served as chair of the board and was reelected for her second term in 2020. She continues to advocate for services and programs to improve the quality of life for foster children, seniors, veterans, those with disabilities, and those with mental illness. Supervisor Janice Hahn proudly represents the interests of the 4th District. Hahn began her career as a teacher, and went on to serve on the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission and the City Council representing the 15th District. After serving in local government, Hahn was elected to Congress, first representing California’s old 36th District and then the 44th District after redistricting.  Supervisor Sheila Kuehl was first elected to represent Los Angeles County’s 3rd District on November 4, 2014 and was reelected to her second term on November 6, 2018. She has led the way and worked on a great many initiatives and motions to improve people’s lives and reform systems in the county. Before her service on the board, Kuehl served eight years in the California State Senate and six years in the California State Assembly. She was the first woman in California history to be named speaker pro tempore of the Assembly, and the first openly gay or lesbian person to be elected to the California legislature. Supervisor Holly Mitchell was elected to serve the 2nd District of Los Angeles County on November 3, 2020. Previously, Supervisor Mitchell represented the 54th District as an assemblymember in California state legislature and later served as state senator for the 30th District. She held the distinction of being the first African American to serve as chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.    Supervisor Hilda Solis was sworn in as Los Angeles County supervisor for the 1st District of Los Angeles County on December 1, 2014 and re-elected to a new four-year term in 2018. Solis’s priorities include combatting homelessness and building affordable housing, expanding County services to all residents, environmental justice, good-paying jobs, health care access, criminal justice reform, improving parks and open space, and ensuring arts equity for all.  Solis served as secretary of labor under President Barack Obama, becoming the first Latina to serve in the U.S. Cabinet. Rate and review “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin" to let us know what you think of the show! Let’s show the power of independent feminist media.Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com.Support the show (http://msmagazine.com)

Steve Adubato is joined by Senator Paul A. Sarlo (D) - NJ, Deputy Majority Leader, and Chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, to discuss potential state budget solutions to avoid creating a “fiscal cliff”; the long-term impact of COVID on small businesses in New Jersey; and the next steps in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution across the state. Recorded 5/10/21

On the latest episode of Kentucky Newsmakers, WKYT’s Bill Bryant talks with Senate Budget Chairman Chris McDaniel and Senate Democratic Leader Morgan McGarvey.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thatsall The Senate just passed Biden’s Recovery Plan using budget reconciliation. This allowed them to skip a filibuster in the senate. Here is exactly what that means!

On today’s show, we planned to introduce listeners to the new feminists in Congress—and we do. But, in the period since our team at Ms. curated the design and content of this episode, another shoe has dropped in American politics: the insurrection. We examine what the Jan. 6 riot and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol signify for our nation, including what we can learn from it. Why did it happen? Will the president be impeached? And what does this atmosphere mean for the new feminists in Congress? Helping us to sort out these questions and more are very special guests: Rep-Elect Carolyn Bourdeaux: Carolyn Bourdeaux is a representative-elect of the U.S. House, representing Georgia's 7th Congressional District. She is an associate professor of public management and policy at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, as well as the director of the Center for State and Local Finance. From 2007-2010, Rep-Elect Bourdeaux was on leave from the university to serve as director of Georgia’s Senate Budget and Evaluation Office. Rep-Elect Teresa Leger Fernandez: Teresa Leger Fernandez is a representative-elect of the U.S. House, representing New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District. She was counsel and strategist at Leger Law & Strategy and worked for 30 years as counsel for tribes and their business entities, as well as with community leaders on affordable housing, Hispanic civil rights and community development. From 2013 to 2016, Rep-Elect Leger Fernandez was appointed by President Obama to serve as vice chair of the Council on Historic Preservation in the Obama administration. Rep-Elect Marie Newman: Marie Newman is a representative-elect of the U.S. House, representing Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District. After founding her own anti-bullying non-profit, she founded a national non-profit program called “Team Up To Stop Bullying” with her partner, Sears, to address the problem—ultimately expanding it to a coalition of 70 anti-bullying groups working nationwide. Rep-Elect Newman become a partner in one of the largest ad agencies in the U.S. before leaving to start her own successful consulting business, Marie Newman & Associates. Jennifer Steinhauer: Jennifer Steinhauer has been a New York Times journalist for more than 30 years, covering Congress, the West Coast, politics, business and health care. She has worked on the Metro, Business and National desk, and served as City Hall bureau chief and Los Angeles bureau chief before moving to Washington in 2010. She is the author of a novel, two cookbooks, and her most recent book, The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress—the story of the women of the 116th Congress who changed Congress and Washington. Rate and review “On the Issues with Michele Goodwin" to let us know what you think of the show! Let’s show the power of independent feminist media.Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Support the show (http://msmagazine.com)

This week Jazmin and Robert talked about Andy Beshear's continuing response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including a huge meme group that has popped up to support him.  Also discussed were the bills being advanced by the legislature in the midst of the outbreak, and a discussion of the Senate budget, which was passed last Thursday. We had a guest this week!  Corey Nichols, a Democratic candidate in House District 45 in Lexington, joined us to talk about campaigning in the era of coronavirus, his reasons for running, his faith's impact on his candidacy, and what issues he would champion in the legislature.

On this special episode, Terry Brooks reflects on the Kentucky Senate state budget proposal as it pertains to children’s issues, discusses priorities we hope to see as the legislature enters conference committee, and outlines what to expect in the budget process in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children budget priorities.

The final days of the 2020 regular legislative session are getting underway, among the bills getting attention one to jump start tobacco cessation programs and the Tim Tebow Bill also the Senate Budget includes money to prepare for a potential outbreak of COVID19 in West Virginia. WVU President Gordon Gee reacts to two separate shootings near campus and FEMA will up it's reimbursement rate for the 2016 flood. In Sports, struggles continue for WVU Basketball and high school girls and boys basketball reaches the post season. These stories and more in today's edition of MetroNews This Morning.

On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including what Governor Hogan's fiscal year 2021 budget proposal means for counties; this week's economic briefing from Moody's Analytics to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee; and a slew of potential revenue-generating proposals being buzzed-about around town.MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.You can listen to previous episodes of the Conduit Street Podcast on our website.Useful LinksPrevious Conduit Street Coverage: Governor’s 2021 Budget Proposal – What It Means for CountiesPrevious Conduit Street Coverage: It’s Back! Governor Revives SDAT Cost Shift To CountiesPrevious Conduit Street Coverage: Governor Hogan Proposes $1 Billion Tax Cut for RetireesPrevious Conduit Street Coverage: Kirwan “Chatter” Already In High Gear

The Senate Budget Committee drafted legislation for an overhaul of the broken budget process that includes a move toward biennial budgets. But any change is still an uphill fight, as Paul M. Krawzak and Kate Ackley explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this edition of Good Morning Orlando Bud, Alan, Yaffee, and Melissa talk about the latest news! Second Night of the CNN Democratic Primary Debate! Who do YOU think will be the nominee? AND Senate Budget vote today! Senator Scott will vote NO! ALSO Good News on GMO! Markeith Loyd ruling, plan to import cheaper prescription drugs, and guilty verdict in Amato trial! PLUS Dr. K joins Bud to talk about the latest news in health and medicine!

Ohio high school students would have to pass two tests instead of seven and earn two diploma seals to graduate. Detailed show notes at https://www.ideastream.org/news/changes-to-graduation-requirements-included-in-senate-budget.

Ohio high school students would have to pass two tests instead of seven and earn two diploma seals to graduate. Detailed show notes at https://www.ideastream.org/news/graduation-requirement-changes-included-in-senate-budget.

5/8/2019--Derby Day has come and gone, but Steve and Jenn are back in the saddle. They're joined first by The Horse Race's one and only sports correspondent Maeve Duggan to discuss Red Sox manager Alex Cora's decision not to accept an invitation to visit the White House after last season's World Series win. She also shares some little-known facts about the connection between thoroughbred horse racing and one Bill Belichick. Later, the hosts visit the State House to chat with Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues on all things Senate Budget. Finally Steve and Jenn close out the show with an in-depth discussion of official state stuff with a true expert: Katie Holahan, who will no doubt be invited back to dispense more of her unending wisdom about every official state item, from dessert (Boston cream pie) to reptile (garter snake).

Today, we continue our series of Conversations with the Candidates who will be on the June 26th primary ballot here in Maryland.Tom's guest is Sen. Richard S. Madaleno, Jr. He is one of nine Democrats running for Governor on the ballot this June. The winner will go up against Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in the general election in November.Unlike several of his Democratic opponents, Sen. Madaleno is not a political outsider. He has represented Montgomery County in the MD Legislature for more than 15 years -- first in the House of Delegates and, since 2007, in the State Senate. Since 2015, he has been Vice-Chair of the powerful Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. He is the first openly gay person elected to the MD House of Delegates and the State Senate. If elected, he would be the first openly gay governor of any state in America.His running mate is Luwanda W. Jenkins, a Baltimore native and business executive who served in the administrations of Maryland’s last three Democratic governors -- O’Malley, Glendening ---- Schaefer. Video of this conversation was shown live on the WYPR FB page. Check that out here. Sen. Madaleno took your questions, questions, emails and tweets.

Maryland’s Public Information Act creates a balanced framework for guaranteeing public access to open information, while protecting sensitive and private material. The rapid ascension of new technologies has strained the implementation and effect of these laws – potentially chilling their otherwise beneficial use. SB 788/HB 1638, Public Information Act - Revisions, clarifies and reframes the Maryland Public Information Act to better accommodate citizen electronic engagement, personal surveillance footage from first responders and other county officials, and the release of sensitive personal information. MACo this week testified in opposition to HB 1270/SB 1042. In theory, the bill seeks to ensure there is adequate legal representation for low-income individuals asserting a constitutional claim in State courts. In practice, the bill would trigger a rush of litigation and costs for the State and local governments and create a profoundly unbalanced system that favors plaintiffs over defendants. Governor Larry Hogan this week announced the Board of Public Works’ approval of a new Text to 9-1-1 technology for Maryland, helping to update 1960s-era emergency systems with life-saving technology. This new Internet-based infrastructure allows citizens to send a Short Message Service (SMS) text message to 9-1-1. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that more than 70 percent of all 9-1-1 calls now come from cellular users. Text to 9-1-1 is a component of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911), an initiative aimed at updating the 9-1-1 service infrastructure to improve public emergency communications services in a wireless mobile society. NG911 will improve and enhance the handling of 9-1-1 calls from cell phone users with technology that will increase response times, location accuracy, and allow text, photo, and video data to be shared by callers to First Responders on their way to the emergency. A perennial MACo initiative, counties have called for the return of their fair share of transportation-sourced revenues to fund their roadwork for years. This year, MACo’s initiative calls for a Local Infrastructure Fast Track – a #LIFT4MD – to bring local governments back their historic 30 percent share of transportation revenues from the State’s Transportation Trust Fund. It also calls for an assessment of the state of local infrastructure in Maryland, and for the State to share any additional federal infrastructure funds with counties and municipalities. After discussing the topic with a myriad of stakeholders, MACo decided instead to introduce a consensus bill, with terms appealing to not only counties, but municipalities and the Administration. Therefore, House Bill 1569, as introduced, restores highway user revenues to counties and Baltimore City in eight years, and municipalities in two years. The hearings on MACo’s Local Infrastructure Fast Track for Maryland Act are scheduled for Wednesday, March 7 at 1  pm in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and Friday, March 9 at 1pm in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and Friday, March 9 at 1 pm in the House Environment and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and Friday, March 9 at 1 pm in the House Environment and Transportation and Appropriation Committees. Maryland lawmakers are considering a bill by Comptroller Peter Franchot that would repeal some of the state’s regulations on craft beer breweries. In November 2017, Franchot proposed the Reform on Tap Act of 2018, a bill to relieve regulatory burdens on craft beer production and sales. The Comptroller's bill would remove the state’s limits on how much beer breweries are allowed to sell on-site. It would also allow breweries to sell directly to retailers instead of requiring them to make franchising agreements with distribution companies. Currently, Maryland craft breweries are allowed to sell up to 3,000 barrels of beer, or about 500,000 pints, directly to consumers each year.

Both county and municipal governments, still feeling the permanent effects of devastating cutbacks to state roadway funding, have made restoring Highway User Revenues a perennial legislative priority.  HB 1569, introduced today, represents a compromise between counties and municipalities, whereby all local governments would have their local share of Highway User Revenues fully restored. A law requiring employers to provide employees with sick leave will go into effect on Sunday, despite a veto last year from Governor Larry Hogan and a last-ditch effort by the state Senate to delay its implementation. The law requires employers with 15 or more full-time employees to provide workers with at least five days of sick and safe leave per year. The Commission to Advance Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) (SB 285/HB 634), one of MACo's 2018 Legislative Priorities, had a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee this week. Counties from across the state sent public safety professionals to stress the importance of advancing NG911 in Maryland. The General Assembly is on pace to introduce more than 4,000 bills in 2018. With "crossover" just five weeks away, legislators are scrambling to meet the deadline. Senator Ed Kasemeyer, Chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, announced he does not intend to seek re-election to another term. His decision would leave yet another member of the powerful fiscal panel uncertain for the next four-year term. On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson break down the compromise on Highway User Revenues, discuss the paid sick leave law, recap the NG911 hearing, preview big changes on the horizon for the Maryland Senate, and more!

February 7, 2018 Rain and snow with high temperatures in the low 40s. NTSB CITES ENGINEER’S SLEEP APNEA IN HOBOKEN TRAIN CRASH The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that the undiagnosed sleep apnea of a NJ Transit train engineer led to a fatal train crash in Hoboken in September 2016, NJ.com reports. The NTSB said that NJ Transit failed to adequately screen and treat employees for sleep apnea, a condition that can lead to fatigue. The safety board also noted NJ Transit’s lack of technology to automatically stop trains on the tracks. FAITH LEADERS ARRESTED AT CONGRESSMAN’S OFFICE Four members of the clergy were among six protesters arrested Tuesday at the Westfield office of U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance, a Republican, NJ Spotlight says. The demonstrators were urging Lance to support legislation to allow undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to stay in the country. The protest was organized by an advocacy group called Faith in New Jersey. NJ SEEKS TO JOIN LAWSUIT ON MILITARY TRANSGENDER POLICY State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Tuesday that he has filed the paperwork for New Jersey to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s proposed ban on transgender people serving in the military, NJ.com writes. Last year Trump said he would move to bar transgender people from serving in the military “in any capacity.” BILL WOULD REQUIRE NJ TO INVESTIGATE POLICE KILLINGS OF CIVILIANS Legislation that would put investigations of police killings of civilians in the hands of the state attorney general received approval from the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday, WNYC says. The Legislature approved similar legislation last year, but the measure was vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie. The Attorney General’s office issued a statement saying it was not desirable to mandate that the state investigate all police use-of-force incidents. HEAD OF NJ TRANSIT’S RAIL OPERATIONS TO RETIRE IN MARCH Robert Lavell, vice president and general manager of NJ Transit’s rail operations, will retire in March, The Record writes. A spokeswoman for the transportation agency said Tuesday that Lavell had told NJ Transit’s executive director, Steven Santoro, of his plans to step down. Santoro is leaving NJ Transit in April. Gov. Phil Murphy has called the transit agency a “national disgrace.”

February 6, 2018 Possible snow showers early on, but expect partly cloudy skies with high temperatures in the upper 30s later in the day. GUN RIGHTS GROUP SUES NJ OVER CARRY LAW The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs is challenging in federal court the Garden State’s restrictions on carrying handguns outside the home, Patch.com says. Before issuing a permit to carry a gun outside the home, the state requires that an applicant show a “justifiable need,” like documented death threats or attacks. In January, Gov. Phil Murphy rescinded a rule implemented by the Christie administration that was intended to weaken the standard for “justifiable need.” FLU OUTBREAK KEEPS NJ IN ITS GRIP Confirmed cases of flu have continued to rise in New Jersey, News 12 reports. On Sunday about 60 samples were tested for influenza at Hackensack University Medical Center and about half were positive for influenza. The state Health Department says that the outbreak is widespread in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties. BILL TO RAISE PAY FOR STATE OFFICIALS AND JUDGES ADVANCES A measure that would increase the salaries of high-ranking state officials and judges cleared the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on Monday without any discussion, NJ Spotlight writes. Among those who would receive raises if the legislation passes are state Supreme Court justices, cabinet officials, Superior Court judges and county prosecutors. MURPHY STRIKES A BLOW FOR NET NEUTRALITY Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order on Monday requiring internet service providers who do business with the state to follow the standards of net neutrality, NJTV reports. In December, the Federal Communications Commission dropped the standards that require equal treatment for all internet providers, allowing charges for faster internet service. Murphy also said New Jersey was joining 21 other states in a lawsuit intended to force the FCC to reinstate net neutrality. WOMEN ARE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF NJ POLITICS The Wall Street Journal writes that women are carving out a bigger place for themselves in New Jersey politics by seeking leadership positions in the Democratic and Republican parties. Among the women seeking more of a voice is Colleen Mahr, who is running for chair of the Union County Democratic Committee. In both parties, the committee chair wields significant power in determining who runs for public office. Of the 42 county chair positions in the state, only seven are held by women.

Segment 1: In an emotional and well-covered speech, Senator Jeff Flake announced that he was going to retire from the United States Senate as a way to protest against President Trump’s Twitter Tirades. Facing poll numbers of around 18%, Flake’s departure means that Republicans can field a better candidate who can withstand a challenge from the likes of Kelli Ward. Segment 2: With House passage of a Senate Budget resolution, the stage is set for the House and the Senate to complete work on a tax cut package that will be Donald Trump’s first big accomplishment as President. That means that every lobbyist in town is beating a pathway to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees. Segment 3: President Trump announced earlier this week that he was going to allow the National Archives to release everything they have on the Assassination of Jack Kennedy. While this probably won’t stop the conspiracy theorists, like Roger Stone, from speculating about the involvement of the CIA or the Johnson Administration, it certainly puts President Kennedy back squarely in the spotlight.

The American Health Care Act, the Republican plan for a new health care system, passed the House of Representatives at lightning speed. In this episode, get the backstory on the reckless process used to pass the bill, learn how it changed from the original version, and find out how the Congressional Budget Office expects the bill would affect you. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin 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! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD146: Repeal & Replace Bill Outline H.R. 1628: American Health Care Act of 2017 Bill Outline Title I: Energy and Commerce Subtitle A: Patient Access to Public Health Programs Section 101: Repeals the Prevention and Public Health Fund at the end of 2018 Section 103: Prohibits any Federal funding for any non-profit that performs abortions for a year Subtitle B: Medicaid Program Enhancement Section 111 : Reduces Medicaid funding Section 112: Ends the Medicaid expansion... For people under 65 years old whose income is less than 133% of the poverty line at the end of 2019 Ends the States' option to cover these people's families at the end of 2017 People in this category who have Medicaid on December 31, 2019 will be grandfathered in and will keep their insurance as long as they never go off of Medicaid for more than one month The Federal funding increase for states covering grandfathered individuals will only apply for people enrolled as of March 1, 2017 and is capped at 80% reimbursement rate Repeals the requirement that Medicaid cover “essential health benefits” as of January 1, 2020. Section 114: Prevents Medicaid for lottery winners Section 115: Gives $10 billion extra over five years to the “non-expansion States” Section 116: Forces States to verify Medicaid eligibility every six months and gives them more enforcement money Section 117: Allows States deny people Medicaid if they are not participating in "work activities" The State decides how long the person has to work for in order to get Medicaid The State can't deny Medicaid to... Pregnant women or to women who have had a baby within the last 60 days Kids under age 19 Only parents with kids under the age of 6 or a disabled child Gives the States more money for enforcement Subtitle C – Per Capita Allotment for Medical Assistance Section 121: Caps Medicaid funding on a per capita basis. States that spend too much one year will have their Medicaid cut the following year States will be allowed to get 10 year block grants instead Subtitle D: Patient Relief and Health Insurance Market Stability Section 131: Repeals the lower out-of-pocket limits for low-income people effective in 2020 Section 132: Creates a "Patient and State Stability Fund" to be administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to give money to the States until the end of 2026. Funds can be used for: Helping "high-risk individuals" buy insurance if they don't get coverage through their employer Giving money to insurance companies ("incentives") so they will lower premiums Taxpayers will pay insurance companies 75% of the claims made between $50,000 and $350,000 "Promoting access" to preventative care, including dental and vision Maternity & newborn care Mental health care and substance abuse treatment Reduction of out-of-pocket costs for people enrolled in health insurance in the State The fund is appropriated with $15 billion per year until 2020 and $10 billion per year until 2026. There will be an extra $8 billion a year put into the fund from 2018-2023 to pay for increased premiums and out-of-pocket costs of people in States that get a waiver In order to receive money from the Federal fund, States will have to match an increasing percentage, starting with 7% in 2020 increasing to 50% by 2026 An extra $15 billion "Federal Invisible Risk Sharing Program" will go directly to health insurance companies. The rules in terms of whose claims will be paid for, the percentage of their premiums that would be paid, and the dollar amount at which the government will starting covering the insurance companies' costs will be determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services Section 133: Starting in 2019, people who purchase insurance after a coverage gap of 63 days will be charged a 30% penalty for a year. The insurance companies get to keep all the extra money. Section 134: The requirements that bronze, silver, gold, platinum level plans exist and must cover certain percentages of expenses and “essential health benefits” are repealed effective January 1, 2020. Section 135: Allows insurance companies to charge older people five times more than younger people (they’re currently allowed to charge three times more) Section 136: Starting in 2018, States can apply for a waiver for the individual and small group insurance plans from the national “essential health benefits” requirements and instead allow States to determine what essential health benefits need to be covered by insurance companies. Waiver applications from States are automatically approved after 60 days Waivers will be granted if the State says that doing so would do at least one of the following: Reduce premiums Increase enrollment Stabilize the insurance market Increase the number of health plans offered. Waivers will be valid for 10 years and continuation requests will be automatically approved Starting in 2019, states can also get waivers that would allow insurers to charge different rates based on people's health status ("pre-existing conditions") if they did not have coverage for at least 63 days in lieu of the 30% surcharge. States can get this waiver as long as that state participates in the high-risk funds to help pay for individuals and insurance companies' costs. Insurance companies could limit coverage during the "enforcement period", not permanently. Section 137: Health insurers can't set rates based on gender and "Nothing in this act shall be construed as permitting health insurance issuers to limit access to health coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions." Title I: Committee on Ways and Means Subtitle A: Repeal and Replace of Health-Related Tax Policy Section 201: Starting in 2018, the limits on the amount of advanced-paid tax credits that can be taken back from low income people will be repealed. Section 202: Allows tax credits to be used on “catastrophic-only” health insurance plans that are not listed on the exchanges and prohibits tax credits for any plan that covers abortions. Section 203: Repeals the tax credit for employers with fewer than 25 employees who want to provide health benefits to their employees starting in 2020 and prohibits tax credits for any health plan that covers abortion. Section 204: Reduces the tax penalties for failing to purchase insurance to $0 and back dates it to be effective in 2016. Section 205: Reduces the tax penalties for employers who fail to provide health benefits to their employees to $0 and back dates it to be effective in 2016. Section 206: Delays the start of a tax on insurance companies which charges a 40% excise tax on “Cadillac plans”, which charge premiums more than $10,200/year ($850/month) for individuals until 2026. The 40% is only on the extra premiums charges above the cap. Section 207: Starting in 2017, over-the-counter drugs can be purchased with Health Savings Accounts (HSA). Section 208: Starting in 2017, taxes on money from health savings accounts that is not used for medical expenses will be cut in half (from 20% to 10%) Section 209: Starting in 2017, the $2,500 limit on the amount that can be taken out of an employee’s paycheck for employer health plans that use “flexible savings accounts” is repealed. Section 210: Starting in 2017, repeals a 2.3% tax, paid by manufacturers or importer, on sales of medical devices that are not generally purchased by the general public at retail stores. Section 211: Beginning in 2017, businesses who provide retiree prescription drug benefits that are at least as valuable as Medicare Part D can get a federal drug subsidy. This provision will allow those businesses to deduct the entire cost of providing that coverage even though a portion of the drug coverage is offset by the subsidy they receive. Section 212: People can get a tax deduction for medical care that is not paid for by insurance if those expenses exceed 10% of their gross income; this provision reduces that to 5.8 % starting in 2017. Section 213: No changes are actually made because the text of the new paragraphs are exactly the same as current law. Section 214: Starting in 2020, this bill creates a new tax credit structure tied to age instead of income for people making under $75,000 per year (the credits gradually reduce the more you make over $75,000) Credit amounts: Under age 30: $2,000/yr Ages 30-40: $2,500/yr Ages 40-49: $3,000/yr Ages 50-59: $3,500/yr Over age 60: $4,000/yr The credits are capped at $14,000 per family for the five oldest individuals People can only get the tax credits if they are ineligible for employer-provided plans Credits can't be used to buy insurance that covers abortions Married couples are forced to file jointly if they want the health coverage tax credits There are exceptions for couples who don't live together & domestic abuse victims Section 215: Starting in 2018, increases the amount than can be put in Health Savings Accounts Individual contribution limit raised from $2,250 to $5,000 per year. Family contribution limit raised from $4,500 to $10,000. Section 216: Starting in 2018, married couples over the age of 55 with high deductible plans will be able to contribute more to joint health savings accounts Section 217: Starting in 2018, if a health savings account is opened within 60 days of a person getting coverage with a high deductible, medical expenses for those 60 days will be eligible for payment from the HSA Subtitle B: Repeal of Certain Consumer Taxes Section 221: "Repeal of tax on prescription medications" Starting in 2017, a fee paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors will be repealed Section 222: "Repeal of health insurance tax" Starting in 2017, a fee on large health insurance companies, which is tied to and increases with premium growth rates, would be repealed. Subtitle C: Repeal of Tanning Tax Section 231: Starting on July 1, 2017, the 10% tax on indoor tanning is repealed. Subtitle D: Remuneration from Certain Insurers Section 241: Starting in 2017, insurance companies can get tax deductions on employee pay between $500,000 and $1 million. Subtitle E: Repeal of Net Investment Income Tax Section 251: Starting in 2017, a 3.8% tax on net income from stock market investments over $200,000 will be repealed. H.R. 2192 - To amend the Public Health Service Act to eliminate the non-application of certain State waiver Additional Reading Article: The most important part of the Republican health bill is mostly getting ignored by Matthew Yglesias, Vox, May 9, 2017. Article: GOP Health Bill Leaves Many 'Pre-Existing Condition' Protections Up To States by Bram Sable-Smith, NPR, May 8, 2017. Article: The 4 Big Changes To Health Care In The Latest GOP Bill by Anna Maria Barry-Jester, FiveThirtyEight, May 2, 2017. Article: The MacArthur Amendment Language Race in the Federal Exchange and Risk Adjustment Coefficients, Health Affairs, April 25, 2017. Article: Gripes About Obamacare Aside, Health Insurers Are in a Profit Spiral by Jeff Sommer, The New York Times, March 18, 2017. Article: Health insurance industry rakes in billions while blaming Obamacare for losses by Amy Martyn, Consumer Affairs, November 1, 2016. Report: Health Care Legislation Eliminates Tax Deduction Related to Medicare Part D Subsidy - Potential Accounting Impact This Quarter, Deloitte, March 31, 2010. Article: More Americans Went Uninsured in 2009 Than in 2008 by Elizabeth Mendes, Gallup, January 8, 2010. References CBO Cost Estimate: H.R. 1628 American Health Care Act of 2017 Life of the bill in the Rules Committee: H.R. 1628 - American Health Care Act of 2017 HealthCare.gov: Federal Poverty Level GovTrack: American Health Care Act of 2017 Votes OpenSecrets: Thomas MacArthur OpenSecrets: Rep. David Schweikert - Top Industries OpenSecrets: Rep. Gary Palmer Sound Clip Sources Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Republican Health Care Bill Amendment, House of Representatives, April 6, 2017. Timestamps & Transcripts 03:48 Rep Jim McGovern: We’re meeting on an amendment affecting millions of people’s healthcare, that came out of a backroom about an hour ago, with no vetting at all. I think the amendment, it was—the text was stamped, I think at 11:24 a.m. We were noticed for this meeting at 11:52. We waived the traditional hour so we can kind of move on with it, but there was no vetting at all, no process whatsoever, just a couple of good old boys with a typewriter, saying maybe this will work. 8:00 Rep Jim McGovern: If you guys want to deal with healthcare, introduce a bill; get co-sponsors on the bill; have the relevant committees—committees like Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce—do hearings, that’s a radical idea; invite people who know something about this issue—invite patients and patient-advocate groups and doctors and heads of hospitals, and invite some of your friends in the insurance industry—to come up and weigh in on your proposal; then you could do markups. Then get a CBO estimate, and after you get a CBO estimate and it’s marked up, then you come to Rules Committee, and you advance a bill to the floor. 13:40 Rep David Schweikert: If we were to actually have just sort of the top-line math question and say, let’s strip away some of the rhetoric and ideology and just sort of say “math,” when we look at our healthcare-utilization data, it’s functionally a hockey stick. Fifty percent of our population, the healthiest 50 percent, only use about three percent of healthcare costs, but our least healthy—our folks with chronic conditions, our brothers and sisters who really do suffer out there or have multiple issues laddered up—they represent five percent of that population, represents 50 percent of our spending. So you have this situation where we as a society, as a community, we’ve decided that guaranteed issue is out there, so now how do we find premium efficiency, rate efficiency? And as long as we’ve made this decision over here as a society, the fastest, most efficient thing we could do is actually sort of laddering some of that risk at that very top end. Last thing, and this may require a little more diving into it, and looking around, this is a smart committee, so you understand these things, if you were the actuaries building your rate profile, the ability to say we believe providing coverage for this population is going to cost this, you always have to design in a shock absorber because you wake up tomorrow and some people sign up for this coverage who have a chronic condition. The beauty of this type of risk-sharing model is that shock absorber that you have to build into your rate model can be substantially less because your top-end exposure is actually mitigated. So this was an occasion of, was there something we could do for lowering and making much more predictable the rate environment for that individual market, and this, I think, was the most elegant, simple way to get there. 38:55 Rep Alcee Hastings: In the brief time I’ve had to review it, the measure will provide $15 billion for the high-risk pools. Is that correct? All right. The language, specifically, setting it for is, “For the purpose of providing funding for the program there is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $15 billion for the period beginning January 1, 2018”—am I right?—“and ending on December 31, 2026.” So that’s $15 billion over a 10-year period of time. Get it straight, America. If this measure were to become law—there was a conservative gentleman, I can’t pull his name up right now, that said in the great scheme of things, it’s chump change because it simply would not provide the necessary money over the nine-year period of time. Hearing: Rules Committee Hearing H.R. 1628 and H.R. 2192, House of Representatives, May 3, 2017. Timestamps & Transcripts 24:05 Rep Jim McGovern: As you mentioned in your testimony, we found out last week that the MacArthur amendment mysteriously exempted Congress from the damaging effects of this bill, and I say mysteriously because nobody seems to know who put the provision in. And as the Vox reporter who uncovered the exemption put it, and I quote, “No one will fess up to putting the Congress exemption in the AHCA amendment.” Apparently, Representative MacArthur, your office told her that the Senate Budget added it, and the Senate Budget said no, in fact they didn’t. So, I guess I’m just curious. My first question is, where precisely did this exemption come from, and who thought that this bill was good enough for American families but not good enough for Congress? Mr. MacArthur, you wrote the amendment; did you put the provision in? Or Mrs. McSally, your bill tries to fix it; do you know anything about how the exemption got in there in the first place? Rep Martha McSally: Want to go? This budget-reconciliation process is not intuitive to really anyone. I mean, this is very arcane, and so as we’ve been going through this process in the House, trying to comply with Senate rules, content can only apply if it’s referred to specific Senate committees. And— McGovern: So somebody consciously knowing that—someone consciously moved the legislation forward without — McSally: So, again, my understanding is in order to comply with these arcane Senate rules of budget reconciliation, where if a matter is going to be referred to some other committee other than the ones that are listed in the original budget resolution, then it’ll no longer be applicable and the budget-reconciliation process doesn’t go forward. So, all I know is I heard it didn’t apply, and I said let’s fix it. McGovern: Who put it in? Who put the exemption in the first place? McSally: Yeah, and it specifically—just to be clear, it specifically related to his amendment. It’s not related to other provisions in the middle. So… McGovern: Yeah, so who put this exemption in in the beginning? Rep Tom MacArthur: Well, first, I don’t believe that members of Congress or our staffs should receive any special treatment, and I don’t think anybody believes that. McGovern: But Mrs. McSally’s bill— MacArthur: Well, as— McGovern: It’s not an amendment, it’s a bill; but it’s just to fix the fact that, is it a drafting error, or did somebody intentionally try to exempt Congress? MacArthur: It’s not an error, but the challenge, as Mrs. McSally has said, the challenge is getting House policy, drafting House policy, to conform with Senate rules. And I had every intention in drafting my amendment that there would be no special exception for Congress. Senate rules required us to accomplish this— McGovern: What Senate rules? Did you talk to the Senate parliamentarian? Who did…? MacArthur: I didn’t personally, but the requirement is because exempting us would require to go to a different committee that we needed to accomplish this through a stand-alone bill, which we have. Mrs. McSally has introduced it. I’m an original co-sponsor. I hope you’ll support the bill. I think it’s worthy of support, and none of us should want to exempt Congress— McGovern: None of us do, but from where we’re sitting, it looks like you guys get your hands caught in the cookie jar and then get exposed and then decided to fix it after a reporter uncovered it. MacArthur: Well, that’s your interpretation. I wouldn’t describe it that way. I think we fixed the issue in the only way that the Senate suggested that we could and that was through a stand-alone bill that was introduced around the same time. 28:56 Rep Jim McGovern: I think anybody who’s watching this is scratching their head, wondering how in the world can Congress be dealing with healthcare issues in a way where we don’t have hearings, where fixes are being worked out in a back room, and we’re just seeing the language for the first time right now, that their input is being pushed aside—American people don’t matter—all so that it could be a vote before we go in recess because the president wants us to. I mean, I think healthcare’s a very personal issue, it’s very important, and people want us to get it right, and I don’t think anybody here believes that we’re getting this right, even those of us with different opinions, in the process that we’re utilizing here. I’ve got to be honest with you, this process, to put it bluntly, is a goddamn mess. I mean, it really is. And I don’t know how anyone can defend it. Fixes upon fixes to fix the fixes to fix the fixes—and it’s going to be brought to the floor tomorrow, and we’re going to have a debate, and that’s how we’re going to serve our constituents? You guys can defend it, and you’ll have to defend it, but I think you’re going to be surprised how upset the American people are going to be. 37:30 Rep Fred Upton: My—our amendment, I should say, is carefully targeted at those states that may seek a waiver. Obviously, there are none today. I don’t know what Governor Scott or the future governor will do. Unknown Speaker: I’ll get to him in a minute. Upton: All right. Well, I know I talked to my governor this morning. He’s not interested in seeking a waiver. Unknown Speaker: Mm-hmm. Upton: I would guess that most governors—maybe all, I don’t know—will not seek a waiver, and in that case, my amendment just covers something if maybe it happens. And one of the reasons why we targeted the money—so it’s $8 billion: it’s a billion the first year; a billion the second year; and two billion, years, each, three, four, and five—because chances are if a governor does take this course, you’ll have fewer at the beginning than at the end. I ask the question, is five billion enough to cover those that might need some help if a governor sought a waiver in that first year, because remember, after the first year they have continuous coverage. Unknown Speaker: That's right. Upton: The answer, not a lot of facts behind it, but the answer was, five billion should probably cover that, in which case a number of us said, well, we want to make sure that it is covered. And that’s why it is eight billion and not five. 40:54 Rep Jim McGovern: Who did you ask? I mean, that’s the whole point of a CBO is because we want to get a nonpartisan— Rep Fred Upton: We don’t have a CBO score. McGovern: Right. So who? Who did you—who gave you these figures? Rep Alcee Hastings: Eight billion. Upton: Who? I'm sorry, who? McGovern: You said you asked— Upton: No, no. I know Mr. Hastings’ had an answer. I didn’t hear what he said. Hastings: No. You asked for the five billion, was that enough. Who? Upton: I asked, I asked— Hastings: And he asked who. Upton: I asked some of the drafters—so I made this proposal—I’m not a lawyer, like you—I asked legislative counsel, I asked a number of staff very tied into the—what is the estimate. They thought five billion would cover it. 51:25 Rep Alcee Hastings: And to predict for you what I think is going to happen in the Senate: I think they take health security a little more seriously and is a more moderate body than we are, and so you can reasonably expect that when you pass this tomorrow on the slimmest of margins that you may never see it again, and you will not see it in the form that it’s in. So let’s just have at it. I’ve had my fun. I hope you continue to have yours, and some of you ain’t going to be here the next time that we meet after 2018. Tell your body I said so. 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

This week’s show looks at the budget passed by the NC Senate, including the key education provisions and a controversial amendment passed at 3 am that appeared to target only Democratic districts for cuts. We talk with Sen. Erica Smith-Ingram whose district was hardest hit. We also talk with former NC Senator Howard Lee about the importance of leadership in education. Guests: • Senator Erica Smith-Ingram • Former Senator Howard N. Lee

In the early hours of Friday morning, the state Senate voted along party lines to approve Senate Republican budget writers' spending proposal for the coming fiscal year. The budget will now go to the House, where Republican leaders plan to unveil a separate proposal in the coming weeks. Our reporter panel talks about what the Senate budget means for taxes, the courts, the state workforce and retirees, and even driver's ed students. Jordan Schrader of The News & Observer hosts, with Colin Campbell of the N&O. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're discussing the differences between the state House and state Senate budget plans in the Washington Legislature. We've got a handy new Policy Brief with a bar graph and chart comparing the two. With a scheduled April 23 adjournment date looming, and the House proposing $1.5 Billion more in tax revenues than the Senate, it seems unlikely lawmakers will complete their business in the regular session; a "special" session appears likely. To read our policy brief comparing the House and Senate budget plans, click here: http://researchcouncil.org/files/docs/2017/04/opsidebyside.pdf

Policy Today: Senate Budget by Washington Research Council

In this episode of Clarity from Chaos, we discuss the recently passed Congressional Budget with Mr. Bill Straub, former White House correspondent and frequent contributor to P.J. Media. The differences in the House Budget vs. the Senate Budget was that the House Budget sought to balance the budget in 9 years by cutting spending by $5.5 Trillion dollars.  The Senate version was after the same goal but went to 10 years and sought to cut spending by $5.1 Trillion dollars. Of course the Democrates howled and without exception, the main stream media supported their objection. We however dug just a little deeper in this episode and tried as always to separate the wheat from the chaf.

The Liberal Fix team discusses the Ryan Budget, Patty Murray Senate Budget and the Progressive Caucus Budget. A recap of the week in Progressive or Liberal Politics. News, Commentary and Analysis. Hosted by Indiana writer Dan Bimrose and co-hosted by Iowa activist Crystal Kayser and sociologist Keith Brekhus from Montana, every week the three of them feature a special guest and tackle those tough issues with a perspective that comes from outside the beltway. If you are interested in being a guest and for any other inquiries or comments concerning the show please contact our producer Naomi De Luna Minogue via email: naomi@liberalfixradio.com. Join the Liberal Fix community, a like-minded group of individuals dedicated to promoting progressive ideals and progressive activists making a difference.  

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