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Capitol Hill

June 12, 2009
Cap and Trade, and Invest
Guest Post

By Wendy Patton, Senior Associate, Policy Matters Ohio/Ohio Apollo Alliance

Last year, as the Mississippi swamped the heartland (again) and Hurricane Ike ravaged a surprised Midwest, insurance companies ramped up investment in climate modeling and the Senate debated comprehensive climate legislation. In fact, the concern about climate has been developing for years. The Senate has held more than 40 days of hearings with more than 300 witnesses during the past two Congresses. Change is upon us, and has been for some time.

Change is nothing new to the Steel Belt, where producers of widgets and gadgets evolve into information system architects, and where coal miners retrain to become nurses. Our economic history has forced us to seek opportunity. This is a competitive advantage.

Federal climate legislation under consideration in the House of Representatives offers the kind of opportunity we need to build on this competitive advantage. H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, would raise revenues from pollution to invest in energy efficiency and drive demand for components to produce wind and solar energy and fuel-efficient vehicles. Manufacturers in the Steel Belt and across the nation are poised to capture that demand.
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Environmental protection, Economic, Workplace and Environment Regulation, Cap and Trade, Capitol Hill, Climate Change, Green Jobs, Green Jobs Act, Guest Post, H.R. 2454, HR 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act
May 18, 2009
CapHill Round-Up: 5/18/09

Next week's recess is prompting a flurry of action on the Hill today. One issue not anticipated to go anywhere soon, though, is the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which has been stalled by legislators leary of allocating funds that would pay for relocation of detainees.

IN the HOUSE

In other detainee news, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) added fuel to the torture accountability debate by renewing her call for Truth Commissions to invesitgate the issue. While questions linger about whether there is sufficient political traction for Truth Commissions, Pelosi's strong stance on the issue may ease the Speaker's burden to explain what she knew and when as torture policies were being formulated and implemented by the Bush administration.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to move forward on climate change bill. But, if it happens, it will be over challenges from those opposed to addressing the challenge.

And anyone suffering from campaign withdrawal can enjoy The Fix's first look at vulnerable House seats in the 2010 elections.

IN the SENATE

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Access to Justice, Economic inequality, Environmental protection, Supreme Court, Rights of detainees, LGBT issues, Reproductive freedom, Democracy and Voting, Economic, Workplace and Environment Regulation, Equality and Liberty, Separation of Powers and Federalism, Arlen Specter, Capitol Hill, EFCA, Guantanamo, Nancy Pelosi, Torture, Truth Commission
May 11, 2009
CapHill Round-Up: 5/11/09

The nation's capital is still recovering from this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner, which was no less raucous than in previous years, leaving White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to explain the White House's position on the finer points of comedy.

The administration is also taking to the airwaves on healthcare, today, with a major policy announcement by the President. Backed by a coalition of vested interests who previously opposed reform, President Obama indicated that the health care industry and Congress have compatible incentives to cut costs, preserve consumer choice and extend coverage to the uninsured.

Also, the White House is reportedly on the verge of declassifying 2004 CIA memos that demonstrate torture to be ineffective. Anonymous congressional staffers have called these documents the "holy grail" in the persistent debate about what to do with those who tortured in America's name.

IN the HOUSE

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Corporate governance, Executive power, Supreme Court, Separation of powers, Immigration, Democracy and Voting, Economic, Workplace and Environment Regulation, Separation of Powers and Federalism, Bob Graham, Capitol Hill, Correspondents' Dinner, Eric Holder, Healthcare Reform, Justice David Souter, Nancy Pelosi, Torture
May 5, 2009
Sessions Takes Senior Post on Judiciary Committee
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), pictured at right, is replacing Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) as the minority party's leader in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

According to The Los Angeles Times:

Sessions, 62, couldn't be more different from Specter, as far as Republicans go. The latter is a moderate from Philadelphia who favors abortion rights and gun control. Sessions hails from the Bible Belt and has worked as a Sunday school teacher. He's known for his hard-line stance on immigration, having virulently opposed the massive reform bill that failed to pass the Senate two years ago.

The AP reports:

McConnell's Republicans are turning to a conservative Southerner as their point man on Obama's nominee, signaling that they won't shy away from a protracted fight despite risks of being cast as obstructionist.

Sen. Jeff Sessions' ascension as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee comes more than 20 years after the panel rejected him for his own federal judgeship during the Reagan administration over concerns that he was hostile toward civil rights and was racially insensitive.

And The Guardian published a piece subtitled "Jeff Sessions's New Role on the Senate Judiciary Committee Brings His Hostility to Civil Rights Laws to Light," offering this:
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Democracy and Voting, Arlen Specter, Capitol Hill, Jeff Sessions, Judiciary Committee
May 4, 2009
CapHill Round-Up: 5/4/09

With the five-year anniversary having just passed since 60 Minutes aired photos of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib, some are still wringing their hands about what to do with those who tortured in the name of America. Other observers, however, have argued that the rule of law requires one result: investigation and prosecution of any torture supported by credible evidence.

Congress may have other priorities, though, such as healthcare reform. Headlines on Swine Flu, or H1N1, coincided with the confirmation of former-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.) for Human Health and Services Secretary. Last week also saw the passage of President Obama's budget with language permitting for "reconciliation" on healthcare legislation. With these developments, some see the prospect for healthcare reform brighter than ever.

IN the HOUSE

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Election law, Executive power, Environmental protection, Supreme Court, LGBT issues, Democracy and Voting, Economic, Workplace and Environment Regulation, Equality and Liberty, Separation of Powers and Federalism, Al Franken, Arlen Specter, Capitol Hill, Charles Grassley, Climate Change, Hate Crimes, Healthcare Reform, Jeff Sessions, Justice David Souter, Kathleen Sebelius</