House of Representatives
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Web privacy on the radar in Congress
There is no broad privacy legislation governing advertising on the Internet. And even some in the government admit that they do not have a clear grasp of what companies are able to do with the wealth of data now available to them.
"That is why Congress, at this point, is wanting to gather a lot more information, because no one knows," said Steven A. Hetcher, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School. "That information is incredibly valuable; it’s the new frontier of advertising."
Beyond the data question, there are issues of how companies should tell browsers that their information is being tracked, which area of law covers this and what — if anything — proper regulation would look like.
On Aug. 1, four top members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent letters ordering 33 cable and Internet companies, including Google, Microsoft, Comcast and Cox Communications, to provide details about their privacy standards. That followed House and Senate hearings last month about privacy and behavioral targeting, in which advertisers show ads to consumers based on their travels around the Web. If an advertiser knows that Mr. Martinez watches "The Colbert Report," for example, it might show him an ad for "The Daily Show."
What do you think? Should Congress get involved in legislation regarding online privacy? Should people be responsible for protecting their privacy by not sharing information, and to what extent? Have websites and online advertisers gone too far? There is no broad privacy legislation governing advertising on the Internet. And even some in the government admit that they do not ha... more -
United State's Preparations to Declare Martial Law
Senator Kucinich's question to congress if there's ever been a "Secret Meeting" (A Closed Door Session") of the US House of Representatives prior to passing of Legislation before? (which they could not answer and evidently did not know) is: "NO" But it's very understandable why this precedent is now set with an agenda consisting of:
1. The imminent collapse of the U.S. Economy to occur sometime in late 2008
2. The imminent collapse of the U.S. Government finances sometime in mid 2009
3. The possibility of Civil War inside the United States as a result of the collapse
4. The advance round-ups of insurgent U.S. Citizens; likely to move against the government
5. The detention of those rounded up at The REX 84 Camps constructed throughout the United States
6. The possibility of public retaliation against members of Congress for the collapses
7. The location of safe facilities for members of Congress and their families to reside during massive civil unrest
8. The necessary and unavoidable merger of The U.S. with Canada and Mexico establishing The North American Union, and
9. The issuance of a new currency called the AMERO for all three nations as an economic solution
Although the March 13th secret closed door meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives was to be about FISA changes, (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) Now it's clear (and scary) what it really was about: Senator Kucinich's question to congress if there's ever been a "Secret Meeting" (A Closed Door Session") of ... more -
House passes bill to help enforce gender pay equity, GOP says boon to trial lawyer...
House Democrats pushed through legislation Thursday that would give women new tools to combat pay discrimination.
The pay equity measure, which passed by a 247-178 vote, would treat gender discrimination involving pay in the same as race, disability and age discrimination. The bill would allow for compensatory and punitive damages, ban employers from retaliating against workers who share their salary with colleagues, and force employers to prove that paying a women less than a man is job-related and necessary.
"This is a historic step forward in the fight for equal rights for women," said Democratic Rep. George Miller of California, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.
Congress passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, but Democrats said companies continually have found ways around it. The Institute of Women's Policy Research says wage disparity will cost a woman as much as $2 million over her lifetime in lost wages.
"Some will have you believe that the wage gap for women is a myth, that we already have laws in place to make pay discrimination on the basis of gender illegal," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. "But just because something is illegal, does not mean that it does not continue to happen."
Republicans said the legislation would benefit trial lawyers, a Democratic constituency.
The bill "isn't needed to protect women from wage discrimination. Such protection is already found in the law," said Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon of Calif., the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee. "At the end of the day this bill will invite more lawyers to file more lawsuits because it offers them a bigger payday." House Democrats pushed through legislation Thursday that would give women new tools to combat pay discrimination. ... more -
House to treat cigarettes as drugs
The US House of Representatives has voted to treat tobacco as a drug and have it regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The bill would tighten restrictions on advertising, impose new penalties for selling to children and require all new products to be approved by the FDA.
But the White House threatened to veto the bill, saying it would put an enormous burden on the FDA.
It also said having FDA approval could make people think cigarettes are safe. The US House of Representatives has voted to treat tobacco as a drug and have it regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ... more -
House panel cites Rove for contempt
WASHINGTON - A House panel voted Wednesday to cite Karl Rove, formerly President Bush's top aide, for contempt of Congress as its Senate counterpart explored punishment for alleged misdeeds by other administration officials.
But it was not clear that the Democrats controlling a lame-duck Congress will push their case for abuse of power against a lame-duck president beyond televised talk and vague threats just a few weeks shy of final adjournment. As a practical matter, lawmakers have little time and less willingness to follow through on most charges, let alone punishments, before Bush leaves office.
Voting 20-14 along party lines, the House Judiciary Committee cited Rove with contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to testify July 10 on allegations of improper White House influence over the Justice Department. For his part, Rove has denied any involvement with Justice decisions. The White House has said Congress has no authority to compel testimony from current and former advisers.
The committee decision is only a recommendation; a spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she would not decide until September whether to bring it to a vote by the full House. If she does and Democrats prevail, Pelosi could then refer the contempt citation to the Justice Department for prosecution. She also could direct the House to file a federal lawsuit against Rove, as she has done with two other Bush confidants who similarly sidestepped their subpoenas: White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential legal counselor Harriet Miers.
Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, called the contempt citation "gratuitously punitive" action that would serve no purpose because the question of executive privilege is already pending in federal court. WASHINGTON - A House panel voted Wednesday to cite Karl Rove, formerly President Bush's top aide, for contempt of Congress as its... more -
House poised to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow
The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow.
The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.
While many states have apologized for slavery, it will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said.
By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge the "injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow."
"Jim Crow," or Jim Crow laws, were state and local laws enacted mostly in the Southern and border states of the United States between the 1870s and 1965, when African-Americans were denied the right to vote and other civil liberties and were legally segregated from whites.
The name "Jim Crow" came from a character played by T.D. "Daddy" Rice who portrayed a slave while in blackface during the mid-1800s.
The resolution states that "the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day."
"African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity," the resolution states.
The House would also commit itself to stopping "the occurrence of human rights violations in the future," if it passes the resolution.
The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.
The resolution will not be the first time lawmakers have apologized to an ethnic group for past injustices.
In April, the Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, that apologized to Native Americans for "the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect."
In 1993, the Senate also passed a resolution apologizing for the "illegal overthrow" of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893.
In 1988, Congress passed and President Reagan signed a law apologizing to the 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were held in detention camps during World War II. The 60,000 detainees who were alive at the time each received $20,000 from the government. The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim C... more -
Debate about secret session in House of Representatives part 1
I think we should vote 2008 Green Party - Mckinney and Clemente.
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What the House of Reps "secret meeting" was about
What do you think?
Vote Green Party - Mckinney and Clemente.
First black woman and Puerto Rican woman to run for the White House. What do you think? Vote Green Party - Mckinney and Clemente. ... more -
Ashcroft: Waterboarding doesn't constitute torture
The controversial interrogation technique of waterboarding has served a "valuable" purpose and does not constitute torture, former Attorney General John Ashcroft told a House committee Thursday.
Testifying on the Bush administration's interrogation rules before the House Judiciary Committee, Ashcroft defended the technique while answering a question from Rep. Howard Coble, R-North Carolina.
"Waterboarding, as we all know, is a controversial issue. Do you think it served a beneficial purpose?" the congressman asked.
"The reports that I have heard, and I have no reason to disbelieve them, indicate that they were very valuable," Ashcroft said, adding that CIA Director George Tenet indicated the "value of the information received from the use of enhanced interrogation techniques -- I don't know whether he was saying waterboarding or not, but assume that he was for a moment -- the value of that information exceeded the value of information that was received from all other sources."
Ashcroft, who stated his opposition to torture, said the Justice Department has determined that waterboarding, as defined and described by the CIA, doesn't constitute torture.
"I believe a report of waterboarding would be serious, but I do not believe it would define torture," Ashcroft said, responding to questions from Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California. The controversial interrogation technique of waterboarding has served a "valuable" purpose and does not constitute torture, ... more -
House, Senate override Bush Medicare veto
Overriding President Bush's veto, both houses of Congress voted Tuesday to halt planned cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.
The 70-26 vote in the Senate was a much narrower margin than in the House of Representatives, where the vote was 383-41. Each chamber needs a two-thirds majority to pass a law over the president's objections.
The bill would stop a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors, part of a scheduled cost-saving formula that went into effect July 1.
The Medicare Advantage program subsidizes private insurers to cover seniors who would otherwise be treated through Medicare. Overriding President Bush's veto, both houses of Congress voted Tuesday to halt planned cuts in Medicare payments to doctors. ... more -
Dingell introduces bill on oil speculation, energy market manipulation
“For too long, energy markets have operated behind a veil of secrecy,” Dingell said. “I have dark suspicions about the effects that unchecked speculation and possible market manipulation are having on the price of crude oil and petroleum products. Given the record energy prices that are harming businesses, farmers, consumers, and our economy as a whole, Congress should act to determine the precise effects that manipulation and speculation are having on energy prices, and work to identify where there are gaps in regulation that allow this rampant speculation.” Rep. Dingell, Energy Committee Chairman introduces HR 6238 to provide for the establishment of an interagency working group to provide for better regulation over oil markets today, July 11, 2008. (click on link for full story...) “For too long, energy markets have operated behind a veil of secrecy,” Dingell said. “I have dark suspicions about the effects that un... more
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Congress wrangles over bill to help homeowners
A long-stalled mortgage rescue inched Thursday toward Senate passage, only to be sent back to the House for more votes and intense negotiations to resolve disputes that are delaying help for hundreds of thousands of homeowners.
By a vote of 84-12, the Senate cleared away the last procedural hurdle hindering the measure, putting it on track for passage as early as day's end. The broad endorsement reflected widespread interest by lawmakers in both parties in sending election-year help to struggling homeowners facing tough economic times... (click on link for rest of story) A long-stalled mortgage rescue inched Thursday toward Senate passage, only to be sent back to the House for more votes and intense neg... more -
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Stocks Down
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plunged for the third time in four days on Thursday, raising fears about the viability of the two big mortgage buyers following a report that the Bush administration has been discussing options if the companies fail. These troublesome signs are sparking talks of what steps should be taken in the "just in case" event of a failure, such as recapitalization, etc. These are very scary things to even hear about even in a "what if" scenario, and it makes it even more urgent for the Senate to pass the Home Mortgage Aid Bill (led by Chris Dodd) and then the House of Representatives, to shore up our whole mortgage system in our country, and by extension, our whole housing valuation system as well. (Please click on the link for the story). WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plunged for the third time in four days on Thursday, raising fears ab... more
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CFTC's New Enforcement Head to Face Political Unrest: Oil Speculation Improve...
US lawmakers have beeen increasing pressure on the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as oil prices soar to record highs. Gregory Mocek has been replaced by Stephen Obie, who will serve as acting director of the regulating agency until the position is filled. Last month, US House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the CFTC to crack down on swaps in the energy futures markets by making use of existing powers, such as introducing position limits. (click on the link for full story) US lawmakers have beeen increasing pressure on the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as oil prices soar to record highs. G... more
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Senate passes Medicare bill
A Medicare bill opposed by the White House won final congressional approval on Wednesday with the help of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who returned to the Senate floor for the first time since brain surgery last month.
With Kennedy's appearance, he and fellow Democrats overcame a Republican procedural hurdle and, on a voice vote, passed the measure earlier approved by the House of Representatives.
The bill would cancel a scheduled 11 percent pay cut to doctors who treat Medicare patients. It is largely funded by cutting about $13 billion in reimbursements to insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc and Aetna Inc that contract with the Medicare program. A Medicare bill opposed by the White House won final congressional approval on Wednesday with the help of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who ret... more -
Bush urges Congress to pass AIDS funds
$50 billion proposed to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
President George W. Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to approve funds to fight AIDS in Africa and other countries, and said the issue was high on his agenda for a Group of Eight summit in Japan next week.
Members of the U.S. Senate sought last week to pass legislation to more than triple funds to fight AIDS, but some Republicans vowed to block it because of its cost.
The House of Representatives has approved its version of the measure which proposes $50 billion in U.S. funds over five years to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since it was first recognized more than a quarter century ago. About 33 million people are infected with HIV, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa where it is spread primarily through heterosexual sex. $50 billion proposed to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria ... more -
TAKE ACTION: Tell Congresss to Stand Up and Check the Balance
In exactly two weeks, we are going to find out whether members of Congress have any respect for the institution they represent. We will see whether they have the courage to stand up to the Bush administration and defend the Constitution they took an oath to protect. Specifically, we will discover whether they are willing to take the measures necessary to ensure that Bush administration officials testify before Congress.
On July 10, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to investigate the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 and the questionable prosecution and imprisonment of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Karl Rove, a potentially key figure in both incidents, has been issued a subpoena to testify before the committee. Rove's lawyer has said that Rove will not appear.
Congress has a few options here. First, if Rove fails to appear, they could pass criminal contempt charges against him, as they did against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. This is good, but will not result in immediate testimony.
The second option is to have Karl Rove arrested, under the theory of inherent contempt, and brought to Congress to testify. This is better, but may still be eventually unsatisfying if Rove ends up testifying yet asserts executive privilege repeatedly in order to avoid disclosing important information.
Another option - and the one supported by the American Freedom Campaign Action Fund - is to tell the president immediately that he will be impeached if members of his administration do not provide full testimony before Congress by a date certain in July. This has historical precedent as one of the three articles of impeachment ultimately brought against President Richard Nixon was based on his refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas.
The final option is to do nothing and set a precedent for the future by which any administration can claim that Congress does not have the ability to force executive branch officials to testify before Congress. This would be an affront to our Constitution and Congress is dancing perilously close to this line already.
We cannot allow Congress to become subservient to the executive branch. It must exert its oversight authority and force administration officials to testify. Please tell your U.S. representative to take whatever steps are necessary to compel testimony.
Thank you for sharing your feelings with your U.S. representative.
Steve
Steve Fox
Campaign Director
American Freedom Campaign Action Fund
I got the email a week ago. Sign petitions, send emails, and mail letters. heres links to legislators and bills.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
http://www.house.gov/
http://catalog.loc.gov/ In exactly two weeks, we are going to find out whether members of Congress have any respect for the institution they represent. We wi... more -
Five key bills in House and Senate that you should know about.
These bills will affect housing, energy reform, Medicare, wiretapping, and war funding. click on link to view.
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House of Representatives passes bill to protect us from asteroids
Don't worry, folks: Our trusted representatives in government just saw the movie Armageddon, and they aren't going to take the threat posed by this mediocre 1998 action movie lying down. They're going to pass laws to make sure we're prepared to face any asteroid-related threat without having to send a bunch of oil drillers into space.
The House of Representatives just passed bill H.R. 6063, directing NASA to come up with plans for a cheap mission to send a craft to the Apophis asteroid to attach a tracking device. Apophis is on route to come closer to Earth than geostational satellites in 2029, and if it smacked into the planet we'd be a little bit screwed.
In addition to paying close attention to Apophis, the bill requires the Director of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy to come up with a policy for notifying Federal agencies and other emergency response groups of an impending near-Earth object threat. Hopefully they'll come up with better plans than whatever it is they have enacted for natural disasters now, because their track record doesn't really inspire confidence. Don't worry, folks: Our trusted representatives in government just saw the movie Armageddon, and they aren't going to take t... more -
Nancy Pelosi Altars Passed Congressional Bill to Favor Israel
Does anybody elected official represent the United States anymore?
Nancy Pelosi just takes it upon herself to cut out portions of a passed bill? Who does she think she is? What kind of out-of-control-power does our country's leadership possess?
Thank God Ron Paul is actively aware of the sly workings of elected officials.
People we can't continue to have this kind of representation and have a democratic republic much longer. If you care at all, call your elected official and let them know you care and disapprove of what Nancy did. Does anybody elected official represent the United States anymore? ... more
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