edited by: Douglas Welch,
Illinois Editor
The folks at Environment Illinois have been doing yeoman's work documenting exactly why federal climate change legislation is an urgent priority. Yesterday, they released yet another report detailing a major source of pollution in the Prairie State: coal-fired power plants.
It's no coincidence that Illinois ranks sixth nationally for its [...]
If you haven't seen one of those orange and green "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" construction signs in your part of Illinois recently, you may have -- as most of us -- forgotten that in Obama's federal stimulus legislation, there was supposed to be check and balance. Indeed, a Recovery Independent [...]
Now that roughly one-quarter of the money allocated in President Obama's stimulus plan has flown out the door, a consensus among economists about the effectiveness of the package is emerging. The New York Times' reports:
The legislation, a variety of economists say, is helping an economy in free fall a year ago to [...]
Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.
The 60-39 vote cleared [...]
by Jeffrey Young
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has secured the vital 60th vote he needs to advance healthcare reform legislation with the announcement by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) that she will vote with her party Saturday evening. Read more
Watch the debate live, to begin shortly on [...]
WASHINGTON--Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) just announced from the Senate floor--in a rare Saturday session--that she will vote to allow the Democratic championed health care legislation to proceed. Democratic Senate leaders needed a supermajority, 60 votes, to avoid a filibuster and proceed to the underlying legislation. The vote on the [...]
The federal government is one step closer to providing health care and retirement benefits to domestic partners of its gay and lesbian employees. Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved H.R. 2517 by a 23-12 vote. Illinois Democrats Mike Quigley, Danny Davis, and Bill Foster all supported the legislation. GOP Rep. Aaron [...]
from Congressman Aaron Schock's office
Washington, DC – Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL), along with several other members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation, introduced legislation today to prohibit any federal funds from being used to transfer detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay to Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois.
“The' [...]
Last week, we noted a rather somber anniversary: Ten years had passed since Congress and the Clinton White House enacted legislation overtturning the Glass-Steagall Act. By dismanting this Depression-era financial regulation (which segregated commercial banks and investment banks), the new law helped paved the way for the wild derivatives [...]
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Cross Threatens Legislative Block To Thomson Sale
House
Republican Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) says he'll introduce legislation
that would put to a vote Gov. Quinn's proposal to sell the Thomson
correctional center to the federal government. Meanwhile, federal officials say that in addition to housing prisoners from the' [...]
Turns out, Bush’s tax cuts hurt the economy. Wha…?
From the Citizens for Tax Justice:
And yet, many of the lawmakers who argue that the health care reform legislation is “too costly” are the same lawmakers who supported the Bush tax cuts. Their own voting record demonstrates that health care [...]
This weeks mark ten years since the enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act. This piece of legislation repealed a Depression-era law known as Glass-Steagall, which segregated commercial and investment banks. By breaking down that wall, huge financial institutions were able to invest heavily in exotic "derivatives" that put [...]
The Employment Policies Institute (EPI), a group that helped defeat the Clinton healthcare plan, will be launching a $10 million campaign against the Obama health care takeover as well. According to The Hill, EPI, which "spent nearly $25 million to stall the card-check legislation that is a top priority of labor unions," [...]
Some more health care news...
Moderate Democrats Voice Concerns
In her Sun-Times column this morning, Carol Marin singles out Democratic Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster for their yes votes in favor of health care legislation this past weekend:
We may disagree with one another on whether, in the end, this legislation is good for America. [...]
Updated Tuesday afternoon with Kirk response
Maybe in the end the Stupak-Pitts amendment the House included in the health reform bill approved Saturday night--placing restrictions on insurance paying for abortions--won't survive in the Senate version and/or when the two chambers work out differences in the legislation.
But Illinois' [...]
by Noam N. Levey
A decade and a half after his healthcare overhaul campaign collapsed, former President Clinton came to Capitol Hill this afternoon to rally Democratic senators to back the healthcare legislation now making its way through Congress.
The unemployment insurance extension signed into law by President Obama last Friday will come as a huge relief to the roughly 30,000 Illinois workers who will exhaust their benefits by the end of the year. But the legislation won't help folks whose benefits expire on or after January 1. With the jobless rate continuing' [...]
from the Danklesfen for Congress campaign
Rep. Bill Foster campaigned as an independent and friend of the taxpayer. Healthcare legislation will increase our tax burden, limit the freedom to choose our own coverage, and result in greater job loss. Foster has voted with Nancy Pelosi’s failed agenda over 90% of the [...]
Just because the House passed a health care reform package on Saturday night doesn't mean the "debate" about the bill's provisions is complete. First, the Senate has to pass its own version. Then both chambers will have to approve whatever legislation emerges from the conference committee. In other words, there's a lot of work' [...]
By Mark Silva
At each juncture in the development of the health-care legislation, it seems, something has been added, or subtracted, solely for the purpose of getting the bill out of a gate.
In the House, Democrats demanded a so-called "public option,'' a government-run insurance program for those who" [...]
by Mark Silva
At each juncture in the development of the health-care legislation, it seems, something has been added, or subtracted, solely for the purpose of getting the bill out of a gate.
In the House, Democrats demanded a so-called "public option,'' a government-run insurance program for those who" [...]
by Mark Silva
Rep. Anh "Joseph'' Cao, the one Republican who voted for the House's health-care legislation near midnight Saturday, said he had let the White House know he was on board: "I called the White House and said I could possibly support the bill."
The president had" [...]
