Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Elections, Tax Reform, Constitutional Amendment, E-mails, Bathroom Controversy, Worker's Rights, Immigration, Hurricane Maria, Discrimination, Veterans

Trump Wave Last Year Also Lifts Roy Moore and Others To Senate
Public Advocate USA

It's often said that you can know a man by his enemies. That being the case, we can know a lot about Judge Roy Moore by the blaring headline on Huffington Post last night: "Alabama Earthquake: GOP Picks Outsider Bigot." Translated, this means, "GOP Picks Conservative Christian, Anti-Establishment Candidate." Sounds good to me.
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Let the left rant and rave. It is precisely that attitude that is driving many hard-working, law-abiding Christians and Conservatives to the polls. When they scream at us with abusive names, it opens our eyes to the fact that we have got to get them gone, and the only weapon we have that is safe is Constitution, the pen and the ballot.

Public Knowledge Hopeful New Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim Will Protect Consumers
Public Knowledge

"Given Mr. Delrahim's extensive background and knowledge of antitrust, we hope he will maintain and extend the enforcement practices the Antitrust Division has applied over the last eight years."
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Study: How the ‘amendment tree’ grew to neuter Senate floor debate
R Street Institute
The principal means by which Senate majorities have exerted greater control over the institution’s decision-making process in recent years has been through their ability to block amendments on the Senate floor. In a new R Street Institute policy study, Senior Fellow James Wallner traces the history of the Senate’s “amendment tree” and considers how it has evolved to allow a majority leader to use his priority of recognition to block floor amendments.
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PRAISE FOR THE UNVEILING OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S TAX PROPOSAL IS ROLLING IN
Republican Party

Rally Attendees Praised President Trump’s Tax Plan Rollout, With One Saying The President Is “Singing The Tune We Want.” REPORTER: “Trump’s plan would also help businesses be more globally competitive by slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20%. It would also help small business owners by cutting their top tax rate from nearly 40% down to 25%.” RALLY ATTENDEES: “President’s Trump's really singing the tune the we want to hear to really grow our business and feel confident so, we're looking forward to it and hoping this tax plan goes through. It’ll be good for everybody.” (WLS-CHI’s “Eyewitness News,” 9/27/17)
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RETAILERS COMMITTED TO FIXING BROKEN TAX CODE
Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the trade association for today's most recognized and innovative retail brands, issued a statement applauding this morning's announcement from Congress and the Administration on their framework for tax reform. RILA Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Jennifer Safavian said the framework unveiled today represents an historic opportunity to fix a broken tax code and boost economic growth.
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Court Will Review Clinton Emails Over Objections of Tillerson State Department and Sessions Justice Department
Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch announced that a federal judge will personally review, in camera, redacted material from emails discussing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of iPads and iPhones during her tenure at the State Department. Judge Kollar-Kotelly also ordered the State Department to file an affidavit addressing why it should not have to search new Clinton emails recovered. In taking these steps, the court rejected arguments by the Tillerson State Department and its lawyers at the Sessions Justice Department.
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BATHROOM PRIVACY BECOMES AN ELECTION ISSUE
Texas Values

Despite being listed as a priority item by Gov. Greg Abbott, having overwhelming support of the public according to polls (particularly women), bipartisan support in the Texas Senate when the bill passed (thanks to Sen. Eddie Lucio), Speaker Joe Straus and particularly State Affairs Committee Chairman Byron Cook prevented the bill from being heard by the entire House of Representatives. Because of that, Hudgens said, students like those in San Antonio ISD, or Dripping Springs ISD elementary students like 10-year-old Shiloh are left with uncertainty over whether their privacy will be violated this school year.
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Civil and Human Rights Coalition Calls on Supreme Court to Uphold Workers’ Rights
The Leadership Conference

“Here we go again. Billionaires and right-wing corporate special interests are trying to use the Supreme Court to attack the fundamental rights of working people to come together, speak up, and hold the wealthy and powerful accountable. Working people and their unions have been at the forefront of battles for civil rights and the fight to unrig our economy – fights that benefit everyone. Stronger unions mean higher wages for all workers, and stronger communities with more pathways to prosperity for all, including women and people of color. Black and Latino union workers earn respectively 15 percent and 22 percent more than their non-union counterparts.
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USCIS announces award recipients of nearly $10 million in funding to support citizenship preparation programs
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has awarded nearly $10 million in grants to 45 public and private non-profit organizations across the country to help lawful permanent residents prepare for naturalization. The grants also help these organizations promote prospective citizens’ assimilation into American civic life by funding educational programs designed to increase their knowledge of English, U.S. history and civics. Located in 26 states, these organizations will receive federal funding to support citizenship preparation services for lawful permanent residents through September 2019.
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Federal Teams Working to Restore Power and Stabilize Critical Infrastructure after Hurricane Maria
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the top priority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the entire federal government is continuing to provide life safety and life sustaining resources to Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. This includes efforts to restore power, and stabilize critical infrastructure.
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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Crop Production Services Alleging Discrimination Against U.S. Workers
U.S Department of Justice

The complaint alleges that in 2016, Crop Production discriminated against at least three United States citizens by refusing to employ them as seasonal technicians in El Campo, Texas, because Crop Production preferred to hire temporary foreign workers under the H-2A visa program. According to the department’s complaint, Crop Production imposed more burdensome requirements on U.S. citizens than it did on H-2A visa workers to discourage U.S. citizens from working at the facility. For instance, the complaint alleges that whereas U.S. citizens had to complete a background check and a drug test before being permitted to start work, H-2A workers were allowed to begin working without completing them and, in some cases, never completed them. The complaint also alleges that Crop Production refused to consider a limited-English proficient U.S. citizen for employment but hired H-2A workers who could not speak English. Ultimately, all of Crop Production’s 15 available seasonal technician jobs in 2016 went to H-2A workers instead of U.S. workers.
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VA Awards $8M in Adaptive Sports Program Grants to Aid Disabled Veterans: Grants promote rehabilitation, health and wellness and community reintegration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

VA is awarding the grants to national governing bodies, which prepare high-level athletes for Paralympic competition; Veterans service organizations; city and regional municipalities; and other community groups to provide a wide range of adaptive sports opportunities for eligible Veterans and service members. The grants will support activities ranging from kayaking, sailing, cycling, skiing, equine therapy and equestrian sports, among other activities.
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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Reps Meadows, Langevin Release Election Reform PAPER Act

Source: House Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC, 11th)

Washington, D.C. - September 13, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced the Protecting the American Process for Election Results (PAPER) Act—a bill that will provide assistance to states to strengthen the cybersecurity of their elections. The bill is a House companion to the Klobuchar-Graham amendment to the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which is currently being debated.

The PAPER ACT is designed to protect the integrity of American elections by solidifying defenses against cyber intrusions and by recommending additional record keeping to strengthen audits of elections. Broadly, the bill directs the Election Assistance Commission, after consulting with state and federal stakeholders, to formulate Security Risk and Vulnerability Assessment recommendations for states to harden their cybersecurity and develop post-election auditing standards to ensure elections have not been manipulated. States that adhere to such guidelines will be eligible to receive federal Election Technology Improvement Grants—funding that allows for needed system and security updates.

Furthermore, the bill will require voting machines purchased with federal funds to pair votes cast electronically with a paper record, visible to the voter—and recommends that each federal election be followed by a manual audit of a random sample of such paper records, prior to certification of the election result. Paper ballots provide for additional transparency and allow for quick discovery of voting machines that have been compromised in some way.

“The American people rely on our election results to be trustworthy, accountable, and safe from cyber interference—both foreign and domestic,” Rep. Meadows said. “The integrity of our elections is fundamental to who we are as a nation, and the PAPER Act would be a major step forward in securing our election process, updating the security of our voter logs, and allowing for efficient and effective audits of election results. I thank my colleagues Rep. Langevin and Sen. Klobuchar for their efforts and I look forward to continuing to work with them on this important initiative.”

“As a former Rhode Island Secretary of State, I have a thorough understanding of the challenges – including a lack of sufficient resources – faced by state and local election officials. The PAPER Act provides federal assistance to the people on the front lines to ensure that the most fundamental right in our democracy, the right to vote, is not impinged by foreign powers or other malicious cyber actors,” said Congressman Langevin, co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus. “While I strongly support the designation of elections as critical infrastructure, we need to back this clear statement of the threat with action. The open processes to develop cybersecurity standards set forth in the PAPER Act and the commitment to paper ballots backed with risk-limiting audits will ensure U.S. elections remain free and fair and the American people are confident in their integrity. I commend Representative Meadows and Senators Klobuchar and Graham for their focus on securing our elections, and I hope that the Senate votes today to advance this important legislation.”

“According to the Department of Homeland Security, Russian hackers attempted to break into at least 21 states’ election systems in 2016 and U.S. national security officials have been sounding the alarm that our voting systems will continue to be a target in the future,” Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said. “In order to safeguard future elections, state and local officials must have the tools and resources they need to prevent hacks, and safeguard election infrastructure from foreign interference. I am proud of the bipartisan legislation we have introduced and look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect our democracy from future attacks."

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Campaign Finance Reform Legislation

by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)

Washington, D.C. - August 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) has announced that he has cosponsored two bills to increase transparency in campaign finance and reduce the influence of special interests in Congressional elections. The Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act will require outside groups that spend over $10,000 on election advertising, including super PACs, to disclose their donors and source of funding within 24 hours. Peters is also cosponsoring the Fair Elections Now Act which would establish citizen-funded elections to better strengthen small donors and grassroots voices. Peters previously cosponsored both bills in the 114th Congress.

“For too long, our campaign finance system has given big corporations the ability to spend millions of dollars on federal elections – silencing the voices of Michigan middle class families in the process,” said Senator Peters. “It should be Michiganders deciding who represents them, not corporations looking to buy influence. I’m proud to cosponsor these commonsense bills that will help increase transparency and give power back to the American people in our elections.”

The DISCLOSE Act would require any covered organization that spends $10,000 or more on election ads to file a disclosure report with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) within 24 hours, and to file a new report for each additional $10,000 or more spent. The disclosure report must include the sources of all donations of $10,000 or more that the organization received during that election cycle. The legislation additionally would direct the FEC and U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to share information to identify and prevent foreign election spending. The DISCLOSE Act is supported by a number of campaign finance reform stakeholders, including Public Citizen, the federation of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), Brennan Center, League of Women Voters, People For the American Way, Center for Responsive Politics, and the Sunlight Foundation.

The Fair Elections Now Act amends the Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1971 to establish a voluntary method for financing Senate campaigns. The legislation would provide qualified candidates for Congress with grants, matching funds, and vouchers from the Fair Elections Fund - which would be established by the legislation - to replace campaign fundraising that largely relies on large donors and special interests. In return, participating candidates would agree to limit their campaign spending to the amounts raised from small dollar donors plus the amounts provided from the Fund.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Idaho Democrats won't challenge new request for voter data

Boise:Idaho Statesman

Officials with the Idaho Democratic Party say a recent federal court ruling has limited their legal options to fight a second request from President Donald Trump commission investigating possible voter fraud.

Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Bert Marley said Tuesday that the best recourse is for Idaho citizens to ask Secretary of State Lawerence Denney to deny the request.

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Whitman: Keep your mitts off my voting record (column)

Summit Daily

Folks in my small Western town are divided: die-hard right-wingers on one side and so-called progressives on the other. But both appear to support those "deregistering" from the list of eligible voters for fear of federal intervention in what is a state right.

I see the hard-right folks in Safeway carrying pistols. The progressives hang out in my favorite coffee shop with The New York Times. Both are likely influenced by the myths of the Old West, either consciously or unconsciously. And both are dropping off the voting rolls at an alarming rate; somewhere around 3,000 have deregistered in Colorado so far.

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Friday, July 21, 2017

The Fair Representation Act Has Just Been Introduced to Congress

Fair Vote

On June 26, 2017, Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced H.R. 3057: The Fair Representation Act. He was joined by co-sponsors Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Ro Khanna (D-CA). This is a historic moment. The Fair Representation Act is the most comprehensive approach to reforming congressional elections in United States history. It would truly realize the vision of the House of Representatives as “The People’s House.”

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