Friday, September 30, 2016

Sorry ACA We Needed Money for Zika


Congress.org presents MEGAVOTE, dated September 15, 2016, for Georgia's 13th Congressional District.

Recent Congressional Votes

  • Senate: Fiscal 2016 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Conference Report – Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Conference Report
  • Senate: Fiscal 2017 Defense Appropriations – Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Bill
  • House: Prevent Government Settlement Donations to 3rd Parties – Passage
  • House: Ease Stock Listing Requirements for Certain Small Firms – Passage
  • House: Loosen Private Equity Fund Requirements – Passage

Upcoming Congressional Bills

  • Senate: Water Resources Development
  • House: Health Expenses Tax Deductions
  • House: Veterans Affairs Department Accountability
  • House: Disclose Agency Rule-Making Communications
  • House: Prohibit Guantanamo Transfers

Recent Senate Votes:
Fiscal 2016 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Conference Report – Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Conference Report Vote Rejected (52-46, 2 Not Voting)
Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the conference report on the bill which would provide $1.1 billion in supplemental funding for the government to prepare for and respond to the public health threat posed by the Zika virus, and it would provide a total of $185 billion for the Veterans Affairs Department and military construction in fiscal 2017 - including $82.5 billion in discretionary spending subject to the budget caps, $102.5 billion in mandatory spending and $172 million in Overseas Contingency Operations funding.  The Zika funding would include $933 million in domestic funding and $175 million for international activities, with approximately $750 million of the total being offset through rescissions to Ebola, Affordable Care Act, and other Health and Human Services Department funding. Sixty votes are needed to invoke cloture.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES
The democrats have been pressing pretty hard so they can make this into an issue. Meanwhile the states are doing what they can, spraying where they think they need to. I am curious as to where the roughly 1B$ is going to be used on, prevention cures or both. Oh, and cutting money from the ACA funding for Zika, isn't that like trading counterfeit dollar bills for slug coins?

Fiscal 2017 Defense Appropriations – Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Bill Vote Rejected (55-43, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate rejected a McConnell, R-Ky., motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill that would provide billions in discretionary defense spending for the Defense Department. Sixty votes are needed to invoke cloture.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES
Is Mitch McConnell up for re-election yet? Unfortunately not.

Recent House Votes:
Prevent Government Settlement Donations to 3rd Parties – Passage Vote Passed (241-174, 16 Not Voting)
The measure prohibits settlement agreements involving the U.S. government from requiring the other party to make a donation to a third party. The bill's prohibition would not apply if the payment is for restitution to affected parties or remedies actual harm. Under the measure, the prohibition applies only to settlement agreements reached after the bill's enactment.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Having read though some of the information on this, and listening to John Bolton, I would have to agree that a no vote is probably the correct response. People are not going to be able to effectively sue the Saudi government. So the whole bill, headed for veto, is little more than grandstanding.

Ease Stock Listing Requirements for Certain Small Firms – Passage Vote Passed (236-178, 17 Not Voting)
The bill expands the range of companies that can use Form S-3 to register securities sales, exempts the sale of certain securities from registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state regulatory agencies and requires the SEC to revise Regulation D (Reg D) with the goal of loosening restrictions and filing requirements under existing Rule 506 exemptions.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
I have to disagree with David on this vote, I am for the the weakening of government restrictions in virtually all non-defense issues. Knowing politicians, it probably isn't what they say anyhow, so, who knows?

Loosen Private Equity Fund Requirements – Passage Vote Passed (261-145, 25 Not Voting)
The legislation reduces reporting and other requirements effectively placed on private equity funds by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act (PL 111-203), including by eliminating requirements that such funds report annually on their investments and activities and be subject to unannounced, independent annual audits. It also modifies existing requirements under the Investment Advisers Act regarding the relationship between investment fund managers and their investors under the act to largely exempt private equity funds, including by loosening current restrictions on advertising and expanding the circumstances under which funds do not have to notify investors when there is a change in ownership or control.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Boy, I get the willies every time the Congress messes with banking. It is difficult from them not to make legislation somehow help people who should not purchase what hey cannot afford to pay for. That said following the mantra, that a weaker government is an improvement, thank you Mr. Scott for the correct vote.

Upcoming Votes:
Water Resources Development - S2848
The bill would authorize $10.6 billion in funding for more than 30 Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects under the current law (PL 113-121), including waterways and flood control systems, as well as Environmental Protection Agency drinking water infrastructure programs. The measure would authorize $220 million in recovery assistance, specifically $100 million for water infrastructure improvements available to "states with emergency drinking water situations" via state revolving fund loans; $70 million in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act credit subsidies; and $50 million in health screening and education grants.
Do it, do it every time. True shovel ready projects that pay off over the decades.

Health Expenses Tax Deductions - HR3590
The legislation would repeal the increases in the threshold at which individuals may begin deducting unreimbursed medical expenses from their income as set by the 2010 health care law, thereby rolling the threshold back to 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income for all taxpayers and preventing the threshold from increasing to 10 percent for senior citizens. Under the measure, the medical deduction threshold would revert to 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income beginning with the current 2016 tax year.
Every time some shitty aspect of ACA come to bat, the politicians kick the issue down the street.  In the end ACA was supposed to control costs, while it extended coverage to folks that had trouble booking policies. In the end costs have continued to rise and a new welfare is spawned.

Veterans Affairs Department Accountability - HR5620
The bill would expand the ability of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department to fire or demote VA employees based on performance or misconduct, and it would overhaul the VA's current disability appeals process by giving veterans the choice of three "lanes" for appeal when dissatisfied with an initial VA benefits decision. It also would include provisions to protect VA whistleblowers against retaliation by supervisors, authorize the VA to recoup employee bonuses and relocation expenses, allow the VA to reduce Senior Executive Service (SES) employees' pensions upon conviction of certain felonies, streamline disciplinary actions for SES employees and eliminate all bonuses for SES employees for five years.
I have said it before, VA hospital administrators broke the law and conspired to defraud taxpayers. As an organization run like a crime syndicate, they should be prosecuted via RICO. Some deserve to be in prison.

Disclose Agency Rule-Making Communications - HR5226
The measure would require each federal agency to maintain an online searchable list of its regulatory actions and all public communications it makes regarding those regulatory actions. It also would prohibit agencies from soliciting support for, or promoting, its regulatory actions.
It is easy enough to imagine that a zillion little bureaucrats running around defending their right to f-over citizens without due representation or due process.

Prohibit Guantanamo Transfers - HR5351
The bill temporarily would prohibit the Defense Department from transferring or releasing any detainee from the detention facility at the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the United States, its territories or possessions, or to any foreign country or entity. The blanket prohibition would end on Jan. 21, 2017, or earlier once a Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2017 is enacted.
The Guantanamo Bay facility is useful, needs to stay open, and prisoners of value kept there. There should be more funding provided for setting up dedicated water boarding access shower rooms. 

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