Irritable Engineer: Johnny's Still Out to Lunch

Monday, April 10, 2017

Johnny's Still Out to Lunch

To start off, need to look up and find out what he heck is wrong with Johnny Isakson.
Hope he is not sick, beside that RINO thing that he has shown symptoms of.

Congress.org presents MEGAVOTE for March 21, 2017 and Georgia's 13th Congressional District.

Recent Congressional Votes

Senate: Disapprove Unemployment Benefit Drug Testing Rule
Senate: Confirmation of Dan Coats to be Director of National Intelligence
Senate: Confirmation of Herbert R. McMaster, Jr. to be Lieutenant General
House: VA Personnel Accountability
House: Mentally Disabled Veterans and Guns
House: VA Medical Professional Staffing

Upcoming Congressional Bills

Senate: Confirmation of Charles Breyer to the U.S. Sentencing Commission
Senate: Confirmation of Danny Reeves to the U.S. Sentencing Commission
House: End Health Insurance Anti-Trust Exemption
House: Association Health Insurance Pools
House: Reconciliation Health Care Law Repeal and Replace

Recent Senate Votes:

Disapprove Unemployment Benefit Drug Testing Rule Vote Passed (51-48, 1 Not Voting)

The resolution would disapprove the rule issued by the Labor Department on Aug. 1, 2016, that defines the occupations for which states can require individuals applying for unemployment benefits to undergo drug testing.

Sen. Johnny Isakson voted Not Voting

Sen. David Perdue voted YES

I was listening to some dudes on the POTUS Sirius channel suggesting that in Michigan, recipients test positive in only 0.5% of cases. If that is true, which I strongly doubt, then such a vote and legislative action is a waste of time. What is probably more true is like what happened in Maine, where a law was put i place and the recipients simply elected to give up the benefit rather than face the exposure of testing. My gut feel about the end game is that this will become an obstacle that bureaucrats work around.

Confirmation of Dan Coats to be Director of National Intelligence Vote Confirmed (85-12, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed the nomination of Dan Coats to be the director of National Intelligence.

Sen. Johnny Isakson voted Not Voting

Sen. David Perdue voted YES

This is a post that I think the President should have the right to choose without confirmation.

Confirmation of Herbert R. McMaster, Jr. to be Lieutenant General Vote Confirmed (86-10, 4 Not Voting)

The Senate confirmed the nomination of Herbert R. McMaster, Jr. to be a lieutenant general in the U.S. Army.

Sen. Johnny Isakson voted Not Voting

Sen. David Perdue voted YES

This is a post that I think the Joint Chiefs should have the right to choose without confirmation.

Recent House Votes:

VA Personnel Accountability Vote Passed (237-178, 14 Not Voting)

The bill would provide the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) with additional tools to fire or demote VA employees based on performance or misconduct, and would modify the appeals process to provide for the appeals of decisions by administrative law judges. It also would include provisions to protect VA whistleblowers against retaliation by supervisors, authorize the department to recoup employee bonuses and relocation expenses, and allow the pensions of VA employees to be reduced if convicted of certain felonies.

Rep. David Scott voted NO

The House seems determined, but in the end we will still have a VA that is less effective than private hospitals. Government is not built to care for people, their skills are centered on grandstanding, then taking money and then giving that money away.

Mentally Disabled Veterans and Guns Vote Passed (240-175, 14 Not Voting)

The bill would clarify the conditions under which individuals who receive federal benefits from the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) may be declared mentally incompetent for purposes of being added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and thereby prevented from purchasing guns or ammunition - requiring that an affirmative declaration be made by a judge that the person is dangerous.

Rep. David Scott voted NO

The Republicans suggest due process, and a Democrat votes no. The thing passed but if you have a problem with t he process, flip it around, if someone his a mental medical issue, have a temporary restrictive ruling and a mandatory judicial review with objective being to restore rights. The government should have to establish cause in all cases of removing rights.

VA Medical Professional Staffing Vote Passed (412-0, 17 Not Voting)

The bill would establish new staffing, recruitment and retention programs at the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) to enable the VA to help recruit and retain a strong medical professional workforce. It would create a recruiting database to make high-quality potential employees aware of positions at the VA, provide for additional opportunities for career training and advancement for current VA employees through fellowship positions and establish a promotional track for technical experts. It also would require the department to train human resources employees in recruitment and retention methods.

Rep. David Scott voted YES

100% in favor, it probably means nothing.

Upcoming Votes:

Confirmation of Charles Breyer to the U.S. Sentencing Commission - PN86 The Senate will take up the nomination of Charles Breyer to be a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

The last Breyer, that I can think of, was a serious disappointment.

Confirmation of Danny Reeves to the U.S. Sentencing Commission - PN85 The Senate will take up the nomination of Danny Reeves to be a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

I wonder of Obama met with his commission, or he simply decided to release a lot of clientele.

End Health Insurance Anti-Trust Exemption - HR372 The bill would generally eliminate the federal antitrust exemption for health insurance providers that are regulated at the state level, thereby allowing federal regulators to take actions against insurers for coordinated activities that could harm consumers. By subjecting insurers to federal antitrust laws, the measure is intended to promote further competition between health insurers and lower costs.

David Scott isn't voting for this, though it is generally regarded as a positive idea.

Association Health Insurance Pools - HR1101 The bill would expand the ability of trade and business associations to sponsor association health plans (AHPs), through which member companies can offer group health insurance to their employees. To encourage the creation of new plans, it would exempt AHPs from most state laws and regulations and allow AHPs to set their own health insurance standards, with few mandated requirements.

I have sneaking suspicion that pools are a euphemism for not providing insurance.

Reconciliation Health Care Law Repeal and Replace - HR1628 The measure would repeal key elements of the 2010 health law and include legislative text to begin replacing the national health care system created by that law. Among its provisions, it would effectively repeals the law's requirements that most individuals obtain health insurance or face tax penalties, and that employers with more than 50 employees provide health insurance or face tax penalties, by setting the penalties for violations at $0; replace current health insurance subsidies with a less generous refundable tax credit beginning in 2020; roll back the 2010 law's expansion of Medicaid; modify that program to provide payments to states based on the number of patients enrolled in the program rather than services provided; allow children to stay on their parents' policies until 26 years of age; and prohibit insurance companies from charging more or denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions. The legislation was developed under reconciliation instructions in the fiscal 2017 budget resolution (S Con Res 3), which protects it from filibuster and allows the Senate to pass it by simple majority vote.