MegaVote: GA 13th, 3/5/2012

Comments in italic bluuue....

Congress.org (congress.org) presents: MEGAVOTE March 5, 2012
In this MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes -
* Senate: Motion to Table Blunt Amendment
* House: Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act
* House: Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act

Upcoming Congressional Bills -
* Senate: Surface transportation authorization
* House: Tariffs on non-market economies
* House: Hydropower development
* House: Cost of going public for businesses

Recent Senate Votes:

Motion to Table Blunt Amendmenthttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=24&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Agreed to (51-48, 1 Not Voting)
The Senate rejected an amendment to the surface transportation bill that would have allowed employers to exclude certain health services from its insurance plans based on religious grounds.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
I don't care for when hot topic issues get addressed in manner that suggests a poison pill. The results are intentionally confusing votes that play to the constituencies of both parties while effectively dodging the subject. Here the Republicans are pushing to throw a difficult problem conceptually, onto a bill that is no doubt a brushed up package of pork. The Senate Republicans apparently have no support from the other side of the aisle to stand up to an errant President.

Recent House Votes:

Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Acthttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=79&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (303-114, 16 Not Voting)
The House passed this bill that would overturn an Education Department regulation defining credit hours and rules education institutions must adhere to in order to operate in a state. The bill is intended to ease regulations on the for-profit education industry.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Many Democrats are beholden to the NEA and other public unions. It does not matter if statistics show that private schools are more effective and more cost efficient, the Democrats are going to fight every instance that threatens the flaccid expansion of the Department of Education and its redistribution machine.

Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Acthttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=91&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (246-175, 1 Present, 11 Not Voting)
This House bill is intended to increase access to water for agricultural and municipal uses in the San Joaquin Valley in California. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
I smell some Sierra Club crap in here, more California anti-growth dogma. No matter to me, spend the intended money in areas that have potential to grow, or better yet, don't spend it at all.

Upcoming Votes:
Surface transportation authorization - S.1813
The Senate is scheduled to continue work on their two-year, $109 billion bill to fund transportation projects.
Do you smell bacon?

Tariffs on non-market economies - H.R.4105
This House bill would impose higher tariffs on goods imported from state-controlled economies.
I have conflicting thoughts on this subject. The free flow of good and services between nations is the purist form of capitalism, therefore the most efficient (read Hayek). The problem with that belief is that none of the participating countries, including the United States, are free of assisting some industries attempting to export products. I guess in the end, that I would like to see reciprocal agreements between countries, like NAFTA and the EU, and fight the rest out where there aren't agreements. In the end productivity and labor rates win out in the manufacturing sector. China has been messing with the dollar, that is because they are currently more liquid, a benefit of a rapidly growing economy. Liquidity breaks down most barriers any politician can create.

Hydropower development - H.R.2842
The House is scheduled to take up this bill to speed up the approval process of hydropower projects.
Will be interested to see how little David Scott votes on this one. His state has a great deal of hydro-electric power stations, many of which could be improved. This I know from working in the industry.

Cost of going public for businesses - H.R.3606
This bipartisan House bill is intended to make it easier for small and mid-sized companies to go public.
I fine idea, can just imagine SEC Lite. If they bend the rules for little companies, it will be fertile ground for fraud.

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