When Sen. Olympia Snowe commented this week on translating “empathy of your experience into legislation,” she made a profound statement on what is currently missing in American politics. The pinnacle of such indifference to the average citizen’s plight is seen today in the partisan stalling of healthcare. You would think that our leaders would want the U.S. to improve its ranking of 37th in the world for healthcare, and to ensure that families are not destroyed by lack of affordable insurance.
After long negotiations, House leadership has unveiled the final version of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454), to be voted on by the full House today. The bill’s author, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), introduced an amendment in the form of a substitute (H.R. 2998), which incorporates a score of amendments to the legislation. The schedule today includes five votes on the passage of this historic bill, which would national standards for clean energy and global warming pollution, w
Model Green Jobs LegislationWith increased focus on the environment, and in the aftermath of the ARRA, hundreds of green jobs bills were introduced in the states this legislative session. Below is a sampling of some model bills introduced in 2008 and 2009. · Washington has been a leader in the green jobs arena for the past couple of years. During the 2009 session, Senate Bill 5649 was signed into law. This law aggregates all federal Recovery Act dollars directed towards energy effici
Luxury ocean liners in Russia are offering pirate hunting cruises aboard armed private yachts off the Somali coast.A furious couple are to sue an airline after a block of frozen urine smashed through their roof.Horse owners will have to sign a pledge not to eat their animals under new EU legislation.A US jury has ordered a 32-year-old woman to pay 1.92 million dollars in damages for illegally downloading 24 songs over the Internet.Oscar winner arrested on charges of raping or sexually assaulting
On Monday, an unlikely new battle in the heated political war over The Employee Free Choice Act broke out: A fresh round of in-fighting among businesses over this major legislation that aims to give workers a level playing field to organize unions. The bill has been portrayed by Big Business as the apocalypse that would destroy a civilization . Now, however, big and small business leaders alike are taking aim at each other’s views of the corporate hard-line opposition to the proposed legis
