AAP

Landrieu’s GO Zone tax credit “placed in service” extension amendment included in bill. 3/10/10 -- WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., today welcomed Senate passage of the American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act, which was approved by a vote of 62-36. Included in the bill is Sen. Landrieu’s amendment to extend the placed-in-service deadline for workforce housing developments in the Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zone. The extension is needed to ensure that public housing reconstruction in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in the wake of Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita is not unnecessarily halted.    » read more »

March 11, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today pressed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski on the implications for consumers on the proposed merger between Comcast and NBC. Kerry is the Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. The full text of Senator Kerry’s statement as prepared is below: Thank you Mr. Chairman. The proposed merger we are discussing today would create a unique and powerful company. And I have faith that the Chairman of the FCC, Julius Genachowski, and the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Christine Varney, will conduct a fair review and impose sensible conditions on it.    » read more »

Says old rules that kept commercial banks separate from investment banks were best rules March 11, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) on Thursday said that a "reshuffled" regulatory deck to oversee banks that are "too-big-to-fail" is not a sufficient solution to the problems that led to the Great Recession of 2008, and called on Congress to draw "hard, statutory lines between banks and investment houses."    » read more »

Bill breaks down barriers for consumers to make upgrades March 10, 2010 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) joined a bipartisan group of colleagues today in introducing legislation that would make it more affordable for families in rural areas to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. This legislation, the Rural Energy Improvement Act of 2010, would provide low-interest loans to families to finance energy-efficient improvements, with the cost included in their monthly utility bill.    » read more »

March 11, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) today applauded Siemens Energy for creating a new hub in Charlotte to manufacture gas and steam turbines and generators. The plant is expected to bring an initial 450 jobs to the city and 825 jobs by 2014. The new plant is partly funded by federal tax-exempt bonds made available by a Recovery Act program that spurs economic development.    » read more »

Legislation is Backed by Entire NC Delegation March 11, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) this morning introduced a bill to give states the flexibility to exempt nonprofit housing organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, from costly regulatory requirements. The Nonprofit Mortgage Licensing Clarification Act of 2010 is a companion to the House bill H.R. 4400, introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC). Both bills have bipartisan support, and every member of the N.C. Congressional Delegation has joined as a co-sponsor.    » read more »

March 10, 2010 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today welcomed passage of legislation designed to boost the economic recovery while providing assistance to workers, businesses and states. The “American Workers, State and Business Relief Act” was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 62-36, and will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration before it can be sent to the President for his signature. “The emergency relief package approved by the Senate today is the second in a series of bills designed to help boost the recovery effort and assist those who are the most hard-hit by the economic downturn,” Senator Feinstein said.    » read more »

Offers Amendment to Cancel Old, Unspent Earmarks; Supports Year-Long Ban on Earmarks March 11, 2010 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is once again leading the fight against wasteful earmark spending. Today, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Feingold offered a bipartisan amendment to cancel old, unspent transportation earmarks, which could save taxpayers about $600 million right away and possibly billions more over time.    » read more »

March 11, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan bill to curtail the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine was unanimously reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today by a vote of 19-0. The Fair Sentencing Act, introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) was amended by the Judiciary Committee and will reduce the current 100:1 sentencing disparity to roughly 20:1.    » read more »

March 11, 2010 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the following statement today as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) conducted a hearing on pay equity in the workplace. Dodd is the author of legislation, the Paycheck Fairness Act, that would help women achieve pay equity by giving them stronger legal footing when they need to take their employers to court over wage discrimination. At the hearing, Dodd introduced the first panelist to testify, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3). Dodd and DeLauro, along with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), have been leading the fight for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the Senate and House of Representatives.    » read more »

March 11, 2010 -- Today Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) issued the following statement on financial reform. “On Monday, I will present to my colleagues a substitute to the original financial reform package, unveiled last November.” “Over the last few months, Banking Committee members have worked together to try and produce a consensus package. Together we have made significant progress and resolved many of the items, but a few outstanding issues remain.” “It has always been my goal to produce a consensus package. And we have reached a point where bringing the bill to the full committee is the best course of action to achieve that end. I plan to hold a full committee markup the week of March 22nd.”    » read more »

Help for Laid Off Workers March 10, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC—Following Senate passage of a bipartisan jobs bill that included extension through the end of the year of help for the those who have lost their jobs and tax relief for individuals and businesses, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement: “This bill would extend through the end of the year unemployment insurance and COBRA health care premium assistance program for those who have lost their jobs. I have been a strong advocate for these programs that not only help families pay their bills while they are looking for a new job, but have one of the greatest economic returns.    » read more »

WASHINGTON (March 11, 2010) – Today Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, participated in a full Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the challenges facing our transportation system. The hearing, “Federal, State and Local Partnerships to Accelerate Transportation Benefits,” examined federal, state and local partnerships that leverage federal transportation investments and explored the ways in which the benefits of those investments could be accelerated.    » read more »

Legislation extends credits critical to America's economic recovery March 10, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined a super-majority of the Senate in passing legislation that will extend tax cuts, unemployment insurance benefits and health care for unemployed workers through the end of 2010. The bill, passed in a 62-36 vote, extends a package of tax cuts and other benefits, including some that were originally part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).    » read more »

In Letter to Treasury Sec. Timothy Geithner, Brown Urges that China be Designated a Currency Manipulator in Semiannual Report March 11, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - With today's release of new trade deficit figures showing an $18.3 billion increase last month in our trade deficit with China, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today wrote to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urging him to designate China as a currency manipulator. Brown argued that the artificial devaluation of the Chinese currency has damaged the American manufacturing industry.    » read more »

Support New Mexico's Small Businesses March 10, 2010 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today voted to approve legislation to extend unemployment benefits to New Mexicans who continue to seek employment in this difficult economic climate and helps curb the state's Medicaid cost, as well as extend important energy tax credits. The measure passed 62-36. The Senate-passed bill provides a one-year extension of unemployment benefits and COBRA (health care) premium tax credits. "Unemployment benefits are helping families keep their heads above water. This bill continues to support New Mexicans during these tough times, as they continue to look for employment," Bingaman said. "The bill also extending tax cuts to incentivize the use of biodiesel and renewable energy."    » read more »

Says U.S. Northern Commander Backs Begich on Law of the Sea Treaty; Gen. Renuart says ratification would not compromise U.S. sovereignty March 11, 2010 -- The Commander of the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, agreed with Senator Mark Begich that the Senate should move forward on ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In a question and answer exchange between Sen. Begich, a member of the committee, and Air Force Gen. Victor Renuart, Jr., Begich asked whether, given the growing importance of and attention to the Arctic, the General supported the ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty.    » read more »

Says President’s announcement at Export-Import Bank is “an adrenaline shot to domestic businesses and the workers who depend on them” March 11, 2010 -- Washington - Senator Evan Bayh made the following statement today in response to President Obama’s speech at the Export-Import Bank announcing the creation of a National Export Initiative to double American exports. Bayh is the chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance, which has oversight jurisdiction over the Export-Import Bank. Senator Bayh’s statement follows:    » read more »

March 8, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) was joined by a majority of Committee members in recommending a $380 million increase in discretionary funding above the President's VA budget proposal. This recommendation came in the Committee's views and estimates letter on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget for veterans' programs, submitted to the Senate Budget Committee Friday.    » read more »

03/09/2010 -- WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on the annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2008 draft report. This report will be open for public comment for 30 days after the Federal Register notice is published. The draft report shows that in 2008, overall greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions have decreased by 2.9 percent. This downward trend was attributed to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption. Total emissions from GHGs were about 6,946 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent. Overall, emissions have grown by 13.6 percent from 1990 to 2008.    » read more »