ON THE FLOOR
The Senate will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. and proceed to a period of morning business for two hours. The chamber will then proceed to 40 minutes of debate on the fiscal 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill (HR 2847) and hold a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment to the measure thereafter. Upon disposition of the bill, the Senate will begin consideration of the Military Construction-VA spending bill (HR 3082).
The House will convene at 10 a.m. for legislative business. The chamber is expected to consider a chemical security plant bill (HR 2868), as well as measures under suspension of the rules.
HEALTH CARE
Democratic leaders plan to bring their health care overhaul legislation to a vote on the House floor on Nov. 7. She said there will be three hours of general debate, following a one-hour debate and a vote on the rule governing the floor proceedings. Floor debate on the health bill is expected to start on November 6th.
Every day new revelations about the bill appear. One of the most egregious was found by Heritage Foundation’s Dennis Smith and reported by The Examiner:
The Heritage Foundation’s Dennis Smith says that a “manager’s amendment” to Pelosi’s controversial 1,900 –page health care bill includes new provisions that will allow back-door payoffs to specific members of Congress, such as more favorable Medicare reimbursements to particular doctors or hospitals and lower taxes on medical device manufacturers in certain congressional districts.
One such earmark – which Smith says “suddenly appeared” after the Energy and Commerce Committee had already completed its work – creates a new $6 billion Medicaid slush fund for nursing homes to be doled out by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, with no input from the states, ordinary rulemaking or administrative review.
Abortion funding continues to be a major problem of the legislation, with groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood spending hundreds of thousands in lobbying to ensure government funding of abortion remains in the bill. Representative Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) is offering what he classifies a “compromise” on the issue but which is in truth merely window dressing for the funding scheme already in the bill. Even The New York Times exposes the fallacy of the Ellsworth option
Under Mr. Ellsworth’s proposal, if the public plan decides to cover abortion, it would have to hire private contractors to handle money that might be used for that purpose.
So essentially Rep. Ellsworth has the federal government using taxpayer funds to pay a contractor to pay for the abortions – so it won’t be “direct” government funding. Kind of like if an alcoholic puts money on the bar and a bartender takes the money and pours the man a drink the man isn’t paying for the alcohol, the money just ended up in the bartender’s hands somehow. It doesn’t matter what you call the funds. It doesn’t matter who is hired to collect the funds or write the checks. If the federal government plan pays for abortions, that is federal funding of abortion. It is that simple.
LEGISLATION/HEARINGS
ENDA
The full Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Ensuring Opportunity for All Americans.”
Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.
430 Dirksen Bldg.
Witnesses
Tom Perez, assistant attorney general, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice
Helen Norton, associate professor of law, University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, Colo.
Lisa Madigan, attorney general, state of Illinois, Chicago, Ill.
Virginia Nguyen, member, Diversity and Inclusion Team, Nike Inc., Beaverton, Ore.
Mike Carney, police officer, City of Springfield Police Department, Springfield, Mass.
Craig Parshall, senior vice president and general counsel, National Religious Broadcasters Association
Camille Olson, partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago, Ill.
NOMINATIONS/ADMINISTRATION
It is reported now that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans on trying to force a confirmation vote on controversial Seventh Circuit judicial nominee (and Dawn Johnson’s brother in law) David Hamilton before Veterans’ Day. We will be scoring this vote in our 111th Congress First Session scorecard.
Mr. Hamilton, as an Indiana trial judge, has ruled against abortion waiting periods, permitting chaplains to offer Christian prayer at the Indiana state house, and stiffer regulations for sex offenders. Mr. Hamilton’s resume includes a post with ACORN and a stint as the former head of the ACLU’s Indiana chapter.