Free Republic

The Alliance to Save Energy joined its honorary Board chair, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and her colleague Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) in unveiling a bipartisan bill that its sponsors say will help our nation regain its economic footing and global leadership by deploying energy efficiency widely across the US. “At a time of extremely acrimonious partisanship on Capitol Hill, Sens. Shaheen and Portman have reached bravely across the political divide to help American consumers and businesses that are reeling from rising energy costs,” commented Alliance President Kateri Callahan. She continued, “The Alliance applauds Sens. Shaheen and Portman for their statesmanship...

Nancy Midlock, 56, of southwest suburban Shorewood, gets teary recalling a gut-wrenching day and night on the Riviera Maya south of Cancun. It was 2003 and her 8-year-old son, Brent, had disappeared while on a family vacation. He was discovered dead and mangled after being sucked into a pool drain pipe. A trip to Mexico can go from heaven to horrendous in a moment, grieving parents of vacationers say. Last week, Midlock was among those lobbying in Washington who have lost children in vacation accidents. They urged Congress to pass a bill that would let those traveling internationally know dangers...

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., is the lead player in a legislative effort, already endorsed by a handful of other senators, that would spend $60 million to develop a program that would charge consumers for the costs of installing drunk-driving interlock devices in vehicles. The proposal, S.510, was introduced this week in the U.S. Senate by Udall, who was joined by Sens. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Al Franken, D-Minn., Amy Klobuchar D-Minn., West John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. The legislation actually doesn't call for the technology to be installed in...

House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Friday that he would reintroduce legislative language next week that would require large financial institutions to pay for federal mortgage assistance programs. Frank said his bill would allow four federal mortgage programs that Republicans are working to eliminate this month to continue operating without threatening to increase the U.S. budget deficit and debt. He said his bill would be similar to language that he tried unsuccessfully to include in financial reform legislation last year. "I don't mean to demonize, but I think Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo, and the Bank...

MADISON, WIS. - On a Tuesday afternoon in September 2003, during Scott Walker's first term as Milwaukee County executive, scores of union workers gathered at the local courthouse to protest layoffs he had ordered as part of an aggressive effort to balance the budget and avoid what he said would otherwise be necessary tax increases. They shouted anti-Walker chants, and union officials and Democratic officeholders took turns denouncing his slash-and-burn approach. The layoffs Walker had announced that summer decimated the county's public parks staff and also reduced the number of county social workers, corrections officers and janitors. As a result,...

Californians will welcome 725 new laws on Jan. 1. Here's a glance at some of the laws taking effect when you ring in the new year: AB 119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage. SB 782 prevents landlords from evicting tenants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse or stalking. AB 1844—informally known as Chelsea's Law and authored by local Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher—will increase penalties, parole provisions and oversight of sex offenders, including a "one-strike, life-without-parole penalty" for some.  AB 1871 allows people to lease out their cars when they...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sen. John Gleason 2010-12-16 (517) 373-0142 Legislature Passes Gleason Legislation to Heighten Safety for Michigan Residents and Students Gleason bills will encourage gun safety education for students, help cleanup contaminated sites in local communities, and strengthen health regulations in tattoo parlors LANSING—The Michigan Legislature recently voted to pass several bills sponsored by Senator John J. Gleason, including his legislation to increase programs for gun safety in public schools. Under Senate Bill 1402, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is required to develop or adopt a model gun safety program based on the “Eddie Eagle” curriculum...

First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign against childhood obesity got a big boost in Congress on Thursday, in the form of a letter signed by more than 1,100 groups that asks House members to immediately pass a childhood nutrition bill when they return next week. Signers include food, beverage and supermarket companies; public health, education, anti-hunger, faith-based, children's, women's, minority groups; and unions. They want the House to pass a $4.5 billion bill that cleared the Senate by unanimous consent just before the August recess.

Michelle Obama's nutrition bill fails in the House By ABBY PHILLIP | 9/30/10 4:31 PM EDT A bloc of progressive House Democrats resisted heavy White House lobbying and a 11th-hour push to broker a compromise on a child nutrition bill, ending chances that the legislation – a pet project of first lady Michelle Obama – would pass before the November midterm elections. At the root of the impasse: a proposed $2.2 billion cut in future funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps for the poor. Despite personal appeals by the first lady, the Democrats balked at...

If a RINO is a Republican In Name Only, let's coin a new acronym for David Brooks: RINYTO: Republican In New York Times Only. For only in the Gray Lady's bailiwick could Brooks be considered much of a Republican. Take his current column in the Times. Brooks warns Republicans on the verge of regaining power that it would be nothing short of a "tragedy" if they were to oppose . . . more government and higher taxes.

SNIPPET: “Tell me that the comprehensive plan is not about control,” she said. She reiterated concerns she has expressed during city meetings regarding the exclusion of the public from the process. “See, the majority of us were not invited,” Taylor-Restine said. A 21-member steering committee appointed by the City Commission drafted the plan, with the help of a consulting firm. It contains ideas and identifies priorities established during a 14-month process of meetings and hearings that by state law had to be open to the public. Any regulations initiated as a result of the comprehensive plan will have to go...

Impact for dietetics practitioners and consumers discussed in Journal of the American Dietetic AssociationSt. Louis, MO, September, 8, 2010 – The government's role in improving the nation's nutrition is now firmly established with nutritional labeling for restaurant meals now mandated across the United States as part of HR 3590 Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. An article in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association explains how state and municipal labeling laws developed and how the new national law will supersede these and replace them with a uniform standard. It also addresses the American Dietetic...

IN 2000 four Americans were charged with importing lobster tails in plastic bags rather than cardboard boxes, in violation of a Honduran regulation that Honduras no longer enforces. They had fallen foul of the Lacey Act, which bars Americans from breaking foreign rules when hunting or fishing. The original intent was to prevent Americans from, say, poaching elephants in Kenya. But it has been interpreted to mean that they must abide by every footling wildlife regulation on Earth. The lobstermen had no idea they were breaking the law. Yet three of them got eight years apiece. Two are still in...

Reporting from Washington — President Obama on Monday is set to create a national stewardship policy for America's oceans and Great Lakes, including a type of zoning that could dramatically rebalance the way government regulates offshore drilling, fishing and other marine activities.

When the 20 agents arrived bearing a search warrant at her Ventura County farmhouse door at 7 a.m. on a Wednesday a couple weeks back, Sharon Palmer didn't know what to say. This was the third time she was being raided in 18 months, and she had thought she was on her way to resolving the problem over labeling of her goat cheese that prompted the other two raids. (In addition to producing goat's milk, she raises cattle, pigs, and chickens, and makes the meat available via a CSA.) But her 12-year-old daughter, Jasmine, wasn't the least bit tongue-tied. "She...

Drop 'miles per gallon' as fuel measure, says US National Research Council The US National Research Council has said that "miles per gallon" should not be used on its own in measuring a car's fuel use, backing a green motorist's group which called the measure "stupid". By Tom Chivers Published: 2:57PM BST 13 Jul 2010 The NRC said that the measure caused consumers to overestimate the importance of changes at high miles-per-gallon (mpg) values, and underestimate it at small ones. Particularly, it says: "Fuel economy data cause consumers to undervalue small increases (1-4 mpg) in fuel economy for vehicles in...

Film buffs might recognize the Los Angeles River as the gigantic concrete gutter used for car chases in "Grease," "Terminator 2" and other movies. But the river is something else for U.S. EPA: "a traditional navigable water." EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's declaration of the cement-lined channel today as "navigable" is aimed at allowing her agency to enforce Clean Water Act protections throughout the river's 834-square-mile watershed.

Hundreds of New Yorkers, like others nationwide, have been making a few extra dollars by using sites such as AirBnB, Crashpadder, Roomorama, and Craigslist to sublet pullout sofas, living rooms, and whole apartments. But that may end soon. This week, New York state senators vote on a bill that would make it illegal for any homeowner or renter to sublet for less than a month. The new law would be a blanket ban on short-term rentals no matter how ethical the renter is. (It's always been illegal to violate co-op leases and condominium bylaws.) This proposed law is bad news...

Senator Jim DeMint June 4, 2010 U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) voiced concerns that the Senate passes over 90% of legislation without any debate, without amendment, and without a roll call vote. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B751mhY-QE&feature=player_embedded

A Democratic congressman is seeking to strip the word "navigable" from the 1972 Clean Water Act to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to surpass the limits imposed by a 2001 Supreme Court ruling on the kinds of waterways the agency can regulate. A Democratic congressman is seeking to strip the word "navigable" from the 1972 Clean Water Act to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to surpass the limits imposed by a 2001 Supreme Court ruling on the kinds of waterways the agency can regulate.

In addition to the "hate crime" language, Bill S2283, titled "An Act Relative to Bullying in Schools" is clearly the product of an activist push. MassResistance has been critical of the entire process of this "anti-bully bill", which has been sleazy and disingenuous. Bullying in schools appears to be a legitimate problem that may be getting worse. Over the past year two children in Massachusetts have committed suicide -- apparently resulting from bullying. Studies have overwhelmingly shown that kids rarely bully other kids due to the victim's race, religion, color, etc. It's almost always because of psychological issues of the...

First Lady to Governors: Address Child Obesity THE ASSOCIATED PRESS February 20, 2010 WASHINGTON (AP) -- First lady Michelle Obama appealed to governors on Saturday for help in reducing child obesity and said they had a moral and financial imperative to act. She praised states for their steps already and assured state leaders that the federal government had no interest in taking over their efforts. ''Let's stop wringing our hands and talking about it and citing statistics,'' she told governors at their winter meeting. ''Let's act. Let's move. Let's give our kids the future they deserve.'' The first lady found...

'Million dollar tortoises' shed light on state's environmental laws James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer 12/28/2009 They might be the most expensive tortoises to walk the San Bernardino County desert. A northern California energy company will pay $25 million to relocate and protect 25 threatened desert tortoises before it can start building a massive solar power plant in the northeastern part of the county near the Nevada border. And while calculating the environmental impact is more complicated than saying "$1 million per tortoise," the case illustrates the tremendous complexity - and high cost - of environmental laws that come into play...

State officials and advocates for the rights of the disabled are hailing a $1.1 billion settlement of a suit regarding access to sidewalks and facilities owned or maintained by the state's Department of Transportation. "This settlement is a win-win," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a statement released by Caltrans today. . . .

Video Either you do cap and trade or we do cap; no trade... Government given power to regulate every aspect of your life through EPA... The new socialism... States there will be a new revolution... watch video.

Note: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ____________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release June 23, 2009 EXECUTIVE ORDER - - - - - - - ESTABLISHING A WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL ON AUTOMOTIVE COMMUNITIES AND WORKERS By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. Over the last decade, the United States has experienced a decline in employment in the auto industry and among part suppliers. This decline has accelerated dramatically over...

The Logan's daughter hung herself after she sent a naked photo of herself to her boyfriend. He passed it on to several students in several schools. "My only baby that I will never be able to touch again," Cynthia Logan said through tears. "I will never have grandchildren. I will never be able to hand down my heirlooms. I'm just devastated by these parents that allow their children to do and say anything they want.""Schools need to understand our kids are targeting each other and how technology is being used as a weapon," Aftab said. "None of them (the schools)...

Friend -- In the weeks since the election, I've had an opportunity to talk to folks around the state to get a sense of what they would like to see from our leaders in Washington. If this election has proven anything, it's that Virginians and Americans want leaders who focus less on partisan ideology and more on finding solutions that produce results that will get this economy back on the right track. In my conversations across the state, I've heard from community, academic and business leaders who are all focused on the economic downturn and who have all shared new...

During the collapse of the Soviet Empire, Mikhail Gorbachev promoted the so-called "Third Way" as an alternative to free markets. This new way of governing would be neither capitalist nor communist, but something in between. In a similar vein, President Clinton said in his 1998 State of the Union address, "We have moved past the sterile debate between those who say government is the enemy and those who say government is the answer. My fellow Americans, we have found a Third Way." This Third Way calls for business and government to join hands as "partners." As Clinton told the Economic...

While the NFL has insisted that it is committed to helping disabled former players, the league does not maintain records of which players, or how many, are driven from the game by injury, ESPN.com has learned. That fact is contained in more than 2,000 pages of documents the NFL and NFL Players Association delivered to the House Judiciary Committee last month. It has startled members of Congress who are investigating the NFL's disability benefits. And it has added to a growing feeling among key members of the House and Senate that the league's business practices deserve increased scrutiny and possibly...

Car tires must be fully inflated, trucks fitted with aerodynamic devices and cargo ship engines silenced when docked at port under global warming proposals adopted Thursday by state air regulators. The California Air Resources Board approved six new mandates that manufacturers, shipping and trucking companies will be asked to follow beginning 2010 as a way to help the state get an early start at cutting greenhouse gases. The board also approved rules that nonprofit groups must follow if they want to get credit for growing trees or changing how private forest lands are managed to store carbon dioxide. "We see...

Dealing with global warming will be painful, says one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress. To back up his claim he is proposing a recipe many people won't like _ a 50-cent gasoline tax, a carbon tax and scaling back tax breaks for some home owners.Dingell says he hasn't rule out such a so-called "cap-and-trade" system, either, but that at least for now he wants to float what he believes is a better idea. He will propose for discussion: _A 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline and jet fuel, phased in over five years, on top of existing taxes. _A tax...

(New York State) Governor (Eliot) Spitzer has signed legislation requiring automakers to put a "global warming index" sticker on new cars and passenger trucks beginning in the 2010 model year, detailing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. New York is the second state in the nation to pass the legislation, following California. Spitzer again called global warming "1 of the most serious environmental problems of our generation." The requirement will apply to passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks with a gross weight of 8,500 pounds or less. Each sticker will include an index that compares the emissions of global warming...

(2007-04-13) — Democrats who control the House and Senate today agreed to a long term “progressive” strategy to begin making laws sometime in late 2008 or early 2009, once they complete their investigations of everyone in the Bush administration. “We don’t want to be too literalistic when it comes to defining the word 'legislator',” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, whose judiciary committee is investigating whether eight political appointees were fired from the Justice Department for political reasons. “However, at some point we think lawmaking would be a nice change of pace from the daily routine of hearings and probes of...

Drivers, students, dogs, smokers will be affected SACRAMENTO – California's government has made about 900 New Year's resolutions for you. Eat your veggies. Go to the dentist. Don't smoke in parking garages. Pay low-wage workers more. No cruising in a car trunk. Leave Fido at home on hot days – but don't tether him in the yard either. Oh, and don't bribe your local politician. But unlike easily broken promises to ourselves, these resolutions are law starting today. Some even clarify what you can do, instead of can't do. Among those: charities can host casino nights after years of police...

Stryker base here is found illegal Plaintiffs claim the Army must halt related work while preparing a supplemental study » A look at the Stryker situation By Gregg K. Kakesako gkakesako@starbulletin.com A federal appellate court found yesterday that the Army had violated environmental laws by not considering all alternatives in establishing a Stryker Combat Brigade in Hawaii. The 2-1 vote by a three-judge panel assigned to the San Francisco 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was seen as a victory for the nonprofit environmental group Earthjustice. Earthjustice attorney David Henkin said the federal appeals court ruling meant "the Army must...

    RENO, Nev. (AP) -- The Bush administration will host a conference next week to discuss the recent rash of school violence across the country, the White House said yesterday.     Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said the conference will bring together education and law-enforcement officials to talk about the nature of the problem and federal action that can help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath.     Three schools have been hit by deadly attacks in the past week, the latest attack coming yesterday in Pennsylvania's Amish country.     "The president is deeply saddened and troubled by the recent school violence and shootings...

Motorists would be banned from using handheld cell phones - a problem blamed for thousands of vehicle crashes and fatalities - under a bill expected to be approved by the Legislature next week. Modeled after a New York City law, Senate Bill 1613 would fine drivers using handheld cell phones $20 for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses beginning Jan. 1, 2008. It would not apply to drivers using hands-free models and would exempt motorists using handheld cell phones in emergencies. And the legislation would remain in effect only until July 1, 2011, unless renewed. "Cell phones are...

The following GLBT related legislation is currently in process in the California Legislature.  While some of these bills sound generic in nature, all are being supported by major GLBT activist organizations in California as advancing homosexual rights.  AB 606 - Safe Place to Learn Act Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys)Would require school districts to establish and publicize an antidiscrimination and antiharassment policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment as specified under current law, including, but not limited to, actual or perceived gender identity and sexual orientation and provides penalties for school districts found to be in violation of that law, including...

With hurricane season under way and images of Katrina lingering, state lawmakers are turning to the plight of pets in emergencies – an issue among a host of animal-related legislation to reach governors’ desks in recent weeks. Since May 22, the governors of Florida, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Vermont have signed bills that provide more protection for pets during emergencies. In Louisiana, where animal rights groups estimate thousands of pets died during Katrina, a bill passed by the Legislature June 15 has drawn national attention as the most sweeping attempt to keep pets and their owners together during disasters. Meanwhile,...

Starting July 1, California will begin enforcing the country’s first “car buyer’s bill of rights,” Virginia colleges will start cross-checking the names of incoming freshmen with sex-offender registries, and the face of Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich will be banned from state tourism ads. Also among a plethora of new state laws to take effect Saturday are new protections for breast-feeding moms in Alabama, Georgia’s toughest-in-the-nation restrictions on where sex offenders can live, and new solutions in Minnesota and Washington state to the digital age’s growing mounds of electronic waste. July 1 is the effective date of choice for new laws...