May 7, 2010
Telephone Community Meetings
I have scheduled a telephone community meeting for Monday May 10th and the next will occur on May 17th. Both meetings will take place from 6:30 – 7:30 PM. If you would like to participate in any of the meetings, just dial 1-877-229-8493 and use pin 13034 at the scheduled time to participate. I look forward to hearing what's on your mind.
Recent Votes
On Thursday the House considered H.R. 5019: the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act which authorizes $6 billion in funding for consumers who renovate their homes and make them more energy efficient. Once funding is appropriated, rebates will be available for improvements such as insulation, windows and duct sealing. H.R. 5019 will create approximately 168,000 jobs in struggling industries like construction and manufacturing. I voted YES. H.R. 5019 passed and the vote is recorded below:
| |
YEA |
NAY |
PRESENT |
NOT VOTING |
| DEMOCRAT |
234 |
7 |
0 |
12 |
| REPUBLICAN |
12 |
154 |
0 |
11 |
| TOTAL |
246 |
161 |
0 |
23 |
MASSACHUSETTS
DELEGATION |
9 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Campaign Finance Reform
On Thursday, the Committee on House Administration — of which I am a member — held a hearing on H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act. This bill is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court's January decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which broadly struck down many campaign finance reforms instituted over the years. By requiring greater disclosure in campaign spending from corporations, unions, and non-profit organizations, the legislation seeks to uncover who is spending for political speech so that it is clear who is behind electioneering messages. During the hearing, some witnesses also endorsed my bill — H.R. 4790, the Shareholder Protection Act — which addresses the Supreme Court ruling in a different way, by requiring corporations to receive authorization from shareholders before spending general treasury funds for political activities.
While the DISCLOSE Act isn't perfect, I think it represents a step in the right direction towards greater transparency in campaign messaging, and it is my hope that both this bill and the Shareholder Protection Act will move forward swiftly for consideration in the House.
What's Up Next Week
Next week, the House is expected to consider H.R. 5116: America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010.
My Voting Record
