Key Vote: Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

- Vote Agreed to (60-39)

The Senate passed the final version of the financial regulation reform legislation in July. The bill creates new regulatory procedures to assess risks posed by large financial institutions and facilitate the orderly dissolution of failing firms that pose a threat to the economy. It will also create a new federal agency to oversee consumer financial products, bring the derivatives market under significant federal regulation and give shareholders and regulators greater say on executive pay.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES
Sen. George LeMieux voted NO

Key Vote: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Reconciliation

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Reconciliation

- Vote Passed (56-43, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate passed the final version of a bill to overhaul the nation’s health care system in March using a procedure known as reconciliation, which allows the Senate to bypass a filibuster with a simple majority. The bill mandates that individuals buy health insurance with exceptions for certain religious groups and those who cannot afford coverage. Those who do not buy insurance will be subject to a tax. Under the bill, beginning in 2014 insurance companies cannot deny coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions, and cannot drop coverage of people who become ill. In addition, a section of the bill makes the federal government the sole originator of student loans.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES
Sen. George LeMieux voted NO

Key Vote: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

- Vote Passed (228-194, 10 Not Voting)

The House gave final approval to this measure funding government operations through December 3, 2010. The 2011 fiscal year began on October 1, 2010 with none of the annual spending bills completed. The president signed it into law on September 30.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw voted NO

Key Vote: NASA Authorization Act of 2010

NASA Authorization Act of 2010

- Vote Passed (304-118, 10 Not Voting)

The House gave final approval to this bill authorizing $58.4 billion in NASA spending over the next three fiscal years. The president is expected to sign the bill which largely follows the administration’s plan for NASA.

Rep. Ander Crenshaw voted YES

Key Vote: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

- Vote Passed (69-30, 1 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this measure funding government operations through December 3, 2010. The 2011 fiscal year began on October 1, 2010 with none of the annual spending bills completed. The House passed the measure a short time later and President Obama signed it into law on September 30.

Sen. Bill Nelson voted YES
Sen. George LeMieux voted NO

Florida gets almost $25 million in federal grants

The state of Florida is getting nearly $25 million in federal grants for substance abuse and addiction treatment.

Health News Florida reported Friday that four community health centers in Florida will share $14.5 million for expansion, and five counties will share nearly $9.7 million for addiction treatment.

$20M in house buying help available in Jax

Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority has issued an additional $20 million in single family mortgage revenue bonds, according to a news release.

Proceeds from the bonds will provide low interest mortgage financing and assistance with down payment or closing costs to families in need.

The program has lowered the interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage to 3.99 percent and extended the program until Feb. 1, 2011.

To qualify, an individual or family must meet specific income guidelines and standard credit underwriting requirements. The home must be a primary residence and located within Duval County. Qualified participants include first-time homebuyers, honorably discharged veterans or persons refinancing a predatory loan product.

The first-time homebuyer requirement will be waived for borrowers refinancing qualified subprime loans, which are adjustable rate, single-family residential mortgage loans that closed between Jan. 1, 2002, and Dec. 31, 2007, and that the HFA determines would be reasonably likely to cause financial hardship to the borrower if not refinanced. The market value of a residence that is refinanced cannot exceed $250,000 at the time of the financing.

Guest column: Third party audit is needed to shine light on city budget

Just read the whole column by City Council member Bill Bishop.

Deportations of illegals falls short of goal

Overall, deportations totaled about 392,000, or a less than 1 percent increase over 2009, leaving U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement short of of the goal it set for itself of 400,000 deportations.

Still, the administration said its new focus on immigrants with criminal records is paying off, with about half of those deported in 2010 being convicted criminals. In 2009, when about 390,000 immigrants were deported, only about a third of them had criminal records.

Summary of Amendments on Florida Ballots

Amendment 1, Repeal of Public Campaign Finance Requirement

• Sponsor: Florida Legislature
• Summary: Proposing the repeal of the provision in the state constitution that requires public financing of campaigns of candidates for elective statewide office who agree to campaign spending limits.

Amendment 2, Homestead ad Valorem Tax Credit for Deployed Military Personnel

• Sponsor: Florida Legislature
• Summary: Proposing to add to the constitution an additional homestead exemption for military members who were deployed during the previous year.

Amendment 4, Referenda Required for Adoption and Amendment of Local Government Comprehensive Land Use Plans

• Sponsor: Florida Hometown Democracy, Inc. PAC
• Summary: Proposes to add to the constitution a requirement that any changes to a local government's land use plan be approved by the voters. Currently, changes are approved by the local government.

Amendment 5, Standards for Legislature to Follow in Legislative Redistricting

• Sponsor: FairDistrictsFlorida.org
• Summary: Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries. The proposal aims to eliminate any district preferences for or against a political party or incumbent.

Amendment 6, Standards for Legislature to Follow in Congressional Redistricting

• Sponsor: FairDistrictsFlorida.org
• Summary: It's the same as Amendment 5, but aimed at congressional representation rather than state legislator representation.

Amendment 8, Revision of the Class Size Requirements for Florida Public Schools

• Sponsor: Florida Legislature
• Summary: The proposal increases the maximum number of students allowed in each public classroom.

Complete amendment information is available on the state Division of Elections website.

Few U.S. companies seek to export

Only about 1 percent, or roughly 280,000, of American companies export, and that share isn’t growing, although existing exporters are increasing their foreign market share, a trade analyst told a Jacksonville symposium Tuesday morning.

Jorge Arce, director of the U.S. Commercial Service’s Jacksonville office, said about 97 percent of U.S. exporters are small companies, and most of those have 15 or less employees. Queries to his office from companies looking to get into exporting have been nearly nonexistent during the recession.

Walk this way: U.S. out of step with weight loss

Researchers compared 1,136 U.S. adults wearing pedometers with adults involved in similar studies in Australia, Japan and Switzerland. The mean number of steps Americans take in a day is 5,117, compared with 9,695 for Australians, the walking leaders among the four countries. The USA's 34% adult obesity rate is more than double Australia's 16%.

On Politics: Dissenting opinions not always welcome

At last week’s raucous Jacksonville City Council meeting, roughly 80 people took to the podium to address the council, with the overwhelming majority opposing a tax hike.

But only one was quizzed on her occupation.

Elexia Coleman-Moss, a young entrepreneur who serves as chair of JCCI Forward, was called back to the podium by Councilman Clay Yarborough after she spoke in favor of preserving social services.

Coleman-Moss responded with an explanation of her vocation and was then asked if she received city money.

She doesn’t. But the same can’t be said for some speakers who opposed the hike.

Astoundingly, they didn’t face the same query.

History of Upton Sinclair

"The Jungle"

"Welcome to the Jungle"

"The Profits of Religion"

"Consumerism and Information Privacy"

Overview

More Overview

History of the Meat Inspection Act

Brief Overview

"USDA Celebrates 100 Years of Food Safety"

"Remarks Upon Signing Bill"

Overview

"The Federal Meat Inspection Act"

More Overview

"Meat Inspection and Grading"

History of the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

"The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906"

"Industry Invites Regulation."

Overview

"Upton Sinclair and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906"

More Overview

Election Guide: Governor and Lieutenant Governor (Florida)

This guide is for Governor and Lieutenant Governor (Florida)

The seven candidates and their platforms:

1) Rick Scott (Republican).

• Institute "Accountability Budgeting."
  
• Opposed to immigration amnesty.
  
• Committed to "conserving Florida's natural resources" and preserving the Everglades."
  
• He started Columbia Hospital in 1987 which is now "the 12th largest employer in the world."
  
• Co-founder of Florida based Solantic Health.
  
• Opposes Obama's "government-run public option."
  
• Supports a state constitutional amendment that prohibits the federal government from imposing Obama's mandate.
  
• NRA member and supporter of the 2d Amendment.
  
• "Rick will create jobs by keeping taxes low and limiting job killing regulations."
  
• In the 1990s, the FBI launched an investigation of the Columbia Hospital which "led to the company pleading guilty to criminal charges of overbilling the government." They "paid a record $1.7 billion in fines"

Sources: http://www.rickscottforflorida.com/home/
Sun-Sentinel article.
Tampa-Bay.com article.

2) Alex Sink (Democrat).

• "26 successful years in business."
  
• Currently Florida's Chief Financial Officer.
  
• Put a stop to "Project Aspire, an $89 million, over-budget and under-performing state accounting program she inherited upon taking office"
• Launched initiatives like the Safeguard Our Senior Task Force to "protect older Floridians from financial fraud" and Florida Housing Help, a program that "provides assistance to Floridians facing mortgage foreclosure."
• She is the chair of Take Stock in Children.
  
• She was president of Florida's largest bank, in charge of over "$40 billion in customer deposits while supervising more than 9,000 employees in 800 branches."
  
• "Stabilize and expand small business."
  
• Creation of a Florida job-creation tax credit.
• "Increase efforts to market Florida as a retirement destination."
  
• Use her role to promote successful companies in Florida to the world.
  
• Expand R&D tax credits.
  
• "Leverage up to $2 billion for high-tech investment" from the Florida Retirement System Trust Fund.
  
• Create Energy Finance Districts which would "provide residential, commercial, and industrial loans to retrofit properties with energy-efficient systems."
  
• Create a small business ombudsman within the Governor's Office.
  
• Will "require that state regulatory agencies work together to simplify regulations."
  
• Create a "one-stop" web portal for start-up businesses.
  
• Require all top state agency officials to sign performance contracts with benchmarks.
  
• Create a "non-partisan watchdog office...to make state government more efficient."
  
• Invest in high-quality pre-kindergarten education programs.
  
• Invest in intervention programs to reduce crime.
  
• Eliminate numerous exemptions from competitive bidding requirements.
  
• Consolidate call centers, the state fleet management and "unneeded state property."
• Reduce state cell phone usage to save "$6 million" as well as the use office supplies to save an additional $14 million.
  
• Go after more federal transportation funding.
  
• Hire a contractor to help the state draw down more federal funds.
  
• "Merit pay for teachers and charter schools need to be part" of educational reform.
  
• Require full disclosure of state party credit card spending.
  
• Ban gifts from Vendors to State agency employees.
  
• Promote Florida's new Property Assessed Clean Energy program, "which allows local governments to offer low-interest loans to property owners for making energy-efficient improvement to their homes."
  
• Impose "stiff state fines" on private companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers.
  
• Veto any legislation that diverts money from the state's highway trust fund to other projects.
  
• Offer tax incentives for businesses to use rail.
  

Sources: http://www.alexsink2010.com/
MyFloridaCFO.com
Sink Unveils Alternative Energy Plan

3) Peter Allen (Independent).

• Owner of two small businesses.
  
• "Graduated from Brandon High night school with a GED in 2000, at the age of fifty."
  
• Born on "all Saints day."
  
• "Eliminate the special tax privileges that riddle Florida's tax codes, close all loopholes. except those that provide wellcare to our Children and the Elderly."
• "Require that The Florida State Legislature provide full funding for all mandates they force on lower levels of government."
• "Include sunset clauses in legislation along with a statement of the law's original intent."
• "Restrict taxing authority to elected boards."
  
• "Require all student loan organizations to fully explain the cost for student loans."
• Promotes increasing Charter Schools.
  
• "Make the criminals pay for the criminal justice system."
• Privatize the states' prison system.
  
• Decriminalize small amounts of Marijuana.
  
• "Enact a Health Care Bill of Rights to provide basic health care to all of Florida's legal residents, and to protect the rights of citizens to freely exercise self interest in choosing health care."
• Charge illegal immigrants for health care and education.
  
• "Eliminate corporate welfare through public funding of professional sports stadiums and other commercial enterprises."
• "Set term limits for all elected officials."
• "Require all current office holder's to step down when running for another office, ending the Campaigning on the tax payer dollar."

Sources: http://peter4governor.com/governor/

4) Michael E. Arth (NPA).

• Created "Villages for the Homeless" an organization that fights to end homelessness with less money.
  
• Served as a public policy analyst for over 15 years.
  
• Redesigned Downtown DeLand's Historic Garden District.
• Supports a "woman's right to choose."
  
• "We must end the expensive and self-destructive war on drugs and treat abuse as the health issue it is."
  
• The death penalty is unconstitutional.
  
• Supports "regulated, limited public campaign financing with little or no private campaign financing allowed; direct voting; proportional representation; [and] instant runoff voting."
  
• "We should run our state like any prudent investor – put money into reserve in fat years and use those reserves in the lean years. That way, we can still follow Keynesian economics without going into debt."
• Encourage growth of Charter Schools.
  
• Have smaller class sizes.
  
• Use "personalized, interactive, online teaching...with small neighborhood schools."
  
• "We should not drill for oil off the coast."
  
• Charge a 25 cent environmental tax on plastic garbage bags and plastic water bottles.
  
• "Funding should not be connected with" the FCAT.
  
• Supports "equal rights, including marriage, for gays."
  
• "Extend Brady Background checks to all gun sales."
  
• Supports a "single-payer" health system but "we should leave off the extraordinary end of life care and the other things that cost a lot but do not improve our quality of life."
  
• "The government should stay out of the bedroom of consenting adults, but sex workers should have health and business–related regulations, and pay taxes, like the rest of us."
• "Divert the non–violent mentally ill and substance abusers to supervised housing and treatment that would cost society a fraction as much."
• Believes in the "constitutional separation of church and state."
  
• Supports the Europe value added tax (VAT).
  
• He is "pro-union."
  

Sources: http://www.michaelearth.org/org/index.html
http://www.pedestrianvillages.com//vfh/

5) Farid Khavari (NPA).

• He is an "Economist (PhD) and also an accomplished author."
  
• We "need to eliminate stupid little details that prevent jobs from being created" (i.e. waiting for certification of a product).
• Use the Bank of the State of Florida (which he would create) to offer 2% interest loans to jobs that focus on stimulating the "demand side."
  
• (I am assuming based on inference) Use the Bank of the State of Florida to offer 2% interest loans for home mortgages.
  
• To lower property taxes and eventually eliminate them altogether.
  
• Create "Homogeneous multi-specialty clinics" to decrease the costs of health care.
• Have "affordable universal insurance coverage for all Floridians including health care, natural disaster, car, home and life insurance."
• 6% interest credit card maximum.
  
• Lower the "interest rate to 2% on student loans, and ultimately [make] them free."
  
• Support the solar industry to cut the cost of energy and to create jobs in Florida.
  
• Create a "zero-cost economy."
  

Sources: http://www.khavariforgovernor.com/about/
http://www.zerocosteconomy.com/about_farid_khavari-detailed.html

http://www.examiner.com/miami-dade-county-elections-2010-in-miami/dr-farid-khavari-just-what-dems-ordered-for-florida-governor

6) C.C. Reed (NPA).

• Supporter of President Obama.
  
• "Knowledge is our power and unity is our strength."
  
• A "child of God."
• "The longest running candidate for Governor."

Sources: http://www.electccreed.com/
http://www.nowourway.com/home.htm

7) Daniel Imperato (NPA).

• A "global businessman."
  
• A trustee of the African Center Foundation, a United Nations NGO.
  
• Create a Social Security charity fund.
  
• Require "an approval fee on all FDA approved drugs to be contributed by the drug companies to the US healthcare system."
  
• Supports a US online education system.
  
• Supports "joint manufacturing programs, expansion of labor unions and organized labor into Latin America."
  
• "America must setup a payback system for the US taxpayers and the money that they have spent in Iraq using revenues from oil sales."

Sources: http://www.imperato2008.com/imperato2008/

The Hepburn Railway Act (1906)

"Hepburn Rate Bill"

Overview - PBS

More Overview

Even More Overview

"Sweeping Rate Rise Since Hepburn Act" - NY Times

History of the Elkins Act (1903)

"State Regulators and Pragmatic Federalism"

"With Iron Interlaced"

"Antitrust and Regulation"

Timeline

"Discontent and Reform"

"Cassatt on Rate Question" - NY Times

History of the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902

Overview

"The Coal Strike of 1902"

Primary and Secondary Sources

"Anthracite Coal Strike Settled" - NY Times

"Report to the President" (1902)

More Overview

Speech from Secretary of War (1902)

"The Boys in the Breakers"