Fri, February 13, 2009 - 6:56 PM

WASHINGTON – Florida’s senators on Friday wrote to Education Secretary Arne Duncan asking for swift help so the state may qualify for the $2.7 billion it would get from a key funding category of the stimulus bill.

Right now, Florida does not meet the requirements to receive its share of a huge $54.4 billion pot of money in the $787 billion bill that was fashioned to help cash-strapped states balance their budgets – mostly through added funding for education needs.

That’s because a state, to get the money, must be funding K-12 and higher education at no less than 2006 levels. States that are not would forfeit their share of the so-called “State Fiscal Stabilization Fund” money to other states.

Florida falls $600 million short on that count because it has 30,000 fewer students than in 2006, the biggest drop in public enrollment in the state’s history.

But in their letter Friday to Duncan, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Sen. Mel Martinez noted, “the legislation also provides you (the Education Secretary) with the authority to waive this requirement in cases of hardship.”

“We believe that your process will include soliciting applications from governors who wish to use State Fiscal Stabilization dollars … we trust that you will evaluate all applications and waiver requests as quickly and prudently as possible,” they wrote.

“Finally, we hope that you will give serious consideration to states that only fail to meet this requirement because of their unusually high levels of funding in 2006, and to those which have been hit particularly hard by unemployment, foreclosures, and other factors that affect families’ well being,” their letter concludes.

Florida's GOP governor, Charlie Crist, said he is concerned about that but optimistic. “I'm concerned about everything, … but I think we have a very good relationship with this new administration in Washington, and if a waiver might be necessary, I think we would be successful,” he said.

-- Billy House

... as in a wheelchair, with a broken foot.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite has re-fractured the foot she broke a couple of years ago, confirms her press secretary, Charlie Keller.

Word is that the Brooksville Republican dropped a shampoo bottle on her foot while in the shower.

At least that’s how a woman who was waiting outside a meeting today to push the congresswoman back to her office explained it.

She doesn’t use it all the time, only “when it hurts,” said Keller, when asked about the wheelchair.

-- Billy House, Media General News Service

Thu, February 12, 2009 - 6:56 PM

Several Virginia Republicans remain opposed to the $789 billion stimulus bill as it heads for a vote in Congress Friday.

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, the House Republican whip, worked Thursday to keep GOP members opposed to the bill. Not one Republican voted for the stimulus bill in the House last month.

“We should have a bill that works. This bill falls woefully short of a true stimulus effort,” Cantor said.

Cantor has called for more tax cuts to be included in the legislation. A third of the bill’s cost is tax cuts, but much of that is a continuation of a law to spare millions of middle-income Americans from paying the alternative minimum tax in 2009.

As Republicans rolled out of a private caucus meeting Thursday afternoon, lawmakers said it was likely that some moderate House Republicans would end up voting for the compromise bill.

“I don’t talk about numbers and where our counts are,” said Cantor, who was credited with keeping the GOP caucus united last time around. “All I can tell you is we need to have knowledge of what’s in the bill.”

It “is a little bit difficult for us to come through, but we will,” Cantor said.

Several Virginia Republicans remain opposed to the bill.

“We’ve got economists all over the place saying, ‘don’t do this,’” said Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, who is one of 16 House Republicans who have repeatedly opposed every single stimulus, bailout or rebate vote. He said neither President George W. Bush’s tax rebates, the auto industry bailout nor the Wall Street bailout bills did anything to turn around the nation’s economy. “We’ve been right on all three,” Forbes said.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, opposed the bill on grounds it did not have targeted tax relief for small businesses. “We’re making it harder for them, not easier for them with this,” he said.

Overheard
With Republicans expected to be on the losing end of the vote in the Democratic-run House, several lawmakers and aides were overhead leaving their caucus meeting with a hint of partisan rancor.

“We ought to tell that snake Rahm Emanuel–” one representative said, referring to the White House chief of staff.

Another pair of aides was heard laughing about how the Republicans, after losing the stimulus vote, could resort to using political rhetoric to rally the public to their side in opposing the spending plan.

“There’s certain things that suck about being in the minority, but throwing bombs is kind of cool,” one male aide said to an agreeing female staffer.

But Cantor said he was not looking for “any kind of moral victories or political victories. What I’m looking for is help for this economy and help for the families.”

Wed, February 11, 2009 - 1:00 PM

Actor-activist Ted Danson continues is testifying this afternoon to the House Committee on Natural Resources on what he says is the need to protect the nation’s coasts from the threats posed by oil and gas development.

“I am here to testify against the opening up of the outer continental shelf of our oceans to oil and gas development,” said Danson, a member of the Board of Directors at Oceana, a global ocean conservation group based in Washington.

“Oil and water don’t mix,” Danson said, with actor-wife Mary Steenburgen sitting behind him in the hearing room.

“Our oceans give essential protein to nearly half the world’s population. In the US, recreational and commercial fisheries combined supply over 2 million jobs,” he said, in his written statement. “On top of that, coastal tourism provides 28.3 million jobs and annually generates $54 billion in goods and services.”

“Ecosystems are disrupted top to bottom by the short and long term effects of oil. More oil spills mean less abundant oceans,” he said. “More oil spills mean fewer wonderful, pristine beaches. More oil spills mean fewer jobs.”

Danson in now taking questions from the committee members. They’ve taken a break, at his request, but will come back and continue the questioning.

“I would like to stay here all day,” Danson said, in asking for the break.

“Next time, I will try to not be so nervous and not drink a lot of water.”

-- Billy House, Media General News Service

Here’s a look at some key differences between the Senate and House version of the economic stimulus bill and what Virginia would receive under the two plans.


House Senate

Aid for State Budget Shortfall $1.6 billion $779.9 million

Highways $745.5 million $699.9 million

Transit $100.6 million $136.6 million

Community Service Block Grants $16 million $3.2 million

Education - Head Start $11.2 million $5.3 million

Food Stamps $355 million $227.5 million

Educational Technology $16.4 million $15.9 million

Employment Services $10 million $8.6 million

SOURCES: Office of the Speaker of the House; Senate Democratic Policy Committee

“Saddened” by what Democrats are doing in Washington, John McCain is back on the fundraising stump.

This time, to raise money for his 2010 Senate re-election bid.

Now is not the time to step away from his work in the Senate, the Arizona senator explains in an e-mail solicitation to supporters.

Here’s what he says:

“Being the Republican nominee for President was one of the great honors of my life and an experience I will never forget. Some have wondered, after my hard fought presidential campaign, if I plan to run for re-election to the United States Senate.

I want you to know that I do intend to seek re-election. The magnitude of the financial crisis that many American families are facing makes it clear to me that I want to continue to serve our country in the Senate.

While the leader of the Democratic Party, President Obama, has pledged to change business as usual in Washington and spoken of bipartisanship, I have been saddened to watch as Congressional Democrats try to use their majority to advocate more of the same failed policies and wasteful spending of the past. With so much at stake, now is not the time to step away from my work in the Senate.

I hope you will join "Friends of McCain" today, he says, asking for donations of "$25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or more to my re-election campaign."

-- Billy House, Media General News Service

Tue, February 10, 2009 - 3:16 PM

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced today that President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress Feb. 24 -- Fat Tuesday. Those party animals, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were at the White House bright and early before the president left for Fort Myers, Fla. They invited him to speak, and he accepted.

On Air Force One en route to Florida, Gibbs said he was making the announcement "much to my chagrin and what I would normally, would have wanted to do that night. But you'll hear the president instead."

Asked how he normally spends Mardi Gras, Gibbs said, "I used to have a party for Mardi Gras. We would cook -- a little gumbo, a little etouffee. It's been a couple years since I had that party."

Hey, maybe Obama will bring the gumbo.

-- Marsha Mercer

Mon, February 09, 2009 - 6:43 PM

WASHINGTON – Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar is expected Tuesday afternoon to make a major announcement about the future off-shore oil drilling policies of President Barack Obama’s administration.

Salazar’s office sent out a notice today saying the announcement will be “regarding the nation’s energy development strategy for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf…”

The announcement will be closely watched by those in Florida for what it might mean to the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and by those as well in Atlantic coast states.

Obama has said he supports some expanded off-shore drilling; but has not been much more specific than that. The Interior Department oversees the nation's energy resources and environment, including oil and gas drilling on public lands.

Salazar, while still a Colorado senator, was part of a bipartisan group that supported a proposal last year that called for both additional offshore drilling and taxing the oil industry, while funneling more money into renewable energy.

That bill, which would also have permitted drilling in the Atlantic Ocean at least 50 miles off the coasts of four Southeastern states, ultimately was not passed.

But last year, Congress did let expire a 26-year ban on Atlantic, Pacific and Alaskan offshore drilling - including off the Atlantic shores of Florida.

And a proposal in the final days of the Bush administration could push the drilling in these areas forward.

Conservationists and others are now pushing the Obama administration to work to reinstate the ban.

Congress this year could either do so or, more likely, allow some drilling while restricting most oil production within sight of the shore.

Meantime, the areas off of Florida's west coast - the Eastern Gulf of Mexico - are protected through 2022 under legislation passed by Florida’s Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and its Republican Sen. Mel Martinez.

The closest point drilling can occur is about 100 miles off of the Panhandle and 125 miles off of most areas of Florida. House Democrats from the state have been assured by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she would not permit any legislation to pass that will alter that.

-- Billy House, Media General News Service

This morning, as President Barack Obama was boarding Marine One, the helicopter that ferries him from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base where Air Force One is hangared, he brushed his head against the top of the door.

A video of the "incident" is currently atop CNN's Political Ticker blog. If you watch it, pay close attention, otherwise you might miss the head bump.

So far, over 500 people have commented on the item, most of them wondering why this is news.

-- Mark Young

Fri, February 06, 2009 - 12:46 PM

It hasn't exactly been a secret, but Rep. Artur Davis is expected to announce today his plans to run for governor in 2010.

Davis is a three-term Democratic congressman from Birmingham who is a long-time friend of President Barack Obama.

Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks are also considering running for governor as Democrats.

-- Amy Dominello

Thu, February 05, 2009 - 4:34 PM

U.S. Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue is to be in the Tampa Bay area of Florida Friday to tour Social Security offices alongside U.S. Rep Ginny Brown-Waite.

Brown-Waite, of Brooksvill, Fla., is newly appointed to the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, and is a member of its Social Security subcommittee.

According to a schedule sent out by Brown-Waite’s office, she and Astrue will visit the hearing office in Tampa, a district office in Dade City, and speak at a computer training class in The Villages.

“Given my new position on the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, I want to make every effort to see that the workflows and case management at hearing and district offices are being handled in a timely manner and done correctly,” said Brown-Waite in a statement.”

She added: “The staff at these facilities is so overburdened with the enormous caseload that I take it as a personal challenge to bring more money and new offices to Florida to alleviate the burden and speed appeals.”

Astrue and Rep. Brown-Waite will also travel to The Villages to take part in their weekly computer training class, which this week will be focused on learning more about Social Security’s website.

WASHINGTON—President Obama on Thursday named a Wake Forest University specialist in church-state relations to a council advising his administration’s faith-based programs.

Melissa Rogers directs the Wake Forest University School of Divinity Center for Religion and Public Affairs.

As one of 25 members of the council advising the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Rogers will help define how the administration interacts with religious and other private groups that provide social services.

Rogers could not be immediately reached for comment. The White House did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

--Sean Mussenden

Wed, February 04, 2009 - 5:26 PM

Feb. 4, 2009 -- President Barack Obama just signed legislation to more than double the federal cigarette tax to fund an expansion of health insurance for poor children.

Tobacco companies hurt by declining smoking rates expect the 62-cent increase -- to $1.01 per pack -- to further reduce sales after it takes effect April 1.

The major tax increase on cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars and other tobacco products will fund a $32.8 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, providing coverage to an additional 4 million children under the program.

"In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to tradeoffs or negotiation. Health care for our children is one of those obligations," Obama said at the signing ceremony at the White House.
--Sean Mussenden

The White House has just released some details of how it says President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan would impact specific states.

There will be “immediate, tangible impacts” for Florida, it says, such as:

-- Creating or saving 218,300 jobs over the next two years. Jobs created will be in a range of industries from clean energy to health care, with over 90 percentin the private sector.

-- Providing a "making work pay" tax cut of up to $1,000 for 6,890,000 workers and their families.

-- Making 195,000 families eligible for a new American Opportunity Tax Credit to make college affordable.

-- Offering an additional $100 per month in unemployment insurance benefits to 761,000 workers in Florida who have lost their jobs in this recession, and providing extended unemployment benefits to an additional 170,000 laid-off workers.

-- Providing funding sufficient to modernize at least 485 schools in Florida so our children have the labs, classrooms and libraries they need to compete in the 21st century economy.

-- Billy House, Media General News Service

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa was among those invited by President Obama to the White House today to join him at the SCHIP bill-signing ceremony.

As the president discussed the measure before he signed it, Castor stood near him in a group of lawmakers, which included Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Obama had hugged Castor when he first entered the room.

Castor has a particular interest in the bill: The program grew from an idea instituted in Florida by former Education Commissioner Betty Castor – her mother – and the late Gov. Lawton Chiles, who sold the idea to former President Bill Clinton.

“This is a positive sign of a change in the direction of the country under President Obama, and this is a meaningful moment for me personally,” said Castor, in a statement.

Nationally, the measure would expand the coverage to an added 4.1 million children, on top of the current 7 million now enrolled.

How would the bill specifically impact Florida? Only rough estimates are available.

The office of Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, reported Wednesday there were 323,529 Florida children enrolled in SCHIP as fiscal year 2007, but nearly 800,000 uninsured children in the state.

Meek’s office projected that over 290,000 additional Florida children could gain coverage under the reauthorization of the program, resulting in what it said could be a 36 percent reduction of the uninsured children in the state.

Overall, the reauthorization would increase the funding for the health program by about $33 billion over the next 4 1/2 years, primarily to be paid for through a 62-cent-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.

But as much as $2.1 billion of the costs will come from a revised federal excise tax on cigar manufacturers, with a maximum of 40 cents on big cigars – a jump over the current cap of five cents.

Still, the cigar industry – including local cigar manufacturers in West Tampa and Ybor City within Castor’s district—was in fear that the cap would be much higher. An original version of the bill in 2007 called for a $10 cap on big cigars, and later versions had a cap of $3 per cigar.


-- Billy House, Media General News Service