Just passed and upcoming...
In floor votes -
- The House passed H. J. Res. 3, " Relating to the disapproval of obligations under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" by a vote of 270 - 155. Among Arizona's delegation, Flake, Franks, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Shadegg voted yes, Grijalva, Giffords, and Pastor voted no. (According to the CRS summary for the proposal, the resolution "Declares that Congress disapproves the obligation of any funds that exceed specified amounts authorized for the purchase of troubled assets by the Secretary of the Treasury under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.")
- The House passed H.R. 58, "Commending the University of Florida Gators for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game." Normally this sort of motion is passed by voice vote or unanimously, but for this one, five Congressmen, including AZ's Jeff Flake, voted against it.
- The House passed H.R. 384, the TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009, by a vote of 260 - 166. AZ delegation: Giffords, Grijalva, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in favor; Flake, Franks, Kirkpatrick, and Shadegg opposed.
...In an almost unheard-of development, a Jeff Flake-sponsored amendment was actually added to H.R. 384, by voice vote of all things. The amendment clarified "that the TARP Special Inspector General has oversight power over any actions taken by Treasury under this legislation that he deems appropriate, with certain exceptions."
Floor speeches -
- Jeff Flake spoke in favor of H.J.Res. 3 and in favor of his amendment to H.R. 384 (yes, he later voted against the underlying bill, but let's not quibble - Jeff Flake got an amendment passed!
- Trent Franks was one of a number of Republican Congressmen who took 40 minutes of floor time to reminsce about the recently ended presidential administration of George W. Bush.
-Raul Grijalva participated in a "special order" speech on the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Sponsorships -
- Jeff Flake (R-CD6) sponsored H.R. 640 ( To require the President to transmit to Congress a report on every program of the Federal Government that authorizes or requires the gathering of information on United States persons in the United States, established whether in whole or in part pursuant to the "all necessary and appropriate force" clause contained in the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) ), H.R. 641 (To limit the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land located in a State in which 25 percent or more of all land in the State is already owned by the United States, aka the No Net Loss of Private Land Act) and H.R. 642 (To provide opportunities for continued recreational shooting on certain Federal public land, aka the Recreational Shooting Protection Act ).
- Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) sponsored H.R. 662 (To evaluate and extend the basic pilot program for employment eligibility confirmation and to ensure the protection of Social Security beneficiaries, aka Employee Verification Amendment Act of 2009).
- Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) sponsored H.R. 644 (To withdraw the Tusayan Ranger District and Federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the vicinity of Kanab Creek and in House Rock Valley from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, aka the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2009).
Upcoming week - The highlights of the coming week are the Senate version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, S. 181, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The last vote is expected on Wednesday due to the Republican Issues Conference on Thursday and Friday. There will also be votes on creating a "National Data Privacy Day" and "Honoring the heroic actions of the pilot, crew, and rescuers of US Airways Flight 1549" (aka - The Hudson River landing folks).
Stacy at AZ Congress Watch has been doing great work on the Congresscritters' press releases/media coverage, and those who want issue-specific quotes should check it out.
Later!
Showing posts with label Kirkpatrick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kirkpatrick. Show all posts
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Arizona's week in the House in review
...Stacy over at AZ Congress Watch does a good job of keeping up with this stuff (though not this week :) ). This is just a summary.
This upcoming week will be a fairly short one, with the first half of the week being taken up with Inauguration activities and the MLK holiday and with the expectation that the House will finish its legislative business by Thursday evening.
Last week, however, had some activity of note -
Over in the House, work started on H.R. 384, a bill to reform the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). A number of amendments were heard (some passed, some didn't), and more are scheduled for this coming week. The highlight for AZ'ers in that area is a proposal by Jeff Flake (R-CD6) to expand the powers of the TARP's Special Inspector General.
That one is expected to be heard on Wednesday or Thursday.
In other business, the House passed H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 by a vote of 289 - 139. The AZ delegation voted along party lines - Democrats Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor in favor; Republicans Flake, Franks, and Shadegg against.
Bill sponsorships...
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) sponsored three bills - H.R. 551 (study of water augmentation alternatives in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed), H.R. 552 (to designate the Arizona National Scenic Trail), and H.R. 576 (a refundable investment credit, and 5-year depreciation, for property used to manufacture solar energy property). The text of the bills aren't available online yet.
Congressman Harry Mitchell sponsored H.R. 498, a bill to make permanent some capital gains and estate tax cuts.
Floor speech action...
...Giffords urged her colleagues to vote 'yes' in a 'one-minute' speech in support of H.R. 2. Her press release on the bill is here.
...During debate on H.R. 2, Congressman John Shadegg (R-CD3) spoke against passage of the bill.
...Mitchell also gave a 'one-minute' on H.R. 156, his bill to block Congress' automatic pay raise.
"Extensions of Remarks" (statements submitted for the record)...
...Mitchell gave his reasons for sponsoring H.R. 498, a bill to make permanent recent cap gains and estate tax cuts.
...Mitchell also lauded Dave Graybill and the Pink Heals Tour, an organization dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness.
Press releases (all from House websites)...
...Jeff Flake highlighted his "egregious earmark of the week" here and his bill to deport illegal immigrants convicted of DUI here.
...Trent Franks' (R-CD2) press secretary was prolific this week, producing releases on Franks' vote against H.R. 2, criticizing the New York Times' article blowing the whistle on some U.S. efforts against Iran and Israeli requests for specialized weapons to use against Iran, and commemorating the fourth anniversary of a peace agreement in Sudan.
...Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) expressed his support of the SCHIP renewal bill.
...Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) may have had some press releases this week, but as a freshman Member of Congress, her House website is going to suck until spring. Possibly late spring.
This upcoming week will be a fairly short one, with the first half of the week being taken up with Inauguration activities and the MLK holiday and with the expectation that the House will finish its legislative business by Thursday evening.
Last week, however, had some activity of note -
Over in the House, work started on H.R. 384, a bill to reform the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). A number of amendments were heard (some passed, some didn't), and more are scheduled for this coming week. The highlight for AZ'ers in that area is a proposal by Jeff Flake (R-CD6) to expand the powers of the TARP's Special Inspector General.
That one is expected to be heard on Wednesday or Thursday.
In other business, the House passed H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 by a vote of 289 - 139. The AZ delegation voted along party lines - Democrats Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor in favor; Republicans Flake, Franks, and Shadegg against.
Bill sponsorships...
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-CD8) sponsored three bills - H.R. 551 (study of water augmentation alternatives in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed), H.R. 552 (to designate the Arizona National Scenic Trail), and H.R. 576 (a refundable investment credit, and 5-year depreciation, for property used to manufacture solar energy property). The text of the bills aren't available online yet.
Congressman Harry Mitchell sponsored H.R. 498, a bill to make permanent some capital gains and estate tax cuts.
Floor speech action...
...Giffords urged her colleagues to vote 'yes' in a 'one-minute' speech in support of H.R. 2. Her press release on the bill is here.
...During debate on H.R. 2, Congressman John Shadegg (R-CD3) spoke against passage of the bill.
...Mitchell also gave a 'one-minute' on H.R. 156, his bill to block Congress' automatic pay raise.
"Extensions of Remarks" (statements submitted for the record)...
...Mitchell gave his reasons for sponsoring H.R. 498, a bill to make permanent recent cap gains and estate tax cuts.
...Mitchell also lauded Dave Graybill and the Pink Heals Tour, an organization dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness.
Press releases (all from House websites)...
...Jeff Flake highlighted his "egregious earmark of the week" here and his bill to deport illegal immigrants convicted of DUI here.
...Trent Franks' (R-CD2) press secretary was prolific this week, producing releases on Franks' vote against H.R. 2, criticizing the New York Times' article blowing the whistle on some U.S. efforts against Iran and Israeli requests for specialized weapons to use against Iran, and commemorating the fourth anniversary of a peace agreement in Sudan.
...Raul Grijalva (D-CD7) expressed his support of the SCHIP renewal bill.
...Ann Kirkpatrick (D-CD1) may have had some press releases this week, but as a freshman Member of Congress, her House website is going to suck until spring. Possibly late spring.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
2010 candidates getting started early
The candidate picture for 2010 is already getting cluttered. A quick glance at the AZ Secretary of State's website shows the following 2010 committees have been formed (some are 'exploratory') -
Christopher Tolino, Republican, State Rep., LD20, filer ID 201000001
Michelle Reagan, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed, filer ID 201000002
Tom Horne, Republican, exploratory - Attorney General, filer ID 201000003
David Lujan, Democrat, exploratory - Attorney General, filer ID 201000011
Chad Campbell, Democrat, State Rep., LD14, Committee to Re-elect, filer ID 201000015
Bob Burns, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed, filer ID 201000016
Bill Konopnicki, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed, filer ID 201000018
Bob Gilby, Democrat, exploratory - State Rep. LD27, filer ID 201000019
Katie Hobbs, Democrat, exploratory - State Rep. LD15, filer ID 201000020
Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat, exploratory - State Senate LD15, filer ID 201000021
Robert Meza, Democrat, exploratory - State Senate LD14, filer ID 201000022
Steve Gallardo, Democrat, exploratory - State Senate LD13, filer ID 201000024 (I'm not sure how his recent resignation his House seat affects this, but since the SOS still lists the committee as active, I'm including it here.)
Andy Tobin, Republican, exploratory - State Rep. LD1, re-election, filer ID 201000025
Pamela Gorman, Republican, State Senate LD6, re-election committee, filer ID 201000027
Jimmie Munoz, Jr., Democrat, State Rep. LD16, filer ID 201000029
Luis Garcia, Democrat, State Rep. LD15, filer ID 201000030
Jason Williams, Democrat, Superintendent of Public Instruction, filer ID 201000032
In addition to all of these committees that were formed after the end of the 2008 election cycle (hence the '2010' filer IDs), there's at least one exploratory committee formed in 2008 that is active for the 2010 cycle -
Jack Harper, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed (but it's for a run at SOS), filer ID 200810288, cash on hand as of 11/24/2008 - $1835.00.
There's no guarantee that all or even any of these candidates will end up actively seeking office next year. Actually, it's a safe bet that some won't. Of course, it's a safer bet that that most will. :))
Another likely occurence is that as higher offices open up, there will be a 'trickle-up' phenomenon.
For example, if John McCain chooses not to run for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2010 (FYI - right now, he is saying that he will run for re-election), it is likely that one or two current U.S. Congressmen, Jeff Flake and/or John Shadegg will pursue the seat. Once that happens, many current state legislators will raise their sights. For example2, during the few days last year when Shadegg "retired," current State Senators Pam Gorman and Jim Waring were rumored to be interested in the job.
In addition, three somebodys will be taking runs at Democratic U.S. Representatives Gabrielle Giffords (CD8), Ann Kirkpatrick (CD1), and Harry Mitchell (CD5).
In short, there will be a reshuffling of candidates before the campaign season really starts heating up (next January or so.)
Note: Jason Williams spoke at the LD17 Dems' meeting last night. After his unsuccessful run at State Superintendent in 2006, he has remained heavily (and enthusiastically) involved in education issues, working as the founder and leader of Arizona School Works and working with other groups to ensure the future of education for our state's children. While his 2010 campaign website isn't up yet, it should be ready to go by the end of the month. Folks who are interested in volunteering for or contributing to his campaign can contact him at helpkids[at]williamsforarizona.com.
Later...
Christopher Tolino, Republican, State Rep., LD20, filer ID 201000001
Michelle Reagan, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed, filer ID 201000002
Tom Horne, Republican, exploratory - Attorney General, filer ID 201000003
David Lujan, Democrat, exploratory - Attorney General, filer ID 201000011
Chad Campbell, Democrat, State Rep., LD14, Committee to Re-elect, filer ID 201000015
Bob Burns, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed, filer ID 201000016
Bill Konopnicki, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed, filer ID 201000018
Bob Gilby, Democrat, exploratory - State Rep. LD27, filer ID 201000019
Katie Hobbs, Democrat, exploratory - State Rep. LD15, filer ID 201000020
Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat, exploratory - State Senate LD15, filer ID 201000021
Robert Meza, Democrat, exploratory - State Senate LD14, filer ID 201000022
Steve Gallardo, Democrat, exploratory - State Senate LD13, filer ID 201000024 (I'm not sure how his recent resignation his House seat affects this, but since the SOS still lists the committee as active, I'm including it here.)
Andy Tobin, Republican, exploratory - State Rep. LD1, re-election, filer ID 201000025
Pamela Gorman, Republican, State Senate LD6, re-election committee, filer ID 201000027
Jimmie Munoz, Jr., Democrat, State Rep. LD16, filer ID 201000029
Luis Garcia, Democrat, State Rep. LD15, filer ID 201000030
Jason Williams, Democrat, Superintendent of Public Instruction, filer ID 201000032
In addition to all of these committees that were formed after the end of the 2008 election cycle (hence the '2010' filer IDs), there's at least one exploratory committee formed in 2008 that is active for the 2010 cycle -
Jack Harper, Republican, exploratory - no office or district listed (but it's for a run at SOS), filer ID 200810288, cash on hand as of 11/24/2008 - $1835.00.
There's no guarantee that all or even any of these candidates will end up actively seeking office next year. Actually, it's a safe bet that some won't. Of course, it's a safer bet that that most will. :))
Another likely occurence is that as higher offices open up, there will be a 'trickle-up' phenomenon.
For example, if John McCain chooses not to run for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2010 (FYI - right now, he is saying that he will run for re-election), it is likely that one or two current U.S. Congressmen, Jeff Flake and/or John Shadegg will pursue the seat. Once that happens, many current state legislators will raise their sights. For example2, during the few days last year when Shadegg "retired," current State Senators Pam Gorman and Jim Waring were rumored to be interested in the job.
In addition, three somebodys will be taking runs at Democratic U.S. Representatives Gabrielle Giffords (CD8), Ann Kirkpatrick (CD1), and Harry Mitchell (CD5).
In short, there will be a reshuffling of candidates before the campaign season really starts heating up (next January or so.)
Note: Jason Williams spoke at the LD17 Dems' meeting last night. After his unsuccessful run at State Superintendent in 2006, he has remained heavily (and enthusiastically) involved in education issues, working as the founder and leader of Arizona School Works and working with other groups to ensure the future of education for our state's children. While his 2010 campaign website isn't up yet, it should be ready to go by the end of the month. Folks who are interested in volunteering for or contributing to his campaign can contact him at helpkids[at]williamsforarizona.com.
Later...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Arizona's week in Congress
This past Tuesday, the 111th session of the United States Congress began with much of the normal procedural routine that occurs at the beginning of every session. Additionally, there were a few measures that passed that were definite slaps at the outgoing Bush administration.
And all in all, the votes of the AZ delegation broke along strictly partisan lines.
On Tuesday, the House convened and the first order of business was selection of the Speaker. As expected, incumbent Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) easily defeated Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), 255 - 174. (AZ: Democrats Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted for Pelosi; Republicans Flake, Franks, and Shadegg voted for Boehner) After that, the House debated and approved H. Res. 5, its rules for the new session by a vote of 242 - 181 (with Ed Pastor, of all people, crossing over to vote with the Republicans. Otherwise, the AZ delegation followed party lines - Democrats for, Republicans against.
On Wednesday, the House approved two "open government" measures related to Presidental records and Presidential libraries.
H.R. 35, an act that would override a Bush administration executive order that basically allowed former Presidents or their family members to stop the release of any Presidential records that they saw fit. It passed 359 - 58, with all of AZ's Democrats supporting the measure and all of AZ's Republicans opposing it.
H.R. 36, an act to require disclosure of info about contributors to Presidential library organizations. It passed 388 - 31, again with all of the Democrats in the AZ delegation supporting it and all of the Republicans opposing it.
On Thursday, there was a joint session of Congress with no votes cast, but it may have been the most important meeting of the session - it accepted the results of the Electoral College balloting that officially means that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.
Whoooo hoooo!!!
:)
Anyway, back to the boring stuff...
On Friday, the House started on actual legislative business.
It considered and passed H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act by a vote of 256 - 163. Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in favor; Flake and Franks against; Shadegg not voting.
It also considered and passed H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, by a vote of 247 - 171. As with H.R. 12, Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in favor; Flake and Franks against; Shadegg not voting.
Congressman Grijalva gave a floor speech on H.R. 11, available here.
Lastly, the House considered and passed H. Res. 34, a resolution "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process." The resolution passed 390 - 5, with 22 answering 'present'. Among AZ's delegation, Flake, Franks, Giffords, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in support, Grijalva was 'present', and Shadegg was still absent. Flake, Giffords, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Shadegg are all cosponsors of H. Res. 34.
Congressman Mitchell submitted a statement for the record (called "Extensions of Remarks) on H. Res. 34, available here.
Congressman Franks gave a special order speech on the subject, available here.
Ummm...Harry Mitchell's statement was brief, positive, and reasonable (in a word: "statesman-like"); Trent Franks' was, well...not. In fact, it seemed to be as much 'anti-Muslim' as it was 'pro-Israel.'
In other Mitchell news, he sponsored H.R. 156, a bill to block Congress' automatic pay increase and submitted a statement regarding it to the Congressional Record, available here. The text of the measure isn't available online yet, though the list of cosponsors is: Flake, Giffords, and Kirkpatrick from Arizona are among those cosponsors.
In light of the cratering economy and skyrocketing unemployment, most people from across the political spectrum think that this is a brilliant idea, and that Congress should make at least a symbolic statement of standing with and supporting those Americans who are suffering from the effects of the economy. What remains to be seen is if a majority of Congress feels the same way.
Don't bet on it.
The Senate was fairly quiet - it had no recorded votes.
The House reconvenes on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. (D.C. time)
Later...
And all in all, the votes of the AZ delegation broke along strictly partisan lines.
On Tuesday, the House convened and the first order of business was selection of the Speaker. As expected, incumbent Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) easily defeated Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), 255 - 174. (AZ: Democrats Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted for Pelosi; Republicans Flake, Franks, and Shadegg voted for Boehner) After that, the House debated and approved H. Res. 5, its rules for the new session by a vote of 242 - 181 (with Ed Pastor, of all people, crossing over to vote with the Republicans. Otherwise, the AZ delegation followed party lines - Democrats for, Republicans against.
On Wednesday, the House approved two "open government" measures related to Presidental records and Presidential libraries.
H.R. 35, an act that would override a Bush administration executive order that basically allowed former Presidents or their family members to stop the release of any Presidential records that they saw fit. It passed 359 - 58, with all of AZ's Democrats supporting the measure and all of AZ's Republicans opposing it.
H.R. 36, an act to require disclosure of info about contributors to Presidential library organizations. It passed 388 - 31, again with all of the Democrats in the AZ delegation supporting it and all of the Republicans opposing it.
On Thursday, there was a joint session of Congress with no votes cast, but it may have been the most important meeting of the session - it accepted the results of the Electoral College balloting that officially means that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.
Whoooo hoooo!!!
:)
Anyway, back to the boring stuff...
On Friday, the House started on actual legislative business.
It considered and passed H.R. 12, the Paycheck Fairness Act by a vote of 256 - 163. Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in favor; Flake and Franks against; Shadegg not voting.
It also considered and passed H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, by a vote of 247 - 171. As with H.R. 12, Giffords, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in favor; Flake and Franks against; Shadegg not voting.
Congressman Grijalva gave a floor speech on H.R. 11, available here.
Lastly, the House considered and passed H. Res. 34, a resolution "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process." The resolution passed 390 - 5, with 22 answering 'present'. Among AZ's delegation, Flake, Franks, Giffords, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Pastor voted in support, Grijalva was 'present', and Shadegg was still absent. Flake, Giffords, Kirkpatrick, Mitchell, and Shadegg are all cosponsors of H. Res. 34.
Congressman Mitchell submitted a statement for the record (called "Extensions of Remarks) on H. Res. 34, available here.
Congressman Franks gave a special order speech on the subject, available here.
Ummm...Harry Mitchell's statement was brief, positive, and reasonable (in a word: "statesman-like"); Trent Franks' was, well...not. In fact, it seemed to be as much 'anti-Muslim' as it was 'pro-Israel.'
In other Mitchell news, he sponsored H.R. 156, a bill to block Congress' automatic pay increase and submitted a statement regarding it to the Congressional Record, available here. The text of the measure isn't available online yet, though the list of cosponsors is: Flake, Giffords, and Kirkpatrick from Arizona are among those cosponsors.
In light of the cratering economy and skyrocketing unemployment, most people from across the political spectrum think that this is a brilliant idea, and that Congress should make at least a symbolic statement of standing with and supporting those Americans who are suffering from the effects of the economy. What remains to be seen is if a majority of Congress feels the same way.
Don't bet on it.
The Senate was fairly quiet - it had no recorded votes.
The House reconvenes on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. (D.C. time)
Later...
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Letter to Congressman Harry Mitchell
This one is rooted in the previous post, but while that was more of a rant, this one is more reasoned.
At least, I hope it comes across that way. :)
The contents of the letter that I just submitted to Congressman Harry Mitchell via his House website's contact form -
While the Rep members of AZ's delegation (Flake, Franks, Shadegg) are sure to oppose any stimulus packages, it wouldn't be a stretch for them to oppose the packages (which are all but certain to pass) while working to ensure that any funds disbursed have the safeguards mentioned in my letter. As such, I recommend that everyone - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and more - to contact their Congressional representatives and urge them to work to ensure that any funds disbursed end up where they are supposed to.
Our Congressfolks and their contact pages -
Jeff Flake (R-AZ6) - contact (no direct contact page)
Trent Franks (R-AZ2) - contact (no direct contact page)
Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8) - contact page
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) - contact (no direct contact page)
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ1) - contact page
Ed Pastor (D-AZ4) - contact (no direct contact page)
John Shadegg (R-AZ3) - contact form
Note: the four without a direct contact page utilize a zip code verification process to ensure that the online contact system is utilized by their constituents only. Follow the directions on their websites to contact them.
Note2: In a development that signifies how important I believe this issue is, I have linked to the Republicans' actual House websites, not their crAZyspace pages. You should be impressed. :)
Later!
At least, I hope it comes across that way. :)
The contents of the letter that I just submitted to Congressman Harry Mitchell via his House website's contact form -
Dear Congressman Mitchell,
In the coming weeks and months, there will be much discussion (and some passage) by Congress of efforts to stabilize and stimulate America's economy.
Many of these efforts will include money for various infrastructure projects across the country.I am writing today to ask you to work to minimize the portion of those funds that will be subject to whims of state legislators.
In our home state of Arizona, leaders in the legislature have already started to stated their intent to cut to the bone public services like education while pledging to set aside funds for activities they favor such as widespread roundups of immigrants. (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/133701)
In a year when municipal, county, and agency revenue has plummeted and budgets have busted, funds that are targeted for projects such as public transit, rural broadband connectivity, alternative energy, schools, etc., shouldn't be subject to siphoning by irresponsible state legislators who are less interested in serving the public than in advancing their personal ideologies.
Please urge your colleagues, including all of the other members of Arizona's Congressional delegation, to pass stimulus packages that either send funds directly to the targeted end recipients or send the funds to the states but with serious strings attached to ensure that the funds are used properly.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
[cpmaz]
While the Rep members of AZ's delegation (Flake, Franks, Shadegg) are sure to oppose any stimulus packages, it wouldn't be a stretch for them to oppose the packages (which are all but certain to pass) while working to ensure that any funds disbursed have the safeguards mentioned in my letter. As such, I recommend that everyone - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and more - to contact their Congressional representatives and urge them to work to ensure that any funds disbursed end up where they are supposed to.
Our Congressfolks and their contact pages -
Jeff Flake (R-AZ6) - contact (no direct contact page)
Trent Franks (R-AZ2) - contact (no direct contact page)
Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ8) - contact page
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ7) - contact (no direct contact page)
Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ1) - contact page
Ed Pastor (D-AZ4) - contact (no direct contact page)
John Shadegg (R-AZ3) - contact form
Note: the four without a direct contact page utilize a zip code verification process to ensure that the online contact system is utilized by their constituents only. Follow the directions on their websites to contact them.
Note2: In a development that signifies how important I believe this issue is, I have linked to the Republicans' actual House websites, not their crAZyspace pages. You should be impressed. :)
Later!
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