I haven't done these for a while, but I think it's time that I started them back up, given the current actions of our Democratic "leadership".
Tomorrow the House will consider the FISA Capitulation bill, as well as a rule for the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act. Details on the flip....
House of Representatives -- 20 June 2008
Convenes: 9:00 AM EDT
After the usual opening procedures, the House will take up H. Res. 1276, the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 5876 (committee report), the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008. I don't know much about this bill, but according to George Miller it would regulate therapeutic boarding schools, boot camps, and other facilities to help teenagers with mental or behavioral issues. Republican objections appear to focus on the federal government overstepping itself, and then deteriorate into complaints about trial lawyers.
Under standard House procedures, debate on this rule, which permits two amendments to the underlying bill (one of which appears to be a non-constroversial managers' amendment), will last for an hour, with half the time controlled by Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) and the other half controlled by Doc Hastings (R-WA). Note that consideration of the actual Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act does not appear to be scheduled for tomorrow - while it was originally scheduled for this week, tomorrow's Daily Leader goes out of its way to specify that the rule is being considered, instead of the bill.
After the rule is adopted, the House turns to the debate we've all been waiting for. After the standard hour of debate on the rule (with half an hour controlled by Michael Arcuri (D-NY) and the other half controlled by Doc Hastings (R-WA), the House will debate H.R. 6304, the FISA Capitulation bill, for one hour, evenly divided four ways. The people controlling the time will be:
- John Conyers (D-MI)
- Lamar Smith (R-TX)
- Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
Sadly, no amendments are in order except for the motion to recommit. The FISA vote can be expected between 1:00 and 2:00 PM, unless some Democrats take Kagro X's advice from the front page and make things take forever. Sadly, I doubt that will happen.
With a vote scheduled for tomorrow, it's important to call your representative and tell them to vote against FISA. If I can do it in David Dreier's district, you can too.