Govt. Shutdown Day 14: Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell Closing in on a Deal President Can Sign

The White House said it is postponing a meeting with congressional leaders slated for 3 p.m. as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell close in on a budget deal.

 

As background –

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are in the process of negotiating a deal to extend the debt ceiling and end the government shutdown. Under this deal, Congress would pass a Continuing Resolution to fund the Federal government until mid-to-late December, and larger budget negotiations would take place on sequestration and other fiscal issues. The proposal could be presented to President Obama this afternoon during a meeting at the White House with members of the House and Senate leadership.

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he's "optimistic" that he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will be able to reach a budget agreement this week.

"Constructive, good faith negotiations continue between the Republican leader and me," Reid said on the Senate floor. "I'm very optimistic that we will reach an agreement that's reasonable in nature this week to reopen the government, pay the nation's bills and begin long term negotiations to put our country on sound fiscal footing."

McConnell was also upbeat.

"I share his optimism that we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides," McConnell said.

Govt Shutdown - Day 11 - Update as of Friday Morning October 11, 2013

Day 11--No Deal at White House, but Both Sides Will Keep Talking

 After the House GOP leadership met with the President yesterday negotiators worked to find a deal. A few noteworthy quotes sums up the result:

·        “He [President Obama] didn’t say yes, he didn’t say no. We’re going to continue negotiating this evening,” said House Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., after the Thursday meeting with President Obama.

·       The Ryan plan did not include a CR, but House Armed Services Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., said adding one to the package is “one of the things we’re talking about.”

·         Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., indicated that the President said he wanted the government reopened. “What we’re trying to do is find a way to quickly settle the CR crisis so that we can pass a CR and stop the shutdown,” he said. 

·         Speaker John A. Boehner said in a statement, “No final decisions were made; however, it was a useful and productive conservation. The president and leaders agreed that communication should continue throughout the night.”

 At the same time GOP Senators, led by Appropriations member Susan Collins (R-Maine), worked on a package to reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling.  Items in the package could include:

 

Ø  raising the debt limit,

Ø  flexibility to deal with the sequestration during the next two years,

Ørepealing or delaying the 2.3 percent medical device tax under the ACA. The pay for would come from “pension smoothing,” a strategy that would allow private businesses to lower their pension contributions in the near future in exchange for higher payments down the line.

Ø  Income verification for those receiving benefits under the health care law.

Sens. John McCain and John Cornyn, R-Texas voiced support that they are hopeful the Collins solution will lead the way out of the fiscal mess.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are sticking to their position no negotiations until after the government is reopened and the debt ceiling is raised.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., filed cloture on the motion to proceed to a bill (S 1569) that would suspend the debt limit until Dec. 31, 2014, setting up a Saturday cloture vote.

The House was not originally scheduled to be session next week. Congressional leaders informed Members last night that they must stay in DC as the Oct 17th debt ceiling deadline draws closer.

 

To be continued .....

 

Government shutdown - Day 8 - update as of 10pm 10/8

Senate Democrats are proposing to suspend the federal debt limit until the end of 2014, Finance Chairman Max Baucus explained Tuesday.

Majority Leader Reid and Baucus are introducing legislation that suspends the debt limit, avoiding default. The bill mirrors legislation passed earlier this year and will suspend the debt limit until Dec. 31, 2014, after the mid-term elections.  The Senator stated that “On Jan. 1, 2015, a new debt limit is set which reflects whatever borrowing is done between passage of the bill and Dec. 31, 2014.”

The Senate’s expected to take a first procedural vote on the “clean” measure by week’s end.

 

And on the House side ----Speaker John Boehner rejected President Obama’s offer to negotiate a long-term fiscal deal in exchange for temporary measures to end the government shutdown and lift the debt ceiling.

 

The President said that if House Republicans re-opened the government and lifted the nation’s borrowing authority — even for a few months — he would enter into wide-ranging talks that could include the ACA and issues related to the debt.

Speaker Boehner opposed this plan.

 

The House voted to reopen the Head Start program in its 10th piecemeal funding measure, a strategy that the White House and Senate Democrats have rejected.

House Republicans moved forward on a separate package to pay federal employees deemed “essential” while forming a special, bicameral committee of 20 to hash out a long-term deficit-reduction plan that would include a budget and an increase in the debt ceiling.

 

The plan was announced to Republicans during a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning, and the Republican leadership brought it quickly to the floor for an evening vote.

The Republican plan would not include a timetable for striking an agreement, nor would it have triggered policy changes if a deal failed to materialize.

The White House issued a formal veto threat for the legislation late Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

During a shutdown, you CANNOT –   Get a new small business loan: Existing loans would be honored, but new applications would not be accepted. Go to the Smithsonian or National Zoo: About 90 percent of the museums' 6,400 workers will be furloughed, with all museums and the zoo to be closed. The animals will still get fed, but visitors won't be around to see that. Camp in a national park: All national parks -- from Yosemite to Acadia -- will close, and day visitors will have to leave immediately. (But longer-term campers already in parks will have two days to leave.) Visit a Civil War battlefield: Like national parks, historic battlefields will be closed. Visit the Capitol: While the Capitol will remain open for congressional matters, it will be closed to visitors. Check the legal work status of an employee: The E-Verify system allows employers across the country to check on immigration status, but it's a federal website, which means it would be shut down. Continue to be audited: The IRS will suspend audit activities. (They will begin again as soon as the government shutdown is over.)

Government Shutdown - Day 7 October 8th, 2013

Congress returned earlier this evening but did NOT consider a continuing resolution. 

There are also no formal talks taking place at this time between Rs and Ds.

Congressional Quarterly reports that House Democrats are trying to force Speaker John A. Boehner to hold a vote on a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government through a discharge petition, but Republicans say it will not work.

Democratic Reps. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, George Miller of California and Nita M. Lowey of New York introduced the discharge petition Oct. 4 and noted today that if the House remains in session members could start signing it Oct. 12.

But three Republicans who support a clean version of the House-passed continuing resolution (H J Res 59) say they will not sign the discharge petition, which needs 218 votes to force House action.

GOP Reps. Peter T. King of New York, Devin Nunes of California and Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania have all said they will not support the effort.

 “My hope is that we will be able to resolve this situation prior to October 14, which I believe would be the earliest you could deal with that discharge petition,” Dent added. “Although I believe you probably couldn’t deal with it until October 28th for all practical purposes.”

It was unclear how many in the GOP would actually sign the petition, but more than 20 moderate Republicans have been quietly discussing possible  support for a clean CR.

The GOP-led House has passed a number of narrowly-tailored stopgap spending bills that would restore funding for an assortment of federal government programs, including the National Institutes of Health and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On the Senate side -  Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) stated that it would be “premature” to move on a standalone guarantee of back pay for federal workers without addressing other elements of the government shutdown.  (On Saturday the House unanimously passed a bill allowing for retroactive pay for furloughed federal employees.  This must also be approved by the Senate.)

Majority Leader Harry Reid is preparing to move ahead this week on legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling and is expected to file a bill shortly on a "clean" debt-limit increase.

While some Congressional hearings are still scheduled for this week, a  number of House and Senate staff have been sent home because they are considered “non-essential” employees.   Many White House staffers have also not been allowed to return to work.  Federal workers are also not allowed to use their official work email and agency websites are not being updated.

Let’s Put The Used Mattress Recycling Legislation To Bed

SB 254 (Hancock/Correa) Press Conference Demonstrates Broad-Based Support
Contact: Shelly Sullivan
(916) 858-8686

Sacramento, CA – Earlier today California State Senators Loni Hancock (SD-9, Berkeley); Lou Correa (SD-34, Santa Ana); Ryan Trainer, President, International Sleep Products Association; Mark Murray, Californians Against Waste and others joined Californians for Mattress Recycling in a press conference discussing the merits of SB 254.
SB 254 establishes a pubic policy program for the management of used mattresses that will create an economical and practical system for recycling used mattresses, reduce the impact of illegally dumped mattresses, harness existing infrastructure for transporting used mattresses to recyclers, and minimize costs to both government and consumers.
International Sleep Products Association President, Ryan Trainer stated, "The valuable lesson to keep in mind is by keeping the common goal of wanting to create a comprehensive used mattress recycling program, we have been able to put differences aside, compromise and remain loyal to the intent of creating legislation that will meet the needs of consumers, the environment and business."
The intent of SB 254 is to create a used mattress recycling program that will keep old mattresses out of landfills, off highways, and out of vacant lots and alleys. The result provides Californians with a comprehensive mattress recycling solution that is consumer friendly and efficient. The SB 254 model is now very similar to existing successful recycling systems in California for paint and used carpet and similar to other 2013 used mattress recycling legislation signed into law in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Enjoying a broad range of support many coalition partners were in attendance at the press conference such as representatives from the California Retailers Association, the California Apartment Association, CalChamber, and Blue Marble Materials, a mattress recycling facility.
SB 254 creates a non-profit mattress recycling organization whose duty would be to plan, implement and administer a state system to collect discarded used mattresses, dismantle them and recycle their materials for use in new products. The program will be sustained by collecting a nominal fee at retail on the sale of new mattresses and box-springs. The fee collected does not go into government coffers; rather, it is remitted directly to the NGO responsible for sustaining the mattress-recycling program.
Shelly Sullivan representing Californians for Mattress Recycling stated, "SB 254 is a fantastic illustration as to what is possible, it strikes a carefully considered balance that will increase used mattress recycling, reduce urban blight from illegally dumped mattresses, and cut local and municipal government costs, while at the same time financing the process in a sustainable and equitable manner."
SB 254 will now move to the Assembly Floor for approval.

　

　

Used Mattress Recycling Legislation Continues To Gain Support

August 13, 2013

CALIFORNIANS  FOR  MATTRESS  RECYCLING (http://www.ca4mattressrecycling.org/our-mission/)

Used Mattress Recycling Legislation Continues To Gain Support
SB 254 (Hancock/Correa) Approved in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee

Sacramento, CA — On Monday, August 12, 2013, California’s Assembly Natural Resources Committee approved SB 254 (Hancock/Correa) by a 7-0 bipartisan vote.

The intent of SB 254 is to create a used mattress recycling program that will keep old mattresses out of landfills, off highways, and out of vacant lots and alleys. Per the authors of the legislation, Senator Loni Hancock representing Berkeley and Senator Lou Correa representing Santa Ana, this type of legislation creates a win-win situation by furthering California’s overall recycling goals.

Specifically, SB 254 creates a used mattress recycling program that will have a dedicated funding mechanism, reduce the impact of illegally dumped mattresses, harness existing infrastructure for transporting used mattresses to recyclers, create jobs, and minimize costs to both government and consumers.

International Sleep Products Association President, Ryan Trainer stated, “We are very pleased with the progress SB 254 is making. All stakeholders continue to work together to help refine this legislation into a used mattress recycling policy that will benefit consumers, retailers, manufacturers, and the environment. We give a lot of credit to the authors of SB 254 along with our co-sponsors and coalition supporters; compromises have been made by all in order to move SB 254 forward.”

The result provides Californians with a comprehensive mattress recycling solution that is consumer friendly and efficient. The SB 254 model is very similar to existing successful recycling systems in California for paint and used carpet and similar to other 2013 used mattress recycling legislation signed into law in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

SB 254 enjoys a broad range of support from industry, retailers, cities and counties, local elected officials, and waste management organizations. It creates a non-profit mattress recycling organization whose duty would be to plan, implement and administer a state system to collect discarded used mattresses, dismantle them and recycle their materials for use in new products. The program will be sustained by collecting a nominal fee at retail on the sale of new mattresses and box-springs. The fee collected does not go into government coffers; rather, it is remitted directly to the NGO responsible for sustaining the mattress- recycling program.

Shelly Sullivan representing Californians for Mattress Recycling stated, “SB 254 is a fantastic illustration as to what is possible. It strikes a carefully considered balance that will increase used mattress recycling, reduce urban blight from illegally dumped mattresses, and cut local and municipal government costs, while at the same time financing the process in a sustainable and equitable manner.”

During the next few weeks, SB 254 will move to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and then on to the Assembly Floor for approval.

 

 

 

Californians for Mattress Recycling is an ad hoc group representing stakeholders united in their support for efficient and practical mattress recycling.

 

State's Used Mattress Problem is Nothing to Take Lying Down

By: Eric Slagle

Recycling in California has come a long way from hand-me-down clothes from our cousins or putting water bottles into the green bin. Californians now embrace the concept of recycling as it has become a way of life across our entire state.

 

Industries across every sector of the economy from beverage cans to construction debris have refined their processes and infrastructure to reduce waste and increase recycling wherever possible. Californians consumers, business leaders and elected officials alike are proud of their efforts to make our world more sustainable through recycling. But we can do more.

 

I have been in the business of making quality mattress for more than 25 years in Bakersfield. We are a family owned and operated business with deep ties to our community. And that is why we understand we must also be engaged in the process of what happens to our mattresses once they have served their intended purpose. At the end of their life cycle, millions of used mattresses are discarded each year across the United States, ending up in landfills where they can take up 23 cubic feet of space each. Mattresses both place a tremendous strain on our landfills and contribute to community blight when they are illegally dumped in our neighborhoods or along our highways.

 

Which is why Bakersfield residents should support SB 254, authored by Loni Hancock, D-Oakland, and Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana. SB 254 strikes a balance that incentivizes Californians to recycle used mattresses, eases the burden on our landfills and communities, and creates new jobs and business opportunities without harming valuable California employers already in business in the state.

 

In fact, in Kern County (and its 11 cities) we are fortunate to have a Recycling Market Development Zone. This is a state designation by CalRecycle to foster end use markets for recyclable materials. SB 254 and our RMDZ program will complement each other by improving the value of used mattress materials, which will make mattress recycling more efficient. Some of the specifics of SB 254 include making used mattress recycling safer and better. It creates a nonprofit mattress recycling organization whose duty will be to plan, implement and administer a state system to collect discarded used mattresses, dismantle them and recycle their materials for use in new products. The organization will fund the system by collecting a nominal fee at retail on the sale of new mattresses and box springs. Many states follow a similar approach for recycling other consumer products, including tires, batteries, motor oil, electronics, paint and carpet.

 

Another critical component of SB 254 is that it will address the problem of illegal mattress dumping. SB 254 creates a financial incentive to encourage parties (including retailers that pick up used mattresses from consumers, municipal transfer stations, and groups that pick up illegally dumped mattresses) to send used mattresses to mattress recyclers. The organization's activities will be transparent, open to public input and subject to annual performance and financial audits that will be published on its website. Further, the state's oversight authority will confirm whether the organization has met its statutory obligations.

 

Sponsored by the International Sleep Products Association and Californians Against Waste, SB 254 enjoys a broad range of support from groups such as retailers, cities and counties, local elected officials and waste management organizations.

 

The need for SB 254 is strengthened by a 2012 case study by University of California at Santa Barbara researchers that found that 4.6 million mattresses and box springs are sold annually in California and 4.2 million mattresses/box springs reach the end of their life span annually. The study showed that 85 percent of the units can be recycled and an estimated 1,000 jobs can be generated annually in mattress recycling.

 

The Assembly's Committee on Natural Resources will hold a hearing on the bill on Aug. 12. I have confidence in the authors and sponsors of SB 254 that they will continue to work on SB 254 and put into place a program with a solid foundation that is realistic and achievable. SB 254 is not only about good environmental policy. It's also about good business.

Eric Slagle of Bakersfield is president of Slagle's Mattress Factory Inc.