Media Ownership Act of 2007 introduced in the House
By Jon Bartholomew
Posted on Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 01:24:52 PM EST
In Washington today, two members of Congress from Washington State, Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) introduced the "Media Ownership Act of 2007" (H.R.4835) - the House companion to a Senate bill (S. 2332) sponsored by Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.). This bill would overturn the Federal Communications Commission's vote yesterday to further consolidate the media, as well as set new standards for the FCC to be more responsive to public input on their decisions.
In a 3-to-2, party-line vote, the FCC eliminated the longstanding ban on "newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership," which prohibits a local newspaper from owning a broadcast station in the same market. The "Media Ownership Act of 2007" would prevent the FCC's hurried rule from becoming law by requiring more time for public comment and changing the timeframe for proposed revisions to be published. It would also go into effect retroactively, back to October 1, 2007.
Jon Bartholomew, Media Reform Campaign Coordinator for Common Cause, issued the following statement:
"The media is the public's source of information for the democratic process. The last thing the American public needs is for this information to come from fewer sources, which is what the FCC's decision yesterday will lead to. We are very pleased to hear that the House is coming together to do what is right for the American public and block further media consolidation."
"We are particularly pleased that this legislation would require the FCC to be more responsive to public input by requiring more time for public comment on any proposed new rules. The process the FCC uses for their decision-making needs to be reformed, and this legislation takes the first step towards that goal."
For more information on the bill: http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/wa08_reichert/inslee.shtml
Bipartisan Ethics Evasion
By Ed Davis
Posted on Sun Oct 14, 2007 at 06:23:43 PM EST
Congressional Airlines
There's a lot to be dismayed with in this WaPo article about how Congress is already evading the ethics law they passed just a few months ago. And, while Republican scandals spurred action, this piece shows that the Dems apparently don't remember their campaign promises to clean up the ethical swamp. I was especially appalled at the effort by Senate leaders Reid (D) and McConnell (R) to maintain Congress' special status when it comes to canceling airline reservations. Lawmakers for years have booked several flights for a day when they plan to leave town. When they finish work, they take the most convenient flight and cancel the rest without paying fees, a privilege denied others. But after the new law passed, some airlines stopped the practice, worried that it violates the gift ban. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) appealed to the Senate ethics committee to allow multiple bookings. Then Reid and McConnell added language to the defense bill that, if it passes, would extend the perk to staffers, too. Wow! I guess, unlike other travelers, inconvenience is too much to bear for Members of Congress and their staff. Suprised the Reid and McConnell work together? Not when it comes to protecting Congress. There also collaborating to grease the nomination of a horrible Federal Election Commission candidate, Hans von Spakovsky.
No Vacation Without Representation!
By Ed Davis
Posted on Tue Jul 31, 2007 at 03:58:45 PM EST
Washington's Home - Down the river from DC
Sen. Reid: The Senate has three days left before going on a month-long break. They have a lot on their schedule, but need to find time to pass S. 1257, DC House Voting Rights Act. Sen. McConnell: We need you to agree not to lead the first filibuster of a voting rights bill since 1964 - 43 years ago. That was a shameful episode in Congressional history -- both Democrats and Republicans were to blame. Do the right thing now. Washington, DC was named after George Washington, who lived down the river at Mt. Vernon (see photo). Does anyone think he would have wanted to fight for our nation's freedom and then allowed his neighbors up the river to lose one of those freedoms?
Something is missing
By Ed Davis
Posted on Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 09:22:45 AM EST
Put DC in this building
The U.S. Capitol Building is filled with Senators and U.S. Representatives from all over the country -- but there is no one from the vibrant city surrounding that building. At least no one who can vote and truly represent the 580,000 people in the city. The US Senate has a chance to correct that injustice. S. 1257, DC House Voting Rights Act is sitting, waiting for their action before they leave for the monthlong August recess. We've got a majority in the Senate supporting the bill, but need more votes to overcome a filibuster that woul delay and kill the bill. Here's one thing you can do to help if you live in the DC area: Join the DC Voting Rights Coalition for a rally outside the Senate office building tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon. Click for more info.
Holt Bill Moving in Congress
By Ed Davis
Posted on Mon May 14, 2007 at 02:31:38 PM EST
We're one step closer to solving the problem of paperless electronic voting machines. HR 811, the bill intro'ed by Rep. Rush Holt, was passed in committee last week and now is moving to the House floor. We know Republicans will try to stop it by adding an onerous voter ID requirement, undermining support for the bill. They claim the ID is needed to prevent fraud -- but even with Karl Rove cracking the whip, the Gonzales Justice Dept. couldn't find any evidence of a voter fraud problem. Indeed, they fired prosecutors for failing to find such evidence - even though the evidence doesn't exist. Down the rabbit hole..... Tell the House to pass the Holt bill. Take action.
DC Voting Rights Passes House!
By Ed Davis
Posted on Fri Apr 20, 2007 at 09:24:33 AM EST
Our interns @ DC Voting Rights March
The people who live in the nation's capital moved one step closer to inclusion in American democracy when the US House voted 241-177 to pass the DC Voting Rights Act. The bill gives DC a voting rep in the House - and also adds an additional seat for Utah. The vote followed a march on Monday by thousands down America's Main Street, Pennsylvania Ave. in support of DC voting rights.
Avi Rubin on Holt bill
By Ed Davis
Posted on Tue Feb 20, 2007 at 01:23:19 PM EST
Here's another piece on the Holt bill, from Avi Rubin, who has as much cred as anyone on the subject: Earlier this month, US Congressman Rush Holt (D, NJ) introduced H.R. 811, a bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a voter-verified paper ballot. I have read the bill, as well as some of the criticism by various activists. In my opinion, passage of the Holt bill would be the single most positive development in this country this decade to ensure the security, integrity and verifiability of elections. As a federal law, this legislation would establish a baseline for all states that would exceed the security and audit of elections in most states today. The bill is well thought out. It addresses the issues of audit, security, privacy, recounts, conflicts of interest, testing, certification, and cost. I was personally privy to discussions on these issues as the text for the bill was being drafted, and I believe that the reason that this bill handles all of these difficult issues so well is that the Holt staffers took their time, acted deliberately, and consulted with the top experts, until they got it right. The primary criticism from a subset of the activists is that the bill does not go far enough. For example, it does not ban DREs, as long as they are equipped with a voter verified paper record that is not kept in sequential order. Personally, I would support a ban on all DREs, with paper trails or without. However, the lack of such a ban does not detract from the fact that the Holt bill as it reads would do more to improve election integrity, security and audit than anything that anybody else is doing. Similarly, when I read the NIST report about software independence (SI), and the resulting recommendation that legacy systems be allowed, and that only future systems will require SI, I would have preferred that all non-SI systems be immediately decertified. But, the net result of that report was positive and will ultimately lead to better elections in this country. As we move forward, it is important to constantly improve our elections. I believe that the Holt bill has the potential to take the biggest step this country can take towards the ultimate goal of minimizing fraud and error, while increasing access, confidence, and thus, hopefully, participation in public elections in the United States.
More on Holt bill intro
By Ed Davis
Posted on Tue Feb 20, 2007 at 01:09:55 PM EST
I am posting this for my colleague, Susannah Goodman, who's been deeply involved in work on the introduction of Rep. Holt's new bill, HR 811: I wanted folks to know that we've been reading your posts and are very grateful that you all are monitoring this process so closely and blowing the whistle when you see fit. We read them all. They've been great. We are working actively with Members of Congress and their staff to have the best possible federal legislation. They are tired of us bugging them with all kinds of language change suggestions - many of them yours - but that's our job and we'll continue to do it. And we're working with other advocacy groups to help us push for these changes as well. We won't get everything we ask for but we will get some of it. That said, we very much support HR 811. Look. Reality check here. There are still 15 states out there with paperless DREs. No paper. No Nothing. That's 15 too many. It only takes one of those states to throw a presidential election. We NEED these machines to produce paper ballots. Only 12 states conduct any kind of audit. With the exception of Connecticut, all of these states have audits which are weaker than the requirements in the Holt bill. We NEED audits in all 50 states. We also NEED emergency ballots in every polling location so that when (not if) machines break voters can still vote. We NEED durable paper ballots so that they can be used in recounts and audits. So we need this bill. But it has a very long list of enemies. From voting system vendors -- to Secretaries of State who don't ever want the feds to tell them what to do or how to do it -- to underfunded overburdened county officials who want to know just "where we think they're going to get the staff and money to implement all these changes." And what these folks say really resonates on Capitol hill. In other words, this bill is not a done deal. We NEED Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer to champion this bill and move it quickly. And we will NEED all your help in pushing for this bill and for the funding for this bill. So that's where we are. Please keep your comments coming.
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