Sen. Reid: Ethics, Stem Cells Top Agenda

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112800563.html

Sen. Reid: Ethics, Stem Cells Top Agenda

WASHINGTON -- Ethics reform, a higher minimum wage and more money for stem cell research are the top items on the Senate agenda next year, incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Reid said he will tackle those priorities after cleaning up the "financial mess" that the outgoing Republican leadership has left. He was referring to nine long overdue appropriations bills covering 13 Cabinet departments for the budget year that began Oct. 1.

"They're just leaving town, it appears," Reid said from his office in the Capitol. "We hope that's not the case, but it appears that's what they are going to do. And so we're going to have to find a way to fund the government for the next year."

The must-pass legislation totals more than $460 billion and promises to divert time and energy from other items on the Democratic agenda.

[Judi Lynn]

1. What a breath of fresh, clean air! Democrats at last, where they belong.

~snip~
"We're going to put in some hours here that haven't been put in in a long time," Reid said. That means "being here more days in the week, and we start off this year with seven weeks without a break. That hasn't been done in many, many years here."
(snip)

The election came on the heels of several ethical scandals involving lawmakers, and Reid said reform is needed. He said "the first thing we do" will be to try to cut the practice of lawmakers anonymously inserting "earmarks" _ narrowly tailored spending that often helps a specific company or project in their district _ into bills.

Citizens Against Government Waste, a taxpayer watchdog group, said there were 9,963 such projects in the spending bills for the 2006 budget year, costing $29 billion.

The third item at the top of Reid's agenda is increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. The White House has signaled that Bush may be willing to consider the proposal.
(snip)



Ya-HOOOOOO!

[Jawja]

2. That is a great start,

but I want to see legislation addressing paperless, unaditable voting machines and secret vote counting SOON. This issue indeed should be a TOP PRIORITY of the 110th Congress.