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Florida’s Tea Party governor vetoes…flowers?

Mark — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:50:01 +0000

By Stephanie Mencimer, Mother Jones

Members of the Florida state legislature rarely agree on anything. It’s unusual for a bill to get unanimous support from the body. But as it turns out, there is one thing that both Republicans and Democrats really love: wildflowers. Florida lawmakers in both houses of the state legislature voted a collective 157 to 0 this spring to increase the fee for a special Florida wildflower license plate from $15 to $25 starting in July. The proceeds would have gone to the Florida Wildflower Foundation, which for 13 years has been using license plate fees to dole out $2.5 million in grants to schools, garden clubs and other green-thumb groups to plant native Florida flowers. The only problem is that on Friday afternoon, Gov. Rick Scott (R) vetoed the bill.

The move seems to have left even Republicans somewhat mystified. The only people who paid the fee were those who wanted to chip in for the pretty roadside flowers, and it brought the cost of the license plate in line with another one Scott approved for the Freemasons. But Scott apparently saw it otherwise, insisting that the wildflower license plate fee is apparently just another manifestation of big government. He wrote:

The bill increases the annual use fee for a specialty license plate; an expense in addition to the standard fees paid when registering a motor vehicle. Although buying a specialty license plate is voluntary, Floridians wishing to demonstrate their support for our State’s natural beauty would be subjected to the cost increases sought by this bill.

The veto might be in keeping with Scott’s image as a strict small-government tea partier, though it’s unclear that even the tea partiers are part of the anti-wildflower lobby. What’s really odd about the veto is that Scott has spent the past few months running away from the tea party, which has made him one of the nation’s most unpopular governors. He’s been transforming himself into a more traditional tax-and-spend politician, even coming out in support of expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, as he tries to hang on to his job in next year’s election. But the flower veto suggests that the tea partier in him is refusing to go quietly. Or maybe he just really hates flowers. Either explanation probably isn’t going to help him win any votes. As the legislature has shown, in Florida, just about everyone loves wildflowers.

Read it at Mother Jones here.

Mark — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:20:59 +0000

President Obama has plan to stop federal student loan rates from doubling, but Republicans in Congress are blocking the bill.

If Congress doesn’t act by July 1st, many students will see rate hikes totaling thousands of dollars per student.

Enough is enough! Add your voice to the thousands who support President Obama’s student loan reform plan.

MA Gov. Deval Patrick says he is worried about push in Congress to cut food stamps

Mark — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:13:35 +0000

By Dan Ring, The Republican

With new statistics showing a heavy reliance on food stamps in cities such as Holyoke and Springfield, Gov. Deval L. Patricksaid he is concerned about a move in Congress to cut the assistance program for low-income families including tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts.

“I’m worried about the future of the program,” Patrick told The Republican. “I am worried about the fact that so many people need the program. And that has to do with the bottom falling out of the global economy and our climbing out of that, slowly but surely.”

Patrick, a two-term Democrat, said his family received food stamps when he was a child growing up in Chicago.

“It’s a modest benefit,” Patrick said. “It’s not a way to live lavishly. It’s just a way to sustain yourself until you can get up on your own feet. The reason the program utilization has expanded in the last several years is because more people have needed them and we’re doing a better job of finding where those people are and who they are.”

After some astronomical growth in the program over the past decade in Western Massachusetts and across the country, Congress is considering a new farm bill that would reduce spending for food stamps.

In Massachusetts, leaders of the state House of Representatives are pushing an anti-fraud bill that would require photos on state electronic benefit cards for welfare and food-stamp recipients.

U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, a Worcester Democrat, said he expects the House of Representatives in Washington to vote on the farm bill this week. McGovern said he will attempt to amend the bill to prevent cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the name since 2008 for the food stamp program.

McGovern told The Republican that it is “a rotten thing” to take food away from poor people. He said the farm bill in the Republican-controlled House is more generous to global agricultural businesses than to people who depend on food stamps.

“Here is my line in the sand,” said McGovern, who is among House members in Washington who are drawing attention to the proposed cuts by living off $31.50 for 7 days, a typical benefit from food stamps. “I am not going to vote for a farm bill that makes more people in this country hungry.”

McGovern said the proposed cuts would eliminate food assistance to nearly 2 million low-income people.

Read the rest at The Republican here.

NC Gov. McCrory approval hits all-time low

Mark — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:03:04 +0000

By John Frank, News Observer

As his term nears the sixth-month mark, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory’s approval rating is at its lowest point so far.

A new poll finds 45 percent approve of his job performance and 39 percent disapprove, a slight decline from the previous month when 48 percent approved, according to Public Policy Polling, a Raleigh-based Democratic firm. The poll’s margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.

But the Republican’s +6 percent approval margin is his lowest, down from +10 in May and +26 when he took office in January, the survey found. “A big reason why McCrory won so easily last fall was a lot of crossover support from Democrats but that’s dissipating — in April he was at 31(approve)/ 53 (disapprove) with them, now it’s 24/60,” wrote pollster Tom Jensen in explaining the results.

McCrory’s marks still remain better than the state legislature, according to the automated poll of voters conducted June 12-14. As a whole, only two in 10 people approve of the legislature’s performance so far and more than half — 56 percent — disapprove. Another 23 percent are undecided. The opposition crosses party lines, with Democrats more upset but Republicans, too, disapproving of a chamber led by their party. The approval numbers are down from May.

The Republican and Democratic lawmakers, when polled separately, get slightly more favorable reviews. But neither the House nor Senate budget get high marks with about half of voters disapproving of each.

Another interesting result: 67 percent of those polled opposed the decision to arrest a Charlotte Observer reporter covering the Moral Monday protests last week, with 12 percent supporting and 21 percent unsure.

Read it at News Observer here.

Abortion access on the chopping block in Texas

Mark — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:48:15 +0000

By Meredith Clark, MSNBC

Texas is likely to join Wisconsin and Ohio as the latest states to place new restrictions on women’s access to reproductive care, and as one provider said on Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry, this will have serious effects on the most vulnerable residents of the state.

Out of more than 40 clinics, only five would be able to remain open if the bills passed, all of which would be located in urban areas, and as guest Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, an organization that runs five women’s clinics in Texas, pointed out, “Texas already has some of the most onerous regulations for abortion facilities in the country.”

Hagstrom Miller described the potential effects of the bills as devastating. “This will disproportionately affect women of color,” she said. No matter what conservatives argue, abortion is “mainstream medicine and is very necessary for the health and safety of women in Texas.”

Fellow panel member Cristina Beltran, associate professor of social and cultural analysis at NYU, said that this focus on denying essential care to women will end up hurting the Republican Party. “For a lot of young women, if the Republicans hadn’t kept playing this card so heavily, this would have become a backseat issue in places that are more middle class, more affluent, who feel like they have fairly decent health care on this issue.” Beltran continued, “it’s creating a sense of collective threat among women, and it’s politicizing women around reproductive rights.”

Read the rest at MSNBC here.

GOP Governors’ Attacks on Women’s Health

Mark — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:42 +0000

MEMORANDUM

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Lis Smith, DGA Adviser

DATE: June 18, 2013

Re: GOP Governors’ Attacks on Women’s Health

Today, House Republicans are poised to vote for an extreme ban on abortions after 22 weeks. But, with a Democratic president and Senate, House Republicans’ efforts will be in vain.

Unfortunately for American women, the debate in the states—particularly those with Republican governors—isn’t just about political posturing. Whether it’s in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, New Jersey, or one of several other GOP-helmed states, a woman’s right to make critical decisions about her own health is being taken away at a disturbing rate.

In the last two years alone, Republican governors have signed into law measures that would i) criminalize abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy ii) force women to receive invasive and medically unnecessary ultrasounds before receiving an abortion iii) allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraception and iv) defund or cut funding to Planned Parenthood and family planning clinics that many women rely on for primary care. What’s worse is that these actions come after years of successful efforts to rollback women’s health care rights in other Republican-led states.

The debate in Washington, D.C. today makes Congressional leadership look tone deaf and completely out of touch with the American people. But, unlike the actions of Republican governors, it won’t make a single difference in the lives of American women.

That’s why the states are ground zero in the fight to protect women’s health. And it’s why the Democratic Governors Association will communicate frequently with voters in targeted states about the misguided and dangerous priorities of Republican governors and their extreme anti-women’s health agendas.

More information on Republican governors’ efforts to rollback women’s health is below.

NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple Signed “Nation’s Toughest” Abortion Restrictions, Designed To “Discover The Boundaries Of Roe v. Wade.” “North Dakota’s governor positioned the oil-rich state Tuesday as a primary battleground in the decades-old fight over abortion rights, signing into law the nation’s toughest restriction on the procedure and urging lawmakers to set aside cash for an inevitable legal challenge. Minutes after Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed three anti-abortion measures – one banning them when a heartbeat can be detected, which is as early as six weeks into a pregnancy – unsolicited donations began pouring into the state’s lone abortion clinic to help opponents prove the new laws are unconstitutional. ‘Although the likelihood of this measure surviving a court challenge remains in question, this bill is nevertheless a legitimate attempt by a state legislature to discover the boundaries of Roe v. Wade,’ Dalrymple said in a statement, referring to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion up to until a fetus is considered viable – usually at 22 to 24 weeks.” [Associated Press, 3/26/13]

KANSAS

Gov. Sam Brownback Signed “Sweeping Anti-Abortion Legislation” Declaring That Life Begins “At Fertilization.” “Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed sweeping anti-abortion legislation Friday, giving his state a new law to block tax breaks for abortion providers, ban sex-selection abortions and declare that life begins “at fertilization. Many provisions take effect in July, though the tax changes will be effective for 2014. The measure cleared the Republican-dominated Legislature by wide margins earlier this month.” [Associated Press, 4/20/13]

Brownback Signed Legislation Allowing Pharmacists To Refuse Dispensing Drugs They “Reasonably Believe” May Cause Abortion. “Gov. Sam Brownback has signed into law a bill that will allow pharmacists to refuse to provide drugs they believe might cause an abortion. Called the Heath Care Rights of Conscience Act, the new law will bar anyone from being required to prescribe or administer a drug they ‘reasonably believe’ might result in the termination of a pregnancy… Critics say the law will open the door for a pharmacist to refuse a request for something like the ‘morning-after’ pill, which the Mayo Clinic says can prevent or delay ovulation, block fertilization or keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.” [Kansas City Star, 5/15/12]

Brownback Supporting Allowing Employers To Refuse Contraception Insurance Coverage – Said Women Could “Go Work Somewhere Else” If They Wanted Birth Control. “Brownback said the contraception issue was about respecting the beliefs of religious institutions and not about denying women their rights. His solution for women who work at those institutions and want birth control: ‘Go work somewhere else.’” [Wichita Eagle Editorial Blog, 3/1/12]

WISCONSIN

Walker Said He Would Sign Controversial Ultrasound Bill. “Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker saidTuesday he will sign a measure that’s quickly working its way through the Republican-controlled Legislature that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound…’I don’t have any problem with ultrasound,’ Walker told reporters after a school choice meeting in Milwaukee. ‘I think most people think ultrasounds are just fine.’” [Associated Press, 6/11/13]

PENNSYLVANIA

Corbett Signed Legislation Prohibiting Insurance Companies In Health Exchange From Covering Abortion – Even Private Providers. “Women in Pennsylvania who sign up for health insurance under the federal Affordable Care Act’s new insurance exchange will not be able to purchase abortion coverage – even with private dollars. Gov. Corbett signed into law a bill today that prohibits abortion coverage in insurance plans offered through the exchanges. Pennsylvania is now one of about 20 other states limiting coverage under the health care exchanges set up to provide lower cost health care to independent workers and small businesses that cannot afford insurance for their employees.” [Commonwealth Confidential, Philly.com,6/17/13]
Corbett Supported Controversial Ultrasound Bill – Said Women Could Just Close Their Eyes. Governor “Corbett made headlines…when he expressed support for a controversial mandatory ultrasound bill in his state, advising women who don’t want to see an ultrasound of the fetus before an abortion to ‘close their eyes.’” [Talking Points Memo, 04/17/12]

· Bill Would Require Ultrasound Screen to Be in Woman’s Line of Sight. Corbett’s comment was in March 2012 in reference to a bill that “requires that a woman not only get an ultrasound, but that the ultrasound screen be in her line of sight. The bill states that the woman can choose to look away, but the technician performing the ultrasound would have to note whether she viewed the results.” [Pennlive.com, 2/29/12]

OHIO

Kasich Must Sign Budget Bill By June 30; Bill Includes Amendment Stripping Planned Parenthood Funding. “The budget, which must be signed by Gov. John Kasich no later than June 30, contains an amendment that would strip funding from Planned Parenthood by altering the current system of divvying federal funds the state receives for family planning. The bill also contains language that would stop surgical facilities that perform or induce abortions from having transfer agreements with public hospitals.” [Plain Dealer, 6/12/13]

2011: Kasich Signed Bills Prohibiting Abortion Coverage Through Insurance Exchange, Late-Term Abortion Ban, Measure Restricting Abortion Access For Minors. “House Bill 79, the third anti-abortion bill Kasich, a Republican, has signed this year, prevents health insurance plans available through the new federal health care law from paying for abortions, unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The bill was among several measures lawmakers took up last week before breaking for the year. HB 79 was among the most divisive. It joins two other anti-abortion bills the GOP-controlled legislature has passed this year: a late-term abortion ban and a law making it more difficult for a minor to get an abortion.” [Plain Dealer, 12/21/11]

Ohio Republicans Introduced Bill Requiring 48-Hour Waiting Period Before Abortion, Mandatory Ultrasounds. “A group of Ohio Republican lawmakers has introduced a bill that would require women seeking abortions to wait at least 48 hours and undergo an ultrasound examination. Those requirements are among an extensive list of abortion restrictions in House Bill 200, introduced by Rep. Ron Hood of Southeast Ohio and backed by 34 of his GOP colleagues.” [Plain Dealer, 6/12/13]

Legislation Would Require Doctors To Say Fetuses Could Feel Pain And Claim That Abortion Increases Breast Cancer Risk, Eliminate “Medical Necessity” As Reason To Waive Waiting Period. “Among other things, the bill would: * Require doctors to give women a verbal description of the ultrasound, including an audible heartbeat, if available. (The bill notes, however, that a woman can refuse to view ultrasound images or listen to the sounds detected by a fetal heart monitor.) * Compel abortion providers to tell patients that fetuses and embryos can feel pain, and that a woman who has an abortion increases her risk of breast cancer. […] * Eliminate ‘medical necessity’ as a reason to waive the waiting period. Medical necessity had been defined as a medical condition that complicates the pregnancy so that it warrants an immediate abortion.” [Plain Dealer, 6/12/13]

VIRGINIA

Ken Cuccinelli’s AG Office Approved Regulations Requiring Abortion Clinics To Meet Excessive Construction Requirements. “The Virginia Board of Health on Friday gave final approval to new regulations for abortion clinics that will force them to spend large sums on renovations that abortion rights advocates say are medically unnecessary… Last year, the Health Board initially decided to ‘grandfather in’ existing clinics, exempting them from many of the construction requirements, which were originally written for newly built hospitals. But the conservative attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, ruled that such exemptions were illegal under the 2011 law and warned board members that they might be personally responsible for legal costs if they were sued over the matter.” [New York Times, 4/12/13]

· State Health Commissioner Resigned In Protest Over “Political Meddling.” “The board reversed itself, leading the state health commissioner at the time, Dr. Karen Remley, to resign in protest over what she described as political meddling. Dr. Remley, in an interview Friday, said that she and many other legal and medical experts believe that Mr. Cuccinelli was wrong in his interpretation of the law, that its wording allows a more flexible application of the construction requirements.” [New York Times, 4/12/13]

Washington Post Editorial: “Va.’s Cuccinelli Plays Fast And Loose With The Facts On Abortion.” “Mr. Cuccinelli has written that Planned Parenthood’s sex-education programs in the nation’s schools are ‘a loss leader’ for the organization, whose real goal is to hook youngsters into seeking ‘abortion on demand.’ That conspiratorial view does not align with reality, but it does square with Mr. Cuccinelli’s general disdain for any facts that pose an obstacle to his ideological agenda. [Washington Post Editorial, 6/12/13]

Following A “National Debate,” Bob McDonnell Signed Bill Requiring Mandatory Ultrasounds Before Abortion Procedures. “Amid continued protests from Democrats, Republican Governor Bob McDonnell on Wednesday signed into law a controversial bill requiring Virginia women to undergo an ultrasound procedure prior to having an abortion. The bill sparked national debate this month over a provision that would have required many women to undergo transvaginal ultrasounds, which opponents decried as medically unnecessary and physically invasive. McDonnell, a conservative who opposes abortion rights, ultimately requested that mandate be stripped. The Virginia House of Delegates passed a revised version last week that allows women to “reject” a transvaginal ultrasound and instead opt for an abdominal ultrasound, which generally yields less information in the early stages of a pregnancy.” [CBS News, 3/7/12]

FLORIDA

Scott Signed Bill Forcing Doctors to Offer Ultrasounds Performing Abortions. In 2011 Governor Scott signed off on HB 1127 “requiring that women be offered the opportunity to see and hear a description of ultrasound images before undergoing an abortion.” The bill “requires that ultrasound be performed on woman obtaining abortion; requires that ultrasound be reviewed with patient before woman gives informed consent for abortion procedure; requires that woman certify in writing that she declined to review ultrasound… provides exemption from requirement to view ultrasound for women who are victims of rape, incest, domestic violence, or human trafficking or for women who have serious medical condition necessitating abortion.” [Tampa Bay Times, 5/5/11, HB 1127, 7/1/11]

ARIZONA

Brewer Signed Law Forcing Doctors to Offer Ultrasound Images. “Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law Saturday a measure that expands abortion-clinic licensing statues to include those abortions initiated with medication. The measure also guarantees every woman considering an abortion is provided with an ultrasound, sees the results and hears the heartbeat, if audible.” [Arizona Republic, 4/2/11]

NEW JERSEY

Star-Ledger Politifact: Christie Eliminated $7.5 Million In Family Planning Funding And “On Three Occasions, Christie Has Rejected Efforts By The Legislature To Restore Those Family Planning Dollars.“PolitiFact New Jersey found that Booker’s claim is on target. Christie eliminated nearly $7.5 million for family planning services in his first budget for fiscal year 2011, and has rejected efforts by the Democrat-led legislature to restore that funding…On three occasions, Christie has rejected efforts by the Legislature to restore those family planning dollars. The first time occurred when the governor vetoed a bill passed by the Legislature in June 2010 to restore the funding. At the time, Christie said New Jersey residents have access to ‘comprehensive reproductive health care services’ at other sites and the state can’t afford to ‘provide duplicative funding for family planning centers.’ In June 2011, the Legislature included the $7.5 million in the fiscal year 2012 budget sent to the governor. Christie eliminated that funding as part of his line-item vetoes, and the Legislature couldn’t secure enough votes to override that veto. Most recently, the Legislature passed a bill in June to restore the funding, but Christie vetoed it.” [Star Ledger, Politifact,9/5/12]

After Governor Christie’s Veto In 2010, Six Family Centers Closed Across The State. “In June 2010, the state Assembly and Senate passed a bill that would restore the $7.45 million in funding cut for family planning services. Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the bill, S2139, saying New Jersey residents have access to ‘comprehensive reproductive health care services’ at other sites and the state can’t afford to ‘provide duplicative funding for family planning centers.’ Since then, Donna Leusner, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Senior Services, said her agency has been notified that six sites have closed: Westampton and Brown Mills locations run by the Burlington County Health Department; Planned Parenthood of Southern New Jersey’s Cherry Hill center; FamCare, Inc.’s Millville facility; the Bayonne Women’s Health and Family Planning Center; and Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey’s Dover site.” [Star-Ledger, Politifact, 6/10/11]

2010: Christie Proposed Eliminating State Funding For Family Planning Programs. “The governor also proposed the elimination of state funding for family planning services. ‘This is terribly surprising, and a misguided message from the governor,’ said Phyllis Kinsler, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central Jersey, with offices in New Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Spotswood. According to Kinsler, for every $4 Planned Parenthood receives from the state it saves the state $28 in Medicaid-related costs. ‘We supported his message that he wanted to protect programs that save state dollars and leverage federal dollars. Not only is this bad for public health but it is a disaster for the taxpayer,’ said Kinsler.” [Home News Tribune, 3/16/10]

Christie Claimed Family Planning Clinics Have “Nothing To Do With Mammograms” — Clinics Performed Over 60,000 Breast Exams In 2009. “Christie has never cited the abortion issue as a reason for cutting the funding. But he was resolute about his decision in a Wednesday night radio program on 101.5 FM. ‘I don’t believe that is a priority in a budget where you have to cut $11 billion,’ the governor said. ‘I believe that women have the opportunity to access health care all across New Jersey. Family planning has nothing to do with mammograms, and don’t put the two of them together.’ Citing Christie’s ‘confusing’ remarks and noting the clinics performed more than 60,000 breast exams last year, Weinberg subsequently met with the governor’s chief of staff, Richard Bagger.” [Star-Ledger, 6/25/10]

GOP Embraces Extreme Anti-Abortion Agenda

Mark — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:22:45 +0000

By JEREMY W. PETERS

WASHINGTON — After Republicans lost the presidential election and seats in both the House and the Senate last year, many in the party offered a stern admonishment: if we want to broaden our appeal, steer clear of divisive social and cultural issues.

Yet House Republicans seem eager to reopen the emotional fight over abortion by bringing to the floor on Tuesday a measure that would prohibit the procedure after 22 weeks of pregnancy — the most restrictive abortion bill to come to a vote in either chamber in a decade.

The bill stands no chance of becoming law, with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House. Republican leaders acknowledge that its purpose is to satisfy vocal elements of their base who have renewed a push for new restrictions on reproductive rights, even if those issues harmed the party’s reputation with women in 2012.

Keenly aware of the fraught position they are in, Republican leaders have moved to insulate themselves from Democrats’ criticism that they are opening a new front in the “war on women.” Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, will manage the debate on the bill when it reaches the House floor, a role that would customarily go to the sponsor, Representative Trent Franks of Arizona.

And in a last-minute revision, House leaders slipped in a provision that would allow for a limited exception in cases of rape or incest, but only if the woman had reported the crime.

Among Republicans, the conservative majority in the House is hardly alone in concluding that aggressive new restrictions on reproductive rights are politically wise. All across the country this year, Republican-dominated state legislatures have passed some of the toughest abortion laws enacted in a decade. Many of these flagrantly conflict with Supreme Court precedent, and many are being challenged in the courts.

Already this year, Arkansas and North Dakota have enacted bans similar to the one the House will vote on, which would prohibit abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy based on the scientifically disputed theory that fetuses at that stage of development can feel pain. Both states then went on to approve even more restrictive laws.

Read the full article at The New York Times.

Supreme Court Strikes Down AZ Voter Registration Requirement

Mark — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:50:16 +0000

In a strong blow against conservative efforts to restrict access to voting, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday to strike down Arizona Proposition 200, which required people to submit proof of citizenship when they register to vote under the federal “motor voter” registration law. The 7-2 decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, is a considerable defeat for conservative politicians banging the war drum against voter fraud and targeting minorities and legal immigrants throughout the United States. More importantly, the Supreme Court decision is a major forward step towards less voter suppression and greater citizen access to electoral polls.

The Supreme Court Strikes Down Arizona Voter Registration Citizenship Requirement

June 17, 2013

By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Huffington Post

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states cannot on their own require would-be voters to prove they are U.S. citizens before using a federal registration system designed to make signing up easier.

The justices voted 7-2 to throw out Arizona’s voter-approved requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal “Motor Voter” voter registration law.

Federal law “precludes Arizona from requiring a federal form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself,” Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the court’s majority.

The court was considering the legality of Arizona’s requirement that prospective voters document their U.S. citizenship in order to use a registration form produced under the federal “motor voter” registration law. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which doesn’t require such documentation, trumps Arizona’s Proposition 200 passed in 2004.

Read the rest of this story on Huffington Post here.

Governors Speed Ahead on Immigration with 2016 in sight

Mark — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:47:54 +0000

By KEVIN ROBILLARD, Politico

Several governors with potential 2016 ambitions are speeding ahead with plans to give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, nearly six years after the issue tripped up Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes.

Democratic Govs. Martin O’Malley of Maryland, Peter Shumlin of Vermont and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, and Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada have all signed legislation granting driving privileges to at least some undocumented immigrants, part of a wave of seven states adopting similar laws so far this year. In an eighth state, Florida, lawmakers passed a bill by overwhelming margins only to see Republican Gov. Rick Scott veto it.

As of Jan. 1, only four states — Washington, California, Utah and New Mexico — had such laws in place.

Supporters say licenses promote safety by getting the immigrants to comply with traffic safety laws, meet insurance requirements and pay the necessary fees.

“This is not about politics,” Sandoval said last month at a signing ceremony for Nevada’s bill. “This is about making roads safer.” He added, “This is good for everybody.”

Opponents charge that the laws turn driver’s licenses into a reward for being in the country illegally.

But the eagerness of prominent governors from both parties to embrace the legislation shows how much the politics of immigration has changed since October 2007, when Clinton’s fumbling of a debate question about a proposed driver’s license law became the first serious stumbling block in what had seemed her inevitable road to the White House.

Six years later, following two presidential elections in which Democrats won with overwhelming support from Hispanic voters, the political risks appear to have dimmed while governors and state legislators try to woo a Latino populace that will soon encompass one-third of the nation. A similar dynamic is at play in Congress, where the Senate has been consumed with an attempt at sweeping changes to federal immigration policy.
Read the rest at Politico here.

Florida Democrats Looking Forward to 2014 Gubernatorial Standoff with Rick Scott

Mark — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:21:22 +0000

By Marc Caputo, Miami Herald

Florida Democrats’ best candidate for governor right now isn’t a candidate and wasn’t always one of them.

And party leaders caused a stir by snubbing a longtime candidate and party stalwart.

But when the elites of the Florida Democratic Party met Saturday in Hollywood for their annual fundraising gala, they suggested none of that was really a big problem for one big reason: Rick Scott.

The unpopular Republican governor looks like an easy target for an incumbent.

“Whoever the Democratic nominee is will beat Rick Scott,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “We will win the Governor’s Mansion next November. There’s not any question.”

Even before the Jefferson-Jackson dinner began, Florida Democratic Party leaders said it was a success, bringing in a record $850,000.

But the fundraiser came at a cost for Nan Rich, a former Democratic state Senate leader from Weston who was blocked from speaking because they wanted to limit the program, which in past years had gone on for hours.

One Broward County activist carried a sign saying “Let Nan Rich Speak.” He was removed by security at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa.

Rich attended the Jefferson-Jackson dinner nonetheless. On her website, Rich posted the speech she would have given. It bashed Republicans and Scott for their policies on education, health care and elections.

Former Gov. Charlie Crist, the Republican turned independent turned recent Democrat, also attended Saturday’s event along with the Democrat who narrowly lost to Scott in 2010, Alex Sink.

In a written statement, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Lenny Curry, jeered at the Democrats’ choices.

“Florida Democrats,” Curry said, “have to choose between a former governor who oversaw the second-highest jump in unemployment in the nation, an extreme liberal former state senator who doesn’t see a tax hike she doesn’t like, or a former CFO who’s already lost to Governor Scott.”

Curry also pointed out that Florida has the nation’s second-largest drop in unemployment under Scott, businesses such as retail giant Amazon are expanding here, and schools are highly ranked.

Said Crist: “I’m not going to take credit for the global economic meltdown, and so I think he shouldn’t take credit for the jobs that are coming in thanks to President Obama.

Read the rest at the Tampa Bay Times here.