from Congress.org:
SHOULD AMERICANS PAY MORE FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM? Although final Congressional action is still many months away, several House and Senate committees this week are holding hearings on health care reform – and the costs associated with it. The nation spent $2.4 trillion on health care in 2008, and yet 46 million Americans have no health coverage at all. President Barack Obama and Democratic Congressional leaders hope to pass a reform bill by the end of the year. As a first step to funding an ambitious effort to attain universal coverage, Obama has proposed creating a $630 billion trust fund in his budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Attaining universal health care will almost inevitably cost most Americans – businesses and taxpayers – more. But Obama argues that the cost of doing nothing is more extreme. “If we don’t tackle health care,” he said at the White House health care summit last week, “we’re going to break the bank”
CONGRESS ASKS IF RADIO STATIONS SHOULD PAY TO PLAY SONGS The House Judiciary Committee this week is considering a bill (H.R. 848) that would require AM and FM radio stations to pay royalties to songwriters when their material is played on the radio. The bipartisan bill brings radio station payments in line with what satellite, Internet and cable stations pay musicians for the use of their songs (the Senate version is S.379).
SHOULD GUANTANAMO DETAINEES BE BANNED FROM THE UNITED STATES? As the Obama administration moves toward shuttering the detention facility for 250 suspected terrorists and enemy combatants at Guantånamo Bay, Cuba, in 2010, Members of Congress are beginning to focus on what might happen to the detainees after Gitmo is closed. Democrats and civil libertarians were harshly critical of the facility during the Bush administration, but they face significant challenges as they prepare to shut it down. House Republicans may not have the answers, but they have hit upon a not-in-my-backyard suggestion that should at least be popular with their constituents, even if it doesn’t stand much chance of passing. They know what they don’t want – they don’t want any of the detainees warehoused in their own states. Several bills have been introduced to keep detainees out of certain states and districts after the base is closed. Should Gitmo detainees be banned from U.S. prisons and military bases or be allowed to be transferred to federal facilities in the United States?
CONGRESS CONSIDERS REGULATING TOBACCO PRODUCTS LIKE A DRUG The House Energy and Commerce Committee will debate significant health care legislation, including the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which would give the Food and Drug Administration greater control over regulating tobacco products. Should Congress authorize the FDA to regulate tobacco products like a drug?
HOUSE APPROVES ALLOWING BANKRUPTCY JUDGES TO REDUCE THE PRINCIPAL OWED ON A MORTGAGE LOAN. The House approved a bill 234-191 that would allow bankruptcy judges to reduce the amount of principal owed in a home mortgage loan. (How They Voted) This “cram-down” provision is supported by the White House in an effort to restore confidence in the housing market by reducing foreclosures and stopping the downward spiral of housing prices. Opponents say this is simply rewarding those who made bad decisions, in essence making everyone pay for the bad decisions of a few. Proponents say that helping stop foreclosures will help stabilize everyone’s home values – akin to stopping a fire at your neighbor’s house from spreading to yours and dealing with the blame after the threat is past. The banking industry is split on this issue. Should Congress support or oppose allowing judges to reduce the principal of home mortgage loans during bankruptcy proceedings?
