When Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) was announced as Senator Barack Obama’s (D-IL) running mate, I did a quick scan here of his legislative priorities in the current Congress. Now, for the start of the Republican convention, here’s one on Senator John McCain (R-AZ).

(We’ll look at Barack Obama in a week. Without a record as a federal legislator, Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK) won’t get a similar analysis, but we’ll be looking for tidbits on her as well.)

Senator McCain has introduced 21 bills in the current Congress. Just one of them has passed into law. That is S. 327, the Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act, which was passed as a part of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008.

This law authorizes a study of sites associated with the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement. It’s not a significant piece of legislation, and the life of a farm labor organizer is not the usual fare for a Republican, but it probably appeals to some of McCain’s home state constituencies, which include Mexican-American immigrants and the children of immigrants and farm workers who have established themselves as U.S. citizens.

Much of McCain’s legislating is oriented toward his home state, with native American issues and Arizona land issues joining interests of Senator McCain’s like military reform, campaign finance regulation, and a smattering of other things. Boxing regulation has been a McCain hobby horse for some time.

Senator McCain has introduced only one bill in 2008. This is the fuel tax holiday he proposed at the beginning of the summer. McCain’s 2008 is the portrait of a man campaigning for the presidency. (I hasten to add that quantity is not an important metric of a representative’s work. One good bill is worth a thousand pieces of symbolic legislation or 10,000 bad bills passed into law.)

With that, here are Senator John McCain’s legislative priorities, as expressed by his actions in the current Congress. It’s one of many snapshots of this contender for the presidency.

PASSED INTO LAW

S. 327
The Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act
was passed as The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, Public Law 110-229

INTRODUCED BILLS

S. 32
The Defense Acquisition Reform Act of 2007

S. 83
The Rail Security Act of 2007

S. 84
The Professional Boxing Amendments Act of 2007
Costs $0.32 per family

S. 85
The Indian Tribes Methamphetamine Reduction Grants Act of 2007

S. 86
The Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Act of 2007
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 166
The Cell Phone Tax Moratorium Act of 2007

S. 192
The Lobbying, Ethics, and Earmarks Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007

S. 463
The 527 Reform Act of 2007

S. 478
The Federal Election Administration Act of 2007

S. 519
The SAFE Act of 2007

S. 531
A bill to repeal section 10(f) of Public Law 93-531, commonly known as the “Bennett Freeze”
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 663
A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to repeal the statutory designation of beneficiaries of the $100,000 death gratuity under section 1477 of title 10, United States Code, and to permit members of the Armed Forces to designate in writing their beneficiaries of choice in the event of their death while serving on active duty

S. 722
The Walnut Canyon Study Act of 2007

S. 744
The SAVE LIVES Act

S. 952
A bill to amend the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992 to provide funds for training in tribal leadership, management, and policy, and for other purposes
Costs $0.04 per family

S. 1255
The Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2007
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 1304
The Arizona National Scenic Trail Act
Costs $0.01 per family

S. 1900
A bill to authorize appropriations for the United States Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution

S. 2172
The Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007

S. 2890
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a highway fuel tax holiday

I came across an interesting article in my Labor Day weekend reading. (Yes, I do know how to have a good time.)

“What’s the Emergency?” [PDF; scroll down a bit] is the name of an article in the Summer 2008 issue of Regulation magazine, and it illustrates yet another dimension of how the federal spending process is out of control.

In addition to falling well behind in the regular spending process, Congress is increasingly passing emergency supplemental spending bills – even for ordinary spending.

In May 2007, for instance, President Bush signed into law the biggest supplemental bill in history, $120 billion [$1,300 per U.S. family - ed.], to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and pay for hurricane recovery and agriculture disaster relief at home. . . . By contrast, the average annual amount of emergency supplemental spending in the 1990s — a decade that saw interventions in Iraq, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo — was just $13.8 billion.

“Emergency” bills are given special exceptions from budgetary rules designed to restrain spending. But Congress never defined the term “emergency” other than to say that these bills must be necessary, sudden, urgent, unforeseen, and temporary. These things are all in the eye of the beholder. As de Rugy points out, “most of the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — approximately $900 billion through the end of 2008 — has been funded through supplemental bills — effectively on top of the
Pentagon’s regular budget. While the costs of the wars may be necessary and not permanent, they are by no means sudden or unforeseen.”

Your Congress at work.

(Disclosures: I know and like de Rugy, and Regulation is a publication of my employer, The Cato Institute.)

I was flipping through the channels on a DirecTV setup yesterday when I spied a most interesting campaign put together by the satellite TV provider itself. On the unused channels, there was an important message aimed at subscribers.

Big Cable companies are encouraging states across the country to charge satellite subscribers, like you, higher state sales taxes. This is unfair!

A bipartisan group of members of Congress have said, enough is enough! They introduced the State Video Tax Fairness Act (HR 3679 & S 3418) to prevent any state from charging higher taxes on satellite subscribers than on other video customers.

The message invites DirecTV subscribers to contact their members of Congress encouraging support for these bills.

It’s very interesting to see a company go straight to its customers with a public policy push, but you see it more and more. Ebay Mainstreet is one of the most prominent I’ve seen.

Anyway, the campaign is working to some degree. Take a look at the first comment on H.R. 3679, The State Video Tax Fairness Act of 2007. It’s from a guy who saw a message on his DirecTV system. The Senate version hasn’t seen quite as much action.

Here’s the current voting on H.R. 3679, The State Video Tax Fairness Act of 2007 and S. 3418, The State Video Tax Fairness Act of 2008. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki articles about the bills.

This is a bill so huge, you should fear its wrath if you don’t support it.

It’s “The MEGA.”

Congressional staff put a surprising amount of time and effort into naming their bills in clever ways. If the title of the bill can be made to spell something clever, the bill will be more likely to pass and better for the country, right? (Like the USA-PATRIOT Act!)

So this one’s called “The MEGA.” That stands for Metro Economies Green Act. It’s a name that doesn’t actually mean anything, but it’s probably about some environmental something.

BUT YOU MUST FEAR IT! FEAR THE MEGA AND SUPPORT IT!

Here’s the current vote on the MEGA. Click to vote, comment, learn more, fear the MEGA, or edit the wiki article about the bill.

I wrote here six weeks ago about how the telecommunications subsidy programs run by the Federal Communications Commission were poorly run and subject to waste, fraud, and abuse.

Well, evidently, the FCC got the message and has cleaned up its act! Or started to . . . . Or at least they did something.

Today, the agency has debarred a Mr. George Marchelos from from the schools and libraries universal service support program (often called the “E-Rate program”) for three years. Marchelos was recently convicted of participating in schemes to defraud the E-Rate program and of engaging in bid rigging on E-Rate projects for certain school districts. (Here’s a look at part of his indictment.) He must be devastated that he can’t rig bids or defraud this particular corner of the government for a whole three years.

Interestingly, Marchelos was a witness at a congressional hearing on problems with the e-rate program back in 2004. (The House Commerce Committee says his testimony will be online “as soon as possible after the conclusion of the hearing,” which evidently is something more than three years.)

So you can go ahead and pay your telephone taxes again with the confidence of knowing that waste, fraud, and abuse have been squeezed out of this program – ummm, for three years at least.

Debate is running fast and furious on H.R. 5924, The Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act. The bill would increase the number of nurses and physical therapists that are allowed to immigrate into the country.

The bill apparently responds to a shortage of nurses in the country, but there are many commenters who don’t trust foreign nurses, assuming their poor language skills or training, or perhaps wishing to keep them out because they could lower the wages of U.S. nurses. From what little I know, we could use more nurses in the country, and concerns with language or training are for the hospitals and health systems that might hire them to worry about – not for the immigration laws to take care of.

One of the people who seems not to like the idea of immigrant nurses is a commenter identified as “Sam.” Sam’s jab at foreign nurses is a pretty good joke. But maybe it’s inappropriate. Depends on the spirit in which it’s intended, I suppose. Here it is:

The Immigration Officer said, “Sindhu, you have passed all the tests so far, there is only one test left. Unless you pass it you cannot stay in the United States of America. Make a sentence using the words, Yellow, Pink and Green.”

Sindhu said, “The telephone goes green, green, green, and I pink it up, and say, ‘Yellow, this is Sindhu.”’

Make your own judgement about the joke. And make your own judgement about whether we should have more nurses in the country. Here’s the current vote on H.R. 5924, The Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article about the bill:

A little over a month ago, I wrote here about the debate on oil speculation.

One of the commenters on S. 3268, The Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008 had pointed to a Web site called Stop Oil Speculation Now. I speculated (ahem) that this commenter might be a spinmeister for that campaign.

Whatever the case, now there’s a Web site on the other side. The Airline Oil Spin is its name, and it says:

The U.S. Airline Industry is wracked with problems. And the airline industry is working hard to pin all of those problems on “oil speculators,” by creating pseudo-grassroots campaigns like their recent effort to push legislation to stop some kinds of oil speculation.

The airlines “are currently engaged in the buying and selling of ‘paper contracts’ for jet fuel through their extensive fuel hedging programs,” this site says. Airlines are speculators themselves.

Now, The Airline Oil Spin links to a site called How Was Your Flight? that highlights problems with the airlines. How Was Your Flight? is a project of the Reaching Higher Coalition, which is “a coalition of community groups, clergy, elected leaders, and airport workers represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Service Workers West.”

Well, we have quite a selection of Web sites to root through, and we’re better off for having them, even if they’re all trying to spin us. Through the spin and counter-spin, we’ll learn a little bit and be in a better position to decide what we think.

I, for one, remain convinced that “oil speculation” is a bugaboo that we really shouldn’t be worried by. Buying and selling of futures contracts in commodities like oil helps to spread risk and smooth out supply and demand. Fast recent rises in the price of oil reflect uncertainty about where oil is going to come from, uncertainty caused by war and political instability in places like Iraq and Venezuela. And it’s caused by increasing consumption in countries with growing economies like China and India. Going after “speculators” is sort of shooting the messenger. (This is an opinion I concealed oh-so-cleverly in my earlier post.)

The debate continues. Here’s the vote on S. 3268, The Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article about the bill.

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email newsletter | tell a friend | wiki | about | home | log in On the WashingtonWatch.com Blog Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) will be Senator Barack Obama’s (D-IL) vice presidential candidate. A post on the WashingtonWatch.com blog called “Senator Biden’s Priorities” takes a look at the legislative work of Senator Biden. Featured Items Congress continues its August recess and will not return to Washington for a couple more weeks. This week, the Democratic party convention in Denver will complete the process of selecting that party’s presidential nominee. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has indicated that his vice presidential candidate will be Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE). Biden has been in the U.S. Senate for 35 years and has been an active legislator in the current Congress. We took a look at his overall record on the WashingtonWatch.com blog, and will examine a few key bills here. A significant bill Biden introduced that has been passed into law is the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. The law will spend about $300 per U.S. family on assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. (It was the House version that passed, but Biden sponsored it in the Senate.) Biden also sponsored the Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007. The law continues a grant program to assist criminal offenders as they reenter their communities after serving their time. The law costs about $3.50 per U.S. family. A bill Biden has introduced that has not yet passed is S. 3168, the International Development Association Replenishment Act of 2008. The bill would contribute funds to the International Development Association. The IDA is a part of the World Bank that provides long-term, interest-free loans to the world’s 80 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. The spending amounts to just under $34 per U.S. family. S. 2731 The Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 Costs $298.60 per family S. 1060 The Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007 Costs $3.49 per family S. 3168 The International Development Association Replenishment Act of 2008 Costs $33.81 per family What People Think The Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 31% For, 69% Against Vote on this Bill The Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007 71% For, 29% Against Vote on this Bill The International Development Association Replenishment Act of 2008 45% For, 55% Against Vote on this Bill Displayed below are new, updated, and passed items with their cost or savings per family. New Items H.R. 263 The Cybersecurity Education Enhancement Act of 2007 Costs $0.09 per family S. 3341 The Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 2008 Costs $2.17 per family S. 1933 The Small Community Drinking Water Funding Act Costs $26.32 per family S. 952 A bill to amend the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992 to provide funds for training in tribal leadership, management, and policy, and for other purposes Costs $0.04 per family H.R. 5743 The Scientific Transformations through Advancing Research (STAR) Act Costs $0.00 per family S. 3155 The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008 Costs $19.51 per family H.R. 6339 The Federal Employees Deserve to Volunteer on the Elections Act of 2008 Costs $0.73 per family H.R. 6524 To authorize the Administrator of General Services to take certain actions with respect to parcels of real property located in Eastlake, Ohio, and Koochiching County, Minnesota, and for other purposes Costs $0.00 per family H.R. 6159 The Deafy Glade Land Exchange Act Costs $0.00 per family H.R. 6580 The Hubbard Act Costs $0.05 per family S. 3362 The SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act of 2008 Costs $1.87 per family Updated Items H.R. 404 The Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act Costs $0.55 per family   Passed Items none   email newsletter | tell a friend | wiki | about | home | privacy | contact | log in WashingtonWatch.com P.O. Box 77576 Washington, D.C. 20013

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) will be Senator Barack Obama’s (D-IL) running mate. A Bloomberg story says the Biden pick is “aimed at addressing questions about Obama’s inexperience on international affairs, his biggest vulnerability against [Republican presidential candidate Senator John] McCain.”

Let’s take a look at Senator Biden’s legislative priorities. (Disclosure: I was a college intern in Senator Biden’s personal office in the fall of 1988.)

So far in the current Congress, Biden has introduced 37 bills, mostly dealing with foreign affairs and criminal justice issues. Of those, nine have passed into law, either directly or as part of other legislation. (This analysis does include amendments or symbolic resolutions, and relies on the Thomas legislative database for incorporation of bills into passed legislation.)

Listed below are bills that Senator Biden has introduced and that have been passed into law, followed by the bills he has introduced but that have not been passed into law.

PASSED INTO LAW

S. 676 became Public Law 110-38
A bill to provide that the Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank or the Alternate Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank may serve on the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 1060
The Recidivism Reduction and Second Chance Act of 2007
Costs $3.49 per family
was passed as The Second Chance Act of 2007, Public Law 110-199

S. 1709
The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2007
was passed as The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, Public Law 110-229.

S. 2106 became P.L. 110-113
The Procedural Fairness for September 11 Victims Act of 2007

S. 2257
The Burma Democracy Promotion Act of 2007
was pased as The Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2007, Public Law 110-286.

S. 2565 became P.L. 110-298
The Federal Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2007
Costs $0.01 per family

S. 2731
The Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008
Costs $298.60 per family
was passed as The Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008, Law 110-293.

S. 3218 became Public Law 110-296
The Criminal History Background Checks Pilot Extension Act of 2008

S. 3370 became Public Law 110-301
The Libyan Claims Resolution Act

INTRODUCED BILLS

S. 345
The Homeland Security Trust Fund Act of 2007

S. 368
The COPS Improvements Act of 2007
Costs $1.72 per family

S. 392
A bill to ensure payment of United States assessments for United Nations peacekeeping operations for the 2005 through 2008 time period
Costs $1.59 per family

S. 449
The State and Local Law Enforcement Discipline, Accountability, and Due Process Act of 2007

S. 534
The FBI Act of 2007

S. 1011
The Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act of 2007
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 1044
The Effective Care for the Armed Forces and Veterans Act of 2007

S. 1055
The American Automobile Industry Promotion Act of 2007

S. 1399
The College Affordability and Creating Chances for Educational Success for Students Act of 2007

S. 1467
A bill to establish an establish an Early Federal Pell Grant Commitment Demonstration Program

S. 1515
The National Domestic Violence Volunteer Attorney Network Act

S. 1562
The Fluorescent Lightbulb Implementation Program to Save Americans Value and Energy

S. 1565
The Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2007
Saves $0.52 per family

S. 1684
The Return of Talent Act

S. 1687
The Global Pathogen Surveillance Act of 2007
Costs $0.98 per family

S. 1711
The Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2007

S. 1738
The Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2007
Costs $4.91 per family

S. 1839
A bill to require periodic reports on claims related to acts of terrorism against Americans perpetrated or supported by the Government of Libya
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 1876
The National Security with Justice Act of 2007

S. 2230
The Nursing Education Opportunities Act

S. 2237
The Crime Control and Prevention Act of 2007

S. 2274
The Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act of 2007

S. 2279
The International Violence Against Women Act of 2007

S. 2349
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation Reauthorization Act of 2007

S. 2495
The Bail Bond Fairness Act of 2007

S. 2756
The Child Protection Improvements Act of 2008
Costs $0.09 per family

S. 3024
The Eurasia Foundation Act
Costs $0.26 per family

S. 3052
The Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 3061
The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008

S. 3103
The International Space Station Payments Act of 2008

S. 3136
The FIND Act

S. 3168
The International Development Association Replenishment Act of 2008
Costs $33.81 per family

S. 3169
A bill to authorize United States participation in, and appropriations for the United States contribution to, the eleventh replenishment of the resources of the African Development Fund
Costs $4.21 per family

S. 3245
The Justice Integrity Act of 2008

S. 3263
The Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2008

S. 3273
The International Clean Development Technology Fund Act of 2008

S. 3351
The Drug Trafficking Interdiction Assistance Act of 2008

S. 3433
The Iraq Security Agreement Act of 2008

What do avocadoes have to do with national security? Nothing!

One of the things the federal government is supposed to be doing is protecting the nation. One of the things the federal government is not supposed to be doing is marketing avocadoes.

But there it is, looking after the marketing of avocadoes grown in southern Florida.

In a Federal Register announcement out this morning, the Agricultural Marketing Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is initiating a referendum among producers of avocadoes in south Florida to see if they want the marketing order regulating the handling of their avocadoes to continue.

What are marketing orders? According to the USDA:

Federal marketing orders are locally administered by committees made up of growers and/or handlers, and often a member of the public. Marketing order regulations, initiated by industry and enforced by USDA, bind the entire industry in the geographical area regulated if approved by producers and the Secretary of Agriculture.

What that means is that everybody producing a crop in a certain area has to pay in to a marketing and promotion fund for uses dictated by the majority of producers in that area. Big agribusinesses get to force the small ones to pay for programs that benefit the big agribusinesses because they’re usually the majority of producers and they set the rules. Result? Less competition and less variety in the crops that come to market.

The Agriculture Marketing Service is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is funded by the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The Senate version of this bill is S. 3289.

Here’s the current vote on the bill. Click to vote, comment, learn more, or edit the wiki article about the bill.