DOCSLIB.ORG

Nominations to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Commerce, and Nasa Hearing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nominations to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Commerce, and Nasa Hearing S. HRG. 111–507 NOMINATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, AND NASA HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 15, 2009 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 55–981 PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jun 24, 2010 Jkt 55981 PO 00000 Frm 000001 Fmt 05011 Sfmt 05011 S:\WPSHR\GPO\DOCS\55981.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas, Ranking JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada BARBARA BOXER, California JIM DEMINT, South Carolina BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey GEORGE S. LEMIEUX, Florida MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri DAVID VITTER, Louisiana AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas TOM UDALL, New Mexico MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska MARK WARNER, Virginia MARK BEGICH, Alaska ELLEN L. DONESKI, Staff Director JAMES REID, Deputy Staff Director BRUCE H. ANDREWS, General Counsel ANN BEGEMAN, Acting Republican Staff Director BRIAN M. HENDRICKS, Republican Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jun 24, 2010 Jkt 55981 PO 00000 Frm 000002 Fmt 05904 Sfmt 05904 S:\WPSHR\GPO\DOCS\55981.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on October 15, 2009 .......................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Rockefeller ........................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Hutchison ............................................................................ 2 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3 Statement of Senator Cantwell .............................................................................. 4 Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 27 Statement of Senator LeMieux ............................................................................... 29 Statement of Senator Thune ................................................................................... 30 WITNESSES Erroll G. Southers, Assistant Secretary-Designate, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security ................................. 5 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 7 Biographical information ................................................................................. 9 Patrick Gallagher, Ph.D., Director-Designate, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce ............................................... 35 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 37 Biographical information ................................................................................. 38 Elizabeth (Beth) Robinson, Ph.D., Chief Financial Officer-Designate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration .............................................................. 45 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 46 Biographical information ................................................................................. 47 Paul Martin, Inspector General-Designate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration ..................................................................................................... 54 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 55 Biographical information ................................................................................. 56 APPENDIX Hon. Jane Harman, U.S. Representative from California, 36th District, pre- pared statement ................................................................................................... 69 Response to written questions submitted to Elizabeth Robinson by: Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 69 Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ............................................................................. 70 Response to written questions submitted by Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison to Paul Martin .......................................................................................................... 70 Response to written questions submitted to Erroll G. Southers by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 71 Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 77 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 77 Hon. Frank R. Lautenberg ............................................................................... 79 Hon. Amy Klobuchar ........................................................................................ 80 Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 81 Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 82 Hon. Mark Begich ............................................................................................. 83 Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ............................................................................. 84 Hon. Jim DeMint .............................................................................................. 86 Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 86 Hon. Roger Wicker ........................................................................................... 87 Hon. Johnny Isakson ........................................................................................ 89 Hon. Sam Brownback ....................................................................................... 91 Response to written questions submitted to Dr. Patrick Gallagher by: Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV ............................................................................ 92 Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ..................... 93 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:37 Jun 24, 2010 Jkt 55981 PO 00000 Frm 000003 Fmt 05904 Sfmt 05904 S:\WPSHR\GPO\DOCS\55981.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE IV Page Response to written questions submitted to Dr. Patrick Gallagher by—Contin- ued Hon. Frank R. Lautenberg ............................................................................... 94 Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 94 Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ............................................................................. 97 Hon. Olympia J. Snowe .................................................................................... 98 Hon. David Vitter ............................................................................................. 98 Letter, dated October 13, 2009, from Millage Peaks, Fire Chief—City of Los Angeles, California to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison .................................................................................................. 100 Letter, dated October 2, 2009, from Clark Kent Ervin, Director, Homeland Security Program—The Aspen Institute to Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ........ 101 Letter, dated October 14, 2009, from Donovan J. Leighton to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ........................................... 103 Letter, dated October 6, 2009, from Milind Tambe, Professor, Computer Science Department—University of Southern California to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ................................................ 104 Letter, dated September 28, 2009, from Scott M. Gordon, Court Commis- sioner—The Superior Court to Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ............................. 105 Letter, dated October 7, 2009, from Barbara J. Nelson, UCLA Professor of Public Policy, Dean Emerita—UCLA School of Public Affairs to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison .................................. 107 Letter, dated October 9, 2009, from Elliot Brandt, Western States Director— AIPAC to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ........ 109 Letter, dated October 7, 2009, from Jane Harman, Congresswoman—36th District, California, to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison .............................................................................................................. 110 Letter, dated October 5, 2009, from Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff—County of Los Angeles to Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV and Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ...... 111 Letter, dated October 5, 2009, from Stephen C. Hora, Director—CREATE, to Hon. John
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Becoming Stronger Than Hate at USC-FINAL
    Becoming Stronger than Hate at USC To President Carol Folt CC: Provost Chip Zukoski From: Kegan Allee-Moawad (USC Title IX) Tammara Anderson (Experiential and Applied Learning) Kim Thomas-Barrios (USC Educational Partnerships, USC University Relations) Theda Douglas (USC Government Programs and University Relations Initiatives) Linda Case Snouffer (USC Center for Work and Family Life) Dave Cohn (USC Hillel) Joseph Hawkins and Alexis Bard Johnson (ONE Archives at the USC Libraries) Selma Holo (USC Museums) Joshua David Holo (Hebrew Union College) Bethany Montagano (USC Pacific Asia Museum) Manuel Pastor and Jody Vallejo (USC Equity Research Institute) Patrick Prince (USC Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention) Steve J. Ross (USC Casden Institute) Stephen Smith and Kori Street (USC Shoah Foundation) Varun Soni (USC Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention, Religious Life) Erroll Southers (USC Price, Safe Communities Institute) William Warrener (USC Arts in Action) Daria Yudacufski (USC Visions and Voices) Quade Yoo Song French (USC Office of Wellbeing and Education) BACKGROUND Against growing waves of anti-Black racism and hatred, we stand ready to act and ask you to join us. Recent events are clear. Amid a rise in violent antisemitism, and in the wake of the deadly white nationalist rally in August 2017 in Charlottesville, VA, USC Shoah Foundation launched Stronger Than Hate, an initiative that draws on the power of testimony to help students recognize and counter hate. By May 2018, the White House and Homeland Security began their policy of family separation, putting young children of immigrants in cages to the horror of much of the American public. The Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (now the Equity Research Institute) began leveraging resources, holding Town Halls, and publishing articles to alert the USC and broader community of these atrocities and the vulnerabilities of our own DACA and undocumented students, colleagues, and neighbors.
    [Show full text]
  • Reasonable Suspicion and Mere Hunches
    Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 59 Issue 2 Article 3 3-2006 Reasonable Suspicion and Mere Hunches Craig S. Lerner Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr Part of the Criminal Law Commons Recommended Citation Craig S. Lerner, Reasonable Suspicion and Mere Hunches, 59 Vanderbilt Law Review 407 (2019) Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vlr/vol59/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vanderbilt Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarship@Vanderbilt Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reasonable Suspicion and Mere Hunches Craig S. Lerner 59 Vand. L. Rev. 407 (2006) In Terry v. Ohio, Earl Warren held that police officers could temporarily detain a suspect, provided that they relied upon "specific, reasonable inferences," and not simply upon an "inchoate and unparticularized suspicion or 'hunch."' Since Terry, courts have strained to distinguish "reasonablesuspicion," which is said to arise from the cool analysis of objective and particularized facts, from "mere hunches," which are said to be subjective, generalized, unreasoned and therefore unreliable. Yet this dichotomy between facts and intuitions is built on sand. Emotions and intuitions are not obstacles to reason, but indispensable heuristic devices that allow people to process diffuse, complex information about their environment and make sense of the world. The legal rules governing police conduct are thus premised on a mistaken assumption about human cognition. This Article argues that the legal system can defer, to some extent, to police officers' intuitions without undermining meaningful protections against law enforcement overreaching.
    [Show full text]
  • Panelist Biographies
    Panelist Biographies Opening Presentation: 9 Principles of Policing: Dr. Ernest Uwazie, Chair/Professor of Criminal Justice Department, CSUS Ernest E. Uwazie holds both the BA (1984) and MA (1985) in Criminal Justice from St Edward's University, Austin, Texas, and a Ph.D. degree (1991) in Justice Studies from Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, with a specialization in comparative (African) justice and conflict resolution. He is a Professor and Chair of Criminal Justice, and Director/Founder of the Center for African Peace & Conflict Resolution (since 1996) at California State University, Sacramento, USA. He teaches courses on comparative justice, dispute resolution and restorative justice, minorities and justice, and the justice system and community; he is a renowned ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)/mediation trainer, practitioner, scholar and system designer. He has conducted over 100 ADR training workshops and seminars in US and Africa since 1996, for over 5000 people representing various agencies in criminal justice, law, education, public health, social services, traditional rulers, human rights, youth leaders and community based organizations, including the Annual Summer Conflict Resolution Training Workshop at CSUS, with its 20th year in 2016. He served the Chair of the Faculty Rights Committee of the California Faculty Association at CSUS(2006-17), with leadership role in representation, advise, consultation, education and general support in addressing faculty grievances and work place conflicts, and Chair (20012-15) of the Annual Criminal Justice Convocation at CSUS—of the Division of Criminal Justice. He also served as a member of the Sacramento Community Police Commission(2015-17), including chair of its committee on diversity and inclusion.
    [Show full text]
  • Pdf, and Submitted Electronically, Either on a Disk to Accompany the Signed Statement, Or by E-Mail to the Official Reporters of Debates at ‘‘[email protected]’’
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 155 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2009 No. 198 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. Senate TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2009 The Senate met at 7 a.m. and was Eternal Spirit, whom we seek in vain and stress, and let their ordered lives called to order by the Honorable ED- without unless first we find You with- confess the beauty of Your peace. Fill WARD E. KAUFMAN, a Senator from the in, may the hush of Your presence fall them so full of Your goodness that State of Delaware. upon our spirits, quiet our minds, and they will know how to discern Your allay the irritations that threaten our best for their decisions. Make them PRAYER peace. Breathe through the heat of our faithful leaders by Your standard of The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- desires Your coolness and balm. fered the following prayer: Strengthen the Members of this righteousness. Let us pray. body. Take their spirits from strain We pray in Your Holy Name. Amen. NOTICE If the 111th Congress, 1st Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 26, 2009, a final issue of the Congres- sional Record for the 111th Congress, 1st Session, will be published on Thursday, December 31, 2009, to permit Members to insert statements. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT–59 or S–123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Jim Demint, Senator from the Tea Parties Public Employees and Fiscal Armageddon
    2010_2_22 upc.qxp 2/2/2010 8:22 PM Page 1 Rob Long on the Not-So-Great Communicator F e b r u a r y 2 2 , 2 0 1 0 r Miillller n J. M by Joh Jim DeMint, Senator from the Teab Parties 4 9 1 Who Are the Tea Partiers? 4 5 by Ramesh Ponnuru & Kate O’’Beiirne $ Public EmployeesCould andthe GOPFiscal Crack Armageddon Up? 3 . 9 5 by Henr ry Ollsen by K Kent O sband www.nationalreview.com0 $3.95 74851 08155 08 6 base.qxp 2/2/2010 6:08 PM Page 1 (*Nuclear Energy Produces% Reliable- Electricity When You Need it. 8FOFFEFMFDUSJDJUZBSPVOEUIFDMPDL4IPVMEO±UPVS Average Operating Efficiency* FMFDUSJDJUZTPVSDFTCFBWBJMBCMFXIFOXFOFFEUIFN by Source of Electricity /VDMFBSFOFSHZHFOFSBUFTFMFDUSJDJUZIPVSTBEBZ Nuclear 92% EBZTBXFFL 4PMBSBOEXJOEQPXFSHFOFSBUFFMFDUSJDJUZPOMZXIFOUIF Coal 71% TVOTIJOFTBOEUIFXJOECMPXT"OEXIJMFUIFZTIPVME Natural Gas 42% CFQBSUPGPVSDPVOUSZ±TFOFSHZGVUVSF XFTUJMMOFFE FMFDUSJDJUZFWFSZNJOVUFPGFWFSZEBZ/VDMFBSFOFSHZJT Wind 31% POFPGUIFNPTUSFMJBCMFXBZTUPQSPWJEFMBSHFBNPVOUT Solar 21% PGFMFDUSJDJUZ*UBMTPDBOMFBEUIFXBZUPBQPSUGPMJPPG 0 25 50 75 100 DMFBOFSFOFSHZPQUJPOTUIBUQSPUFDUTUIFFOWJSPONFOU Sources: Ventyx / U.S. Energy BOEQSPNPUFTFOFSHZTFDVSJUZ Information Administration, 2008 *Operating efficiency is measured by capacity factor, the ratio of the amount of electricity produced by a plant to the amount of electricity that could have been produced if the plant operated all year at full power. Nuclear. Clean Air Energy. 7JTJUOFJPSH*2UPMFBSONPSFBOEUBLFPVSPOMJOFRVJ[ toc.qxp 2/3/2010 1:55 PM Page 1 Contents FEBRUARY 22, 2010 | VOLUME LXII, NO. 3 | www.nationalreview.com ON THE COVER Page 32 Senator Tea Party If Jim DeMint once looked like a crotchety conservative who was satisfied to serve in a dwindling Mark Steyn on J. D. Salinger . p. 52 and disgruntled minority, he now appears more like the prophet of a BOOKS, ARTS coming resurgence.
    [Show full text]
  • Randomization and the Fourth Amendment
    University of Chicago Law School Chicago Unbound Journal Articles Faculty Scholarship 2011 Randomization and the Fourth Amendment Bernard E. Harcourt Tracey L. Meares Follow this and additional works at: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/journal_articles Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Bernard E. Harcourt & Tracey L. Meares, "Randomization and the Fourth Amendment," 78 University of Chicago Law Review 809 (2011). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at Chicago Unbound. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal Articles by an authorized administrator of Chicago Unbound. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Randomization and the Fourth Amendment Bernard E. Harcourtt& Tracey L. Mearestt Randomized checkpoint searches are generally taken to be the exact antithesis of reasonablenessunder the Fourth Amendment. In the eyes of most jurists checkpoint searches violate the central requirementof valid Fourth Amendment searches-namely, individualized suspicion. We disagree. In this Article, we contend that randomized searches should serve as the very lodestar of a reasonable search. The notion of "individualized"suspicion is misleading; most suspicion in the modem policing context is group based and not individual specific. Randomized searches by definition are accompanied by a certain level of suspicion. The constitutional issue, we maintain, should not turn on the question of suspicion-basedversus suspicionlesspolice searches, but on the level of suspicion that attaches to any search program and on the evenhandedness of the program. In essence, we argue for a new paradigm of randomized encounters that satisfy a base level of suspicion and that will provide the benefits of both privacy protection (by ensuring a minimum level of suspicion) and evenhandedness (by cabining police discretion), the very values we wish to protect through the Fourth Amendment.
    [Show full text]
  • The Florida Bar 651 East Jefferson Street John F
    THE FLORIDA BAR 651 EAST JEFFERSON STREET JOHN F. HARKNESS, JR. TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-2300 850/561-5600 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WWW.FLORIDABAR.ORG Certificate of Accreditation for Continuing Legal Education 259769 December 19, 2012 Rosemary B. App. American Inn of Court Mercy Prieto 2001 SW 117 Ave. Miami, FL 33175 Reference Number: 3670-3 Title: A Real Case at SC of US: FL v. Jardines Level: Intermediate Approval Period: 10/23/2012 - 04/23/2014 CLE Credits General 1.5 Certification Credits Appellate Practice 1.0 Please provide the attendees the above reference number so they may go online to www.floridabar.org to report their completion of this program. Supreme Court of Florida ____________ No. SC08-2101 ____________ JOELIS JARDINES, Petitioner, vs. STATE OF FLORIDA, Respondent. [April 14, 2011] REVISED OPINION PERRY, J. We have for review State v. Jardines, 9 So. 3d 1 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008), in which the district court certified conflict with State v. Rabb, 920 So. 2d 1175 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006). We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. We quash the decision in Jardines and approve the result in Rabb. Police conducted a warrantless “sniff test” by a drug detection dog at Jardines‟ home and discovered live marijuana plants inside. The trial court granted Jardines‟ motion to suppress the evidence, and the State appealed. The district court reversed, and Jardines sought review in this Court. Jardines claims that the warrantless “sniff test” violated his right against unreasonable searches under the Fourth Amendment. The issue presented here is twofold: (i) whether a “sniff test” by a drug detection dog conducted at the front door of a private residence is a “search” under the Fourth Amendment and, if so, (ii) whether the evidentiary showing of wrongdoing that the government must make prior to conducting such a search is probable cause or reasonable suspicion.
    [Show full text]
  • Terrorism, Tips, and the Touchstone of Reasonableness: Seeking a Balance Between Threat Response and Privacy Dilution
    Volume 118 Issue 1 Dickinson Law Review - Volume 118, 2013-2014 6-1-2013 Terrorism, Tips, and the Touchstone of Reasonableness: Seeking a Balance Between Threat Response and Privacy Dilution Geoffrey S. Corn Follow this and additional works at: https://ideas.dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/dlra Recommended Citation Geoffrey S. Corn, Terrorism, Tips, and the Touchstone of Reasonableness: Seeking a Balance Between Threat Response and Privacy Dilution, 118 DICK. L. REV. 129 (2013). Available at: https://ideas.dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/dlra/vol118/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews at Dickinson Law IDEAS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dickinson Law Review by an authorized editor of Dickinson Law IDEAS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Terrorism, Tips, and the Touchstone of Reasonableness: Seeking a Balance Between Threat Response and Privacy Dilution Geoffrey S. Com* Abstract It is the morning of the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing. The phone rings in the Oklahoma City Police Department, and a duty officer answers. The caller says, "There's a Ryder rental truck parked in front of the Murrah Federal Building with a massive bomb inside set to go off within one hour." The caller then hangs up. The duty officer alerts all nearby patrol units, and within three minutes an officer confirms the presence of the Ryder truck. What should the police do next? What response would be reasonable? Does the law permit them to cordon the area, take control of the vehicle, and use bomb detection technology to penetrate into the truck in order to confirm or deny the tip? If so, what limits, if any, apply to the use of contraband they may find inside the truck as evidence in a subsequent trial? Table of Contents I.
    [Show full text]
  • The Louisiana Supreme Court Upholds Gaming Checks, 69 Tul. L
    UIC School of Law UIC Law Open Access Repository UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship 1-1-1994 State v. McHugh: The Louisiana Supreme Court Upholds Gaming Checks, 69 Tul. L. Rev. 611 (1994) Anthony Niedwiecki John Marshall Law School, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.uic.edu/facpubs Part of the Gaming Law Commons, and the State and Local Government Law Commons Recommended Citation Anthony S. Niedwiecki, State v. McHugh: The Louisiana Supreme Court Upholds Gaming Checks, 69 Tul. L. Rev. 611 (1994). https://repository.law.uic.edu/facpubs/223 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UIC Law Open Access Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of UIC Law Open Access Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS STATE V. MCHUGH: THE LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS GAMING CHECKS In November 1990, Louisiana wildlife law enforcement officers were stopping and checking hunting boats in an attempt to keep hunters from taking too many ducks from Bayou Boeuf.' The officers stopped the boats and checked the tags that are required to be placed on every bag of hunted ducks.2 They recorded the signatures on the tags so they could determine whether the hunters had taken too many ducks for that day. When they began checking Bayou Boeuf landing on November 17, they realized that some hunters were using other hunters' signatures to bring in more ducks than legally allowed.4
    [Show full text]
  • The Policy Consequences of Senate Obstruction
    AP Photo/L A wrence J A ckson The Policy Consequences of Senate Obstruction Tony Carrk April 2010 www.americanprogressaction.org The Policy Consequences of Senate Obstruction Tony Carrk April 2010 Contents 1 Unprecedented obstruction in Congress 2 Obstruction tools: Cloture and the filibuster 2 Obstruction tools: The hold 4 The impact of obstruction 4 Putting economic assistance on hold 4 Key posts remain vacant 6 Obstructing health care brought gridlock to the Senate for 14 months 9 Opening the door to special interests 11 More than 240 bipartisan House bills delayed 13 Conclusion 14 Endnotes Unprecedented obstruction in Congress Congress, particularly the U.S. Senate, boasts established rules for members to delay legislation. These rules have historically been reserved to ensure proper deliberation and consideration on the most important issues facing the nation. Recently, however, the Republican Party embraced these obstructionist tactics to subvert progressives so much that they have rendered the government dysfunctional.1 This report is intended as a guide to understanding obstruction in the Senate. It will exam- ine the tools used by Republicans to prevent the effective functioning of government via the filibuster and holds, how they’ve used these different tools in both policy debates and executive appointments, and which special interests benefit from such obstructionism. Obstruction by the numbers 112 Number of cloture votes in the 110th Congress (2007-08), a record number and more than double the cloture votes in the 109th Congress 2,000 percent Increase in the number of executive branch nominations facing filibuster under President Barack Obama over the previous six decades 15 Number of President Obama’s top national security picks, out of 30, that took longer to be confirmed than recommended by the 9/11 Commission.
    [Show full text]
  • Wcs January 2010
    Organized 1885 Official Organ of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific Volume LXXIII No. 1 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Friday, January 22, 2010 Military Sealift Command APL Turquoise reflagged awards four LMSR vessels to SUP-contracted Patriot for Suez Express Service s the West Coast Sailors went to press, the Military Sealift ACommand (MSC) notified SUP-contracted Patriot Con- tract Services that the company was the successful bidder for two Small Business Set-Aside contracts to operate four Large Medium Speed Roll-On/Roll-Off (LMSR) vessels. The vessels are the USNS Gilliland, USNS Gordon, USNS Shughart and USNS Yano. The Gilliland and Gordon are scheduled to be turned over to Patriot on January 27, in Philadelphia. The vessels will remain there until March when they sail to their new homeport of Jack- sonville, Florida. The Shughart and Yano will be turned over by the end of Febru- ary at their homeport of Violet, Louisiana, near New Orleans. Patriots contract for the vessels is performance based and runs for one year with four one-year options. SUP members interested in working in these ships, which require special training, should contact the Branch Agents or the SUP Vice President. Patriot also bid on seven other LMSRs (Benavidez, Brittin, Bob Hope, Fisher, Mendonca, Pililaau, Seay) but MSC awarded them to American Overseas Marine, the incumbent operator. Between 1999 and 2004, Patriot operated all the LSMRs men- tioned in this article. The APL Turquoise pictured entering New York is a 4,468 teu containership built in Japan in 1996. She has a length overall of 964 feet with a beam of 105 feet.
    [Show full text]
  • Satellite Surveillance: Domestic Issues
    Order Code RL34421 Satellite Surveillance: Domestic Issues March 21, 2008 Richard A. Best Jr. Specialist in National Defense Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Jennifer K. Elsea Legislative Attorney American Law Division Satellite Surveillance: Domestic Issues Summary Reconnaissance satellites, first deployed in the early 1960s to peer into denied regions of the Soviet Union and other secretive enemy states, have from time to time been used by civilian agencies of the federal government to assist with mapping, disaster relief, and environmental concerns. These uses have been coordinated by the Civil Applications Office at the U.S. Geological Survey, a component of the Interior Department. Post 9/11, the Bush Administration has sought to encourage use of satellite-derived data for homeland security and law enforcement purposes, in addition to the civil applications that have been supported for years. In 2007, it moved to transfer responsibility for coordinating civilian use of satellites to the Department of Homeland Security. The transfer occurred, however, apparently without notification of key congressional oversight committees. Members of Congress and outside groups have raised concerns that using satellites for law enforcement purposes may infringe on the privacy and Fourth Amendment rights of U.S. persons. Other commentators have questioned whether the proposed surveillance will violate the Posse Comitatus Act or other restrictions on military involvement in civilian law enforcement, or would otherwise exceed the statutory mandates of the agencies involved. Such concerns led Congress to preclude any funds in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R. 2764, P.L. 110-161), from being used to “commence operations of the National Applications Office ..
    [Show full text]