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House Sets Frenetic Pace in First Week

Gulf Coast Representatives Want Insurance Reform

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.com Congressional Correspondent

January 14, 2006
The last time the GOP took control of Congress, it pledged to pursue the terms of a "Contract With America," even though it was the first many voters had heard of the contract. The Democrats are using a variation on that theme, pledging to tackle a number of hot issues during the first 100 hours they're in session.

It's partly an attempt to pursue measures that the electorate is fired up about -- health care, stem cell research and so forth. It's also a strategy that's intended to help the GOP paint itself into a corner as the 2008 election inches nearer.

The likelihood is that most of the hot new legislation will never become law. While the bills may pass the House, they're likely to be bottled up in the Senate, where the Democratic margin is much thinner, or vetoed by President Bush.

Either way, the Democrats win. If they pass legislation popular with their constituencies, they earn valuable talking points. If they fight like demons but are out-maneuvered by Republicans, Democratic candidates can point to GOP obstructionists when they hit the campaign trail.

It's a little early in the game, but so far the strategy appears sound.

The House

This past week saw the passing of three major consumer-related bills in the House, not to mention imposition of a full work week and a smoke-free Speaker's Gallery -- and there's still 82 hours and 20 minutes remaining.

• H.R.2, the "Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007" passed by a vote of 315-116 on Wednesday. H.R.2 will increase the national minimum wage to $7.25 by 2009. Although expected to become law, President George Bush may require some tax breaks for businesses before he signs it. Read more about H.R.2.

• H.R.3, "To ... provide for human embryonic stem cell research" passed by a vote of 253-172 on Thursday. H.R.3 would allow federally-funded research of embryonic stem cells. It's not likely to progress beyond the embryonic stage. Read more about H.R.3.

• H.R.4, Medicare Drug Prices would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower covered part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries. It passed by a vote of 255-170. Proponents say it will save seniors money. Opponents say it will drive up costs. The President says he will not sign it. Read more about H.R.4.

Insurance Reform

Rep. Taylor

Every Congressional office-holder has his own hometown issues. For those in coastal areas, insurance reform is a hot-button following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the difficulty many homeowners have had collecting on their policies.

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) led the Katrina Task Force in the House and is planning to introduce legislation that would better protect homeowners, he told ConsumerAffairs.com.

"I'm on fire on the issue of insurance reform," said Taylor whose district, the fourth of Mississippi, was ravished by Hurricane Katrina.

He said many of his constituents with homeowner policies never received a dime after the hurricane and are now paying premiums that have increased by as much as 1,000 percent.

Although he hasn't drafted a bill yet, Taylor took to the floor Friday to denounce fraud in the insurance industry and said he hopes to federally regulate insurance companies. The insurance industry is now regulated at the state level.

More Work

Last week marked a five-day work week in the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) imposed the longer work week as a symbolic "down to business" measure.

Taylor said he doesn't mind the longer week although it keeps him from spending Fridays in his district.

The Senate

There was less commotion on the south end of the Capitol building, where the Senate proceeded at its customary stately pace.

No burning consumer issues were raised, as senators spent much of the week debating, without much enthusiasm, the House's Ethics Reform Package, which the House passed Jan. 4.

On Friday afternoon, while many Representatives were still debating on the floor past the 2 p.m. sunset of the Friday workday, ConsumerAffairs.com went to the Senate side of the Capitol but found it nearly deserted.

The only senator still there was freshman Jim Webb (D-Va.) who quickly slipped out of the chamber and into his weekend before we could collar him. Virginia and Maryland senators have an advantage over their colleagues, as their districts are a short drive from the Capitol, so they're not as eager to escape.

Most notably absent from the Senate, of course, is Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), who suffered a brain hemorrhage and underwent major surgery.

There were fears that his speaking ability would be hampered if not completely lost by the trauma. But his doctor told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader that that did not appear to be the case. Johnson has been transferred out of intensive care at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington and into the inpatient rehabilitation unit.

Although it appears he will be able to return to the Senate, there is still no timetable for his return.

"They keep saying to us it is very much like restarting a computer," Johnson's spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher told the Argus Leader. "This does show the electricity is on."

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