Bill Posey

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) was joined by 30 of his colleagues in introducing legislation to amend Rules of the House to  require a 72 hour period of availability before legislation can be brought up for consideration in the House of Representatives. The bill, H. Res. 689, also requires that a print comparing current law with the proposed law be made available to Members of Congress and the public for at least 72 hours before legislation can be considered.  This not only applies to the underlying bill to be considered but also to any manager’s amendment or other amendment that makes significant changes to the bill.

“The first rule of open government is transparency,” said Congressman Posey. “It’s disrespectful to the American people for Congress to ram through thousands of pages of legislation that no one has had the time to read or understand.  Members of Congress must be given the opportunity to read and digest the massive spending increases and complex statutory changes that are included in many of the bills we are asked to consider. This bill simply lets the sunshine in and encourages public debate and involvement in the issues before Congress.”

Specifically, Posey’s bill requires that legislation be made available to Members of Congress and the public for at least 72 hours before the House may begin debate on the legislation. It also requires that a comparative print showing specifically how the proposed legislation changes current law be made available at least 72 hours before consideration of the bill. The legislation is similar to rules put in place by the Florida legislature to ensure no last minute changes could be made to legislation before a vote.

Posey said that it is important that Members of Congress and the public be given sufficient time and information to understand more fully how the proposed legislation or amendments affect current law. “By requiring the comparative print, Members and the public are given a much better understanding of the overall impact of the bill.”

Suzanne Kosmas

Space Coast Area Transit in Brevard County will receive a $6.9 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-Fla.

The grant will help replace aging buses and vans as well as fund a facelift for the 25-year-old Melbourne bus terminal.

The agency will purchase 16 buses to replace existing buses that are scheduled to reach the end of their useful life next year. It will also purchase 20 replacement vans for its vanpool fleet. The vanpool program allows groups to lease vans from the agency and then drivers and passengers decide on a flexible route and schedule.

Bill Posey

Florida Congressmen Mario Diaz-Balart, Bill Posey and Tom Rooney have been put on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list of vulnerable incumbents.

Officially they were added to the NRCC’s Patriot Program, which is an attempt to hold the lawmakers accountable for meeting their own fundraising goals in return for party help. How things shake out is unknown, of course. Diaz-Balart was widely said to be in danger of losing last cycle but outlasted the Obama momentum.

On the Democratic side, the GOP views Reps. Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Grayson as the most vulnerable, with Grayson considered the easier target.

Bill Posey

Rep. Posey begins by discussing the definition of inflation and then elaborates more on an audit of the Federal Reserve. Bernanke continues his decidedly illogical argument that knowing what the Fed is doing is the same as directing the Fed on monetary policy.

Of note is that Posey uses Judge Napolitano’s quote repeated on Freedom Watch over the past few weeks: “We know more about what the CIA is doing than the Fed”.

Jason Steele

In an ever-widening effort, the GOP party purge that began with the removal of Orange County Republican Leader Deon Long, the leading African-American Republican leader in Florida has now been extended to over a dozen other conservative GOP leaders from Pensacola to Miami.  It has just been learned that former State Representative, the Honorable Jason Steele, Chairman of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee has also been targeted for removal by a Greer appointed “grievance” committee that Greer boasted last week was “handpicked” to vote out his opponents.

Chairman Steele just released the following statement:

Brevard REC Chairman: Party Leaders Targeted by RPOF Bosses, Who is Next?

From the Desk of Jason Steele, Chairman, Brevard Republican Executive Committee

Brevard Republican Party

2525 Aurora Rd. Suite 105

Melbourne, Florida 32935

(321) 254-0073

URGENT!!!

Republicans Are being Targeted: You Could Be Next!

ACTION NEEDED NOW

It’s been more than a month of debate since Brevard County Republican Chair, Jason Steele, led his local party in voicing decent over the early endorsements of primary candidates by state party bosses, and statewide Republicans remain engaged in a battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

Following Steele’s announcement that his local party would not support primary endorsements by the state political machine, and the subsequent resignation of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee Secretary, Travis Clinger, who was asked to resign amidst allegations that he acted against his organizations vote to rebuke state bosses, RPOF has begun a purge of independent minded Republican leaders throughout the state.

Deon Long, one of the state’s most influential African American leaders, was recently removed and banned for life from participating in Republican Party activities, after he spoke out criticizing party big wigs for their attacks on Republican Liberty Caucus leader Will Pitts.

“This is the kind of witch hunt that will only serve to purge loyal conservative Republicans, and make room for cronies who will tow the line behind part fat cats and their pet candidates,” said Brevard Chairman Jason Steele. “In a time when we are working so hard at the local level to expand the outreach of the conservative message, we need leaders like Deon, and Will Pitts, and a hundred others. This is not the time to stifle debate by silencing the real leaders of our party.”

Steele himself has been notified that he is the target of a grievance alleging he violated the RPOF loyalty oath by his actions at the local level. “I have been and remain a loyal Republican, but I have not been, and will not be a mindless follower of the state ‘party line,’” said Steele. “We are engaged in nothing less than a battle for the soul of our party, and our nation, and I will not sit by and watch as voices are shunned for speaking out!”

Steele called RPOF actions a “purge” and said he and other leaders around the state would fight to see that every Republican voice counted, and that the party returned to the corps values that he said his organization was built upon.

“We live in a nation facing tough economic times, threats to our way of life are at home and abroad, and the world marches forward looking to us for leadership, and it troubles me that the party of Lincoln and Reagan is being decimated by a hand full of good ole’ boys looking to preserve their own power,” said Steele. “We have been the party of ideas, of true inclusion, and now we must remind every Republican of that, and we must call on each other’s strength and commitment to restore and rejuvenate our ‘Grand Old Party’”

If you feel as strongly as I do, Please contact us and help us take our party back. (321) 258-8993, or e-mail rfbjasonsteele@juno.com. Your help is vital if we are going to restore individual accountability to our party and our nation!

Sincerely,

Jason Steele
Chairman

Brevard Republican Executive Committee

http://brevardrepublicans.org/2008/12/15/hello-world/

Bill Posey

Tim Geithner took center stage on Capitol Hill today and once again he disappointed.

Geithner went before Congress to sing the praises of the Obama administration’s plan for regulating derivatives–something that’s much needed. But once again, Geithner failed to explain the criteria that will be used to distinguish standard derivatives from so-called customized derivatives.

And that’s pretty important since the crux of the Obama plan is for regulating standard derivatives.

Rep. Bill Posey asked Geithner the questions most Americans wanted answers to.  Below is the video

Suzanne Kosmas

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure authored by Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) that will provide assistance to small businesses affected by the retirement of the Space Shuttle so they can commercialize their products and preserve jobs. The Kosmas Amendment gives preference to these small businesses when they apply for commercialization grants through the Small Businesses Innovation and Research (SBIR) program.

The Kosmas Amendment was included in the Enhancing Small Business Innovation and Research Act (HR 2965), bipartisan legislation that reauthorizes and increases funding for the successful SBIR program. SBIR is a competitive grants program that encourages small businesses to invest in research and development. The Kosmas Amendment was adopted by a 400-15 vote and the full legislation passed the House 386-41.

“As we work to minimize the spaceflight gap, I want to make sure that the hundreds of small businesses involved with the Shuttle program have the support they need to move forward and keep their employees,” said Congresswoman Kosmas. “The SBIR program has proven successful in helping innovative businesses find a market for their products, and my amendment will give Shuttle-related small businesses a leg up in the grants process.”

The Small Business Innovation and Research Act modernizes the government’s largest small business research and development programs, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, more than doubling the amount of the grants small businesses can apply for (to $250,000 for early stage research and $2 million for later stage research) and helping them engage in cutting-edge research.

The legislation cuts down on red tape in the SBIR and STTR programs, so that participating companies spend less time doing paperwork and more time getting products to market. By establishing a 90-day timeline for issuing a final decision on an SBIR application, the measure will help firms receive SBIR funding in a timely manner. The bill also puts a greater emphasis on helping smaller firms bring their products to market.

Since 1992, the SBIR and STTR programs have awarded 65,000 grants to small companies that are leading research efforts to cure diseases, strengthen national defense and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources. Without action by Congress, these programs will expire later this month.

For more info on the SBIR and STTR programs, please visit www.sbir.gov

MELBOURNE, FL – Today Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) hosted a roundtable discussion with constituents and local health care experts to listen to their concerns and ideas as Congress begins consideration of health care legislation in the coming weeks. Some Congressional leaders have already drafted legislation, but details like the overall cost of their proposals, the degree to which individuals will have control over their benefits, and ways to pay for the reforms have yet to be flushed out.

“The first step is to listen to what folks like and don’t like about their current health plans,” said Congressman Posey. “There are several bills currently floating around Congress, but the process needs to involve individuals who will be impacted the most by reform efforts being drafted by politicians in Washington.”

Thursday’s roundtable discussion brought together representatives from 13 local health care organizations including Health First, Wuesthoff, Physician’s Assistant Associates, MIMA, AARP, Congregations for Community Action, Brevard County Health Department, Pediatrics of Brevard, Brevard Health Care Alliance, Brevard County Medical Society, and constituents from the surrounding community.

House Majority leaders recently put forward a proposal for a government plan which relies heavily on tax increases on small businesses, limited choices and the creation dozens of new entitlement programs. Three other plans have been offered in the U.S. Senate by three different Committee Chairmen as well.

In the past, the House has approved Small Business Association Health Care plans – 6 times in the last 7 years – but special interests have exerted enough pressure to block the idea in the Senate. Association Health Plans allow small businesses owners to pool their resources together with other members of their respective trade associations across the nation to create a larger pool. The larger pool can be used to buy health care in bulk, bringing down the cost much like the way the federal government offers health insurance plans.

Posey said he has already gotten a lot of feedback from his constituents, many of whom like their currents plans and want to keep them. Others say they want to be sure that they can continue to choose their own physicians and the benefits that their plan includes; or that they like their current plan but need some help paying some of the cost. Some seniors say they are worried Congress will eliminate the Medicare Advantage program to pay for new reform proposals. In the 15^thCongressional district more than 40,000 seniors have chosen to enroll in a Medicare Advantage health plan.

“There are several fundamental principles that are going to guide me as we move forward with any health care reform legislation,” said Posey. “First, do no harm – every American should be able to keep their current plan, today and tomorrow. Second, I will not vote for any bill in its final form that I have not been given proper time to read and evaluate.”

Posey added that he wanted to hear from constituents on this issue and folks can contact him through his website www.posey.house.gov.

Congressman Bill Posey seems to be one of the few Congressman actually representing his constituents in Washington DC.  Mr. Posey was one of the first members of Congress to sign on to HR-1207 (Audit the Fed Bill) which now has over half of Congress Co-Sponsoring it.  I had the chance to ask Mr. Posey about Cap and Trade today.

His response is most likely the best I have heard so far. Here is his statement which is a Central Florida Politics exclusive.

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Congressman Posey’s district covers Brevard, Indian River and some of Polk County.  He was elected in 2008, since that time he has become a valued asset to his area constituents.  Mark Cross is one of those constituents. Here is what he had to say about Congressman Posey

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Congressman Posey’s office also released the following statement regarding cap and trade.

Posey Opposes Cap & Trade – National Energy Tax

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) provided the following statement as he prepared to vote against the Waxman-Markey “Cap & Trade” National Energy Tax legislation.  At press time it was uncertain if the bill would proceed to a final up or down vote as Democrat leaders were lacking the votes among their members to secure passage of the bill.   The 1500 page energy tax bill was amended at 3AM this morning with an additional 309 pages of legislation which has yet to be examined by Members of Congress. Below is Congressman Posey’s floor statement on the “Cap & Trade” National Energy Tax legislation to explain his vote:

“I rise to express my strong concerns about the bill before us – a bill which no one has read.  This morning members of Congress were told about the addition of 309 pages that were added to this bill early this morning.  No one has read it.

“Why the rush?  Why does Congress have to pass this bill today, before everyone can read it and understand what this new language is doing?  When Congress did this with the stimulus bill earlier this year it was discovered after passage of that bill that it contained bonus payments for AIG employees.  But this bill, affecting every segment of our economy, has much broader applications we and the American people have a right to know what is in this bill, how it will affect the American people, and what impact it will have on our economy.   Nobody knows that this morning.  We do not even have a cost estimate on this latest version of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  No one knows what it will cost.  My rule is that if you are not going to give Members of Congress the time to read the bill, a cost estimate of the bill, and an ability to understand its impact on the taxpayers and American businesses, I’m going to vote no.

“Supporters of the bill claim that it will only cost the average American $175 per year.  This is a fatally flawed estimate for three reasons (1) this figure is derived from a selective reading of the CBO cost estimate, (2) 3 days after the CBO issued their cost estimate 300 additional pages were added to the bill, and (2) at 3am last night another 309 pages were added to the bill.  This bill has grown by nearly 70% since CBO’s cost estimate was prepared.

“The CBO estimate has serious deficiencies. In fact if you read the entire CBO estimate you would find that they highlight the deficiencies, deficiencies that are being conveniently ignored.  The most critical flaw is that CBO picked a year as the basis for their estimate that is before the most costly parts of the bill take effect.  This excludes hundreds of billions of dollars from the cost estimate.  The footnote on page 4 of the estimate says that they exclude from the costs estimate the “decrease in gross domestic product (GDP)” resulting from the bill.  Most estimates conclude that it will result in $1 – $2 trillion in lost economic activity in the U.S. translating into a loss of over 2.5 million jobs.  The CBO fails to incorporate tens of billions of increased costs to the states which will be passed on through higher state taxes.  CBO lists a number of other cost estimate omissions.

“When you factor in the deficiencies of the CBO estimate most analyses put the cost estimate at between $750 and $3100 per year.  Washington has a habit of underestimating the cost of legislation. They are doing so again today.  That’s why this bill was significantly changed last night and rushed to the floor before Members of Congress have had a chance to read the bill and understand what the changes do.

“This 1200-plus page bill started out as legislation aimed at improving the environment but it has become a means of raising money to pay for larger, more intrusive government while having little impact on the global environment.

“The idea behind “Cap and Trade” is to purposely increase the cost of energy that is produced using fossil fuels like natural gas, coal or petroleum.  Nearly 85% of electricity across the U.S. is generated using these sources of fuel.  The price of everything you buy will go up, from gas to food, because there will be a hidden national energy tax built into the price of everything.

“Senator Cardin (D-MD) told the Washington Post that, “This is the greatest revenue generating [read tax] proposal of our time.”  This bill moves money from the family budget to Washington.

“Estimates are that this bill will have a negligible effect on the global environment.  It is estimated that if enacted, this bill will lower the global temperature by a fraction of a degree, which is consistent with the annual fluctuation in global temperatures.  Also, this fails to acknowledge the fact that China, India and the rest of the developing world are exempt from such regulations and their emissions will far exceed any reductions that result from this bill.

“This costly national energy tax will put American products at a competitive disadvantage and further erode the ability of the American worker to compete with China, India and the rest the developing world.  The result will be the loss of millions of jobs as more businesses move to countries that will not impose these caps on their citizens.  Businesses that otherwise might have built facilities in the U.S. will instead open up factories in countries that are exempt from these regulations.  It’s no wonder China has called for the U.S. to pass this energy tax bill.  With a national unemployment rate nearing 10%, it’s estimated that this tax will cost Americans another 2.5 million jobs.

“I oppose this plan and will vote against it because it is not good for the American worker, small businesses, seniors on fixed incomes, or families struggling to pay their bills and mortgages.  Washington doesn’t need more of your money, it needs to control spending. Europe adopted a similar plan several years ago and it forced jobs to leave Europe, caused electricity prices to skyrocket, and they have little to show for the costs. It’s all pain and no gain.  Check out the non-partisan Tax Foundation’s online energy tax calculator (www.taxfoundation.org/capandtrade) to figure out how much it may cost you.

“Finally, it is a sad day for the Congress and the American people that the Speaker chose to rush this bill through the Congress without an open debate and amendment process.  Members of Congress asked that 224 amendments be allowed to be considered to this bill.  Unfortunately, the Speaker allowed only one amendment to be offered.  Among the amendments denied were one to: (1) suspend the bill if gas exceeds $5 per gallon; (2) suspend the bill if electricity prices increase more than 10%; and (3) suspend the bill if unemployment exceeds 15%.  These and many more amendments were reasonable and worthy of consideration.  They should have been allowed as they are in the best interest of the American people.

“Again, I rise in strong opposition to this bill and urge my colleagues to vote down this bill.  It will further harm our economy and slow our economic recovery.”