The Tap: Wednesday, April 6, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #11 of The Tap, which was published on April 11, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• Former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden endorsed John Kasich for president. Hayden cited Kasich’s foreign policy stances for his endorsement, saying: “Governor Kasich has serious proposals to strengthen our military, defeat ISIS and stand up for freedom around the world—proposals that rise far above bumper-stickers and amateur rhetoric.”
• The Department of Labor announced new rules that required brokers recommending retirement investments to act as “fiduciaries.” According to ABC News, this rule means that investment advisors must now act as “trustees legally obligated to put their clients' best interests above all.”
• National Nurses United, the nation’s largest registered nurse union, endorsed Donna Edwards for U.S. Senate. The group cited Edwards’ positions on healthcare as a factor in its endorsement, saying, “Rep. Edwards has been a champion of a single-payer, Medicare-for-All health care system to guarantee everyone in this country safe, therapeutic care.” Edwards is one of 10 Democrats running in the primary election, and the endorsement comes as she and U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen are polling within a few points of each other.
• “U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, along with the governors of Oregon and California, signed an agreement to tear down four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. According to ABC News, the dams “are blamed for killing fish and blocking their migration.” The agreement also contains a provision designed to help farmers and ranchers by protecting them from increases to water and power prices, with the goal of ending “long-running water wars in the Klamath basin over dividing scarce water between farms and fish.”
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will add five hazardous waste sites—commonly known as Superfund sites—to its national list of contaminated sites that can pose health and environmental risks. The sites are located in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New Mexico. The sites include a former dry cleaner in Iowa, a former pesticides manufacturer in New Jersey, and a groundwater plume in New Mexico, among others. Other sites the EPA is reviewing for the national list are found in California, Colorado, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Texas, and West Virginia. Federal funds from the Superfund Trust Fund go toward the cleanup of Superfund sites or legal action against liable site owners and operators. The EPA has argued that the Superfund Trust would bring jobs and more tax revenue for localities by cleaning up formerly contaminated Superfund sites.

State

• Nebraska Sen. Ernie Chambers (I) continued a string of filibusters into a third day as the nonpartisan unicameral legislature faces the end of its session. Chambers began holding the floor on Monday in response to a vote to change the state’s allocation of electoral votes to a winner-take-all system. During Monday’s filibuster, Chambers discussed colonoscopies, how to pour beer, and the state’s death penalty. On Tuesday, Chambers’ filibuster held up votes on the confirmation of nominees to state boards. On Wednesday, Chambers halted debate on a Republican property tax plan and criticized the previous night’s vote to reject legalization of medical marijuana. The previous day, Sen. Laura Ebke unsuccessfully moved to end the session early as a “semi-serious” gesture. Chambers, who said he is “having so much fun, it should be a sin,” says he will offer amendments for every bill until the session is up. Chambers is expected to continue to filibuster because he is upset that his fellow lawmakers killed bills that dealt with “people who are marginalized, and discriminated against.” Chambers, 78, is the longest-serving Nebraska legislator, serving since 1971 with the exception of 2009 to 2013, when he was barred by term limits. As of this publication, the legislature has three working days left: the 12th, 13th, and 20th. It may extend the session by a four-fifths vote, though this has only happened once, in 1976. Even though Nebraska senators are elected in nonpartisan elections, all members of the legislature are affiliated with a political party. The Senate’s partisan balance stands at 11 Democrats, 37 Republicans, and one independent. Chambers is the only independent in the legislature.

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other members of the state government received criticism after passing the state’s fiscal year 2017 budget. Critics were concerned that the budget did not receive adequate review by the public and that meetings to discuss the budget were conducted in secret among government leaders. In addition the actual passage of the budget, Cuomo signed additional legislation into law that would gradually increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and give employees an opportunity for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave per year. While proponents of this legislation discuss the implementation and benefits of the new laws, critics say these were passed at this time to divert scrutiny from the state’s budget.

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #10 of The Tap, which was published on April 4, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.