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The Tap: Monday, July 25, 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 #27 of The Tap, which was published on July 30, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Democrats stressed party unity on day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). The first night’s featured speakers were Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and first lady Michelle Obama.
    • First Lady Michelle Obama: Without naming him, Michelle Obama said that Trump “would be a poor role model for kids” and criticized his use of Twitter. She also endorsed Clinton, saying, "I am here tonight because in this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility. Only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States. And that is our friend, Hillary Clinton." Commenting on the historical significance of Clinton’s nomination, Obama said, “That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”
    • Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.): In the most anticipated speech of the night, Bernie Sanders thanked his supporters and urged them to unite behind Clinton. He said, “I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am. But to all of our supporters — here and around the country — I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.” According to The Washington Post, Sanders’ supporters called out, “We want Bernie!” during the speech, while “[o]thers stood silently, tears streaming down their faces.” Sanders asked his supporters to vote for Clinton in November, saying, “Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. The choice is not even close.”
  • After being “repeatedly interrupted and booed” by Florida’s delegation at the Democratic National Convention Monday morning, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) announced that Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the Democratic Party's secretary, would “gavel the convention into order in her place,” according to The Hill. Wasserman Schultz said, "I have decided that, in the interest of making sure that we can start the Democratic convention on a high note, that I am not going to gavel in the convention.” The interruptions and boos were in response to emails released by Wikileaks that “suggested top DNC aides had worked to help Clinton win the Democratic presidential nomination against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during the primary race.”
  • During an interview, Donald Trump discussed his plan to "immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time it's proven that vetting mechanisms have been put in place." He said to NBC host Chuck Todd, "People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can't use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I'm okay with that, because I'm talking territory instead of Muslim."
    • Trump also said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s comments that Trump’s questioning of NATO was a "rookie mistake” were "100 percent wrong.” Trump added, “Frankly it's sad. We have NATO, and we have many countries that aren't paying for what they're supposed to be paying, which is already too little, but they're not paying anyway. And we're giving them a free ride."
    • Discussing trade, Trump said that he will “impose tariffs — in the range of 15 percent to 35 percent — on companies like Indiana-based Carrier, which is moving its operations to Mexico,” according to The Hill. Trump said, “If they're going to fire all their people, move their plant to Mexico, build air conditioners, and think they're going to sell those air conditioners to the United States, there's going to be a tax.”
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new mandatory payment program for hospitals in 98 metropolitan areas. The program would reimburse hospitals with bundled payments for cardiac care, like bypass surgery, provided to Medicare patients. Under a bundled payments model, providers are reimbursed with a single lump sum per patient to cover all services associated with the treatment of the patient’s condition, placing some financial risk on providers for keeping costs within the sum provided. This is in contrast to a fee-for-service model, in which providers are reimbursed separately for each service. The CMS is also seeking to expand another one of its mandatory bundled payment programs that covers joint replacements. If implemented, the new program would be the third new mandatory alternative payment program introduced by the CMS in a little over a year. The 98 participating cities have not yet been selected. Proponents argue that bundled payments can reduce costs and curb rising healthcare spending. Meanwhile, opponents counter that bundled payments could discourage appropriate care if it would push the cost of services beyond the bundled payment amount.
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that long-term return rates for public pensions in the United States were expected to drop to the lowest levels ever in 2016. An estimate from Wilshire Trust Universe Comparison Service projected that the 20-year annualized return rate for public pensions would decline to 7.47 percent in fiscal year 2016, which would be the lowest 20-year rate ever recorded by Wilshire. The highest median return rate was 12.3 percent in 2001. A return rate is the ratio of money earned or lost on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. If return rates for public pension systems are lower than projected, pension administrators must find other sources of funds in order to meet pension system obligations. The Wall Street Journal attributed the drop to the two recessions in the past 15 years, as well as a sustained period of low interest rates.

State

  • Utah State Senator Mark Madsen announced that he switched his party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian. Madsen attended the Republican National Convention as a Utah delegate in support of Ted Cruz, but said the convention failed to change his mind about leaving the party. It was initially reported that Madsen became a Libertarian because of the nomination of Donald Trump, but that wasn’t the case (though Madsen did cite concerns with Trump's experience). It was later clarified that his political identity had been moving towards the Libertarian Party for a while, and he switched his party because of the “Republicans' abandonment of freedom-related principles.” Since he is not running for re-election in 2016, Madsen said that his party switch was “largely symbolic,” but he hopes that other legislators will follow his lead and switch. The partisan balance of the state Senate currently stands at five Democrats, 22 Republicans, one Libertarian, and one vacancy. There are a total of 29 seats in the state Senate.
  • Supporters submitted over 200,000 signatures for the Colorado $12 Minimum Wage Amendment. The measure would raise the minimum wage from $8.31 to $9.30 per hour on January 1, 2017, and implement increases of 90 cents each year on January 1 until the wage reaches $12 in 2020. After 2020, annual adjustments would be made to account for increases in the cost of living. Proponents of at least 14 other potential measures need to submit 98,492 signatures by August 8. They address topics such as redistricting, direct democracy, alcohol, and taxation.
  • Two measures were already certified for the 2016 ballot in Colorado. Amendment 69 would create ColoradoCare, a healthcare payment system designed to finance healthcare for Colorado residents partly through an additional 10 percent income tax that is projected to provide approximately $25 billion per year in revenue. The Amendment T would remove part of the Colorado Constitution that allows forced, unpaid labor by convicted criminals.
  • The Oregon Outdoor School Lottery Fund Initiative was certified for the November 8 ballot. The measure would create an “Outdoor School Education Fund,” sourced from state lottery proceeds, to support outdoor school programs. This measure joins the Judicial Retirement Measure (Amendment 1), the Measure 97, and the Oregon State Funding for Dropout Prevention and College Readiness Initiative on the November ballot. Supporters of two other measures are awaiting the Oregon secretary of state’s office to verify signatures. These potential measures are the Declaration of Emergencies Initiative (Petition #49) and the Voter Privacy Initiative (Petition #50).
  • Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson (R) appealed a recent federal court decision preventing state officials from enforcing a repeal of Michigan's straight-ticket voting option. The law repealing the straight-ticket option was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder (R) on January 5, 2016. At that time, Snyder said, "Michigan joins 40 other states that require voters to select an individual for each elective office, rather than simply selecting a political party." Some local election officials and state Democrats opposed the law, arguing that it would "disenfranchise voters, who become frustrated by long lines and are forced to leave before voting." On July 21, 2016, federal judge Gershwin Drain issued a series of preliminary injunctions preventing state officials from enforcing the law. Drain found that the law negatively impacted the voting and associational rights of African Americans.
  • Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino (R) failed to meet a deadline set by the State Board of Elections to file amended campaign spending reports. The reports were to clarify expenditures that the board had deemed questionable from his time as a legislator. Instances of spending in question include $200,000 at a single service station over a 10-year period and $250,000 since 1999 in payments to a local bank—the latter of which a spokesman for the board asserted were "clearly ... not expenditures to the bank." Mautino, who has denied that he misreported campaign spending, is also under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the same issue; his attorneys have cited the investigation as the reason for refusing to cooperate with state officials. The missed deadline will now trigger a public hearing into the questionable expenditures, which, according to the executive director of the board, could take place within one or two months.

Local

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #26 of The Tap, which was published on July 23, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

State

Local



The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
v • e
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