Al Franken's Blog, page 123

The Minnesota Independent: Franken, Klobuchar offer filibuster fixes

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are offering their own ideas to fix the filibuster, a Senate procedure that often results in gridlock in the upper chamber. Klobuchar is a cosponsor of a comprehensive filibuster reform bill introduced by Democratic Sens. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Tom Harkin of Iowa and Jeff Merkley of Oregon. The trio said that since 2006, "there have been more filibusters than the total between 1920 and 1980." Franken is offering a change to the filibuster process as well: Instead of taking 60 votes to break a filibuster, he wants 41 votes to maintain a filibuster.

His plan shifts the responsibility for the filibuster to the minority which would then have the responsibility of maintaining it.

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Read the rest of The Minnesota Independent: Franken, Klobuchar offer filibuster fixes (324 words)

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Firedoglake: Franken's Rule Change Would Put Burden on 41 Senators Filibustering

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has put a new twist on the Senate filibuster reform effort. He's a cosponsor of the Udall/Merkley/Harkin plan to change the Senate rules. But he added a one-page tweak to the rules that would place the burden more on the entity doing the filibustering than the entity trying to break the filibuster. Here's the entire change:

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT TO THE STANDING RULES OF THE SENATE.

The second undesignated paragraph of paragraph 2 of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by striking ''And if that question shall be decided in the affirmative by three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn'' and inserting ''And if that question is decided in the affirmative and there are not negative votes by more than two-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn''.

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Read the rest of Firedoglake: Franken's Rule Change Would Put Burden on 41 Senators Filibustering (392 words)

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MinnPost: Franken introduces reverse-cloture rule to shift filibuster burden to minority party

Sen. Al Franken has introduced a "reverse-cloture" bill that would shift the burden of filibustering from the majority to the minority.

Currently, lawmakers have to find 60 votes to end a filibuster. Franken's bill doesn't exactly change the math, but puts the onus on the minority party instead by making them find 41 votes to keep one going.

That's an important distinction, as several cloture votes this year on key issues like the health care overhaul and Don't Ask Don't Tell have failed while having fewer than 60 votes to cut off and having fewer than 41 to continue. Under Franken's plan, those votes would have gone the other way.

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Read the rest of MinnPost: Franken introduces reverse-cloture rule to shift filibuster burden to minority party (156 words)

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Star Tribune: Franken unhappy with FCC's new Internet rules

Sen. Al Franken said the lack of bite in the new Net neutrality regulations adopted Tuesday moves a step toward threatening First Amendment rights on the Internet.

Franken told Hot Dish that while he was happy some improvements were made to an original draft proposal of the new Net neutrality rules — which regulate how Internet service providers operate — he still had major problems with the new regulations.

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Read the rest of Star Tribune: Franken unhappy with FCC's new Internet rules (198 words)

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Huffington Post: The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time

This Tuesday is an important day in the fight to save the Internet.

As a source of innovation, an engine of our economy, and a forum for our political discourse, the Internet can only work if it's a truly level playing field. Small businesses should have the same ability to reach customers as powerful corporations. A blogger should have the same ability to find an audience as a media conglomerate.

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Read the rest of Huffington Post: The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time (189 words)

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Star Tribune: Minnesotans cheer Senate vote

WASHINGTON – Minutes after the Senate voted to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," St. Paul's Wes Davey got a text message from his son serving in Afghanistan: "They're all happy about it over there," Davey said.

Davey, a gay veteran who has been an outspoken critic of "don't ask" since he retired in 2005, was celebrating with repeal supporters in Minnesota and across the country as the final hurdle to repealing the 17-year-old law was overcome with Saturday's vote.

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Read the rest of Star Tribune: Minnesotans cheer Senate vote (179 words)

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Star Tribune: Sen. Franken: An unseemly but necessary deal on taxes

My vote in favor of the tax deal was the hardest I've cast as a senator. I didn't like extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans — and I think President Obama punted on first down.

But I came to the Senate to represent middle-class Minnesotans — working men and women trying to make ends meet and build a better life for their kids.

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Read the rest of Star Tribune: Sen. Franken: An unseemly but necessary deal on taxes (126 words)

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The Hill: Franken: Genachowski shouldn't be 'calling CEOs' on net neutrality

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) accused Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski of catering his net neutrality proposal to industry in a lengthy floor speech on Saturday.

Franken decried the process Genachowski used to win support for his proposal.

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Read the rest of The Hill: Franken: Genachowski shouldn't be 'calling CEOs' on net neutrality (113 words)

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Star Tribune: Franken and Klobuchar praise vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Minnesota Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar voted for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that passed the Senate Saturday.

The repeal passed by a 65-31 vote, which included eight Republicans voting yes. The bill will now be sent to the president, as the House passed the bill Wednesday.

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Read the rest of Star Tribune: Franken and Klobuchar praise vote to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (155 words)

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Ars Technica: Senator: New net neutrality plan worse than "doing nothing at all"

We're five days and counting from the Federal Communications Commission issuing new net neutrality rules. Nobody beyond insiders at the agency has seen the draft Order in question. But Senator Al Franken (D-MN) has a message for the Commission. If the Order exempts wireless broadband from any nondiscrimination provisions, it might be better to put the whole matter off.

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Read the rest of Ars Technica: Senator: New net neutrality plan worse than "doing nothing at all" (271 words)

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