Al Franken's Blog, page 93
August 5, 2011
Minnesota Independent: Klobuchar sponsors Defense of Marriage Act repeal
Long a holdout in signing on to back the Respect for Marriage Act, Sen. Amy Klobuchar indicated this week she'll sponsor the bill, which would repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Klobuchar is the last Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to back the measure after Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin expressed his support in April. Fellow Democrat Al Franken was an original sponsor of the act.
(...)
Read the rest of Minnesota Independent: Klobuchar sponsors Defense of Marriage Act repeal
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
August 4, 2011
The Hill: Franken tells FCC to enforce merger conditions on Comcast
Sen. Al Franken wrote to the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department on Thursday urging them to enforce a condition attached to the NBC Universal-Comcast merger that requires all news channels to be grouped in the same neighborhood.
Franken called Comcast's attempt to challenge the condition rather than negotiate to reach a solution a troubling indication the cable giant plans to fight over the language of the merger conditions rather than attempt to implement them in good faith.
Franken originally urged the government to block the deal. In the letter he urged the FCC and DOJ to carefully consider their ability to enforce the terms before approving another large merger contingent upon a myriad of conditions.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
Marshall Independent: Franken talks agriculture at Farmfest
With a debt ceiling deal reached in Washington, national legislators are coming back to Minnesota. U.S. Sen. Al Franken was present at Farmfest on Wednesday, speaking at the main forum tent and meeting with members of the public. However, questions from audience members at the forum tended to center more around topics like ethanol subsidies and the next Farm Bill.
Franken gave an update on his involvement with agriculture-related issues in Congress. Agriculture is a key part of Minnesota's economy and traditions, Franken said. "I know that in representing Minnesota, a large part of my job is representing you," he told audience members.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Franken said he supported the development of renewable energy including wind energy and ethanol, especially cellulosic ethanol. While Franken said he didn't think corn ethanol will disappear from the industry, he said cellulosic ethanol would be the next big step. Cellulosic ethanol can be made from cornstalks, grass and other plant material, and wouldn't compete with food markets.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
August 2, 2011
Fox Sports North: Sen. Franken: 'What took so long?'
U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) Thursday paid tribute to the accomplishments of former Minnesota Twins pitcher and current team broadcaster Bert Blyleven, who was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame last weekend.
(...)
Read the rest of Fox Sports North: Sen. Franken: 'What took so long?'
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
July 29, 2011
Huffington Post: Al Franken: Education Reform 'Most Important Thing I'm Working On'
While developing his positions on education policy, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) turned to his roots: He consulted with teachers throughout Minnesota, and he chatted with his daughter.
"My daughter became a teacher right out of college," through New York City's Teaching Fellows Program, Franken said. "She had a really good principal. It made an enormous difference."
(...)
Read the rest of Huffington Post: Al Franken: Education Reform 'Most Important Thing I'm Working On'
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
July 28, 2011
Winona Daily News: Franken worried state will suffer if nation defaults
Winona County may be out more than $300 million in federal revenue if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling and the nation defaults on its debts.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., released a report Wednesday that detailed the potential losses of federal revenue for each Minnesota county in the event that Congress and President Barack Obama can't raise the ceiling or agree on a budget.
If the debt ceiling isn't raised, the federal government's revenues would not be enough to cover its expenses, putting many government services — including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and student loan payments — at risk of being disrupted.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
July 27, 2011
Northland NewsCenter: Northland Senators Press Board To Inject More Competition Into Rail Industry
Washington, D.C. (Northland's NewsCenter) A bipartisan group of five U.S. Senators is pressing a federal oversight board to increase competition in the rail industry so that U.S. farmers and other small and medium-sized businesses aren't forced to pay excessive shipping rates that raise operating costs and limit their ability to compete with foreign companies.
Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), David Vitter (R-La.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), and Tim Johnson (D-S. Dak.) urged policy changes in a letter Monday to Daniel Elliott, Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB).
The five lawmakers outlined several reforms that would increase rail competitiveness and ensure that U.S. farmers, paper mills, local utilities, and other "captive shippers" aren't forced to pay significantly higher rates because they have access to just one railroad to transport their goods.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
Worthington Daily Globe: Column: Addressing the federal budget deficit
Our nation is facing a very real problem with our budget deficit, and there's no question that we need to solve it. I don't think you'd find anyone from either political party who'd disagree.
The question, of course — and what Congress and the President have been negotiating for the past several months — is how we're going to address it.
And one of the things I'm most worried about is how the budget will affect the middle class.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
ars technica: Senator: AT&T/T-Mobile merger an "unreasonable risk to the economy"
The United States Senator who fiercely opposed Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal is back in the trenches again, this time inveighing against AT&T's proposed buyout of T-Mobile USA.
"Americans gather their information about the world, purchase products and services, work, and communicate largely through the wired and wireless information infrastructure," Senator Al Franken's (D-MN) 24-page letter to the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice contends.
"Allowing two companies to control which websites and applications are available to consumers and what content will stream at a faster speed would be very risky. We should not let an effective duopoly dictate the rules of the road for wireless networks, and I fear that will happen if this merger is approved."
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
July 26, 2011
Politico: Cash sought to prevent diabetes
Left unchecked, diabetes is a ticking time bomb of a disease in an individual's life. It's also a $3.4 trillion-a-decade threat to the nation's fiscal health and a huge driver of Medicare costs.
The health reform law authorized the National Diabetes Prevention Program — but didn't actually provide any funds for it. Another piece of the massive law, the Prevention and Public Health Fund, provides mandated dollars that could be a funding source for the diabetes program, but that fund is likely to be slashed in half in the debt ceiling negotiations.
(...)
Read the rest of Politico: Cash sought to prevent diabetes
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
Permalink
Post tags:
Al Franken's Blog
- Al Franken's profile
- 651 followers
