U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights, has announced her committee assignments for the 114th Congress.

Fudge was elected Jan. 28 as Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education.

This Subcommittee is part of the House Education and the Workforce Committee on which the Congresswoman first served in 2009. She will also serve as a member of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

“I welcome the challenge and the opportunity to ensure that all of America’s children have access to a quality education,” Fudge said in a statement. “We must advance policies and priorities that provide adequate funding, equitably allocate resources, and ensure that all students graduate from high school are college and career ready.”

Fudge also remains on the House Agriculture Committee for which she was appointed to the Subcommittees on Nutrition, and Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research.

The congresswoman represents Ohio's 11th Congressional District, which includes Euclid and other portions of eastern and southern Cuyahoga County along with portions of Summit County and the city of Akron.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter @newsheraldjah

Michael Wager, Democratic Party candidate for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, criticized U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce for a vote June 19 the congressman made against an amendment that would prevent the National Security Agency to search Americans communications without a warrant.

The amendment passed by a 293-123 margin and was supported by many Democrats and Republicans.

Wager of Moreland Hills is running against Joyce, R-Russell Township, in the Nov. 4 election.

Wager said in a statement that Joyce voted against a broadly supported, bipartisan effort to end NSA spying on American citizens and the vote meant “Joyce would continue to allow backdoor spying on Americans by protecting the NSA’s ability to access Americans’ phone calls and emails without a warrant.”

He also called on Joyce to denounce warrantless data collection and to take meaningful action to reign in NSA domestic spying.

Joyce, R-Russell Township, did vote against the amendment that was offered late in the night mostly because there were only minutes to read and debate it before the vote was cast, said Dino DiSanto, Joyce’s chief of staff.

The congressman later voted in favor of the defense spending bill that contained the amendment and it passed by a 340-73 margin, DiSanto said.

Joyce supports ending the collection of metadata without a warrant and he also supported the USA Freedom Act that passed May 22 and contained this provision, DiSanto said.

“Congressman Joyce believes our intelligence community needs to go to a judge, have an individual’s name and get a warrant. That’s what the Fourth Amendment says,” DiSanto said. “He also thinks that if we are going to change these programs we should have a robust debate on this. This shouldn't be something that is snuck into a spending bill late at night with just 10 minutes of debate. That is what the American people hate about how the people’s business has been conducted over the years.”

DiSanto also noted Joyce was one of 13 members of Congress who sent a letter last August to House Speaker John Boehner asking to have an open process in the debate on the NSA spying program.

You can view the letter below:

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

2013.08.02 - Letter to Speaker_Address NSA Concerns in Open Process

Michael Wager opens campaign office in Solon

Michael Wager, the Democratic Party candidate to run in November for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, recently opened up a campaign office in Solon.

Wager of Moreland Hills will face two opponents in the election.

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce of Russell Township who won a Republican Party primary to secure his party’s nomination to run again.

Solon Libertarian David Macko will also appear on the ballot as he was unopposed in his party’s primary.

The congressional district consists of all of Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties, plus portions of Cuyahoga, Portage, Summit and Trumbull counies.

Wager said in a news release to announce the office's opening that it will take a strong grassroots effort to defeat Joyce.

“I’m proud that our campaign has the support of so many enthusiastic volunteers who are ready to fight for working families, for women, for seniors and for students in Ohio’s 14th District,” Wager said.

Wager said his campaign would focus on the need to create jobs at livable wages, including raising the minimum wage.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
@newsheraldjah

The battle to win the May 6 Republican primary for Ohio's 14th Congressional District between U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce and state Rep. Matt Lynch continues as each recently received national endorsements.

Lynch of Bainbridge Township received the endorsement April 15 from the Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, which said in a news release that the overwhelming majority of its grassroots activists in Ohio expressed their enthusiastic support of Lynch's candidacy.

Matt Lynch

Dave Joyce

Meanwhile, Joyce of Russell Township received endorsement April 22 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said also named his as the recipient of the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber. The award recognizes Joyce’s work to support American workers and businesses through policies that encourage private sector investment and growth.

The latest campaign committee reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission show that Lynch ended with $48,940 cash on hand for his report that showed contributions and expenditures made from Jan. 1 through March 31.

A report for Joyce for the same time period showed he had $1,217,687 cash on hand.

It should be an interesting final two weeks before the primary election.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

The political silly season is in full swing and I’m hearing some potentially interesting developments in the Lake and Geauga counties political rumor mill that I wanted to pass along.

With the Feb. 5 filing deadline for partisan candidates to run in the May 6 primary getting closer there could be some potentially interesting races in the making.

I’m told that state Rep. Matt Lynch, R-Bainbridge Township, might not seek re-election to the Ohio House of Representatives District 76.

Instead, he might run to represent Ohio’s 14th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Russell Township.

The word is that Sarah LaTourette, a Bainbridge Township Republican and daughter of former U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, is considering running for Ohio House of Representatives District 76 and Lynch would rather not run against her.

Sarah LaTourette has pulled candidacy petitions to run for the Ohio House of Representatives seat along with Lynch, who also has taken out petitions to run for the congressional seat.

Both races would require 50 valid signatures to get on the ballot.

If Sarah LaTourette were to run one would be likely to think she could get some help from her father’s connections especially since he is the president of the Main Street Partnership in Washington D.C. that seeks to help elect moderate Republicans across the country.

Fascinating too that Joyce may face a primary challenger from someone who is from the same county especially since Joyce has such a headstart raising the dollars to run a campaign.

Plus, you’ll recall that Joyce succeeded LaTourette in Congress and now the former congressman’s daughter potentially entering an Ohio House race could prompt a primary for Joyce.

Lynch has earned a reputation as one of the more conservative members of the Ohio House of Representatives so perhaps he would get some solid financial backing from similarly aligned supporters and groups, if he runs for Congress.

So far, Joyce is the only candidate to have filed candidacy petitions for the office with the Lake County Elections Board, where they must be filed as it is the largest county of the seven within the congressional district. No Democrats have filed either.

Similarly, no one has filed to run with the Geauga County Elections Board for Ohio House of Representatives District 76.

So it all could be speculation and in the end there are no surprises, but we still have nine more days to go and it should be fun to see what develops.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Well, it’s over — at least for now.

Federal lawmakers came to an agreement Wednesday night to fully reopen the federal government and to also avoid a threatened national default.

The deal will fund the government through Jan. 15 and allow the Treasury to borrow normally through Feb. 7.

Let’s hope that those in Washington can learn from what has transpired the past few weeks and be able to find bipartisan solutions to the big problems our country faces.

That was also a similar feeling former President Bill Clinton expressed when he visited Cleveland on Thursday to speak at Cuyahoga County Community College Foundation Presidential Scholarship Luncheon.

Clinton shared that he felt relief that the situation was over in part because of the political drama that had been created and he believes the country’s reputation has suffered internationally because of it.

The former president has a perspective that only a few can share because he was in office the last time the federal government was shut down.

Although many believe Clinton benefitted politically and that it helped him get re-elected to a second term, he said that threat of a government shutdown is not the right way to govern.

Even though it was a last minute agreement with little choice and time left, a bipartisan agreement was reached.

When looking at the final roll call, eight of Ohio’s 16 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the deal including Reps. Dave Joyce, R-Russell Township, and Marcia L. Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights. Both Ohio U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, and Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, voted to approve the deal.

A Washington-based television reporter asked President Barack Obama that same night after he delivered remarks prior to the House voting on the deal whether he expected the drama to return in a few months when the next deadlines arise and the president simply said “no” before exiting the room.

It would make sense for Congress to work together to put forth a budget for Obama to sign. Is that really too much to ask?

The policy of adopting continuing resolutions to fund the federal government doesn’t seem to accomplish much except to keep things status quo.

Quite frankly, there has to be a better way for our elected officials to govern.

Maybe it took the country’s nearly falling financially off a cliff to make that point clear.

Candidate endorsements

Candidates in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties who appear on the Nov. 5 ballot may send in listings of endorsements they receive for the upcoming election via email, fax or standard mail. They will appear online periodically on The News-Herald’s Northern Ohio Politics blog.

Deadline reminder

The weekly deadline for information to appear in this column is each Wednesday at 5 p.m. Email or fax is preferred.

Jefferson-Jackson dinner

The Lake County Democratic Party hosts its annual Jefferson-Jackson starting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Patrician Party Center in Eastlake. Featured guests include Ohio Attorney General candidate David Pepper and former Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.

Event

Ward L. Kinney, candidate for Chester Township trustee, hosts a meet and greet event 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 27 at Geauga West Library in Chester Township.

Fundies

n Lake County Recorder Ann M. Radcliffe hosts spaghetti dinner fundraiser 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Park Road Grill in Painesville Township. See Terri Conley.

n Arlene Becks, candidate for Painesville Council at large, hosts Three Pasta Entrée Buffet fundraiser with special guests state Sen. Nina Turner and state Rep. John Rogers, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 22 at Painesville Elk’s Lounge. See Becks, Trudy Simmons or L.K. Williams.

n Tom Fitzgerald, candidate for Painesville Council Jan. 1 term, hosts an open house fundraiser, 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23, at his home in Painesville. See Debra Fitzgerald or Janet Clair.

n Chuck Brickman, candidate for Willoughby Council at large, hosts a fundraiser, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Wild Goose in Willoughby. See Brickman.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce announced legislation aimed to protect responsible homeowners by allocating funds to demolish vacant, abandoned, or foreclosed properties.

Joyce, R-Russell Township, was joined at a press conference Wednesday by Reps. Marcia Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights; Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo; Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson; and Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed.

The legislation is named the Restore Our Neighborhoods Act, H.R. 656, said Joyce.

“This common-sense bill will increase home values, decrease crime, and protect responsible homeowners from the enormous economic drag of vacant or abandoned homes in their neighborhoods," Joyce said. "For too long, responsible Ohioans paying their mortgage every month and meticulously taking care of their homes have been punished. This legislation will protect Ohio homeowners who are doing exactly what they should be doing and I look forward to bipartisan support.”

According to the Government Accountability Office, a foreclosed, vacant, and tax-delinquent property reduces neighboring property prices by almost 10 percent and can reduce values of nearby homes by as much as $8,600 to $17,000 per property, Joyce said.

The Restore Our Neighborhoods Act creates a national qualified urban demolition bond limitation that the Secretary of the Treasury shall allocate among the states to empower states to undertake significant residential and commercial structure demolition projects.

The bonds will be issued by land banks, and in cases where a state does not have a land bank, by the state itself.


John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce plans not to sit next to a fellow Republican during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Instead Joyce, R-Russell Township and U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., announced they will sit together.

“In the spirit of bipartisanship and working together, we look forward to attending President Obama’s State of the Union address together,” the two federal lawmakers said in a statement. “As freshman Members new to Washington, we understand our constituents want to see common-sense solutions to our nation’s problems, not partisan bickering.

“We look forward to hearing the president’s proposals to address our challenges and working together to tackle the serious issues facing the U.S. such as reducing our debt, creating jobs and growing our economy.”

Joyce and Bustos now serve their first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. They met while attending a bipartisan Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service with eleven other Members of Congress.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce announced Thursday that he’s been selected to serve on three subcommittees within the House Appropriations Committee.

The congressman is currently the only Ohio Republican serving on the House Appropriations Committee.

Joyce, R-Russell Township, will sit on the Interior, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development subcommittees.

“With these subcommittee assignments, I’ll be at the forefront of ensuring our district’s world-class health care facilities and natural resources such as the Great Lakes are receiving the resources they need to thrive," Joyce said in a statement. 

"It’s an honor to serve on the Appropriations Committee and I look forward to helping facilitate an efficient and effective appropriations process while also scrutinizing federal spending. I thank Chairman Rogers for the opportunity and look forward to working with my new colleagues.” 

Joyce began his first term in Congress on Jan. 3.

John Arthur Hutchison

JHutchison@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Cleveland, has announced her committee assignments in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 113th session of Congress.

Fudge represents the 11th Congressional District that includes Euclid and Mayfield Heights, plus other eastern Cuyahoga County communties along with portions of Summit County including part of Akron.

She will serve as Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight and Nutrition, which has jurisdiction over SNAP (food stamps), nutrition, consumer programs, special investigations, and oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Fudge will also serve on the Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture.

This subcommittee reviews a wide variety of matters including fruits and vegetables, honey and bees, market and promotion orders, plan pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds and insect pests, and foreign agriculture assistance.

“I look forward to enhanced jurisdiction over areas vitally important to constituents of the 11th District including SNAP, nutrition and a cause I have long championed, reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity,” Fudge said in a news release. “All Americans count on their food supply to be safe on its journey from farm and field to their dinner tables. I welcome the opportunity to protect their interests in my committee assignments.”

The congresswoman will continue her service on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and will remain a member of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protection.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce, R-Russell Township, announced he will serve as co-chair to the U.S. House of Representatives Nursing Caucus for the 113th Congress.

The caucus meets on a regular basis to discuss issues related to the nursing profession and help develop ideas and solutions to any challenges facing nursing professionals.

Joyce noted that his wife Kelly has been an Registered Nurse at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center for 22 years.

“I’m thrilled to announce that I will co-chair the bipartisan House Nursing caucus along with Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif. Our district has several world-class health care and research facilities including Summa, University of Akron polymer program, Cleveland Clinic, Case and University Hospitals and it’s crucial that these institutions have a voice in Washington.

“The nursing profession is especially dear to my family as my wife Kelly has been an RN at UH Geauga for the last 22 years and we've seen first-hand the critical role nurses play in their patients’ and patients’ families’ lives. I look forward to co-chairing this important caucus and working with my colleagues to address the needs of the nursing community.”

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce was sworn in to the 113th Congress by House Speaker John Boehner during a ceremony Thursday in the U.S. Capitol.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Ohio’s 14th District and I look forward to bringing some Ohio common sense to Washington,” Joyce said in a statement. “The voters sent me here to do a job and I will work every day to represent their interests and create jobs back home in the district.”

Prior to service in Congress, Joyce was Geauga County prosecutor. He, his wife Kelly, and their three children reside in Russell Township.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett congratulated Ohio’s newest Republican Members of Congress David P. Joyce and Brad Wenstrup as they are sworn into the 113th Congress today and praised John Boehner’s re-election as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives calling it another big step for Ohioans.

“Congressman Joyce and Congressman Wenstrup will show dedication in serving their respective districts as they have throughout their public service careers and we’re proud to support them,” Bennett said in a prepared statement. “Congressman John Boehner’s re-election as Speaker is a distinct honor for all Ohioans as he continues the legacy set by fellow Ohio Congressman Nicholas Longworth who was speaker for the 69th, 70th and 71st Congress.

“Speaker Boehner will lead the 113th Congress with the same sincerity, conviction and commitment that he has shown in Congress for his district and for all Ohio.”

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. David P. Joyce, R-Russell Township, will be sworn in to the 113th Congress on Thursday afternoon by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Joyce represents Ohio's 14th Congressional District that consists of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, plus parts of Cuyahoga,Portage,  Summit and Trumbull counties.

Boehner will conduct a ceremonial swearing-in for Joyce following the oath of office on the floor of the House of Representatives.

A ceremonial swearing-in photo also will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at The Rayburn Room, H-207, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @newsheraldjah

This weekend, Catholic leaders across the state "joined the chorus of church officials urging parishoners to protest and pray about the federal government's decision to require many church-affiliated institutions to cover free birth control for employees." If you agree with those Catholic leaders who support the H.R.1179, you can visit the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment' Action Center, which has a form to help resident contact their legislators about the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

In case you missed it, last week the U.S. House passed a concurrent resolution reaffirming "In God We Trust" as the official motto of the U.S.

H. Con. Res. 13 is a resolution "Reaffirming 'In God We Trust' as the official motto of the United States and supporting and encouraging the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions." If you're interested in reading the entire resolution (it's very short), you can see it as a PDF, an XML file or the printer-friendly version.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. J. Randy Forbes, a Republican from Virginia's Fourth District. It was introduced in the House back in January (and gained 64 cosponsors), and on Nov. 1 was passed in the House by a 396-9 vote (two members of the House voted "present," while 26 did not vote). On Nov. 2, it was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Check out the Final Vote Results for Roll Call 816 to see how all the members of the House voted. Republican Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio's 14th District and Democrat Marcia Fudge of Ohio's 11th District both voted in favor of the resolution.

You can also read the text of the dialogue from when H. Con. Res. 13 was brought to the floor.

According to Voterama in Congress, critics said time would be better spend on a jobs bill. The Washington Post quoted President Barack Obama sharing the same sentiment:

"In the House of Representatives, what have you guys been doing, John?" Obama said, calling out House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
"You've been debating a commemorative coin for baseball. You've had legislation reaffirming that 'In God We Trust' is our motto. That's not putting people back to work," Obama said. "I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work."

Read more from the Washington Post's story on the resolution.

The House is in recess this week.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, today voted to repeal a tax requirement in the new health care law that would require businesses to file a 1099 tax form with the IRS for every vendor they paid more than $600 a year.

The measure, H.R. 4, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 314-112. It now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

The Senate earlier this year passed 1099 repeal language as part of a Federal Aviation Administration bill.  The House and Senate will have to hammer out repeal language that is identical in both the House and Senate before a measure can be sent to the President for signature.

In a report released in June 2010, the IRS Taxpayer Advocate said the new 1099 reporting requirement would apply to almost 40 million businesses, including more than 1 million charities and tax-exempt organizations and more than 100,000 government entities.

“The 1099 reporting requirement has nothing to do with health care, and its days are numbered,” LaTourette said. “This would be a compliance nightmare for the IRS, and small businesses should focus on job creation, not filing tax forms reporting the purchase of toilet paper and paper towels from Costco or toner and paper from Staples.”

The congressman said H.R. 4 reduces the deficit by $166 million in the first 10 years, and is expected to reduce federal spending by nearly $20 billion over 10 years.

-- John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com
Twitter: newsheraldjah

U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette is slated to hold the gavel this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the U.S. House of Representatives.

LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, will preside over the rules package changes.
Here are some of the new rules:

n Members will not be able to introduce a bill or joint resolution without a “statement citing as specifically as practicable the power or powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact” it. This will serve to refocus members of Congress, with every bill they introduce, on the Constitution that they take an oath to support and defend.

n No bill will be voted upon without being available online for at least three calendar days. This will ensure members, the media, and the American people have an opportunity to read the bill before any vote.

n For the first time under the House rules, “in electronic format” will be the standard by which are made bills available. Placing bills and other texts online for the American people to see will increase public scrutiny and accountability and yield a better legislative process.

Committees must:

n Post online their committee rules

n Provide 3 days notice for all markups

n Circulate the text of legislation to be marked-up no less than 24 hours before the markup

n Post online all votes in the committee 48 hours after a markup

n Make available online the text of any amendments adopted in a markup

n Post online “truth in testimony” information, “with appropriate redactions to protect the privacy of the witness” so that any conflicts of interest with hearing witnesses are made public

n Make available online the member attendance record for each hearing and markup within 24 hours

n Webcast and make available online their hearings and markups

The House rules package preserves the Office of Congressional Ethics with no changes made to its structure. The language included in the rules package is identical to that included in the rules for the 111th Congress.

Cut-as-you-go will be included in the House rules.

n The new rule states that if mandatory spending is increased, spending must be cut by an equal or greater amount elsewhere.

n Tax increases cannot be used to pay for new mandatory spending.

n This rule will, in practice, replace the Democrats’ “pay-go” rule.

Under new House rules, each appropriations bill will be required to have a “spending reduction account.”

The rules package reinstates a six-year term limit on committee chairmen, one of the central congressional reforms of the 1994 Contract with America. The term limit on committee chairmen was under Democratic control of the House.

-- John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com