Democrat Bayh Won't Seek Re-Election

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), a key centrist in the Senate, announced today that he will not seek re-election in November. Bayh originally notified members of his staff on Friday, and this morning told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and others about the decision to retire.

"After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so in Congress has waned," said Bayh, 54, during a press conference Monday.

Though a recent poll had him leading comfortably against Republican challengers, former Sen. Dan Coats and former Rep. John Hostettler, Bayh said the passion to serve a third term just isn't there for him.

"I am confident in my prospects for re-election...But running for the sake of winning an election, just to remain in public office, is not good enough."

House Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), a popular conservative who was once rumored to have been planning to run against Bayh, reiterated Monday that he will not leave his seat in the House.

“After receiving considerable encouragement to run for the United States Senate last month, Mr. Pence made a decision to seek reelection to the House of Representatives and help lead a conservative comeback in 2010 and that decision stands," said a spokesperson for Pence.

Bayh becomes the third prominent Democrat to announce his retirement this year. Fellow Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) have also said they will not run for re-election in November.

New Title IX Legislation Requires Schools To Make Student-Athlete Data Public

By Sam Wechsler-Talk Radio News Service

Two bills pertaining to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which required schools and universities to provide equal opportunities for men and women both academically and athletically, are being reintroduced into the House and Senate. The bills, which were introduced by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Olympia Snow (R-Maine), would require high schools to release data to the public on the number of student-athletes by gender, expenditures on athletic programs, and coaches’ salaries.

Former Senator Birch Bayh, known as the father of Title IX, spoke of the greater importance of the law. “[Participation in athletics generates] better grades, lower dropouts, less truancy, less unwanted pregnancy, less smoking, and less drug use,” he said.

American gold medalist gymnast Dominique Dawes commented on the importance of women’s participation in sports as well. She stated that women who participate in sports will learn about their physical and mental health and will be less likely to suffer from negative self-esteem.

Slaughter stated that there are 1.3 million fewer athletic opportunities for women. “We’re still a ways away from our goal of providing equal educational opportunity both academically and athletically,” said Bayh.

Bi-partisan Bill Gives Obama More Power Over Iran Sanctions

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

Liberals and Conservatives stood together at a Senate press conference today to discuss the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act.

Senator Evan Bayh (R-Ind.) author of the bill, along with Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Senator Jon Kyl (D-Ind.), said that bi-partisanship had been achieved on this bill because of the “critical importance of this issue.”

The purpose of the legislation, which expands on the Iran Sanction of 1996, Lieberman said is, “to empower President Obama...by providing him with the explicit authority to target Iran’s achilles economic heel, which is its dependence on imports of petroleum...most notably gasoline.”

Lieberman accused previous legislation of being “quite ambiguous” and said that this legislation would “eliminate” that ambiguity. The new proposal would provide the President with a “powerful new weapon to use in the negotiations with Iran,” said Lieberman. Adding it is up to President Obama to decide, “when, where and against whom to use it.”

Bayh said the bill would help to “strengthen the President’s outreach” to Iran. Adding “if events continue go as they are currently going, then at some point during the next two to four years Iran will have a nuclear weapon”. This would have a “destabilizing” effect on the entire world,” said Bayh. This bill, he said, “gives us our best opportunity to avoid that outcome without the resort to military force.”

Kyl said the bill gives the President the tool to “stop companies who continue to sell refined gasoline to Iran or provide refining capacity from doing business in the United States or through the American banking systems.”

“In effect what we are saying to the few companies in the world who provide this refined gasoline to Iran is, ‘You can either do business in our $13 trillion economy with us, or you can do business with Iran with its $250 billion economy, but you can’t do both,’” said Kyl.

In closing Lieberman said, “this is important legislation introduced at a critical time whose consequences for the people of America, Iran, Israel and the Arab world are going to be quite serious.” Adding that he hoped this bill would make it “more likely” for the “diplomatic engagements” between President Obama and the Irani government to succeed and that “they will peacefully abandon their nuclear ambitions.”

Twenty-five U.S. Senators, from both parties, have currently signed their name as a co-sponsors to this piece of legislation.