Salazar Details Inner-Workings Of Interior Department Amid Oil Spill

By Miles Wolf Tamboli-Talk Radio News Service

In Wednesday's hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar extrapolated on his plan, released last week, to split the controversial Minerals Management Service into three distinct entities with the ultimate goal of increasing transparency, accountability, and effectiveness through specialization. Salazar announced that he hopes to "strengthen oversight of offshore energy operations, improve the structure for revenue and royalty collections on behalf of the American people, and help our country build the clean energy future we need," by establishing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and the Office of Natural Resources Revenue.

Much of the impetus behind the restructuring is the result of recently released information about relationships between the MMS and the private oil industry. In a recent report released by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Inspector General Mary Kendall affirmed that members of the MMS accepted gifts, meals, and sports game tickets from oil executives. During the hearing, Salazar admitted that, in the past, accepting gifts from oil executives had become a "part of the culture," not just in the Obama administration, but among previous ones as well.

Another highly debated issue raised in the hearing was the particular drilling operation in question being granted a special exemption from the usual safety requirements demanded by the MMS. Salazar said Wednesday that this exemption was due to government legislation requiring the agency to complete the review of a drilling project in 30 days or less, limiting the MMS' ability to thoroughly investigate the situation. Termed the "use-it or lose-it" tax at the hearing, the legislation was originally intended to uphold efficiency in the energy resources industry, and government officials today implied that the bypassing of safety measures was an unintended side effect of the law.

House Natural Resources Committee member George Miller (D-Calif.) grilled Salazar on the MMS' lack of safety regulations, citing the fact that the oil industry's drilling technology has far outpaced the ability to prevent or clean up after accidents. Exclaiming that the MMS, "went to hell in a hand-basket," Miller expressed his discontent that, in his eyes, the MMS is irresponsible for allowing the oil industry to drill when their capacity to avoid a disaster such as this lags so far behind.

New Legislation Seeks To Spur Job Growth At The Local Level

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) introduced legislation Wednesday aimed at spurring job growth at the local level.

"[The Local Jobs for America Act] Will save or create 1 million public and private sector jobs in local communities across the country," said Miller during a conference call with reporters. "This is a bill for Main Street, not Wall Street."

Once passed, the bill will provide communities $100 billion over the next two years to prevent businesses and local governments from being forced to cut jobs.

"In most cases local officials either raise taxes or lay-off workers when facing the kind of budget crisis they face today," said the California Democrat.

Miller explained that it was not yet decided whether the bill will be joined with the Senate's jobs legislation or passed separately, noting that it would be left to the discretion of Congressional leaders.

Frank Urges House Committee To Support Anti-Discrimination Bill

John DuBois, University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service

The House Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) in June of this year.

The bill, known as H.R. 3017, would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

During the hearing, Frank implored his colleagues in the House to support the legislation.

"Let me just say to my colleagues. There's nothing to be afraid of. These are our fellow human beings. They're not asking you for anything other in this bill, for the right to earn a living. Can't you give them that. If you don't like them and don't want to be friends I think your missing on something, but that's your choice," Frank said.

According to Frank, the bill will provide more job opportunities based on a candidate's skill, work ethic and experience, rather than his or her sexual orientation.

Passing Health Care Reform Now Will Benefit Medicare Later, Says Health Care Experts

by Julianne LaJeunesse- University of New Mexico

A health policy analyst warned the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Tuesday that passing health care reform now will prevent Congress from having to make drastic changes to Medicare in the future.

“By starting now, [it] will prevent Congress from having to do very severe and very crude changes to Medicare down the road,” said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis during a hearing Tuesday.

“Putting this off doesn’t mean that it won’t come home at some point, and we need to deal with it and begin... as this bill does,” she said.

The state of the current bill, however, isn’t viewed as perfect.

Thomas Priselac, President and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles, told Representatives that his hospitals are committed to and applaud reform, but says H.R. 3200 has “room for improvement.”

Priselac said he’s concerned about tying the public option to Medicare rates because of what he said is “broad discretion for the Secretary to set and negotiate rates.”

He also said he questions the bill’s method of reducing patient readmissions and discharges.

“Preventing unnecessary readmissions is a complex, system-wide goal that involves hospitals, physicians, skilled nursing facilities, and other providers who manage patient’s care, as well as patients and their families,” Priselac said. “Policies that provide incentives to reduce readmissions should focus only on unplanned readmissions that are in fact related to the initial admission, and for which the greatest opportunity exists for hospitals to reduce their reoccurrence.”

Priselac says the method, which would be used as a way for determining incentive payments, is not practical because some patient discharges and readmissions are not preventable.

While there will undoubtedly be reform ideas that are left out of the House Reform proposal, most of today’s panel guests and Representatives seemed to agree that bettering the Medicare system is a good place to start health care reform.

Jacob Hacker, Yale Political Science Professor, said that if the Government continues with a public option plan, that plan must start an extensive network of providers immediately.

He said providers who want to, should be allowed to “opt out” rather than be required to “opt in.”

“Since participation will be voluntary for providers, the plan should be able to establish rates based on Medicare rates, much like many private insurers do today,” Hacker said.

Unlike Priselac, Hacker believes, "Requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to figure out new prices from scratch, in consultation with providers, is inefficient and gives private plans, which already have networks in place, an unfair advantage over the public plan.”

Late Night Health Care Discussions Bring Historic Progress, Says Pelosi

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

Two more House committees have passed versions of health care reform legislation following discussions that stretched into the early hours of Friday morning. That brings the total up to three out of the five House and Senate Committees that have now reported legislation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) noted in Friday’s press conference that this is the farthest comprehensive health reform has ever gotten in Congress.

The House Committee on Ways and Means chaired by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) completed their discussion and reported legislation at around 2 AM Friday. The Committee on Education and Labor chaired by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) had an even longer discussion which lasted till 6 AM and came back at 9 AM to complete the votes.

Pelosi said, “Congress has made historic progress on health insurance reform that will put patients and doctors back in charge and ensure quality, affordable, accessible health care for America’s middle class.”

Pelosi also noted the recent endorsement from the American Medical Association (AMA) of America’s Affordable Health Care legislation.

“This legislation includes a broad range of provisions that are key to effective, comprehensive health system reform...The AMA wants the debate in Washington to conclude with, real, long overdue results that will improve the health of America’s patients.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) joined the Speaker and two Chairmen to announce the “historic progress.”

“These next pivitol months will finally be our chance to deliver-and we will,” said Hoyer.