Progress Illinois

The federal government is one step closer to providing health care and retirement benefits to domestic partners of its gay and lesbian employees. Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved H.R. 2517 by a 23-12 vote. Illinois Democrats Mike Quigley, Danny Davis, and Bill Foster all supported the legislation. GOP Rep. Aaron Schock voted against it. From Alyssa Rosenberg's report on the contentious hearing:

Republican committee members argued that the 2009 Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act was an inappropriate extension of benefits to a small subset of federal employees at a time when unemployment was rising. They also said such a move would threaten the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and could open the door to fraud by people of the same sex who simply wanted access to benefits.

Democrats countered that extending access to health and survivor benefits to the same-sex partners of federal workers in exchange for an agreement that those employees would abide by rules governing nepotism and financial disclosure for their partners, was a matter of equality and of establishing the federal government as an inclusive, competitive employer.

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Rep. Jan Schakowsky isn't the only Chicago Democrat taking a stand in favor of reproductive rights. In a statement released this afternoon, Rep. Mike Quigley said he too will vote against a final health care reform bill if it contains the Stupak-Pitts amendment language:

On Saturday, we entered the final stretch of a 100-year march toward extending health care coverage to the millions of Americans who currently live without.  I’m proud that we were able to move historically forward on health care reform, but was very disappointed with the inclusion of the anti-choice language in the bill. As we continue to refine the bill, we must make sure that this progress does not come at the expense of the more than 150 million women in America.

The goal of overhauling the heath care system is equality – to give every American access to comprehensive coverage and make it affordable.  The Stupak amendment disrupts that very equality and does exactly the opposite.  It says only women who can afford insurance deserve access to reproductive health care and marks an unprecedented restriction on people who pay for their own insurance. It directly and unfairly attacks the rights of lower and middle class women.

I will continue to fight to remove this discriminatory language before a final bill reaches the President’s desk and ensure that women do not become sacrificial lambs on the path to health care reform.   I will not vote in favor of a final bill that contains language to restrict a woman’s rights any further than current law.  If choice is out, so am I.

Both Quigley and Schakowsky spoke out against the amendment on the House floor this past Saturday.  Letters signed by them and other opponents of the measure will soon be sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Obama.

The president's top domestic policy priority is one step closer to being made  law. As you've read elsewhere, the full House passed its final health care reform bill late Saturday night by a slim 220-215 margin. Although 39 Democrats eventually voted against the bill, none of Democrats hailing from President Obama's home state -- including Reps. Melissa Bean and Bill Foster -- dissented.

While not perfect, the package approved by the House would dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 36 million people currently uninsured would gain access to health care. The bill, which includes an employer mandate and a "level-playing field" public option, is also deficit neutral over the next 10 years and would impose a whole host of important consumer protections.

Unfortunately, House leadership had to strike a Faustian bargain to gain the support of conservative pro-life Democrats, including Reps. Dan Lipinski and Jerry Costello. Included in the legislation was an amendment introduced by Rep. Bart Stupack (D-Michigan) limiting elective abortion coverage from both private and public insurers on the health insurance exchanges. Lipinski, who made clear this summer that he "strongly opposed any bill that's going to have public funding for abortion," even spoke in favor of the amendment on the floor minutes before the vote took place, earning praise from the Family Research Council for his efforts.

What Lipinski forgot to mention was that House tri-committee bill does not threaten the Hyde Amendment, which forbids Medicaid from using any federal money to pay for an abortion procedure. And in practical terms, it will have a devastating effect on working women. Ezra Klein explains:

If this amendment passes, it will mean that virtually all women with insurance through the exchange who find themselves in the unwanted and unexpected position of needing to terminate a pregnancy will not have coverage for the procedure. Abortion coverage will not be outlawed in this country. It will simply be tiered, reserved for those rich enough to afford insurance themselves or lucky enough to receive [it] from their employers.

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The latest from the 2010 electoral landscape ...

IL GOVERNOR

This morning, Rep, Mike Quigley formally endorsed Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn in the 2010 gubernatorial primary, saying that "the best indication of future behavior is past performance."  Watch an excerpt from Quigley's remarks:

The Quinn campaign has also posted some highlights from UNITE-HERE's recent endorsement, which you can watch here.

U.S. SENATE

This morning, Republican Senate candidate and congressman Mark Kirk announced a $1.6 million third quarter fundraising haul:

Five-term GOP Congressman and Navy veteran Mark Kirk, the leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Illinois, today reported his campaign set a new single-quarter fundraising record for federal Republican candidates in Illinois raising more than $1.6 million. That brings the campaign’s total receipts for the election to more than $2.9 million with $2.3 million in the bank.

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Since joining the ranks of Congress, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) hasn't masked his disdain for politicians' willingness to uphold anti-gay policies. Just weeks after being sworn in, the Chicago Democrat called for a repeal of the "morally repugnant" U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy because of its blatant discrimination against gay and lesbian soldiers. Shortly after, Quigley penned a letter urging President Obama to see that same-sex unions were recognized in the Census count. And at a press conference this morning, he announced that he's co-sponsoring legislation aimed at repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Watch:

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Here are today's health care headlines:

Schakowsky: We're Going To Have To Do It Without GOP

Are Democrats really ready to pass health care reform without Republican support? Rep. Jan Schakowsky thinks so. Here's her quote to The Hill this morning:

“I think that at some point everyone’s going to see that the Republicans simply are not going to agree to any kind of healthcare reform that the insurance industry isn’t supporting and that, reluctantly, we’re going to have to do it without them,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

“If we have to, we will,” said Schakowsky, a chief deputy whip and the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's healthcare task force.

This follows news Sunday that Senate Democratic leaders are drawing up plans and talking to procedural experts about moving legislation with a simple majority. It's tough to blame them. Even supposed moderate Republicans in Congress are consistently pushing explicit lies about the bills being considered, seemingly all for political gain. "I think we have now the makings," Rep. Mark Kirk told WLS' Don Wade and Roma last week, "of huge Republican win in the November 2010 elections." Spoken like a true voice of the people.

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Since becoming a member of Congress in the spring, Rep. Mike Quigley has happily inserted himself into some hot-button political debates. After only three months  on the job, he's taken on Defense Department spending, rebuffed efforts to limit reproductive health care, and condemned the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which mandates the discharge of openly gay service members.

Quigley addressed the latter issue during his remarks today at Chicago's annual "With Liberty and Justice for All" event, which honors gay and lesbian soldiers and vets. "It is very easy to come to the conclusion that we are fundamentally less safe with don't ask, don't tell," Quigley told the crowd. "We are fundamentally less just with 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' " Watch (the clip begins with the congressman referencing his recent trip to Iraq):

Along with six other Democratic members of Illinois' congressional delegation -- Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Jesse Jackson Jr., Danny Davis, Luis Gutierrez,  Phil Hare, and Bobby Rush -- Quigley signed on to the Military Enhancement Readiness Act (HR 1283), which would scrap the policy. Now it's time for the commander in chief to throw his support behind it as well. "We must do this now for our our GLBT soldiers," Quigley said today, "but also for the security of our country."

When the summer recess is over and Congress returns to Capitol Hill, will immigration reform remain a top priority for Democrats? While members of Congress have been sending mixed messages about exactly how hard they'll push for reform, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has pledged to introduce legislation before Labor Day.  And just this morning, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that she sees drafting such legislation as the most pressing issue on her department's agenda. Still, the White House itself has been somewhat slow to commit.

Today, seven Democratic members of Illinois' congressional delegation -- Reps. Mike Quigley, Danny Davis, Luis Gutierrez, Jan Schakowsky, Phil Hare, Jesse Jackson Jr., and Bobby Rush -- sent an open letter to President Obama urging him to add his political muscle to the immigration fight. "Letters like this push the agenda," Rep. Quigley said at a press conference today. "Our role as a congressmen is to help set the priorities." Watch:

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Pro-life lawmakers have been trying very hard as of late to block basic reproductive rights for women. As we noted earlier, 19 House members sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding that language in the House health care reform package prevent any federal funds from being used for abortions. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) took aim at a Health and Human Services appropriations bill last week, filing an amendment to effectively strip Planned Parenthood -- the nation's largest abortion provider -- of its Title X funding.

Thankfully, it was soundly defeated on Friday. (Illinois Republicans Judy Biggert and Mark Kirk crossed party lines to vote against (PDF) the provision, while Democratic Reps. Dan Lipinski and Jerry Costello supported it.)  But before the crucial vote, Rep. Mike Quigley spoke out strongly on the House floor against the measure, pointing out that, contrary to the suggestion from Pence and others, Planned Parenthood and other providers are already legally prohibited from using the funds for abortion services. Instead, the organization uses the taxpayer dollars it receives for primary care, including breast exams, family planning, and screening for high blood pressure, cancer, STDs, and HIV. Watch it:

In front of his childhood home in Kennilworth this morning, GOP Rep. Mark Kirk is scheduled to announce his 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate.  In honor of the occasion, Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias released the following statement:

“If Mark Kirk and I are the respective nominees of our parties, then voters will have a clear choice: go backwards to the reckless Bush-Cheney fiscal policies Kirk supported that cost this state hundreds of thousands of jobs and created the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, or move forward to fundamentally change our economy and create the next generation of good jobs here in Illinois.

“I believe in fair trade, an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, and tax cuts for middle-class families. Mark Kirk takes the opposite view. He voted to give tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, but against cracking down on China’s unfair trade practices. He voted for a massive bailout of the biggest banks in the country, but against raising the minimum wage. Mark Kirk voted against middle-class tax cuts by opposing President Obama’s economic recovery plan, but supported George W. Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest. It’s a simple choice between the failed past or a promising future – a clear choice between the right course and the wrong one.”

Over the weekend, Giannoulias also announced that Rep. Mike Quigley had endorsed his candidacy.  From a release:

"We are at a crucial moment in our state and in our country, and as we've seen, people are tired of business-as-usual and ready for fresh leadership,” Quigley said. “We're facing two wars and a recession while people are losing their jobs and their homes.  Big problems demand big change, and Alexi gets it.  I'm proud to endorse Alexi Giannoulias to be our party's candidate for the U.S. Senate. We've got a lot of work to do, so I hope others will join me to support his path to Washington."

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