Debbie Halvorson

Health Care Roundup: Final Bill By Christmas, Halvorson Commits, Costello And Lipinski Waffle

Adam Doster — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:50:46 -0800

The latest news from the health care reform battle -- both in D.C. and here on the homefront.

A Final Bill By Christmas?

Now that health care legislation has passed out of the five relevant committees on Capitol Hill, health care advocates are starting to wonder when both chambers of Congress will take up the bills in earnest. While House leaders are moving quickly, Illinois' own Dick Durbin says that progress might be slower in the Senate. The Hill has a quick story up today outlining the reasons for the possible delay:

Even while House leaders pressed forward for a vote on a House version this week, [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid and Durbin said their hands are tied until the CBO releases its cost estimate of the Senate bill. Then the document would be published online for public review, possibly revised and re-analyzed by the CBO, and then several weeks would be needed for House-Senate conference talks.

Despite months-old predictions of a bill before Christmas, with only six weeks of legislative time remaining in the year Durbin acknowledged a healthcare bill in 2009 “is certainly a challenge.”

Will Sen. Roland Burris join Durbin and vote in favor of health care reform when he's eventually presented with the final bill? In the past few weeks, Illinois' junior senator has received heaps of media attention for his principled stance in favor of a robust public option. But the vast majority of those media outlets have failed to ask him the most relevant question: Does he intend to filibuster a bill lacking a public option or just vote against its final passage. All indications are that he would stand with his party and approve cloture, undercutting the severity of his threat:

"It's certainly going to be tough, in terms of getting this done," [Burris] told WGN-TV. "I've let it be known unequivocally that I would not support any legislation -- now they may get the 60 votes to pass it. I'm not going to be an obstructionist. I'm not here for some ego trip. I'm here to speak out for the people who have spoken to me."

Unfortunately, Sen. Joe Lieberman's threat seems very real. Yesterday, Reid's office denied reports that the lawmakers agreed in private to vote for cloture on health care. If no Republicans cross the aisle, the Democrats will need Lieberman's support to break a filibuster, a obstructionist tactic he has previously called "unfair."

Abortion Funding

While the Senate moves forward cautiously, the House is barreling ahead, preparing to vote on a final bill Saturday at about 6 p.m ET. To secure the support of some moderate and conservative Democrats, including Illinois Reps. Jerry Costello and Dan Lipinski, House leadership is making several changes to the bill that would explicitly prevent public funding for abortion.

This compromise shouldn't be necessary. The 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 earlier this summer, Democratic leaders backed a provision prohibiting people from using the public subsidies provided under the bill to buy private insurance plans that cover abortion. That's part of the reason why pro-choice organizations consider the current law a disappointment.

But that bloc of 40 legislators could torpedo the final bill if their concerns aren't addressed, so the Democratic leadership is doing all they can to pacify their concerns.

What's the solution? Guaranteeing the availability of insurance plans on health insurance exchanges that do not cover abortions is one option. The Times reports that a deal is close. We'll know more details in the coming days.

Halvorson A Yes, Costello A Maybe

Even if a compromise on abortion is reached, Rep. Costello still won't say whether or not he will vote in favor of the bill. In an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat, a spokesperson refused to commit, saying his boss is "taking a look at it and considering everything."

Rep. Debbie Halvorson, on the other hand, has made up her mind. On Tuesday night, the Crete Democrat said she plans to support the newest health care bill unveiled this week, in part because this version includes a weaker public option:

The legislation also would reduce the deficit by roughly $30 billion over the next 10 years, she said.

"I needed to make sure the new bill was deficit neutral," she said. "My priority has been to bring together a bill that was going to work and wasn't going to be a job-killer."

Halvorson made health care one of the key issues in her congressional campaign last year, running ads highlighting her opponents' downplaying of the coverage crisis (first reported here).

Costello's Constituents

While it's still unclear where Costello stands on the issue, it is obvious that households in his district will continue to face perilous physical and economic choices if no action is taken on reform. A new report issued today by AFSCME Council 31 drives home that point. Using data compiled by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the public employees union estimates that 9,800 seniors from Rep. Costello’s district fall into the Medicare prescription drug donut hole and 40,000 lack insurance coverage. Nine thousand of those were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. And just this past year, 1,700 families in the 12th district filed for medical bankruptcy.

Council 31 crunched the data for other Illinois Democrats who remain the fence, including Reps. Lipinski, Halvorson, Bill Foster, and Melissa Bean. Check out the full research below (click the "Fullscreen" link to expand):

AFSCME Health Care Report

2010 Grab Bag: Giannoulias Snags More Endorsements, Republicans Unravel, and Meet President Preckwinkle? (UPDATED)

Angela Caputo — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:11:00 -0700

Here's our latest roundup on 2010 political news ...

Giannoulias Snags More Endorsements

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias racked up a few more endorsements this week, including one from the Illinois Democratic County Chairman’s Association (ILDCCA) on Wednesday. ILDCCA's President Alan Pirtle explained in a statement why the local chairs are ready to throw their political organizations behind his Senate primary campaign:

"We feel that Alexi Giannoulias has the vision, work ethic, and skill to lead efforts to invest in American jobs and American workers [and] not give tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas from a seat in the United States Senate. He has shown tremendous commitment to the people of Illinois and their values such that he will serve all of Illinois in an effective and honorable way."

Meanwhile, the executive committee and 48 local affiliates of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) voted unanimously to back Giannoulias as well. In his endorsement, LIUNA Vice President and Midwest Regional Manager John Penn made it clear that labor hasn't forgotten how Giannoulias went toe-to-toe with Wells Fargo when the bank tried to liquidate Hartmarx, Inc. and send its employees packing. From a statement:

"When a bank that does business with our state threatened to pull the plug on 1,000 Illinois jobs, Alexi told them they could forget about managing $8 billion in state money. The bank relented and the jobs were saved because Alexi stood up for Illinois workers. That’s the kind of leader we need in the U.S. Senate."

UPDATE: Not all Democrats are convinced Giannoulias is the best candidate, according to Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed. Today, Sneed quotes an anonymous "top Dem" who says the party is trying to field Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to run for the state's junior Senate seat. Stay tuned for Dart's response.

Biden Stumps For Halvorson

Framing the 2010 congressional election cycle as a crucial moment for President Obama's agenda to reform health care, the financial services sector, and environmental policy, Vice President Joe Biden stumped on behalf of Rep. Debbie Halvorson's (D-11th) bid to reclaim her seat Thursday afternoon. "If you're ever going to be in this business," Biden said at a Chicago fundraiser, "this is the moment."

Is Preckwinkle The "Last Candidate Standing?"

With most of the serious contenders for the Cook County Board presidency either dropping out or hedging on next year's race, Steve Rhodes asks if Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th Ward) might end up the "last candidate standing long before the race even arrives." He runs down the latest developments on his blog over at NBC and concludes:

It's still early, but it looks like the pieces are falling into place for a President Preckwinkle.

Go read the whole thing here.

The Republican Party Changes It's Face

Illinois Republicans tried to brush their intra-party squabbles under the rug during Republican Day at the state fair. But it wasn't easy to spin the surprise many felt Thursday when Republican Party Chair Andy McKenna abruptly stepped down from his post only to be quickly replaced by national committeeman Pat Brady.

Brady himself tried to downplay the leadership change, suggesting that nobody is really paying attention to politics now. "You know what, it's August," he told the Daily Herald. "Most people are on vacation. Most of the media is on vacation. The president is on vacation."

State Senator Matt Murphy apparently disagrees with his new party chair. That morning, the GOP gubernatorial hopeful launched an attack ad against his presumptive campaign rival in the Republican primary, state Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale). Yet the piece did not once mention his opponent by name. Watch the 60-second spot that's airing downstate:

Health Care Round-Up: Biggert Promotes Euthanasia Lie, Costello And Halvorson Waffle

Adam Doster — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:44:15 -0700

Here is our latest round-up of health care news:

Biggert Promotes Euthanasia Lie

Last night in Naperville, Reps. Judy Biggert and Mark Kirk entertained questions about health care reform at a town hall forum. No violence or rowdiness was reported -- after all, both are strongly opposed to the Democratic proposals -- but Kirk, who's now a U.S. Senate candidate, continued to suggest that health care reform would harm people with life-threatening illnesses and would cost the government too much money. Biggert, on the other hand, took her criticism one step farther. According to the Daily Herald's editorial board, the Hinsdale Republican joined the Palin brigade, passing around literature claiming that the bills working through Congress would lead to end-of-life euthanasia:

Misinformation will continue to abound. At a forum Wednesday in Naperville, guest speaker U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, a Hinsdale Republican, distributed a flier stating the Democrats' proposal will require counseling of seniors that might encourage those who are seriously ill to "give up." Later, she admitted to Politics & Projects Editor Joseph Ryan "that was a little inflammatory."

This is a tendentious myth that has been widely debunked. The language in multiple bills actually says that physicians will be paid through Medicare to counsel elderly or terminally ill patients about what medical interventions they would prefer near the end of life. The sessions would take place once every five years and would be completely voluntary. As Jonathan Cohn writes, health care opponents are "swiftboating health reform." Sadly, Biggert knows that this criticism is ridiculous. So why is she distributing such an obvious lie?

Costello: Health Care Reform Too Complex

Rep. Jerry Costello has made quite clear that he would oppose any health care reform package if it didn't include language to prevent federal funds from being used for abortions. But he has other objections, as well, according to the AP:

In southwestern Illinois, Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, have opted not to host town hall meetings about health care, preferring to hear from constituents by appointment or in small groups.

Both lawmakers opposed the health-care reform measures that have been voted out of the Democrat-led committees. Costello doesn't like the bills' complexities, while Shimkus objects to the absence of market-based solutions, including tax breaks, to soaring health-care costs.

Costello opposses the bill because it has too many complexities? Democrats are hoping to implement a massive overhaul of the American health insurance system, which accounts for 15 percent of the nation's GDP. It should be complex!

After voting against Obama's climate change bill, it's worth asking if Costello realizes he has a "D" next to his name.

Halvorson Backtracking?

Rep. Debbie Halvorson is feeling pressure from all sides on health care reform and she's yet to take a conclusive policy stance. But this indecision stands in direct opposition to her campaign rhetoric, in which she repeatedly hit opponent Marty Ozinga for being "out of touch" on the issue. After we flagged a CAN-TV interview in which Ozinga stated that "there are very few people nowadays that have no health service at all" because the uninsured can "go to the hospital and you get taken care of," Halvorson and the DCCC even unveiled a series of campaign ads noting health care reform was one of Halvorson's top priorities. Backtracking on that promise is a bad political move, writes SouthtownStar columnist Kristen McQueary:

If Halvorson votes against whatever plan emerges, she will add fuel to the criticism often directed at her that she's a vapid flip-flopper.

Before running for Congress, she was Senate President Emil Jones' right hand in the state Senate, nurturing proposals for state-funded health care expansions. She was lead sponsor on legislation mandating cervical screenings and crafted a bill to lower prescription drug costs for senior citizens.

She is on record, over and over, lamenting the health care status quo.

Health Care Roundup: Citizen Action Pressures Bean, Durbin "Open" To Alternatives

Progress Illinois — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:25:09 -0700

Here's the latest Illinois-centric health care news:

Citizen Action Targets Bean, Halvorson, Foster

In today's edition of Crain's, Paul Merrion writes that, when it comes to health care reform, suburban Reps. Melissa Bean, Debbie Halvorson, and Bill Foster are all "stuck in the middle, still uncommitted and coming under pressure from both ends of the political spectrum." On the left, Citizen Action/Illinois is doing its part to push these moderate reps towards supporting a public option:

"The next five or six weeks will determine whether we have a strong health reform plan or a weak one," says John Gaudette, Illinois health care director for Citizen Action, a non-profit advocacy group leading local efforts for Healthcare for America Now, a national coalition pushing for a low-cost government-run plan to pressure private insurers' premiums.

Two weeks ago, Citizen Action generated more than 1,000 calls to the three moderate Illinois Democrats, urging them to support a strong government-run plan, and the group is planning a rally with upward of 300 people in Ms. Bean's district later this month. "She's the one we've been focusing on the most," Mr. Gaudette says.

Office Visits For Health Reform

Over the weekend, Organizing for America urged supporters of health care reform across the country to schedule a visit to their congressman's district office. From their email blast announcing the "Office Visits for Health Reform" action:

As you've probably seen in the news, special interest attack groups are stirring up partisan mobs with lies about health reform, and it's getting ugly. Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy, and receiving death threats. We can't let extremists hijack this debate, or confuse Congress about where the people stand.

Office Visits for Health Reform are our chance to show that the vast majority of American voters know that the cost of inaction is too high to bear, and strongly support passing health reform in 2009.

Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. The congressional staff is there to listen, and your opinion as a constituent matters a lot.

Durbin "Open" To Public Option Alternatives

Sen. Dick Durbin made the media rounds this past weekend to discuss the health care battle and raised some eyebrows with this comment on CNN:

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he is committed to getting a bipartisan bill, even if it means sacrificing a public insurance option.

“It doesn’t have to be a perfect bill,” Durbin said. “I support a public option, but yes I am open. I want to make sure we do something positive for the American people.”

Yet Durbin said that if bipartisan talks break down, he still wants to see Members get something done. “I don’t want to see health care reform fail,” he said, noting that it’s an opportunity that only comes along “once in a political lifetime.”

Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein interpreted the remark as an indication that "the party -- from Obama on down -- sees the public option as a likely victim in an effort to get 60 votes for health care's passage in the Senate." Stein further pointed out that Howard Dean is urging Senate Democrats to use a parliamentary maneuver known as "reconciliation" to pass a reform bill with just a simple majority of 51 votes.

Durbin also appeared on Fox Chicago Sunday, where he once again lambasted the efforts by conservative reform opponents to disrupt public meetings held by members of Congress during the August recess. "This isn't about you [the public]," Durbin said. "It's about YouTube."

Costello Cancels Town Hall

Speaking of those tense public forums, downstate Democratic Rep. Jerry Costello has decided to hold a so-called "tele-town hall" on health reform, rather than appear in public on the issue:

The Belleville Democrat won’t be appearing to speak to the public about President Barack Obama’s proposed health care reform, spokesman David Gillies indicated Friday, adding the raucous crowds showing up at such meetings is a factor in Costello’s decision not to participate in one.

“We are not having any in-person town hall meetings, and the congressman thinks it is unfortunate that the disruptions are occurring and making such meetings impossible to hold,” Gillies said in an e-mail to The Southern Illinoisan.

Elsewhere in the state, Reps. Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky, and Phil Hare are all scheduled to hold health care town halls before the end of August.

NRCC Targets Halvorson For Passing "Pelosi Budget"

Adam Doster — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:02:28 -0700

Contrary to what conservative blowhards like Glenn Beck might have you believe, President Obama is still very popular 100 days into his first term. The latest Pew Center for the People and Press survey gives Obama above a 60 percent approval rating nationally and the Patchwork Nation community type profile shows the Democrat earning above 50 percent in every one of the 11 community types identified, including conservative communities home to rural Americans and evangelicals.

As a result, National Republicans are diverting their attention from the president, choosing instead to link 43 vulnerable Democrats -- including 11th District Rep. Debbie Halvorson -- with their favorite target: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Roll Call has more:

The National Republican Congressional Committee is set to launch a recess ad offensive today, hitting Democrats in 43 districts for helping to “rubber stamp” spending bills for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). [...]

NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay said Friday that the new ad campaign is an effort to hold Democratic Members accountable for their votes in favor of the stimulus package and budget.

“The Democrats who rubber-stamped these bills with Nancy Pelosi need to be held accountable for burdening middle-class families and inflicting further damage on an already fragile economy,” he said.

The choice to include Halvorson as one of nine Democrats targeted with NRCC radio ads is an interesting one. After all, Halvorson backed Obama's budget at the last minute, only after she and other members of the House Committee on Agriculture negotiated out a cap on direct payment farm subsides. In other words, Halvorson did not sign on to the budget enthusiastically.

But the NRCC's attempt to seperate the budget from the president makes little sense. The spending plan both chambers passed closely mirrors the spending package Obama proposed. In fact, Roll Call reported last week that it was Pelosi who "emerged as the chief defender of President Barack Obama’s priorities against a more reluctant Senate." Trying to argue that the White House had no influence over what was included in the spending bill -- which included many of his campaign promises -- is ridiculous.

But we shouldn't be surprised. When in a pinch, Republicans love to blame Nancy. It was Rep. Judy Biggert who called the California congresswoman a "dictator" last August after she adjourned the House before a vote on offshore oil drilling, a common procedure the Republicans repeatedly attempted in the weeks prior. And just last month, Rep. Peter Roskam revived a two-year old myth about the Speaker requesting large airplanes for private travel. There is no substance to these critiques -- only cheap political games.

Indeed, even the GOP's own consultants question the targeting of Pelosi, as Glenn Thrush recently reported:

“She’s a woman, and she’s of a certain age level, and that’s a demographic both parties are trying to court. She just doesn’t evoke that same kind of visceral reaction [as Limbaugh]. She’s not a big, bellowing heavyset guy who is prone to controversial statements.”

Asked to gauge the impact of dozens of anti-Pelosi ads and mailings created by the GOP in the past three election cycles, the consultant replied, “Bleh. Nothing.”

More On Halvorson's Budget Maneuvering

Angela Caputo — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:58:20 -0700

Last week we wondered if Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-IL) would cave to pressure from the agribusiness lobby and vote against President Obama's first budget proposal because it placed a cap on "direct payment" farm subsidies (described by Jonathan Chait as "the least justifiable slice of a totally unjustifiable program"). At the last minute, Halvorson backed the budget, but only after she and other members of the House Committee on Agriculture reinstated the giveaway to large farms.

That she opposed the provision isn't particularly surprising, considering that her 11th Congressional District has received over $1 billion in direct payments since 1995.

Industrial farmers and their surrogates in Washington have long hyped farm subsidies as a financial cushion that helps stabilize prices, particularly during lean years. Yesterday, in an interview with downstate radio station WJBC, Halvorson echoed this argument, saying: "You don't want those peaks and valleys. You want something stable." But agricultural economist Bruce Babcock of Iowa State University recently countered that eliminating all agricultural subsidies would raise prices of corn, wheat, and soybeans by less than one percent. As Chait has further noted: "It is virtually impossible to find an economist on the left, right, or center who defends agriculture subsidies, which are costly, distort the market, and hurt the Third World poor."

Before being stripped from the House and Senate budget bills, Obama's proposal to phase out subsidies to farms with over $500,000 in gross annual sales was expected to bring in $1 billion in additional yearly revenue. So where was that money going to be spent? On child nutrition programs that aim to provide higher quality school lunches.

Now, as the Des Moines Register reports, the administration needs to find a new source of revenue for this initiative:

Congress is due to write new rules for school lunches and other federal child nutrition programs this year and will debate plans to expand eligibility for free meals and to address child obesity by improving the lunches' quality.

School nutrition directors also want Congress to increase federal subsidies for meals. [...]

Asked whether the administration would propose a source of money for the child nutrition bill, an Agriculture Department spokeswoman said only that "we look forward to working with Congress to reauthorize the expiring" programs.

Final budget negotiations will occur when Congress reconvenes from its Easter break. But that Halvorson apparently cast her vote only after the costly and counterproductive subsidy was restored is more than troubling. In bowing to special interests, her legislating will be damaging to millions of nation's neediest children.

Obama Budget Passes: Halvorson Votes Aye, Foster Nay (UPDATED)

Josh Kalven — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:28:15 -0700

While we were concerned earlier in the day that Rep. Debbie Halvorson might oppose President Obama's budget proposal because of a provision scaling back exorbitant farm subsidies, the House vote just took place and the Southland Democrat supported it. Democratic Rep. Bill Foster, on the other hand, was one of 20 House Democrats to vote against the bill. We'll pass along his rationale shortly.

Every Republican member of the House voted against the bill.

UPDATE: Below is Foster's explanation of his vote:

“I commend President Obama and his administration for presenting a budget that identifies key priorities, begins to deal with medical costs, provides needed increases in veterans’ benefits and honestly accounts for the real cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

My main concern is that this bill must not only start reducing the deficit, but must lay the path towards paying down the debt. This requires our government to make hard choices – the same choices our constituents are making each and every day.

Everyone recognizes the necessity of doing something immediately to restart our economy, and also the danger of increasing the debt passed down to our children. That is why, earlier in the year, I voted to fund the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act because we needed to get our economy moving again. Many of my constituents have already felt the positive impact of that legislation, from tax cuts to investments made in science and education. Now, we need to balance that spending with tough economic measures. The key difference here is that I tend to weigh the dangers of long-term debt more heavily than others.”

No mention of what specific "path towards paying down the deficit" he supports.

Will Halvorson Cave To The Agribusiness Lobby?

Progress Illinois — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:52:30 -0700

A U.S. House vote on President Obama's budget could come as soon as today, but freshman Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-IL) isn't saying which way she plans to vote. After hearing murmurs that she was waffling, we asked her office where she stands on the spending plan and got the following statement back from a spokesperson this afternoon:

As you know, this is no small issue and there is a lot of information on the budget to process. Right now Congresswoman Halvorson is taking time to listen to her constituents, as well as the debate. She is still considering her vote.

If you've been following the latest reporting on the Capitol Hill budget negotiations, you might have seen this coming. A recent BusinessWeek article identified Halvorson as one of the freshmen representatives being targeted by the agribusiness lobbyists:

Lobbyists for the American Farm Bureau Federation are targeting freshman Democrats who make up some 30% of the House Agriculture Committee. Many come from rural areas and depend on support from farmers. Key among the freshmen to persuade: Travis Childers of Mississippi, Bobby Bright of Alabama, and Debbie Halvorson of Illinois.

And Halvorson has already gone on record saying she opposes the provision in Obama's budget that has infuriated these lobbyists, which would cut direct-payment subsidies to farmers with annual sales revenue of more than $500,000:

Faced with a choice between supporting President Barack Obama or local farmers on the issue of slashing agricultural subsidies, U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-11th), of Crete, is siding with her constituents in the heavily rural congressional district. [...]

Halvorson said farming is "a risky business" and the payments are "an important part of the safety net." Eliminating the subsidies would "hurt the everyday farmer," she said.

In his recent New Republic piece, Jonathan Chait pointed out that Obama's proposed change to the subsidy is pretty modest, considering the widespread criticism:

It is virtually impossible to find an economist on the left, right, or center who defends agriculture subsidies, which are costly, distort the market, and hurt the Third World poor. Obama does not dare phase out crop subsidies. Instead, he modestly asks to save about $1 billion per year by eliminating payments to farmers who gross more than $500, 000 per year--the least justifiable slice of a totally unjustifiable program. Conrad the Deficit Hawk, joined by other farm-state senators (such as Nebraska's Ben Nelson) and representatives, cannot abide it.

If Halvorson is considering opposing the budget on these grounds in order to establish her "moderate" credentials, she should take a step back and think about it some more. If she needs guidance, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin provides a great counter-example of how you can support "family farmers" without backing the most non-sensical subsidies:

One lawmaker who opposes direct payments despite representing many farmers is Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Harkin, who supports other types of farm subsidies, recently said direct payments "make no sense, because they go out no matter how much money you make, how good the year may be."

Halvorson should take a cue from Harkin and focus on good public policy -- not simply politics.

Halvorson: The Next Generation Of Green Leaders

Adam Doster — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:55:33 -0800

During her first week on the job, newly-minted Rep. Debbie Halvorson is already generating praise. Yesterday, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Blue Green Alliance Action Fund (BGAF) hosted a meeting to honor four freshman Democratic members of the House for their committment to repowering America with clean energy and green jobs. Dubbed one of “the next generation of green leaders,” Grist’s Kate Sheppard has more on Halvorson’s response to the honor:

Halvorson previously served as the Democratic majority leader in the Illinois state Senate, where she worked on sustainable agriculture and energy issues. She has been asked to serve on the House Agriculture Committee. Today, she said she plans to work for green infrastructure investments. “There’s no better way to help American families than to invest in infrastructure, but we have to do it right,” said Halvorson. “We can’t do it by reinventing a wheel that doesn’t work right. We can build a new American economy, and we can do it right.”

Halvorson has prided herself for a record of environmental stewardship, having been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters in September after earning a 100 percent rating from the group’s Illinois chapter the year prior. As the Prairie State’s only member of the House agriculture committee, she has expressed interest in legislation that will promote a fair and sustainable farming. Let’s hope the Democrat is reading up on Michael Pollan.

Jackson Jr. And Halvorson Oppose Clemency For Ryan

Josh Kalven — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:47:44 -0800

The SouthtownStar is reporting that both Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Congresswoman-elect Debbie Halvorson have come out in opposition to the idea of granting clemency to imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan:

"I sympathize with Mrs. Ryan and regret the hardship this has caused the Ryan family," Jackson said in a statement. "However, I also recognize and respect the jury's verdict and the tragic loss it has caused the Willis family." [...]

"I have the utmost respect for Senator Durbin, and he is certainly free to express his opinion on this matter," Halvorson said in a statement. "However, I believe that just as George Ryan was treated as anyone else would be during sentencing, his situation should be addressed no differently than anyone else regarding early release, and I do not believe he should have his sentence commuted."

WBEZ has a round-up of statements from other public figures around Illinois. And you can check out our readers' thoughts on the subject here.