by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

What we saw unfold in the Senate budget vote-a-rama just before the Easter recess is important in evaluating competing claims about the reason for dysfunction in the Senate.

Democratic leaders push an aggressive narrative that all the blame goes to Republican obstructionism and abuse of the filibuster, but those who adhere to this partisan account cannot use it to explain why the Democrat-controlled Senate hadn't passed a budget resolution since 2009.

Unique rules govern consideration of a budget resolution.  There's fixed time for debate.  It can't be filibustered.  It can be passed in relatively short order with a simple majority.  At the same time, there are few limits on offering amendments, as long as amendments are germane.  That's undoubtedly a major reason Democratic leaders avoided the annual budget process through two election cycles, despite requirements of the Budget Act of 1974.

Separate from the budget resolution and its unique rules, current majority party leaders have gone to great lengths to avoid having their senators cast difficult votes.  These leaders have used procedural tactics to block any amendments from being offered to pending legislation while making motions to end consideration of bills.  Time and again, when Republicans vote against giving up our right to offer amendments, the Democratic leadership has called it a Republican-launched filibuster.

Merriam-Webster's definition of a filibuster is "the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly."  That leaves some room for debate about when a filibuster is being employed, but any fair observer would say that when the majority leader moves to shut off consideration of a bill the same day he brings it to the floor and before any amendments have been considered, he cannot reasonably claim it is in response to a filibuster.

The real story may be that Senate Democratic leaders fear that Republicans will offer amendments that attract enough votes from Democratic senators to pass.  What happened during Senate debate on the budget resolution seems to prove that point.  A Republican amendment in support of repealing the tax on life-saving medical devices in President Obama's health care law passed by an overwhelming 79 to 20, with more than half of Democrats voting with Republicans, rather than their party leader.  A Republican amendment in support of approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline to bring oil from Canada passed 62 to 37.

Votes like these that split the Democrats and hand a win to Republicans are exactly what the majority leader has been trying to avoid by not considering a budget resolution for more than three years and by cutting off consideration of other bills aggressively.

As a result, more than 200 years of Senate tradition as a deliberative body is sacrificed to short-term partisan considerations.  Every senator represents from hundreds of thousands to millions of Americans, and every senator has an individual right to offer amendments for consideration.  When senators are denied this right, it hampers our ability to represent the citizens of our respective states.  For example, when the Senate majority leader prematurely ended consideration of the fiscal year 2013 Continuing Resolution in March, the Senate was prevented from considering an amendment by Senator Max Baucus that would have checked the cost-saving claims of removing National Guard aircraft like those in Des Moines, Iowa.  An amendment by Senator Jerry Moran to prevent the closure of contract air traffic control towers like the one in Dubuque, Iowa, also was shut out.

For the Senate to function, the right of senators to offer amendments for consideration must be preserved.  This fundamental reality should have been a bigger focus of the January agreement on filibuster rules.  Yet, news reports in days leading up to the agreement cited Democratic senators who were advocating for sweeping reforms to make the Senate more majoritarian expressing great concern that a deal might be struck that allowed Republican amendments to be adopted on a simple majority vote.  Well, that shatters any pretense that complaints about the filibuster stemmed from deeply held convictions about majority rule.

The budget resolution debate in March gave us what has become a rare opportunity, unfortunately, for senators to put forward ideas and see whether the ideas have support in the Senate.  Some amendments were successful, and some were not.  Either way, senators were forced to go on record on all sorts of issues that might not otherwise see the light of day and explain their positions to those who elected them.  As lawmakers return to work in Washington, they ought to consider, what's wrong with that?

What: Downtown Cleanup Day

Where: Downtown Davenport and Bettendorf IA
Date: Friday, April 26

Time: Davenport 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Bettendorf- 8 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Davenport Registration: www.DowntownDavenport.com

Bettendorf Registration: www.Bettendorf.org/downtowncleanup or call (563) 344-4084

Event Description

Davenport

• The Downtown Davenport Partnership, a division of Quad Cities Chamber, is hosting its annual Downtown Cleanup Day Friday, April 26.  More than 150 volunteers will grab gloves and trash bags as they set out to clean the streets in preparation for summer crowds and festivals.

• Volunteers will be treated to free tickets to a River Bandits game and a post-cleanup party.  Downtown Cleanup Day is part of the nationwide initiative, The Great American Cleanup.  The Waste Commission of Scott County's iLivehere program donates bags and gloves for all volunteers.

• Volunteers can sign up by visiting www.DowntownDavenport.com and clicking the link to the volunteer signup sheet.  Download the form and return to us at 130 W. 2^nd St., Davenport, IA 52801.

• The Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP), a division of Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, is a non-profit organization focused on the strategic growth and beautification of historic downtown Davenport.  As administrators of the Self Supporting Municipal Improvement District, DDP provides leadership and advocacy for downtown economic development, planning, cultural vitality, events, marketing, and clean-and-safe initiatives.

Bettendorf

• The City of Bettendorf will also host its annual Downtown Cleanup Day on Friday, April 26^th from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. for a light breakfast (sponsored by Ascentra Credit Union) before setting out to clean up the downtown.  Volunteers will receive free tickets to the River Bandits game that evening. Volunteers are asked to park in the back of the parking lot behind the Alter Building at 2117 State Street.

• The annual Downtown Cleanup Day is part of the nationwide initiative, The Great American Cleanup.  The Waste Commission of Scott County's iLivehere program donates bags and gloves for all volunteers.

• Volunteers can sign up by visiting www.bettendorf.org/downtowncleanup and clicking the link to the volunteer signup sheet. To register, print the form and return it to the City Hall Annex, 4403 Devils Glen Road, Bettendorf, IA 52722, c/o Patty Copeland or call (563) 344-4084.

Sponsors

Partnerships Reflect Joint Commitment to Boost Water Infrastructure, Agriculture and Trade

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today followed up his international trade mission to Mexico by announcing major steps to build upon Illinois' role as a leading competitor in the global marketplace. Today's announcement comes as part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and drive the Illinois economy forward. Governor Quinn directed several economic agreements that will help pave the way for increased trade and innovation between Illinois and Mexico, a priority for the governor and a goal of the trade mission.

The governor made today's announcement while visiting Cristina Foods Inc.'s distribution facility. A Hispanic-owned company, Cristina Foods is a national model for incorporating sustainability into business practices. Their state-of-the-art distribution facility is the only LEED Certified-Platinum building of its kind in the United States.

"Mexico plays an important role in our economy as Illinois' second largest export market," Governor Quinn said. "These agreements between Illinois and Mexico build upon our shared effort to expand our economies and boost innovation."

The agreements include one reached between In-Pipe Technology Company of Wood Dale and the Mexico City water authority to do a wastewater treatment pilot project in the city with In-Pipe technology.  A successful pilot could lead to a contract for millions of dollars in Illinois exports. There are currently more than 100 water technology companies in Illinois, and these firms are positioned to offer expertise on a global scale and sell their products and services abroad.

Another agreement is a sister lake partnership between the state of Illinois and the Mexican state of Michoacán. Under the agreement, the regions will work together to share policies and ideas to maintain and conserve Lake Michigan and Lake Pátzcuaro. They will also promote eco-friendly tourism and environmental research in areas of mutual interest

The Illinois Soybean Association and the National Association of Manufacturers of Edible Oils and Fats signed an agreement during the trade mission to encourage the development and improvement of soybean meal products made for human and animal consumption. This agreement will also pave the way for soybean financial instrument training workshops.

Governor Quinn also encouraged a separate agreement between the Illinois Manufacturers' Association and the State of Mexico Industrialists Association (AIEM) to promote trade missions, trade shows and international events organized by each partner. The agreement links the two groups' members through direct business communication.

During the April 3 - 6 trade mission, Governor Quinn held meetings with key private sector leaders, top government officials and potential trading partners to open up more markets to Illinois companies. These included the Mayor of Mexico City Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, Mexico State Governor Eruviel Avila Villegas, federal Secretary of the Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, the Ministry of Agriculture's Undersecretary for International Affairs Raul Urteaga, AIEM President Rodrigo Carmona Minon, Mayor of the Huixquilucan Municipality Carlos Iriarte Mercado, Mayor of Patzcuaro Salma Karrum Cervantes, Mayor of Erongarícuro Everardo J. Alberto Corté and other Mexican government and business leaders.

Governor Quinn is the first Illinois governor to visit Mexico in 13 years and only the fourth U.S. governor to visit Mexico since 2005. There are now 1.6 million persons in Illinois of Mexican origin, about one in eight Illinoisans. Mexico and Illinois have had a Sister-State relationship since 1990.

MOUNT VERNON, IA (04/08/2013)(readMedia)-- Erin McDonnell of DeWitt was one of 17 Cornell College students inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the country's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.

These students will have their names added to the permanent plaque in Cole Library listing all members elected to Cornell's chapter.

Election is based upon good character and a distinguished record of performance in courses that demonstrate a broad exposure to the liberal arts, i.e., the fine arts, humanities, languages, natural sciences and mathematics, and social sciences, as well as substantive work in areas outside the major. Phi Beta Kappa considers members of the top 15 percent of the senior class and the top five percent of the junior class. You can learn more about the Cornell chapter of Phi Beta Kappa here.

One of the 40 "Colleges That Change Lives," Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, is a national liberal arts college with a distinctive One Course At A Time (OCAAT) academic calendar. The OCAAT schedule provides students with intellectual immersion, academic focus, and unique freedom to shed the confines of the traditional classroom to study off-campus, pursue research, or accept an internship-all without missing out on other classes. Founded in 1853, the college's entire hilltop campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.