Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today released the following statement after the House passed the Federal Reserve Transparency Act introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). This legislation calls for an extensive audit of the Federal Reserve System before the end of 2012.

"This bill is a bipartisan, common-sense solution to make sure that there is transparency and accountability within the Federal Reserve and I'm proud to be a cosponsor.

"We look to the Federal Reserve to provide guidance on the stability of our economy, and as taxpayers we deserve to know that the Fed is handling its responsibilities in a fair and public way. Ensuring that the Federal Reserve undergoes an extensive audit is one way to make this happen."

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced the Federal Transparency Act of 2011 last year and Rep. Braley signed on as a cosponsor, joining 273 other representatives.

Under Secretary of Energy (Acting) David Sandalow Toured Keystone Electrical Manufacturing Company and ACCIONA, Windpower Highlighting Importance of the Production Tax Credit to Iowa's Economy

WASHINGTON - Today, Under Secretary for Energy (Acting) and Assistant Secretary for Policy & International Affairs, David Sandalow traveled to Iowa to highlight President Obama's strategy to develop every source of American energy.  During his trip, Under Secretary Sandalow toured Keystone Electrical Manufacturing Company in Des Moines and ACCIONA Windpower's wind turbine generator assembly plant in West Branch, Iowa - two companies in the wind energy supply chain that are benefitting from federal tax credits for renewable energy generation.  The Production Tax Credit (PTC), which is set to expire at the end of the year, provides an important tax credit to utility-scale wind producers in the United States.

"Iowa is at the forefront of America's growing clean energy economy," said Under Secretary Sandalow. "To continue creating jobs and expanding this important industry, President Obama is calling on Congress to extend clean energy tax credits for renewable energy and manufacturing. These tax credits are supporting thousands of jobs in Iowa and have played a key role in nearly doubling renewable energy in the last four years nationwide."

The two companies Under Secretary Sandalow visited are part of the wind energy supply chain in Iowa. Acciona Windpower produces 1.5 MW and 3.0 MW wind turbines.  At its West Branch assembly plant, the company sources over 80 percent of its components from domestic suppliers.  Keystone Electrical Manufacturing Company manufactures systems for the electricity industry, with 22 percent of their business's gross sales coming from power control systems for the wind industry.

"Wind energy is powering manufacturing here at ACCIONA Windpower and all the suppliers we work with across the U.S.," said Joe Baker, CEO of ACCIONA Windpower North America. "Stable policies are critical to the growth of any business, and the wind industry is no exception."

"Many of our customers are developing alternative plans that significantly reduce the number and size of wind projects in the coming years.  If Congress fails to extend the Production Tax Credit, jobs will be lost as early as the first quarter of next year," stated Mr. Fred Buie, President of Keystone Electrical Manufacturing Company.

In 2011, Iowa generated nearly 19 percent of its total electricity from wind energy, making it one of America's wind energy leaders.  According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Iowa's wind industry supported 4,000 to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2010. Nationally, the wind industry projects that nearly 30,000 jobs will be lost next year if the PTC expires, including direct jobs as well as those in the wind energy supply chain.

Extending the PTC has broad support from industry, along with a bipartisan group of congressional members, who recognize the tremendous role stable tax policies play in creating jobs and keeping America's wind industry competitive.

"The Wind Energy industry is very pleased with the Obama Administration's support of extending the Federal Production Tax Credit.  This credit has been an instrumental part of the growth of the wind energy industry nationally and in Iowa since its inception in 1992.  With another extension, the wind industry will continue to grow, create thousands of jobs and contribute to our nation's energy independence," said Iowa Wind Energy Association Executive Director Harold Prior.

"I welcome Under Secretary Sandalow's visit to Iowa to highlight the innovation and potential our state possesses in domestic energy production," Congressman Leonard Boswell said. "In order to build on this progress, Congress needs to extend the Production Tax Credits to give the wind industry in Iowa and across the country some certainty to continue investments and job creation."

The Obama Administration has called for the extension of clean energy tax credits to ensure the U.S. leads the world in manufacturing the clean energy technologies of the future.  As part of his "All-of-the-Above" energy strategy, the President has made it clear that investing in energy, innovation and American infrastructure are critical for creating high-quality domestic manufacturing jobs and building an American economy that lasts.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Thank you for holding this hearing, Mr. Chairman.  And I extend hearty greetings to Justice O'Connor for being with us today.  You were not only the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.  You were the first Justice whose confirmation I voted for.  Your performance justified the confidence that the Senate placed in you.

We would like to believe that our judges, whose independence is guaranteed by the Constitution, rule based only on the Constitution and not on their policy preferences.  Judicial independence was established to make the courts independent of the other branches and independent of popular views.  It is not designed to make the judges independent of the Constitution so that they can impose their policy preferences.  We hear that if only our citizens properly understood the role of the courts, unprecedented attacks on judicial rulings would vanish.

This view is at odds with both current reality and the history of our country.  In fact, the leading reason for the so-called attack on judicial independence is the judges themselves.  Only last week, The New York Times reported that only a few weeks before the Court's health care decision, the public approved of the Supreme Court's performance by a 44-36 margin.

But the article reported that after the ruling, as many Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court as approve of its performance.  That decision, which some have speculated was issued, at least in part, to reduce political opposition to the Court, appears to have accomplished exactly the opposite result.

The article states that most Americans believe the decision was based mainly on the justices' personal or political views.  Only about 30 percent of Americans say the decision was made mainly on legal analysis.  For myself, I respect the decision, even if I am disappointed by it.  And I question no one's motives.  But I do not think that the poll results would be different if only the public had a better understanding of the Court.  In fact, I think the poll reflects that the public does have reason to suspect that politics enters into some Justices' decisions.  They accept them anyway, as shown by the polling on 18 earlier major cases presented in the article, two-thirds of which were unpopular with the population when they were decided.

Although unfortunate, this perception should not be a cause for alarm, so long as it does not lead to threats of violence, threats of impeachment, or threats to imprison judges for their rulings.  Much more serious threats to judicial independence have occurred regularly in our history when the citizens were convinced that what courts presented as law was not constitutionally sound, such as when Andrew Jackson refused to be bound by the Supreme Court's opinion of the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States or its rulings on Indian rights.  Or, when Abraham Lincoln said that the Dred Scott decision was "erroneous" and refused to accept it as a precedent because it reflected "apparent political bias."  Or, when Theodore Roosevelt ran the most successful third party candidacy in our country's history on a platform of "restriction of the power of the courts [so] as to leave to the people the ultimate authority to determine fundamental questions of social welfare and public policy," including the ability of voters to overturn constitutional rulings of state courts.  And, when Franklin Roosevelt tried to "pack" the Supreme Court because of its rulings striking down New Deal legislation.  So let us keep perspective.

It is not a violation of judicial independence for a senator to criticize court rulings that he or she believes are incorrect   It is not a violation of judicial independence for a senator to conduct legitimate oversight of the judiciary.   Those are appropriate ways of ensuring accountability.

But judicial independence could be jeopardized when a President at the State of the Union misstates the holding of a Supreme Court case in front of Justices when they cannot respond.  Judicial independence could be threatened when, after a pending case is briefed or argued, the President publicly misstates the process of judicial review and claims that the Court's legitimacy, and a particular Justice's legacy, will be tainted unless the Court decides that case as the President wants.  And judicial independence is certainly weakened if Justices give in to those attacks, rather than decide based on the Constitution, or appear to do so.

Finally, I appreciate Justice O'Connor's work in advancing civic education.  I believe that all citizens in a democracy benefit from the participation of informed and active citizens.  I think the ICivics site is a good one, although I wish CourtQuest told students that citizens can challenge laws on constitutional grounds in state as well as federal courts.  It should also say that a trial held for violation of a state criminal law claimed to violate the federal Constitution would be held in state and not federal court.  And, although I have supported federal efforts to promote greater understanding of our constitutional system, I do not believe that the federal government should develop and mandate civics standards.  And I do not think the Framers of the Constitution thought they had given Congress the authority to impose such standards.

CHICAGO - July 23, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today signed two new laws that will crack down on unauthorized use of handicap parking placards. The laws will help those with a disability find parking and help municipalities crack down on abuse that raises costs for taxpayers. The governor was joined by legislators, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and disability advocates from across Illinois.

"People who rely on handicap parking should not be victimized by those who would use fraudulent placards," Governor Quinn said. "These laws will ensure more fairness and fight fraud across Illinois."

House Bill 5624, sponsored by Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park) and Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest), increases the initial fine for unauthorized use of a disability license plate or parking decal to $600 (up from $500), and doubles the initial fine for creating or possessing fraudulent disability plates and using a genuine disability placard in the absence of the authorized holder ($1000, up from $500). The new law also imposes an initial fine of $1000 on a physician or other specified healthcare professional who knowingly falsifies a certification for a person who does not have a disability to entitle him or her to a disability license plate or parking decal. The legislation was developed following numerous reports of abuse.

The legislation ends, effective in 2014, the full parking meter fee exemption for those with disability placards and allows the Secretary of State to issue a new meter-exempt decal to people with disabilities who meet certain requirements and who are unable to access or operate a parking meter. Fraud and misuse of this broad exemption have resulted in lost revenue and decreased parking availability for people with disabilities in municipalities across Illinois.

House Bill 5056, sponsored by Rep. John D'Amico (D-Chicago) and Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Cicero), establishes tougher penalties for the improper use of a deceased person's handicap placard. The law makes the new offense a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum fine of $2,500 and mandatory revocation of the offender's driving privileges. It also raises the fine for a second conviction of misuse of a disability placard from $750 to $1000 and allows the Secretary of State to suspend or revoke driving privileges. The Secretary of State may also revoke or suspend the driving privileges of an offender who violates a similar local ordinance against improper use of disability placards. This bill is an initiative of the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety. The Secretary of State oversees 600,000 disabled-parking placards and 82,000 handicap license plates statewide.

"It is against all the laws of human decency for an able-bodied person to deprive a person with a disability of using a disability parking spot. I commend Governor Quinn for signing this important legislation," said Secretary of State Jesse White.

Both laws passed the General Assembly overwhelmingly and are effective Jan 1.