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Category: Dianne Feinstein

ENDA clears Senate after nearly 20 years

In a 64-33 vote, including 10 Republicans, the Senate overwhelmingly passed, 64-32, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, or ENDA, Thursday. The first version of the bill was introduced in 1994, but none has ever passed either chamber. The bill bans discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, pushed a broad religious […]

ENDA debate reaffirms religious exemption

The fight over a broad religious exemption in the Employment Nondiscrimination Act is all but over. The question is whether the House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco will attempt to force the bill to a vote in the House this year. Pelosi has said all options are on the table. The Senate Wednesday approved 

Dianne Feinstein, Jerrold Nadler re-introduce DOMA repeal

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act Wednesday that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, even though the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the 1996 law known as DOMA. We said things wouldn’t be over and they aren’t. Section 3 denies all of 1,138  

Dianne Feinstein wins vote to ban drones within three miles of border

As the Senate Judiciary plowed through dozens of amendments to its giant immigration overhaul, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., won a vote to limit the Border Patrol’s use of drones to within three miles of the Mexican border. Feinstein said drone technology is growing “beyond our ability to manage how they are used,” citing privacy concerns,  

Bipartisan gun bill ready in House should Senate act

Rep. Mike Thompson, a gun-owning Vietnam veteran hand-picked by House minority leader Nancy Pelosi to forge a bipartisan agreement on gun legislation in the House, unveiled a companion background check bill Tuesday that has bipartisan support. That puts pressure on House Republican leaders to bring up gun legislation if it can pass the Senate.The Thompson  

Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban dies in Senate

Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Sen. Dianne Feinstein Monday night that he would drop her assault weapons ban from the package of gun control legislation he intends to bring to the Senate floor. From the outset of her quest to re-enact a version of her 1994 assault weapons ban in the wake of  

Dianne Feinstein clashes hotly with Ted Cruz: “I am not a sixth-grader”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a 20-year veteran Democrat, clashed fiercely with Tea Party-backed newcomer Ted Cruz of Texas, when the freshman began lecturing the Californian about the Constitution during a debate over Feinstein’s assault weapons ban. The ban passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party line vote. The clash was reminiscent of an exchange Feinstein  

Dianne Feinstein: “We can’t have a totally armed society”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein was more than cordial to National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre at Wednesday’s big gun hearing, noting they had done battle 18 years ago when the California Democrat passed her 1995 assault weapons ban, expired since 2004. “You look pretty good, actually,” the California Democrat told LaPierre. No fireworks there.Her new assault […]

Senate Judiciary chair rejects Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban

The Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee did not endorse colleague Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban at a packed Capitol Hill hearing on guns Wednesday in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called for “common sense reform,” that closes loopholes in current gun laws and enforces background checks. Buthe […]

Obama embraces gay, lesbian bi-nationals on immigration

As expected, President Obama endorsed inclusion of bi-national same sex couples in his own immigration framework announced in Las Vegas Tuesday, in contrast to Monday’s bipartisan Senate framework which omitted mention of gays and lesbians. Obama did not mention bi-nationals in his Las Vegas speech but they were included in the written fact sheet, endorsing […]