Topic: Orrin Hatch

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Immigration reform bill: Top 8 changes GOP senators want

More than 300 amendments were submitted for possible inclusion in a sweeping immigration reform package – at least 100 of them from two Republicans, Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Here are eight notable changes GOP lawmakers want to see in bill, as the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up amendments between now and Memorial Day.

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'Nuclear option' 101: Why the big fight over the Senate filibuster? (+video)

The 'nuclear option' involves a rules change involving the Senate filibuster that may look to many Americans like another case of partisan bickering. But it would in fact change how Congress works. Here's what all the fuss is about.
Senate leaders at odds over proposed rule changes

On Monday, all 100 senators will meet to seek a compromise that will allow President Barack Obama's nominees for several posts to be confirmed without receiving the required 60 votes.
Tax VOX Baucus-Hatch 'blank slate' plan could reenergize tax reform.

By forcing Congress to design fairer, more efficient alternate tax subsidies, the Baucus-Hatch 'blank slate' approach to tax reform could be revolutionary, Steuerle says.
Tax reform: Can Baucus and Hatch make senators eat their spinach?

The Finance Committee's Baucus and Hatch are telling their fellow senators that now's the time to address tax reform, and have set a deadline for colleagues to defend individual tax preferences.
Tax VOX Will the Baucus-Hatch plan trigger tax reform? Probably not.

Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Orrin hatch (R-Utah) are pushing forward a blank slate rewrite plan, but Gleckman says they are off target. Tax reform will come with a specific set of rates and limited preferences — not a blank slate, Gleckman argues.
How immigration reform might also spur young Americans to study math, science

Measures in immigration reform legislation would channel fees from high-skilled visas into investments for American students to delve into science, technology, engineering, and math.
IRS scandal: Reinvigorated tea party eager to seize moment (+video)

With the Justice Department investigating whether IRS employees criminally misused their power by targeting conservative groups, tea party leaders see the scandal as a teaching tool about what tyranny looks like.
IRS tea party scandal unlikely to fade as Congress plans investigations

The IRS has apologized for targeting tea party groups. But that hasn’t satisfied critics pushing for congressional investigations, and they're still waiting for President Obama to speak out.
Immigration reform bill: Top 8 changes GOP senators want

More than 300 amendments were submitted for possible inclusion in a sweeping immigration reform package – at least 100 of them from two Republicans, Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Here are eight notable changes GOP lawmakers want to see in bill, as the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up amendments between now and Memorial Day.
Immigration reform: Farm-worker compromise brings bill a step closer to Senate floor

Farmer and labor groups are voicing support for a deal on farm workers, but it’s just one piece of the complicated effort by both political parties to craft an immigration reform bill this year.
Sen. Robert Menendez faces new questions on ties to big donor

A new report that Senator Menendez sponsored a bill that could have helped a major Florida donor's investment in natural gas vehicle conversion rekindles rumors of ethics violations.
Immigration reform 101: Is a sensible guest-worker program possible?

The immigration-reform plan proposed by a group of bipartisan senators seeks to establish a flexible guest-worker program. But labor and business want to do that in two very different ways.
Immigration reform: a bid to attract workers who will boost the economy (+video)

Immigration reform is foremost a social issue, but it has big economic implications. Exhibit A is a measure that, looking forward, aims to attract immigrants whose skills mesh with the US needs.
Judges slap down Obama 'recess appointments.' Case headed to Supreme Court?

President Obama's appointments to the labor-relations board were unconstitutional because they bypassed the Senate, a court ruled Friday. Recess appointments have been a tactic of both parties.
So if the US really hits the debt ceiling, then what?

The negative effects of hitting the debt ceiling could be mitigated by setting priorities for bill-paying, conservatives argue, but financial markets could still consider the US to have defaulted.
Decoder Wire Why is Sen. Lindsey Graham now Obama's antagonist in chief?

Not long ago, the Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was seen as a 'maverick' Republican willing to work across the aisle. But there appears to be a clear reason for his rightward shift.
'Fiscal cliff' deal: Will the Tea Party find renewed strength? (+video)

Some, including members of the Tea Party, are dissatisfied with the recently agreed upon deal relating to the fiscal cliff. Tea Party groups are looking toward the next election in hopes of replacing less conservative Republican members of Congress with Tea Party candidates.
Medicare, social program cuts: Will Democrats go along?

Medicare, Obamacare, and other social programs are at the heart of a disconnect over the 'fiscal cliff' in Washington. Republicans appear willing for tax increases but only if Democrats accept big cuts in Medicare and other social programs.
Briefing Four curious outcomes if the Electoral College ends in a tie

Here are four ways that a 269-to-269 tie in the Electoral College could play out in the 2012 presidential election.
Opinion The conservative case against voter ID laws

The best case against the recent spate of GOP-sponsored voter ID photo laws disenfranchising voters can be traced back to two of the most revered Republicans in recent history, President Ronald Reagan and Chief Justice Warren Burger, a Richard Nixon appointee to the Supreme Court.
Opinion After Penn State scandal, Congress should make NCAA put students, education first

In light of the scandal at Penn State, which reveals how big-time college sports often overwhelm the core values of higher education, Congress should closely examine whether the NCAA is running a not-for-profit enterprise or a commercial entertainment empire.
How Missouri Senate primary fits into tea party strategy for Election 2012

Three Republican candidates – all with tea party ties – are vying in Tuesday's Missouri primary for the chance to take on Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in the fall. GOP takeover of the Senate is a top tea party aim.
Tax cuts: Obama, Hatch trade barbs

Tax cuts were subject of Obama's Saturday radio address, where he urged GOP to extend Bush-era tax cuts for all but the wealthy. Republican Sen. Hatch blasted Democrats for trying to raise taxes on businesses.
More worries for the wealthy? Inheritance tax to jump unless Congress acts

The federal inheritance tax rate will jump to 55 percent in 2013 unless Congress acts. Republicans and Democrats disagree on the best plan. But a stalemate will result in higher inheritance taxes than either party wants.
Decoder Wire Why Democrats are hesitant to vote on Obama's tax plan

President Obama urged Congress immediately to pass his plan to extend some of the Bush tax cuts. But Senate Democrats are taking their time, hoping to score political points.