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| Mar May |
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To watch or listen to
the Senate floor live please visit
CSPAN2
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Tuesday, April 27, 2004 |
Senator Warner of Virginia is speaking on the floor about ensuring that all computer users are protected from excessive taxes on their acess to the internet. The Senator has noted that it is essential that the Senate act now to ensure that increasing numbers of taxes are not levied on internet access.
6:16:18 PM 
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Senator McCain is critcizing the action of Senator Daschle to offer part of the energy bill as an amendment to the Internet Tax bill. He has said that the Senate should get together to decide what they are and are not going to do so that the Senate will at least get something done.
5:17:58 PM
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Senator Reid is speaking about the national energy policy and alternative sources of energy. He noted that if you were to put solar panels over the nuclear test site in Nevada you could generate enough energy to run the entire country. Senator Reid also mentioned that some Nevada farmers make more from harnessing wind power than from their farms.
4:50:55 PM
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After Senator Daschle proposed an amendment regarding renewable fuels to S.150, Senator Lott said that we should not make bill a punching bag and that the Senate needs to work on it in good faith.
4:48:12 PM
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The Senate voted to table Senator Hutchison's 2nd degree amendment to the McCain dubstitute amendment by a vote of 64-32. For text of the amendment, click here.
4:22:34 PM
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Senator McCain called for a motion to table Senator Hutchison's amendment to Senator McCain's proposed substitute, and the Senate is now voting on that motion.
3:44:20 PM
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Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is speaking on the floor about her amendment, which she says would protect cities. Citing that 3.5 percent of a city's general revenue comes from telecommunication, she is saying that a tax could compromise public services such as fire, water, and waste removal.
3:42:48 PM
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Senator Alexander is speaking about the proposal offered by Senator McCain and said that he believes the amendment offers a subsidy but requires state and local governments to bear the financial burden.
2:36:20 PM
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Senator McCain is speaking about a letter from the National Governors Association that supports a moratorium on taxes on internet service with specific caveats. Senator McCain said he agrees with the principles included in the letter and that is why he will offer a substitute amendment to S.150 to reflect these principles.
2:22:51 PM
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Senator Harry Reid has come to the floor to give detailed accounts of Senator Kerry's heroic actions in Vietnam that resulted in his being awarded various medals. The Senate has now recessed for its weekly policy meetings.
12:44:17 PM
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Countering claims that those who oppose S.150, the Internet Tax bill, are against the Internet or against the development of broadband, Senator Tom Carper of Delaware is claiming that the opposition in fact comes from the fact that S.150 is an unfunded mandate. He is saying that it is a matter of choice rather than a matter of necessity that the Senate pass this bill, and he is encouraging his colleagues not to pass this bill but rather to continue to work to find proactive solutions.
12:09:12 PM
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Senator Alexander has returned to the floor to again discuss the Internet Tax bill. He is stating that when President Bush was the Governor of Texas, the state rewarded consumers who opted to use the new technology of high-speed Internet access. However, he said now people use high-speed Internet as their telephones and is citing the statistic that one-third of people will soon be using the Internet for their phone service. This would mean that states would not be collecting one-third of the revenues that they previously collected on telephone service, which would be $300 million a year of lost revenues for Texas. Senator Alexander is saying that Senator McCain's proposed changes to S.150 could work if there were a few changes made, one being the definition of "Internet access."
11:50:29 AM
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Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is discussing Senator McCain's proposed changes to S.150, the Internet Tax bill. He is stating that Senator McCain's proposal would still harm states and still create a huge loophole for high-speed Internet industry.
11:08:24 AM
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Responding to comments made earlier this morning by other senators, Senator Chuck Grassley is defending the Administration's record on education and is saying that education would be the President's number one priority if he was not focusing on the war on terrorism. Senator Grassley is also refuting earlier comments by saying that he does not feel that his colleagues on the other side of the aisle should be able to complain about rising gas prices since they would not allow the passage of the energy bill last year. He is saying that it is essential that our country solve the energy problem and is sharing that he complains about the price of gas every time he has to fill up his car. Adddressing another issue, Senator Grassley is expressing his support of the Medicare Prescription Drug coverage plan.
10:33:42 AM
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Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota has come to the floor to discusss the No Child Left Behind, claiming that it in fact leaves 4.6 million children behind. He is voicing his frustration that education programs have been underfunded by this Administration so that the very wealthy are able to have tax breaks.
10:25:03 AM
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Senator Ron Wyden is discussing the problem of rising gas prices and is claiming that the oil companies should be rewarded when they act to benefit consumers, not when they gouge them. Senator Harry Reid joined Senator Wyden in saying that he had asked the Federal Trade Commission to look at why the gas prices are rising so steadily in Nevada. Senator Wyden, saying that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been "AWOL" on this issue, has said that he would like more from the FTC than a letter saying that it is concerned about the matter of rising gas prices.
10:16:33 AM
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Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois is speaking about Senator John Kerry's service in Vietnam. He is saying that even though Senator Kerry is a decorated war hero, today he must face a new breed of Vietnam snipers: the attacks coming from the Bush-Cheney campaign. Senator Durbin is claiming that it is shameful for the Bush-Cheney campaign to attack Senator Kerry's war record.
10:09:24 AM
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Majority Leader Frist came to the floor to briefly go over the schedule for today, announcing that votes are expected throughout the day on amendments to S.150, the Internet Tax bill. Following Senator Frist, Senator Barbara Boxer of California is discussing Vice President Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force and asking him to finally come clean and start telling the truth about it. She is expressing her frustration that resources at the Department of Justice and at the Supreme Court are being used to discuss Vice President Cheney's secrecy when there are so many more important tasks that those resources could be used for.
9:57:47 AM
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The Senate recovenes this morning at 9:45 for a one hour period of morning business, after which time debate on S.150, the Internet Tax bill, will resume. At 12:30 today, the Senate will recess for its weekly policy meetings.
9:39:48 AM
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Today's Fun Vermont Trivia Question:
What building in Addison housed a taproom which was visited by Thomas Jefferson?
Monday’s Question: Who was the first Vermonter to play major league baseball?
Answer: Fred Mann, who was born in Sutton and grew up in Windsor. In 1882, he played his first game as an outfielder.
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9:34:47 AM
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