The DIMS have laid out their agenda

[Tigermike 4,266]

If you're wondering what's up for Congress, this list of the first 10 Senate bills might give you a preview:

The First Ten Bills of the 111th Senate

January 8, 2009 - by Donny Shaw

S.1 – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

A bill to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America’s middle class through measures that modernize the nation’s infrastructure, enhance America’s energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need, and for other purposes.

S.2 – Middle Class Opportunity Act of 2009

A bill to improve the lives of middle class families and provide them with greater opportunity to achieve the American dream.

S.3 – Homeowner Protection and Wall Street Accountability Act of 2009

A bill to protect homeowners and consumers by reducing foreclosures, ensuring the availability of credit for homeowners, businesses, and consumers, and reforming the financial regulatory system, and for other purposes.

S.4 – Comprehensive Health Reform Act of 2009

A bill to guarantee affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans, and for other purposes.

S.5 – Cleaner, Greener, and Smarter Act of 2009

A bill to improve the economy and security of the United States by reducing the dependence of the United States on foreign and unsustainable energy sources and the risks of global warming, and for other purposes.

S.6 – Restoring America’s Power Act of 2009

A bill to restore and enhance the national security of the United States.

S.7 – Education Opportunity Act of 2009

A bill to expand educational opportunities for all Americans by increasing access to high-quality early childhood education and after school programs, advancing reform in elementary and secondary education, strengthening mathematics and science instruction, and ensuring that higher education is more affordable, and for other purposes.

S.8 – Returning Government to the American People Act

A bill to return the Government to the people by reviewing controversial “midnight regulations” issued in the waning days of the Bush Administration.

S.9 – Stronger Economy, Stronger Borders Act of 2009

A bill to strengthen the United States economy, provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, and for other purposes.

S.10 – Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009

A bill to restore fiscal discipline and begin to address the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States, and for other purposes.

TAPPED broke this list on Tuesday, and they have some more information on some of these bills from a Democratic aide on the hill.

The full text of these bills hasn’t been published by the Government Printing Office yet, but it should be available within the next 24 hours or so. Check back at the “see full bill text” link on the OpenCongress bill pages. In the meantime, you might want to start tracking some of these with your “My OpenCongress” account (login or register) to be alerted to any legislative action that is taken and every new blog post or news article is published about them.

These first 10 Senate bills are mainly symbolic. They’re a statement of the Democrats’ legislative priorities at this point for the next two years, but any legislative action that’s taken on these measures could very well come in a different form. The first ten Senate bills of the last session included some measures that were enacted (minimum wage increase, ethics reform), some that were vetoed by President Bush (funding for stem cell research) and some that were hotly debated but never passed Congress (comprehensive immigration reform).

UPDATE: Way more info on all these bills from the Democratic Policy Committee. Be sure to check it out.

LINK

The body of these bills - i.e. the details - aren't yet available. However it seems pretty easy to characterize them as: spend ourselves into heavy debt, spend and regulate, spend and regulate, spend, spend, your guess is as good as mine but sure to include spending, spend, blame Bush, spend and finally, give lip service to fiscal responsibility (it is the 10th bill so the priority is hard to miss).

Open Congress, who provided the list claims these first 10 Senate bills are symbolic and mostly outline the Congressional agenda to be pursued:

They're a statement of the Democrats' legislative priorities at this point for the next two years, but any legislative action that's taken on these measures could very well come in a different form. The first ten Senate bills of the last session included some measures that were enacted (minimum wage increase, ethics reform), some that were vetoed by President Bush (funding for stem cell research) and some that were hotly debated but never passed Congress (comprehensive immigration reform).

Well, it sounds like business as usual for Democrats, even Democrats who came preaching hope and change, doesn't it?

Spend, spend, spend some more, blame the Republicans, spend and, well, spend even more.

Huuummmm I don't know about you, but I'm really not feelin' the change.

[Auburn85 438]

was S.10 thrown in as a joke?

[Tigermike 4,266]

was S.10 thrown in as a joke?

Must have been.

"Yes it was a joke." "No it was NOT A JOKE!"