OH-SEN: Former Ohio health director to 'carefully consider' next steps amid Senate speculation

Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, said Thursday she was stepping down from her position at a nonprofit and will “carefully consider” her future amid speculation that she may run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Rob Portman (R).

“Many Ohioans have shared with me their concerns and the daily challenges they face. They have expressed a need for a new approach that can help them, and their communities thrive. I am humbled by the outpouring of interest and support,” Acton, a Democrat, said in a statement.

“For that reason, I am stepping down from my role at The Columbus Foundation in order to carefully consider how I can best be of service at this crucial time,” she added. “Whatever my decision, I know with absolute certainty I won’t stop working to provide healing and hope to all Ohioans.”

Acton gained national prominence for her role in leading Ohio’s early response to the coronavirus outbreak.

She resigned from her position as head of the Ohio Department of Health in June after Gov. Mike DeWine (R) eased coronavirus restrictions, though she later served as an advisor to the governor.




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/537361-former-ohio-health-director-to-carefully-consider-next-steps-amid-senate

Sanders defuses late-night fight over $15 minimum wage

Sanders defuses late-night fight over $15 minimum wage
© Greg Nash
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) defused a middle-of-the-night fight over increasing the federal minimum wage, effectively allowing Democrats to sidestep going on the record on the issue for now.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) during Thursday's vote-a-rama brought up her amendment that would throw the Senate's support behind not increasing the wage to $15 per hour during a global health pandemic.

"A $15 federal minimum wage would be devastating for our hardest hit small businesses at a time when they can least afford it," Ernst said.

She added that while all senators "support higher wages ... a $15 federal minimum wage would be counterproductive to this goal."

The amendment, like most during the Senate's hours-long vote-a-rama on the budget resolution, is non-binding. But a roll call vote would have forced Democrats to go on the record on increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour while they are still trying to figure out a policy that unifies their narrow majority.

Sanders, who has led the push to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, quickly stood up to speak on the Senate floor, and in a twist, it wasn't to oppose Ernst's amendment, but to support it.

"It was never my intention to increase the minimum wage to $15 immediately and during the pandemic," Sanders said. "My legislation gradually increases the minimum wage to $15 an hour over a five-year period and that is what I believe we have got to do."




https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/537483-sanders-defuses-late-night-fight-over-15-minimum-wage

Biden Weighs Forgiving Student Debt by Executive Action

“The Biden administration is considering using executive action to forgive Americans’ federal student debt, the White House’s chief spokeswoman said Thursday, responding to pressure from Democratic lawmakers and progressive groups,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“President Biden has previously questioned his ability to use executive action to forgive some or all of Americans’ federal student debt. He has instead urged Congress to pass legislation to write off $10,000 in student debt for every borrower.”




https://politicalwire.com/2021/02/04/biden-weighs-forgiving-student-debt-by-executive-action/

Thousands of Progressives Want to Run for Office

CNN: “Run For Something, the PAC that supports young progressives running for state and local office, says 6,554 people signed up for its pipeline in January, many of whom indicated their interest to run in the wake of the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.”

“The high interest comes on the heels of Democrats winning the White House and Senate, and maintaining their majority in the House.”



https://politicalwire.com/2021/02/04/thousands-of-progressives-want-to-run-for-office/

Extra Bonus Tweet of the Day

Senate names first Black Secretary of the Senate

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday named Sonceria “Ann” Berry secretary of the Senate, the first African American woman to hold the position.

Berry, who will take office March 1, most recently served as deputy chief of staff to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). She has also worked in the offices of Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and former Sens. John Edwards (D-N.C.), Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) and Howell Heflin (D-Ala.). She is the eighth woman to have the role.

An Alabama native, she was also tasked with setting up former Sen. Doug Jones’s (D-Ala.) office after his 2017 special election victory.

“I have had the privilege of working in the U.S. Senate for 40 years serving the American people,” said Berry. “I am humbled by this opportunity to continue that service as Secretary of the Senate. It will be an honor to work with Senators and staff on behalf of the country to advance our common goal of representing this great nation.”

“I am ecstatic about the historic nomination of Ann Berry to be the new Secretary of the Senate,” said Schumer. “This is a vital role that not only overseas key personnel, but also aids in the institution’s overall effectiveness. I am confident that Ann’s professional experience in both Senator Leahy and Senator Jones’s offices will ensure a successful tenure as she continues to serve the institution of the Senate.”

The secretary of the Senate, a position dating back to 1789, is responsible for various supervisory functions in the chamber, ranging from payroll oversight to Senate page training and public record maintenance. Berry will replace outgoing Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams, who was named by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2015.





https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/537249-senate-names-first-black-secretary-of-the-senate

Pelosi pushing Newsom to pick Schiff for next California AG: report

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is reportedly lobbying for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to appoint House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff as the state's attorney general after President Biden named Xavier Becerra to be Health and Human Services Secretary.

Pelosi and her allies in California politics have urged Newsom to name the Schiff, a House Democrat who served as an impeachment manager during former President Trump's first Senate trial, who has little in the way of a personal relationship with Newsom, according to The Associated Press, citing a person close to Newsom.

Other people in the mix reportedly include Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg (D), Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton and Rick Zbur, head of the LGBTQ rights group Equality California.

Newsom, who has already named former secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Vice President Harris in the Senate, has said he will name a new attorney general once Becerra is confirmed. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has yet to announce a hearing date for Becerra's nomination.



https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/house/537276-pelosi-pushing-newsom-to-pick-schiff-for-next-california-ag-report%3famp

Porter Wagoner - Green Green Grass of Home

CO-03: State Sen. Kerry Donovan jumps into CD3 race to challenge Boebert in 2022

State Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Vail, has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to challenge U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Silt, for the 3rd Congressional District seat.

Donovan becomes the third Democrat to file for the 2022 election and the most high profile among the candidates already in the hunt. Although she has previously listed her address as Vail, the FEC filing shows a mailing address in Wolcott, which is about 20 miles west of Vail.

Whether Eagle County, home to both Vail and Wolcott, will still be in the 3rd Congressional District after redistricting later this year is a major question. Donovan has not yet returned a call for comment.

Donovan has been rumored to be interested in the 3rd CD race for weeks. State Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, also is rumored to be interested in the seat.

Boebert has drawn massive criticism, both in Colorado and nationwide, for everything from filing for more than $22,000 in mileage expenses during her campaign, to her actions during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in which she was accused of tweeting the location of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, to her association with paramilitary groups such as the ThreePercenters.




https://www.coloradopolitics.com/legislature/state-sen-kerry-donovan-jumps-into-cd3-race-to-challenge-boebert-in-2022/article_acd157d2-665e-11eb-97b3-1f9a052c5fdf.html

Arizona Senate Republicans all back arresting Maricopa County supervisors for contempt

All 16 Republicans in the Arizona Senate co-sponsored a resolution calling for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to be held in contempt and arrested for refusing to comply with wide-ranging subpoenas for election equipment and materials.

Senate Resolution 1005 directs Senate President Karen Fann to “take all legal action pursuant to section 41-1153” of state law, which says that any “witness neglecting or refusing to attend in obedience to a subpoena may be arrested by the sergeant-at-arms and brought before the senate or house.”

Senate rules, which can only be waived with a two-thirds vote of the chamber, require a resolution to be read three times on separate days before a final vote. The chamber is adjourned on Friday, meaning the earliest a vote could take place would be Monday. Given the likelihood that all 14 Senate Democrats will vote against it, the resolution would require the unanimous vote of the Republican caucus to pass.

The supervisors have challenged the subpoenas in court, arguing that the Senate lacks the legal authority to seek some of the requested materials. But though a judge has not yet ruled on whether the Senate can legally demand the materials, Fann moved forward with a contempt resolution after the supervisors on Tuesday refused a request to set a date for when the county will comply with the subpoenas.



https://www.azmirror.com/2021/02/03/senate-gop-all-back-arresting-maricopa-county-supervisors-for-contempt/