Franken Gets His First Amendment Passed By Roll Call Vote

[Turborama]

Source: Huffington Post

After operating largely under the radar during his first few months in office, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is slowly beginning to make political ripples.

On Tuesday night, the Minnesota Democrat got his first piece of legislation passed by the United States Senate via roll call vote. The amendment stopped federal funding for those defense contractors who used mandatory arbitration clauses to deny victims of assault the right to bring their case to court. It passed by a 68-30 margin with nine Republicans joining each voting Democrat. And in the immediate aftermath, Franken was granted the chance to revel, ever so slightly, in his victory.

"The story came to my attention of Jamie Leigh Jones who, when she was 19, went to Iraq to work for KBR and she was put in the barracks with 400 men and was sexually harassed," Franken told the Huffington Post in a brief interview shortly after the vote. "She complained. But they didn't do anything about it. She was drugged and gang raped and they locked her up in a shipping container. She tried to sue KBR and they said you have a mandatory arbitration clause in your contract. She tried to fight back and said this is ridiculous. She took it to court and they have been fighting her for three years."

"This bill would make it so that anybody in business with the Department of the Defense can't do this," he concluded emphatically. "They can't have mandatory arbitration on issues like assault and battery."

Franken's amendment, which was added to the FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill, didn't steal the headlines from the other news of the day: the ongoing debate over the war in Afghanistan. But it did add another notch in his belt as he makes the transition from popular comedian to serious politician. The senator has largely avoided the national spotlight in favor of pursuing a behind-the-scenes yeoman-like approach. Indeed, when asked to discuss what role congressional Democrats would play in adding conditions to any potential troop increase in Afghanistan, he demurred, saying there wasn't enough time in the brief interview to address such a weighty topic.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/franken-gets-first-amendm_n_312399.html

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:woohoo: :applause:

[saltpoint]

1. Thank you again, Dinger, for hanging in there for Al all those long

weeks.

[Dinger]

42. Me?

I love Al. He might not be my U.S. Senator, but that's because he's America's Senator! I live in Wisconsin; at least Minnesota is close by.:)

[pattmarty]

44. Not to belittle your point, but there are a number of Senators I would.........

......"classify" as America's Senators. Al for one, then Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown, Dick Durbin, Barbara Boxer, John Testor, your own Russ Feingold, Tom Harkin and Tom Coburn, JUST kidding about Coburn. We are getting more, just not fast enough.

[saltpoint]

45. I knew you hung out in Wisconsin but it was your keep-it-kicked thread

that resulted in Franken's being seated!

I loved that thread. I think Al owes you a cold beer. I just loved kicking that thing. It was the next best thing to kicking Norm Coleman over a tall cliff into a vast sea of his own bullshit.

[Dinger]

56. Awww Thanks, But The Real Credit Goes To Al

:) :patriot:

[merh]

2. Way to go Senator Franken

:applause:

What a terrific amendment to get passed. Thank you.

[Seldona]

20. +1 nt

[rwheeler31]

3. I am proud I sent this guy a few bucks.

I hope he stays on the right road.

[la la]

7. me, too

i sent him some way back when----from CA! ;>0

[No Elephants]

22. I did, too. It was only $50, but the kid who took my call was so excited that someone

from across the country was contributing, it seemed to energize him. That was very early on. I believe in the saying from Emily's List -- early money is like yeast.

[mzmolly]

4. I love my

Senator. :loveya:

K and R

[VAliberal]

5. good job

[Patchuli]

6. K&R!!

Way to go, Senator Al!!! :loveya: Downright chivalrous, he is!

[earcandle]

8. Thank you so much, Senator Franken!

[onehandle]

9. Thank you for fighting the Pro-Rape Republicans. nt

[defendandprotect]

16. +++

[Enthusiast]

34. They aren't exactly pro - rape.

BUT, if it comes between victims of rape and their sleazy corporation buddies, well, no contest.

[annm4peace]

10. what an incredible amendment.

as a Minnesotan I wish Sen. Franken would bring the troops home now.. but this amendment is quite incredible.

[bertman]

11. Senator Franken is off to a great start. I'll bet he's got a lot more surprises in store for us.

GOOO AL!!!

[xchrom]

12. ...

:applause:

[tomm2thumbs]

13. beautifully obvious legislation

wonder if a family can sue for wrongful death right now since they didn't sign on the dotted line of a contract - hopefully so

[EFerrari]

14. Nice going!

:)

[defendandprotect]

15. Thanks, Al -- important stuff you did there !!!

:) :) :)

[givemebackmycountry]

17. You know, Senator Franken was once INTENTIONALLY a comedian.

The 30 Republicans that voted against this are un-intentional comedians, and not a GOD DAMN bit funny.

They made fun of him and of his candidacy, and now we know why.
They are scared shitless of him.
He's one of the smartest guys in the room and they know it.

He's a funny guy!
NOT.

[Enthusiast]

35. Those thirty most likely

believe a woman's place is in the home, anyway. You know, away from the danger of rape. :banghead:

[dotymed]

53. Quite a lot of comedians

are very intelligent people. I've known a few, and my daughter
is engaged to one. He is also a grad. student who teaches
classes on English Lit. Comedians must observe the human
condition, before they can successfully  make fun of, or just,
comment on it. My future son-in law (if they decide so) has a
lot on the ball. I think being a comedian is an excellent
prerequisite for being a good politician. IMO, much more so
than being a lawyer...

[Eric J in MN]

18. loophole in the bill

The bill only says that companies which force employees to sign certain mandatory arbitration contracts can't get federal funding.

KBR could just say that employees voluntarily sign the contracts and keep getting federal funding.

The managers at KBR have probably said for years, "Sign these forms" not "sign these forms or you're fired."

Sec. 8104. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any existing or new Federal contract if the contractor or a subcontractor at any tier requires that an employee or independent contractor, as a condition of employment, sign a contract that mandates that the employee or independent contractor performing work under the contract or subcontract resolve through arbitration any claim under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or any tort related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment, including assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, or negligent hiring, supervision, or retention.
GPO's PDF

(b) The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply with respect to employment contracts that may not be enforced in a court of the United States.

[No Elephants]

21. It is weak, but it's a start.

The last bit about courts is a little puzzling, too.

[Eric J in MN]

27. The last bit in the bill may mean that if a company hires a non-American woman...

...abroad, and forces that non-American woman to sign a mandatory arbitration contract so that she won't be able to sue in a foreign court if she's raped due to the company's negligence, then that company CAN still get federal funding.

[Piewhacket]

19. yea Al! Rootin for you.

[Wizard777]

23. Go Al! Minnesota can be proud of their choice.

For Al Frankin. :applause:

For the people of Minnesota that hired him.

:yourock:


:hug: From Maryland

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

24. He is exceeding my expectations by far

the man is great!

[InfiniteThoughts]

25. i am curious as to what Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter & the Republican ladies think of this bill ..

... and the bill's opponents.

How can the 30 Republicans justify their opposition to this bill? How can ladies vote republican after a majority have clearly indicated that they will side with a company that suppresses woman's right rather than support the victims ....


makes me wonder ... is this the US Senate or some backward thinking african dictorial regime?

[DFW]

29. All four Republican Women Senators voted FOR Franken's amendment n/t

[InfiniteThoughts]

32. there is still some hope for the repub women...

[DFW]

54. That's being optimistic

From the ratio (4 out of the ten Republicans voting for the amendment being ALL the Republican women), I'd say
it looks more like there's hope for women than there's any hope for the Republicans.

[Enthusiast]

36. I'm not. I'm sick to death

of hearing the GOP women point of view. They suck.

[Guilded Lilly]

26. I'm quietly smiling...

but my heart is screaming and cheering loudly!

'bout DAMN time these sexual atrocities be taken out in the open.
Franken....nicely done!

Peace,
Lilly

[BluDemocratGirl]

28. You go, Al, and thanks for not giving a flying f**k about those RePUKES!

:fistbump:

[Tx4obama]

30. The TEN republicans that voted YEA

The 10 republicans that voted YEA

AK Murkowski, Lisa - FEMALE
FL LeMieux, George
IN Lugar, Richard
IA Grassley, Charles
ME Collins, Susan - FEMALE
ME Snowe, Olympia - FEMALE
OH Voinovich, George
TX Hutchison, Kay - FEMALE
UT Bennett, Robert
UT Hatch, Orrin

I am shocked that Grassley(R) voted yea.
Sen. Byrd(D) and Sen. Specter(D) did not vote. All other democrats and independents voted yea.

Women's rights: I believe this is the first time that all four of the female republican senators voted with the democrats since Obama took office. This amendment/issue is a great example of why there needs to be many more FEMALE republican senators - do a much better job standing up for the rights of women than their male counterparts.

---------------------

Excerpt below from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howie-klein/senate-passes-amendment-t_b_311866.html
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, an especially corrupt member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was the key spokesperson for the GOP against the legislation which he called unfair to Halliburton,one of the biggest Republican Party contributors in history.

[Lasher]

31. So does this mean KBR doesn't get any more federal funding?

That's just too much to hope for.

[PSzymeczek]

57. Debarment.

That's what it's called. Placed on a published list that Federal procurement employees are required to check before considering a company for a Federal contract from ANY department.

[Enthusiast]

33. And it is an excellent amendment! nt

[indimuse]

37. BRAVO!!

knr!

[NecklyTyler]

38. Go Al Franken

:thumbsup:

I always knew he would be a stand up guy

[NecklyTyler]

39. K&R

[aquart]

40. Aww, Al. Congratulations, it's your first.

May there be many more and all I agree with.

[onlyadream]

41. Good JOB!!!!

:yourock:

I hope Al stays in the Senate for a LONG LONG time!!!

[Dinger]

43. Oh Yeah, K & R!

[Cass]

46. Good for him! He's doing a great job! nt

[Mad_Dem_X]

47. Good job, Senator Franken!

Keep it up! :applause:

[beac]

48. Bravo, Senator Franken!!

:applause:

[Odin2005]

49. YAY, AL!!!

[myrna minx]

50. Bravo!

:applause:

[ThatsMyBarack]

51. Can my state borrow Sen. Al Franken sometime?

IL politics sux. Thank you.

[CBHagman]

52. Thank you, Al!

He stands, as all of us ought to, for decency. What an embarrassment that they could only get nine Republicans -- an embarrassment to the GOP, that is.

[grahamhgreen]

55. Sounds like mandatory arbitration should also be banned everywhere. Go Al!

[Mister Ed]

58. Having Al for my Senator is taking some of the sting out of having Michele Bachmann for my Rep. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

59. Congratulations to Senator Franken and the American People.

:thumbsup: :applause:

Thanks for the thread, Turborama.

[Champion Jack]

60. K & R