June 19, 2012, (Written by Alexander Bolton – The Hill). A growing number of Senate Democrats are signaling they are not prepared to raise taxes on anyone in the weak economy unless Congress approves a grand bargain to reduce the deficit. At least seven Democratic senators have declined to rule out supporting a temporary extension of the Bush-era income tax rates, breaking with party leaders who have called for letting the rates expire for people earning more than $1 million per year.
News Release Category: Industry News
Dem hopes of taking House dim
June 19, 2012, (Written by Cameron Joseph – The Hill). Democratic hopes of recapturing the House are dimming as a series of race-by-race setbacks and economic uncertainty suggest that the 25 seats they need to net might be out of reach. The Hill projects that Democrats will net somewhere between 10 and 15 seats, assuming the presidential election remains a close contest.
Obama, Romney court Hispanic vote at Orlando conference
June 20, 2012, (Written by Lloyd Dunkelberger – Herald Tribune). Over the next two days, Florida will again become a hot spot in the 2012 presidential campaign as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney court Hispanic leaders attending a national conference in Orlando. Heading into the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) meeting, Obama has the stronger hand. Last Friday, the president announced a landmark program that could benefit more than 800,000 children of illegal immigrants.
AH&LA – Per Diem Rates May Be Slashed
July 20, 2012, (Written by AH&LA) – The General Services Administration (GSA) is seeking to reduce travel costs by changing the way it calculates per diem rates (GSA sets hotel per diem rates for the federal government). Smith Travel Research (STR) provides GSA with room rate data from hotels throughout the United States. GSA determines hotel average daily rates (ADR) by including rates from hotels in the “mid-price range.” Those rates are gathered from independent, midscale, upscale, upper upscale properties. GSA omits rates from economy and luxury hotels from the data as it considers them outside the mid-price range (too low and too high, respectively).
Speak Out Against Proposed ‘Per Diem’ Change
July 20, 2012 (Written by Waldorf Astoria) – Your help is needed in opposing a proposed change in the way federal per diem rates are calculated. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is considering removing “upper upscale” hotels (which would include the Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Embassy Suites brands, among others) from its per diem rate formula calculation. This could reduce the lodging per diem rate for federal travelers as much as 30% in major markets, which could cause all brands to see less government revenue. In urban core markets, full-service hotels will likely be priced out of range for federal travelers.
RESTORE Act ‘monumental’ to coastal economies
July 23, 2012 (Written by Travis Pillow – Florida Capital Bureau) The first checks remain a long way off, and much is uncertain, but federal and Florida legislation committing billions in fines from Deepwater Horizon operator BP will mean unprecedented cash windfalls for eight Florida counties, Wakulla and Franklin among them. As much as $20 billion in fines for the 2010 rig explosion and oil spill offers the chance to change the nature of Florida’s northern Gulf coast after the fisheries, resorts and people were threatened by more than 200 million gallons of spilled oil.
Obama flies to S. Florida to court seniors,
July 19, 2012 (Written by Tony Man – Sun Sentinel) WEST PALM BEACH— President Barack Obama, whose hopes of winning re-election may hinge on Florida, flew into South Florida on Thursday evening to court two key constituencies: seniors and Jews, groups that may determine if he gets a second term in the White House.At the retiree-rich Century Village condominium community west of West Palm Beach, Obama took aim at Republican challenger Mitt Romney with one of the most potent weapons in the Democratic arsenal: protection of Medicare. Romney, the president warned, “plans to turn Medicare into a voucher program.”
2nd Presidential Debate Is Less Formal, but Little Is Left to Chance
October 15, 2012, Written by Jeremy Peters, New York Times – The format for the second presidential debate is designed to be a little less stiff — a free-flowing question-and-answer session between the candidates and a studio audience. But behind the scenes, little is left to chance. There are 80 participants, culled by Gallup, the polling firm, from a sample of uncommitted voters who live near the debate’s location in Hempstead on Long Island. On Tuesday morning, they are scheduled to arrive at the site to begin rehearsals with the moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley. They will have prepared questions to ask but will not use them during the prep session. To preserve as much secrecy as possible, they will rehearse with dummy questions. Ms. Crowley will select the participants to call on during the actual debate, which she will determine by reviewing their questions beforehand. The campaigns are not allowed to screen any of them.
In battleground states, race is now hand-to-hand combat
October 15, 2012, Written by Dave Boyer, The Washington Times – Since President Obama’s lackluster showing at the first debate two weeks ago, the race has tightened across the board, both in national surveys and where it matters most — in the 11 battleground states that will decide the election. In every state still considered up for grabs Nov. 6, the Real Clear Politics (RCP) average of polls shows Republican nominee Mitt Romney has gained ground on the president — and has taken the lead outright in Colorado, Florida and North Carolina.
Justices to Review Voter Law in Arizona
October 15, 2012, Written by Adam Liptak, WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether Arizona may require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections. The federal appeals court in San Francisco blocked the state law in April, saying it conflicted with a federal one.