BIPARTISAN/GOOD POLITICS!

[Duchess]

I didn't know where to put this, so a new thread is born.

The House has unanimously passed a Bill that makes animal cruelty a federal felony. Great news, boys & girls!

[Rootilda]

Does it need to be signed by Trump? He'd find a reason to refuse.

[BigMark]

Now you mean girls can't be cruel to him.

[HairOfTheDog]

That's good news.

I have't seen the new legislation, but  doubt it defines trophy hunting as 'animal cruelty'.

It's good news nonetheless.

[Duchess]

doubt it defines trophy hunting as 'animal cruelty'.

You're right and (some) regulations regarding that have been relaxed by this administration  :(

[Fry Guy]

I am drowning a kitten and strangling a duckling tonight as sacrifices to the wisdom of this legislation

[HairOfTheDog]

Here are updates on two more pieces of bi-partisan legislation that are good, in my opinion.

1.  Deepfake Tracking

The Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation intended to help further understand the risks posed by “deepfake” videos, or those altered by artificial intelligence to change the meaning of the video.

The Deepfake Report Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to publish an annual report on the use of deepfake technology that would be required to include an assessment of how both foreign governments and domestic groups are using deepfakes to harm national security.

The bipartisan bill was passed by unanimous consent and now heads to the House for consideration. Companion legislation in that chamber, which is also bipartisan, awaits markup in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), all of whom said they were happy with Friday's passage of the bill, explained that as we come to terms with this new reality, we must ensure Americans are aware of the risks this new technology poses and be empowered to recognize misinformation which  can be used by malicious actors to influence our elections by manipulating what we see online (thereby undermining our ability to separate truths from lies, directly threatening our democracy).

Ref:  https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity...ake-videos

[HairOfTheDog]

2. Geothermal Energy Expansion

A top ranking Republican and Democrat have introduced legislation to speed up the development of power plants powered by underground hot springs.

The bipartisan effort comes as politicians look to expand America's geothermal sector, which has largely languished to date, to help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.

"Geothermal is a highly reliable, zero-emission resource able to provide both heat and power almost anywhere,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-author of the bill.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V, ranking member on the energy committee and co-author of the bill, said the bill would support research that seeks to, "identify and explore deeper or lower temperature resources and illustrate that geothermal can work anywhere."

I really hope this legislation gets passed.

Ref:  https://www.houstonchronicle.com/busines...558847.php

[Rootilda]

That second one will probably be shut down, there's too much money in fossil fuels still.

[HairOfTheDog]

That second one will probably be shut down, there's too much money in fossil fuels still.

Yeah, you may well be right.  

At present, U.S. geothermal capacity is only 2,600 megawatts of 0.2% of the national power grid, even though the technology exists to expand its usage.

The cost to developers is just too high and the bill looks to address that obstacle.

So, I'm crossing my fingers that the bill passes.  It's at least encouraging to see some senators from both sides of the aisle and up the middle pushing to move in the right direction.

[HairOfTheDog]

It's about time.

House Energy & Commerce Committee leadership said Friday that they have come up with bipartisan, bicameral, legislation to combat unwanted robocalls.

The FCC is on the same page and a parallel track with various initiatives and fines for illegal robocalls, but it is one of the key constituent issues on the Hill so legislators want to put their own stake in that turf.

Signing on to the compromise bill are Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), Energy & Commerce Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), and ranking member Bob Latta (R-Ohio).

The Pallone-Thune Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act will combine (and reconcile) the TRACED Act, which passed the Senate in May, and the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, which passed the House in July. 

The proposed legislation, which the President is expected to sign, allows consumers to truly block unwanted robocalls and also allows the FCC and law enforcement to aggressively go after violators.  

Ref:  https://www.multichannel.com/news/hill-d...egislation

[Maggot]

Bicameral:  having two parts — used to describe a government in which the people who make laws are divided into two groups

• The U.S. has a [i]bicameral[/i] legislature that is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

carry on............