Tuna

Aye

Aye 

I accept 

C(heese)S(lices)

Aye

Mr President I accept my colleague’s amendment as friendly and motion for cloture. 
 

I yield 

Aye

Present

Aye

4 hours ago, John E said:

(ooc:  I am the gentleman from Florida.  Doug Butcher is the gentleman from Utah).

Mr. President, I apologize and stand corrected on the states. My offer to the gentleman from Utah stands, and I thank the gentleman from Florida for his commitment. 

I yield. 

Nay 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Q1, 2013

Dickens on Proposed FAIR Amendment Compromise: Agreeable, Provided Good Faith

WASHINGTON D.C. — This morning, Senator Clint Dickens addressed an amendment to the FAIR Resolution proposed and seconded by Republican Senators Doug Butcher of Florida and Richard Baker of Utah. Senator Dickens offered on the Senate floor to accept their amendment to require an audit of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, provided they both agreed to vote in favor of the final passage of the resolution with no additional amendments.

"The FAIR Resolution is about getting to the bottom of what happened in the Great Recession and finally holding every last guilty individual accountable for blatant injustices and fraud commited on the American public. I don't care if you work on Wall Street or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and neither do the millions of Americans who got screwed over. If you played a role in causing this national tragedy, it needs to be known and all legal options made available to an independent investigator. If my Republican colleagues and friends on the other side of the aisle are indeed serious about achieving this goal, I will accept their amendment for a Fannie and Freddie probe as friendly, on the condition they both support final passage of the FAIR Resolution and we see no further amendments. " — Clint Dickens, United States Senator

Mr. President, I thank my colleague and friend from Utah. I extend the prior question again to our mutual friend and colleague, the gentleman from Florida. @Douglas Butcher

I yield. 

Mr. President, I will support and accept the amendment offered and seconded by my esteemed colleagues from Utah @Douglas Butcher and Florida @John E as friendly, on the condition they both assure this chamber they will support final passage of this Resolution with their amendment included and no additional changes. 

I yield. 

cs

CS

CS

Hell yeah.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Q1, 2013

Dickens and Democrats: Special Counsel for Wall Street Criminality

WASHINGTON D.C. — This morning, Senator Clint Dickens proposed alongside three of his Democratic colleagues a resolution calling on the incoming Attorney General to appoint a Special Counsel to oversee a long overdue sweeping investigation of criminality on the part of Wall Street executives, financial institutions, and beyond in connection to the Great Recession. 

"Millions of Americans lost their jobs. Trillions in savings, investments, and securities were wiped out. And none of this was by chance. The Great Recession was the culmination of highly suspect business practices by bureaucrats and bankers alike wreaking unparalleled havoc on the honest, everyday citizen. We all saw what happened. And to leave this national disgrace unresolved would be a massive and corrupt miscarriage of justice. This matter warrants a concerted, tough, and independent investigation of every allegation of deception, fraud, and all other forms of potential criminality in connection to said crisis. Therefore, my colleagues and I in the Democratic Party call on the new Republican Attorney General to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate all aspects of potential criminality in relation to the 2008 Recession." — Clint Dickens, United States Senator

  Mr. Dickens proposes for himself, Mr. Casanova-Davis Jr., Mr. Carrington, and others

A Resolution

Requesting the Attorney General appoint a Special Counsel to investigate allegations of criminality related to the Great Recession

SECTION 1: SHORT TITLE
This Act may be cited as the "Financial Accountability and Institutional Reform Resolution" or "FAIR Resolution"

SECTION 2: FINDINGS
The United States Senate makes the following findings:

(a) The Great Recession, which occurred from 2007 to 2009, resulted in widespread economic hardship for millions of Americans, including job losses, home foreclosures, and a severe financial crisis.

(b) During the Great Recession, there were allegations of widespread misconduct and fraudulent activities by financial institutions, including but not limited to Wall Street banks and their executives.

(c) These allegations of misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Misrepresentation of the quality and risk associated with mortgage-backed securities.
(2) Inappropriate lending practices, including subprime lending, which contributed to a housing bubble.
(3) Failure to adequately assess and disclose risks associated with complex financial instruments.
(4) Insider trading and market manipulation.
(5) Misleading investors, credit rating agencies, and regulators regarding the true financial health of these institutions.
(6) Potential violations of federal securities laws and regulations.
(7) Actions that may have contributed to systemic risks in the financial system.

(d) The American people deserve a thorough and independent investigation into these allegations of misconduct to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law.

(e) Pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations requires the Attorney General to appoint a Special Counsel when he or she determines—

(1) that criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted,

(2) that investigation or prosecution of that person or matter by a United States Attorney’s Office or litigating Division of the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interest for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances, and

(3) that under the circumstances, it would be in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to assume responsibility for the matter: Now, therefore, be it

SECTION 3: RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL COUNSEL

Resolved, that it is the sense of the United States Senate that Attorney General _____ should appoint a Special Counsel, without further delay, to investigate allegations of criminality by financial institutions and entities related to the Great Recession. 

(b) The Special Counsel shall have the authority and resources necessary to conduct a comprehensive and independent investigation into the allegations of misconduct by financial institutions or individuals during the Great Recession.

(c) The Special Counsel shall submit periodic reports to Congress on the progress of the investigation and shall make any findings of criminal wrongdoing available to appropriate law enforcement authorities.

(d) The Special Counsel shall have the power to subpoena documents, compel testimony, take any other actions necessary to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation, and all others powers afforded to the Special Counsel as specified in Title 28 Chapter VI Part 600 of the U.S. Code.

(e) The Special Counsel shall, upon completion of the investigation, submit a detailed report to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives outlining the findings of the investigation, including any recommendations for legal action and reforms to prevent future misconduct by financial institutions.

Quote

PES: Resolution requesting the Attorney General appoint a Special Counsel to investigate allegations of criminality in relation to the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Requires periodic reports to Congress and a documented report. 

Mr. DICKENS and Mrs. BAUDIN propose for themselves and others

A Resolution

Requesting the Attorney General appoint a Special Counsel to investigate allegations of criminality related to the Great Recession

SECTION 1: SHORT TITLE
This Act may be cited as the "Financial Accountability and Institutional Reform Resolution" or "FAIR Resolution"

SECTION 2: FINDINGS
The United States Senate makes the following findings:

(a) The Great Recession, which occurred from 2007 to 2009, resulted in widespread economic hardship for millions of Americans, including job losses, home foreclosures, and a severe financial crisis.

(b) During the Great Recession, there were allegations of widespread misconduct and fraudulent activities by financial institutions, including but not limited to Wall Street banks and their executives.

(c) These allegations of misconduct include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Misrepresentation of the quality and risk associated with mortgage-backed securities.
(2) Inappropriate lending practices, including subprime lending, which contributed to a housing bubble.
(3) Failure to adequately assess and disclose risks associated with complex financial instruments.
(4) Insider trading and market manipulation.
(5) Misleading investors, credit rating agencies, and regulators regarding the true financial health of these institutions.
(6) Potential violations of federal securities laws and regulations.
(7) Actions that may have contributed to systemic risks in the financial system.

(d) The American people deserve a thorough and independent investigation into these allegations of misconduct to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law.

(e) Pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations requires the Attorney General to appoint a Special Counsel when he or she determines—

(1) that criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted,

(2) that investigation or prosecution of that person or matter by a United States Attorney’s Office or litigating Division of the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interest for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances, and

(3) that under the circumstances, it would be in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to assume responsibility for the matter: Now, therefore, be it

SECTION 3: RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A SPECIAL COUNSEL

Resolved, that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that Attorney General _____ should appoint a Special Counsel, without further delay, to investigate allegations of criminality by financial institutions and entities related to the Great Recession. 

(b) The Special Counsel shall have the authority and resources necessary to conduct a comprehensive and independent investigation into the allegations of misconduct by financial institutions or individuals during the Great Recession.

(c) The Special Counsel shall submit periodic reports to Congress on the progress of the investigation and shall make any findings of criminal wrongdoing available to appropriate law enforcement authorities.

(d) The Special Counsel shall have the power to subpoena documents, compel testimony, take any other actions necessary to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation, and all others powers afforded to the Special Counsel as specified in Title 28 Chapter VI Part 600 of the U.S. Code.

(e) The Special Counsel shall, upon completion of the investigation, submit a detailed report to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives outlining the findings of the investigation, including any recommendations for legal action and reforms to prevent future misconduct by financial institutions.

Quote

PES: Resolution requesting the Attorney General appoint a Special Counsel to investigate allegations of criminality in relation to the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Requires periodic reports to Congress and a documented report. 

Name: Clint Dickens

Topic: Results of the 2012 Election

Location: Washington D.C.

Date: Q4, 2012

"Each side is going to spin this result into what they may. But this election was a clear and chilling condemnation of Washington D.C.'s collective failure in dealing with the true crisis of the 2008 Recession. Buried under all the headlines of corporate bailouts and bank handouts was the forgotten lede of the story: the desecration and erosion of the American dream for working and middle class Americans. They were the true victims. And the perpetrators of their misery were never held accountable, their wounds never healed, their share in this country never restored. 

The only mandate coming out of 2012 is for a national reckoning on the failures of Wall Street, K-Street, and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. You cannot tell me that one party won over the other when the GOP takes the White House, but we Democrats expand our hold on the Senate. It is abundantly clear what the American people are demanding: change for them that matters. They demand not just a changing of the guard, but an end to the performative indifference. They want more than just a change of culture in Washington, they want a change from the culture of greed. They want America to be more what America was meant to be, what was promised to them by our forefathers. And that is going to be our mission and goal in the 113th Congress."

Seeing  both that Terrus is whip, a member of my own respective caucus, and trusting that leadership will reflect and follow the will and desires of the caucus, I withdraw and endorse Starnes for Leader. 

Name: Clint Dickens

Topic: Aurora shooting

Location: Denver, Colorado

Date: Q3, 2012

"When our children go to school, the only warfare they should encounter is on the pages of their history books, not in their hallways and classrooms. And when people go to the movie theater, the only horror they should witness is on the damn screen. I used to think this was something with which we could all agree. But when someone sets off tear gas grenades and opens fire on a movie theater with a semiautomatic rifle and a 12 gauge, apparently there is not enough of a consensus. 

So here's my question for Republicans. Is this acceptable to you? Can we do something, anything, to stop this? If you won't ban these dangerous military firearms, what can we actually work on together?

You say the issue is not guns, but bad people. Ok, great. Let's expand background checks and establish a national red flag laws. 

You claim mental illness is the ultimate culprit here. Fine. Let's provide mental health services for all Americans so no one's inner monologue can ever metastasize itself into a shooting spree. 

You want to protect law abiding Americans. Fantastic, let's strengthen laws to take the guns out of the criminals hands so parent has to worry about their child being murdered on the playground or in fourth period chemistry.

If you are serious about restoring the consensus that these tragedies cannot and must not happen, work with us on something. But if not, then you better stand here and own this tragedy."

I accept.