By AMY HARDER
NationalJournal.com has obtained a copy of the legislation -- introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Tuesday on the Senate floor -- that would make it a misdemeanor to scalp inauguration tickets.
The bill, which was originally introduced in December, has been revised to allow official presidential inaugural committees to raise money funds for the ceremony itself. In her remarks on the floor Tuesday, Feinstein distinguished between the practice of selling the yet-to-be-released free tickets for inordinately high prices online and the raffle-like practices that presidential inaugural committees, including Barack Obama's, have engaged in for some time.
"Unlike unscrupulous Web sites and ticket scalpers, there is no 'profit' made by presidential inaugural committees in giving these tickets to people in return for inaugural donations," Feinstein said. "This exemption will allow both parties to raise the needed funds to put on presidential inaugurals in the future."
See the text of the revised bill here [PDF] and the original version here [PDF].
By AMY HARDER
Legislation making it a misdemeanor to scalp inauguration tickets will be reintroduced this afternoon on the Senate floor. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D.-Calif., failed last month when a gambit to win quick passage in the Senate ran out of time.
Howard Gantman, staff director of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, acknowledged that while "time is limited," Feinstein will try to pass the legislation before the inauguration takes place. Feinstein, chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, tried to "hotline" the bill through the Senate -- getting it approved by a unanimous consent -- in December, as well.
The legislation would ban the sale of the 240,000 free tickets that members of Congress will allocate a few days before Jan. 20. The tickets were fetching high prices online through Web sites like eBay and StubHub, which have since worked out an agreement with Feinstein blocking any such sales.
Gantman said the bill has been revised to allow official presidential inaugural committees to raise money "for the purpose of putting on the inaugural event itself." This includes funding for things like Jumbotrons and Port-A-Potties, he said. President-elect Barack Obama's official inaugural committee is holding a raffle to give away inauguration tickets (including airfare to Washington and hotel accommodations) to 10 people who donate at least $5.
Gantman said that while the bill was being revised, it came to the senator's attention that official inaugural committees in the past have often used raffle-like techniques to raise money. "There is a strong distinction between raising money to put on the actual event and scalping tickets," Gantman said.
NationalJournal.com obtained a copy of the original bill [PDF] and the revised one will be available once it's introduced later today.
By AMY HARDER
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce official predicted a "firestorm" on Capitol Hill over the Employee Free Choice Act in a press conference today at the chamber's Washington headquarters. Randel Johnson, the organization's vice president of labor, discussed the chamber's efforts against the legislation and where he sees it fitting into the agendas of both the incoming administration and Congress.
The EFCA is designed to make it easier for unions to organize by allowing them to be recognized if a majority of workers sign cards -- hence the nickname "card check" bill. Opponents counter that the legislation would get rid of the current system of organizing -- the secret ballot -- and create an environment where union bosses dominate and workers feel intimidated. In the latest issue of National Journal, Peter H. Stone delves into the battle between business and labor interests. (The article is available to subscribers only.)
Johnson today released the first part of a report that aims to counter many of the arguments EFCA supporters put forth. The report, which is part of a nearly $10 million campaign against the bill, includes seven booklets featuring studies, polls and data that argue Americans want less unionization, not more, and that the workplace isn't as bad as union backers make it seem. The next booklet will be released next week, and the rest by the end of December, Johnson said.
With President-elect Barack Obama's administration coming together and most congressional races settled, Johnson said the chamber plans to ramp up its anti-EFCA efforts -- through polling, the report and TV ads.
"We are doing our best to point out to the administration that this will be a firestorm on Capitol Hill, bordering on Armageddon," Johnson said. "Mr. President-elect, when you peel back the onion, you'll find that there isn't much behind what the unions are alleging."
Predicting that Congress would consider the bill by April, Johnson said the chamber aims to "put a brake on the administration and the Democratic leadership." He said that less drastic alterations to current labor law should be examined before lawmakers consider the "sweeping" changes put forth in the EFCA.
Labor Vs. Business, On The Airwaves
At least three third parties are already up and running with TV spots on the issue: American Rights At Work, which supports the legislation, and two anti-EFCA groups: the Employee Freedom Action Committee and Americans For Job Security. The chamber is also gearing up to produce its own post-election TV campaign, Johnson said. Likening the bill to big government will be a primary focus, he said.
More Coverage Of The USCC
Where does the chamber stand on other battles stirring on the Hill over new policy for the upcoming year? National Journal recently sat down with Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue and Executive Vice President for Government Affairs R. Bruce Josten to find out.
By AMY HARDER
Legislation that would make it a misdemeanor to scalp inauguration tickets was not taken up in the Senate on Thursday night. With time tight leading up to Jan. 20, sponsor Dianne Feinstein's office hopes the Senate will consider the California Democrat's bill again when it reconvenes in December.
NationalJournal.com has obtained a copy of the bill's text [PDF], which spells out fines up to $100,000 and one year in jail. Gil Duran, communications director for Feinstein, said there has been interest on both sides of the aisle to pass this legislation. "People in general want to preserve the dignity of the inaugural ceremony," Duran said. "We want to avoid people being ripped off, which is what these scalpers do."
Internet sites like eBay, StubHub and craigslist have had postings selling Inauguration Day tickets, which are free, for thousands of dollars. The sites have stopped all such sales since meeting with Feinstein. The 240,000 tickets are not even available to members of Congress (who are the only ones who can distribute them) until a few days prior to the event. When asked about what may happen in the few days between the tickets' distribution and Jan. 20, Duran said that this law would make it harder for people to scalp them, even if they did have an actual ticket in hand, by making it a crime.
In her remarks to the Senate on Thursday, Feinstein said she finds it "unconscionable" that Inauguration Day tickets are being sold, especially online. "The chance to witness these solemn event should not be bought and sold similar to tickets to a football game," Feinstein said. "This is not a football game. This is a dignified and critical moment of transition in government, a moment of which Americans have always been proud."
Duran said that if Congress passes the bill, it would provide "ample time" to ensure the law is implemented in time for Inauguration Day.
By AMY HARDER
American Rights At Work, a coalition of labor advocates and progressive organizations like the Sierra Club and the AFL-CIO, is launching a nationwide TV ad on Sunday urging the incoming Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
This legislation, which has elicited a heated debate on both sides of the political spectrum throughout the election, would make it easier for workers to form unions. Critics argue that one provision of the bill, which would get rid of mandatory secret elections when employees are deciding whether or not to unionize, would leave employees vulnerable to intimidation and coercion.
With a Democratic majority in both chambers and President-elect Barack Obama having come out in support of the legislation, the group hopes the bill gains traction and passes early in the next session. "This needs to be a top priority in the new Congress and administration," said spokesman Josh Goldstein. "This ad couldn't have come earlier enough."
The ad will run nationwide for three weeks on CNN, MSNBC and Headline News, and on broadcast cable during political talk shows.
Check back next week for more on the push for the Employee Free Choice Act.
