Archive for the ‘Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49)’ Category

Coleman Appointed To Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Representative will work to make criminal justice system more effective

NASHVILLE—Tennessee House of Representatives Speaker Kent Williams (R- Carter County) has appointed Rep. Kent Coleman (D- Murfreesboro) to the Tennessee Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which will enable him to continue his efforts to protect the public through improving the state’s criminal justice system.

The Council is charged with collaborating with and coordinating the services of state and local governmental agencies and non-governmental entities in the criminal justice system to increase public safety, according to the enabling legislation, HB 3792, signed by Governor Bredesen on June 9.

Coleman is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil and criminal law in the state, as well as law enforcement agencies and individual property rights.

“I am deeply honored to have been considered for this position by Speaker Williams,” Coleman stated. “And I am very excited to work outside my normal role in the legislature to make our state a safer place for its citizens.”

The Council’s main role is to conduct planning, research and evaluation activities to improve operations and coordination within the criminal justice system.

“I’m proud of my work as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to protect the people of Rutherford County and Tennessee as a whole by passing legislation to increase public safety,” Coleman added. “Now I get to follow up that legislation by making its application as effective as possible statewide. I’m grateful to the people of the 49th District who have made this opportunity possible.”

COLEMAN CO-SPONSORS CAPITAL SENTENCING FOR MURDER OF PREGNANT WOMAN

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Law allows for harsher penalties in certain murder cases

MURFREESBORO – New legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Kent Coleman to toughen the penalties on those committing the most heinous crimes came into effect this July.

The law, HB2693, makes the murder of a pregnant woman an aggravating factor in the consideration of the death penalty in first-degree murder cases.

Coleman is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil and criminal law in the state, as well as law enforcement agencies and individual property rights.

“We have the death penalty in place in Tennessee to punish those who commit the most unforgivable crimes in our society,” Coleman stated. “The taking of two lives, one yet unborn, is without a doubt a truly unconscionable and unpardonable act.”

Coleman Co-Sponsors Domestic Abuse Bill

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Law provides greater service to those needing orders of protection

MURFREESBORO – New legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Kent Coleman to protect those suffering from domestic abuse came into effect this July.

The law, HB2780, allows a petitioner for an order of protection to request that the respondent be prohibited from coming about the petitioner for any purpose, in addition to more specific prohibitions like telephoning or otherwise contacting the petitioner.

Coleman is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil and criminal law in the state, as well as law enforcement agencies and individual property rights.

“Someone suffering from domestic abuse should not have to worry about being approached by the person who abused them under any circumstances,” Coleman stated. “This small adjustment to the law can make a huge difference in people’s lives.”

In addition, the law provides that all courts with jurisdiction of orders of protection must use a common form for petitioners to apply for the orders. This simplifies the process across the state.

“It is an honorable function of government to provide safety to those whose own homes have become unsafe,” Coleman added. “Being able to help those in need is a large part of why I love serving Rutherford County as a state representative.”

Representative Kent Coleman Announces Sales Tax Holiday

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Exemptions include clothing, school supplies, art resources and personal computers

MURFREESBORO – On Monday, State Representative Kent Coleman announced the fifth annual Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday would take place beginning Friday, August 6 and continuing through Sunday, August 8. Tennessee shoppers will have three full days of tax breaks on clothing, school and art supplies, and computer purchases.

“This annual opportunity for parents and students to save money on school supplies helps put dollars back in the pockets of working families,” said Rep. Kent Coleman “However, everyone in the state can take advantage of the savings and that’s what makes this weekend great for all Tennesseans.”

The holiday begins Friday, August 6 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday, August 8 at 11:59 p.m. During the designated three-day weekend, consumers will not pay state or local sales tax on select clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item, and computers with a price of $1,500 or less, a savings of nearly 10 percent on exempt items.

Examples of exempt items include:


· Clothing: Shirts, dresses, pants, coats, gloves and mittens, hats and caps, hosiery, neckties, belts, sneakers, shoes, uniforms whether athletic or non-athletic and scarves
· School Supplies: Binders, book bags, calculators, tape, chalk, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens, pencils, lunch boxes, notebooks, paper, rulers and scissors
· Art Supplies: Clay and glazes; acrylic, tempera and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork; sketch and drawing pads; and watercolors
· Computers: Central processing unit (CPU), along with various other components including monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables to connect components and preloaded software (Note: While the CPU may be purchased separately, other items must be part of a bundled computer package in order to be eligible.)

“People all across Tennessee could use a financial break and this sales tax holiday provides that relief,” said Rep. Kent Coleman “The Tennessee Sales Tax Holiday helps put taxpayer money back into the pockets of taxpayers and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

Please visit the Sales Tax Holiday Web site at www.tntaxholiday.com to learn more about the items exempt from sales tax. The Tennessee Department of Revenue also assists consumers via e-mail, Salestax.Holiday@TN.gov, and through its toll-free statewide telephone hot line, (800) 342-1003. Staff is available to answer questions Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time.

Coleman Co-sponsors Veteran Civil Service Bill

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Law extends provision of civil service preference points to Iraq, Afghanistan war veterans

MURFREESBORO – New legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Kent Coleman to ease the transition into civilian life for honored veterans of America’s wars came into effect this July.

The law, HB3819, provides “preference points” for honorably discharged veterans of past or present U.S. conflicts and their spouses who apply to continue to serve their country through work in the government’s civil service system. This applies to veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

Coleman is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil and criminal law in the state, as well as law enforcement agencies and individual property rights.

“Our nation’s veterans have already rendered the greatest service to their country by taking up arms in its defense,” Coleman stated. “When they come home from war and decide to continue their service to the public as a civilian government employee, they deserve special consideration.”

Previously, the law applied only to veterans of declared wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, the Lebanon Expedition, the Grenada Expedition, the Panama Expedition and Operation Desert Storm, and did not include Coast Guard veterans. The current law removes those restrictions, allowing veterans of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to benefit from its provisions.

“Tennessee is the Volunteer State, and Middle Tennessee is home to so many brave individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we all enjoy,” Coleman added. “It’s a great joy to me to play even a small part as a legislator to give those men and women the honor and respect they so richly deserve.”

Coleman Fights GOP Plan To Kill MTSU Science Building

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Representative calls for investment in education, research

Just like last year, Tennessee Republicans including Sen. Bill Ketron, Sen. Jim Tracy, and Rep. Joe Carr produced a budget that would kill the MTSU science building project that has been in the works for nearly a decade, but Kent Coleman says federal money is there to get it done if they only had the will to stand up for MTSU. From a press release:

MURFREESBORO (MAY 28) – State Rep. Kent Coleman of Murfreesboro believes the use of one-time federal money to fund the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Science Building is a unique opportunity for the number one capital improvement on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s (THEC) list of capital needs.

Coleman stated, “As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a change in the Federal Medicaid Match Rate (called FMAP) will result in one-time resources to the State of Tennessee, which cannot be deposited or credited to any reserve or rainy day fund in this state.” The adjustment in the FMAP results in approximately 340 million dollars which must be spent, in order to receive the benefits of this match.

The current budget proposals being communicated in the legislature have publicized the use of $16 million dollars of FMAP money for a fish hatchery to be located in Republican Speaker Kent Williams’ district. A special allocation to community colleges of $100 million dollars is to be spread throughout the state for capital improvements of the community college facilities. A West Tennessee Industrial Park is scheduled to receive $31.9 million dollars for the installation of infrastructure, and The University of Tennessee is to receive an additional $4 million dollars to demolish an existing building. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is to receive $90 million dollars to update its communication system.

Coleman further stated, “While all of these proposed capital expenditures may benefit Tennessee, we must set priorities and make the necessary investment in education, research and science.” “Some of the expenditures being considered don’t need to be funded in a lump sum,” Coleman said.

“We have more pressing concerns this year and fewer dollars to spend as a result of the recent downswing in the economy,” Coleman said. “As lawmakers and stewards of taxpayer dollars, it would make more sense to me for us to make more investments in education and research.”

MTSU has become the “University of Choice” for the largest number of undergraduate students in Tennessee and the academic quality of MTSU has improved throughout this enormous growth. MTSU, its students, and alumni should be recognized and supported for their role in higher education. When the FMAP money becomes available the science building deserves bi-partisan support of Republicans and Democrats. This needed improvement is a large capital project which has been on THEC’s capital list for at least nine years.

The Science Building would allow MTSU to attract and train students wishing to have careers in teaching, researching and otherwise working in the field of science. This resource would train students for future graduate studies in science, medicine, bioengineering and many other fields of future need. We simply cannot afford to neglect our institution of higher learning at a time when our economic recovery depends on long-term investments in education. FMAP money must be spent and MTSU’s Science Building should be on the top of the list to receive these funds.

“As a member of the General Assembly representing Rutherford County, I am concerned that Middle Tennessee has received the short end of the stick in this year’s budgeting process, and I call on member of the MTSU community to communicate their desires to legislators ” Coleman added.

Coleman Proposes Flood Relief Measures In Balanced Budget

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro)

CALLS FOR BIPARTISAN BUDGET SOLUTIONS

MURFREESBORO (MAY 24) – On Monday, State Representative Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro) announced that he was urging the Tennessee Legislature to consider tapping into the state’s “Rainy Day” funds to provide additional relief to victims of the recent storms that ravaged over half the state, and to present a more balanced budget proposal for 2010-2011 fiscal year, than currently proposed by Republicans and Democrats. “We should propose a budget that balances recurring revenue with recurring expenses,” said Coleman.

“The outpouring of volunteer spirit we’ve seen here in Murfreesboro and all over Tennessee has been amazing, but the road to recovery is a long one after a flood,” said Coleman. “Now the Legislature needs to do its part and provide financial relief to those having to rebuild.”

Coleman is promoting existing legislation that would provide property tax and sales tax relief for those who were directly impacted by the floods. The bill, House Bill 3606, would allow for property tax relief for certain property damaged from a disaster certified by the federal emergency management agency (FEMA). The second is an amendment that would allow for sales tax exemptions on appliances and building materials for families who suffered flood damage earlier this month.

Coleman further stated that benefits to the uninsured victims and beneficiaries should be made directly to those homeowners receiving FEMA benefits, instead of using one-time revenues for ongoing state expenses. “Everyone tries to plan for emergency, but few are ever truly prepared for the kind of devastation we’ve seen here lately in Tennessee,” said Coleman. “Giving families much needed financial assistance allows them to do more to recover and rebuild and I believe that’s what needs to happen now.”

Coleman is concerned about one-time sources of money in both the Republican and Democratic plans being used to pay for recurring obligations, and he stated, “It is time to tighten our belt to better deal with our future financial reality.”

Congratulations Siegel High Band, 2009 Champions

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Siegel High School is in Donna Rowland’s (R-Murfreesboro) district, but she refused to honor their band’s championship win. Luckily, Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro) has the maturity that Ms. Rowland lacks, so he was excited to honor the accomplishments of the Siegel High School Band in its Championship season. Below are photos of the largest honorary presentation in the General Assembly’s history.

Republicans Refuse To Honor Bart Gordon’s Service

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

bartgordonYesterday, Rep. Kent Coleman sponsored a simple resolution in the Tennessee House to recognize Bart Gordon’s 26 years of service to the State of Tennessee. 37 Republicans refused to sign it. The Nashville Post and WPLN have the story:

Such a resolution is routinely “co-sponsored” by all the members of the House and Senate so that all their names appear on the framed document for the Congressman’s wall.

But this time most of the names on Gordon’s “thank you” will be Democrats. Coleman was asked by Republicans not to add them as co-sponsors.

“I think with the maybe increased partisanship that exists in government today. It was probably a better idea to allow people to sign on to the resolution and not make that type of motion and cause a political disturbance.”

Only thirteen of the 50 Republicans in the state House signed on to the resolution honoring Gordon’s services.

UPDATE: Donna Rowland (R-Murfreesboro) was among those refusing to recognize Gordon, even though she represents his home city and county of Rutherford.

Ketron Admits He Votes For Legislation He Doesn’t Read

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

billketron1NOT AWARE HE VOTED FOR INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Daily News Journal’s weekly columnist Sam Stockard asked Bill Ketron why he voted for Race To The Federal Trough along with every other Republican legislator from Rutherford County. Here is what Ketron said:

Asked if he knows what the international benchmarks are, state Sen. Bill Ketron said, “I do not. We were told they would come from the U.S. Department of Education. The thing was on a fast track,” Ketron said. “We barely had time to read through it. It’s voluminous.”

Yet Ketron and fellow Republicans, Sen. Jim Tracy, of Shelbyville, Rep. Donna Rowland of Murfreesboro, Rep. Joe Carr of Lascassas and Rep. Pat Marsh of Shelbyville, members of the Rutherford County delegation, voted for it. Only state Rep. Kent Coleman, a Murfreesboro Democrat, voted against it.

So Republican Senator Bill Ketron admits that he voted for a massive overhaul of Tennessee’s education system without knowing much of what it actually accomplished. He also admits that as a “conservative” Republican, he thinks its just great to beg for half a billion dollars in stimulus cash with strings attached - strings that could bind our teachers to international standards. Sounds like something Tennessee’s Tea Party crowd would really oppose, but they are deathly silent on the matter because the legislation was backed by their republican overlords Ron Ramsey and Glen Casada. Just more evidence that the Tea Party crowd are willing to ignore their own stated beliefs if republicans tell them to, just like they did when they gave George W. Bush free reign to plunge our nation into huge war debts and pass unfunded federal mandates like No Child Left Behind.

Did Senator Ketron also sponsor workmans’ compensation legislation he didn’t understand, or did he know that he would be taking independent contractors’ hard earned profits while helping his insurance business’ bottom line by enacting Public Chapter 1041? What other legislation has Bill Ketron helped to pass without reading or knowing the consequences?

Kent Coleman Answers the Hard Education Questions

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

h49_sidebar-1ANSWERS EMPHATICALLY THAT TENNESSEE DEMOCRATS’ PRIORITY IS EDUCATION AND WHAT WE STAND FOR

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro) answered hard questions put to him by the Daily News Journal in Sunday’s edition. While other lawmakers are tiptoeing around education issues being handled in an upcoming Special Session of the General Assembly, Coleman clearly and precisely expressed his opinions on the matter of federal Race To The Top funding and teacher tenure, even when they differed from those of our Democratic governor. He also did the best job in recent memory of calling out Republicans for voting against education funding and then claiming the credit when Democrats got it done, and stating precisely why the Democratic Party of Tennessee is the only party in the state that has proper education of our children as its top priority:

Coleman: I do believe the Democratic Party has the strongest commitment to public education between the two parties. And I’ll give you an example. A few years ago, Gov. Bredesen put forth a proposal to raise about $250 million for school systems through a tobacco tax, and it raised (about) $20 million recurring money for Rutherford County and (Murfreesboro) city school systems. I was the only person in that commission meeting last week that voted to raise that money. But I sat there and listened to the members of the opposing party. I know one of them said something to the effect of a BEP reduction would be the last thing they would vote to do to our county, and I’m having to sit there and think, ‘You didn’t vote to raise the $20 million for Rutherford County,’ and all these commissioners, I don’t any of them realized that. So, someone’s got to communicate to the public education system that the Democratic Party has always had a strong conviction to the belief of equal education, public education, desegregation, and a lot of those of those issues haven’t been popular in the past, but they remain the strongest basis or the reason the Democratic Party exists in Tennessee, because education is our main expenditure at the state level.

Tax and Spend Republicans: Rowland, Carr, Ketron and Tracy top the list

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

whattheycost2

The state legislature may be out of session but according to local media reports Rep. Joe Carr (R-48) has been spending a lot of summer days at the Capitol claiming per diems, a day’s pay for showing up. Rep. Carr was at the top of the list when it came to which Republican requested the most per diems after the session was already over.

It’s gotten so bad that Republican House Speaker Kent Williams issued a letter to all Representatives asking them to follow some basic guidelines to cut per diem requests. You can read the letter here.

Rep. Carr must not have gotten the memo because he kept requesting money all summer when he thought no one would be watching. Rep. Carr didn’t think twice about pushing his own bill in the last session demanding Gov. Bredesen not accept federal stimulus funds for extended jobless benefits for his district’s growing unemployed. Now that Rep. Carr needs a stimulus of his own, he’s off to collect his directly from the tax payers.

We’ll take a closer look at Rep. Carr’s summer per diem requests later, but first, let’s look at how much our county’s delegation is costing us.

What the list of our county delegation’s per diem requests for the entire session factually shows the voters of our county is a record of spending on the part of the Republican delegation. Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34) doesn’t look that bad on the surface, but then she’s got a lot of making up to do for being deemed the most expensive Republican in the entire House for filing resolutions honoring everything from campaign contributors to her new boyfriend.

The list below does not include per diem requests made after the session, which ought to put Rep. Carr over the top.

Member

(R) Sen. Jim Tracy from Shelbyville

Mileage

$ 2,039.04

Per Diem

$ 18,126.00

Total

$ 20,165.04

(R) Rep. Joe Carr from Lascassas $ 1,425.60 $ 16,929.00 $ 18,354.60
(R) Sen. Bill Ketron from Murfreesboro $ 1,306.42 $ 15,048.00 $ 16,354.42
(R) Rep. Donna Rowland from Murfreesboro $ 831.60 $ 12,825.00 $ 13,656.60
(D) Rep. Kent Coleman from Murfreesboro $ 756.00 $ 12,825.00 $ 13,581.00

Republican Election Commissioner Tom Walker embroiled in federal lawsuit

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Newly appointed Republican Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker is at the center of a federal lawsuit filed in District Court that could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The suit filed in District Court against Walker and seven other Tennessee Republicans claims the defendants violated the United States Constitution by politicizing the selection of the County Election Administrator. Walker and several other Republicans gained control of county election commissions when their party got control of the House and Senate.

At the request of Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), State Attorney General Bob Cooper issued an opinion in April warning election commissioners that politicizing the hiring and firing of County Election Administrators would violate the United States Constitution.

Attorney General Cooper recently issued another opinion stating counties will have to foot the bill for defending the unlawful acts in court. That means Tom Walker’s partisan antics could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend.

Of course Election Commissioner Walker could have saved the county from having to defend his actions by simply upholding the law, but this is just the latest example of Walker’s disregard for the law and his open willingness to make the tax payers of Rutherford County pay for it.

Last month, Walker literally told local media that he didn’t care what the laws of Tennessee say when he attempted to defy the state’s open meetings law not once, but twice. It took the county attorney valuable time to educate him into compliance. Fellow Republican Election Commissioner Doris Jones supported Chairman Walker’s attempt to break the law saying to local media “we’ve got some crazy laws in this country.”

Read how Tennessee Republicans are preparing for the 2010 election:

Our Chairman’s 2009 TN Legislature Wrapup…

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Hello fellow Democrats. I’m pleased to inform you that this year’s session of the Tennessee Legislature has finally come to an end. It was a long and arduous one for our own Curt Cobb and Kent Coleman, who had to wade through 142 gun bills and several booze bills sponsored by our republican Senator Bill Ketron and Rep. Joe Carr . At last, republicans proposed a budget that killed recruitment dollars for a private solar power plant that would bring 30,000 jobs to Tennessee , put Pre-K education on the chopping block , gutted the Ethics Commission , repealed the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act , stripped funding for MTSU’s Education Building , halted badly needed road and bridge projects, and even refused to erect statues for Tennessee’s Nobel Peace Prize recipients! Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle (D - Memphis) likened it to cuttin’ and runnin’ and Governor Bredesen called it “stupid” . Our republican Senators Jim Tracy and Bill Ketron quickly voted for this “stupid” budget, and refused to help MTSU and its Education Building project. Luckily, Democrats in the House were able to fix most of this disastrous budget and forced Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey (R-Bristol) to surrender . We won this round.

But, we weren’t able to save the Ethics Commission, even though Rep. Kent Coleman tried his best to stand up for ethics in government. We also have to live with guns in bars, and paper-verified voting was postponed for another year even though we’re sitting on $34 million to implement it! Bottom line - we need more Democrats in the Tennessee Legislature. This website offers ways to get involved, contribute to the effort, stay updated on the issues, and stay connected. Your continued help and involvement is appreciated.

Sincerely,
Jonathon Fagan
Chairman, Rutherford County Democratic Party
(615) 604-4211
han.d.man.2@gmail.com
www.rutherfordcountydemocrats.org

Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) roadblock to the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Last night, the House voted 73 - 20 to postpone fair and accurate elections in the state of Tennessee until 2012. Republican Representatives Joe Carr (R-48) and Donna Rowland (R-34) both voted for the delay. Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49) voted against the delay.

The Senate will now consider Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) version of the bill. SB 872 will delay the implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act (TVCA) which passed the House and the Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Phil Bredesen. The TVCA requires all counties to switch to optical scanned paper ballots instead of using electronic voting machines.

Sen. Ketron and fellow Republicans have expressed concerns over the cost of implementing the new law they passed despite the fact that it will be paid for by $25 million in federal funds from the Help America Vote Act.

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee is one of several groups demanding Sen. Ketron withdraw his roadblock to progress.

A coalition of civic groups denounced voting machine legislation passed last night by the full House of Representatives. Gathering to Save Our Democracy, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, along with VerifiedVoting.org, Voter Action, and Voters Unite.org called for the Senate to reject HB 614. A companion bill, Senate Bill 872, also awaits floor action in the Senate. HB 614 would delay the implementation of paper records verified by the voter from the 2010 general election to the 2012 general election. It would also replace a hand counted audit of computer vote tallies with an “audit” that would involve using the counties’ inventory of ballot scanners. These scanners would nearly always have the same software, and come from the same voting machine company, as the scanners used to tally initial results.

Sen. Ketron has failed to provide a rational arguement for his focus on delaying the implemention of fair and accurate elections in Tennessee, but his actions fall in line with a pattern of promoting bad government. Sen. Ketron was also successful during this session in yanking the teeth out of the independent Ethics Commission responsibile for investigating corruption on Capitol Hill.