A Victory for American Taxpayers !

I was never going to write on Gather again but, this news article is so important to every citizen that I am going to make an exception.

Boehner: House Passage of Defund ACORN Act “A Victory for American Taxpayers”

Washington, Sep 17 - House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted 345-75 to pass the Defund ACORN Act:

“Today’s overwhelming bipartisan vote to stop all federal funding of ACORN is a victory for American taxpayers. Of course, it is only the beginning.  We need to keep up the fight to end taxpayer funding for this troubled organization.

“House Republicans have worked tirelessly to sever ACORN’s ties to the federal government. Those efforts began to bear fruit late last week when the Census Bureau ended its relationship with ACORN under steady pressure from Republican lawmakers. Though today’s vote indicates that the writing’s on the wall for ACORN, President Obama must indicate whether he will join the Congress in taking decisive action to break all government ties with this corrupt organization.

“I’d like to applaud Oversight & Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), and Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) for the great work they and other House Republicans have done to hold ACORN accountable for its abuse of taxpayer dollars and the public trust.”

NOTE: Earlier this week, Leader Boehner introduced H.R. 3571, the Defund ACORN Act , which has now been adopted as part of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. An analysis of federal data by the Office of the Republican Leader staff determined that ACORN has received more than $53 million in direct funding from the federal government since 1994, and has likely received substantially more indirectly through states and localities that receive federal block grants.  House Republicans have also sent a letter to President Obama asking him to use his authority to end all funding to and break all government ties with ACORN.

~@~

H.R.3571 - Defund ACORN Act

To prohibit the Federal Government from awarding contracts, grants, or other agreements to, providing any other Federal funds to, or engaging in activities that promote certain indicted organizations.

~@~

Congress is rushing to defund the controversial group ACORN, but its efforts might have unintended consequences: Some argue that one version of the effort violates the Constitution, while a growing chorus says a second measure is so broad that it could block major contractors such as the Boeing Co. from getting government jobs.

The Senate has twice adopted amendments cutting off funding for the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now. The House has separately passed the "Defund ACORN Act," which goes beyond ACORN to prohibit funding for any organization that has filed fraudulent paperwork with the government or violated campaign finance laws.

The Senate language might run afoul of the Constitution because it is so narrow and the House measure might be written too broadly, analysts say.

"The Senate language, I think, is plainly unconstitutional," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight.

The House version, in contrast, she said, could ensnare many other bad-actor contractors. "The House language from our perspective is delicious," she said.

The constitutional issue stems from the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits bills of attainder - an ancient legal concept that deems a single person or entity guilty and worthy of punishment by legislation.

"It may be that ACORN is guilty of various infractions," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, but "Congress must not be in the business of punishing individual organizations or people without trial."

A Congressional Research Service Report agrees that the language may be improper - depending on what motivated the members of Congress. If lawmakers intended to punish ACORN, that could be a problem, CRS said.

But the lawmakers' intent is good governance, said a spokeswoman for Sen. Mike Johanns, the Nebraska Republican who offered the two Senate amendments.

Mr. Johanns' "goal is to protect the taxpayer from waste, fraud and abuse. ACORN is an organization that has a pattern and culture of employees engaging in fraud and other illegal behavior. Receiving federal funding is a privilege, not a right," said spokeswoman Ann Marie Hauser.

~@~

The Unintended Consequences Of The "Defund ACORN" Act

Whoops: Anti-ACORN Bill Ropes In Defense Contractors, Others ... Barney Frank, Bill O'Reilly Face Off Over ACORN (VIDEO)

GOP Cites ACORN Bill In Fundraising Pitch

~@~

http://www.contractormisconduct.org/ 

If Congress Attacks the Mighty Oak of Contractor Misconduct, It Shouldn't Just Settle for an ACORN

~@~

I encourage each of you who may be reading this article to write your representatives and urge them to ensure this legislation is signed in to law by President Obama.

These few words carry the unintended consequences of reigning in all the excessive spending the Federal Government is constantly accused of tossing out the window by the shovel full.

H.R.3571 - Defund ACORN Act

To prohibit the Federal Government from awarding contracts, grants, or other agreements to, providing any other Federal funds to, or engaging in activities that promote certain indicted organizations.

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml 

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

~@~

Section 9 - Limits on Congress

(among other provisions, this section pertains to this discussion)

"No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed."