Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire announced today that she will be introducing a marriage equality bill in the legislative session that begins Monday.

Happy New Year, everyone. Nothing like kicking off 2012 by bringing you this example of “small government” Republican legislation, delivered by Indiana State Senator Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville), She apparently has considered all of the problems in the state solved, all potholes taken care of, all needs addressed in the state budget, etc., because anyone with synapses firing wouldn’t waste taxpayer time for such a mind-numbingly stupid effort: “Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, has introduced a bill that would set specific “performance standards” for singing and playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at any event sponsored by public schools and state universities.”

The New Hampshire House is expected to vote as soon as the first week of January, 2012 on HB437, a bill to repeal the state’s freedom to marry law. 63% of New Hampshire voters oppose repealing marriage equality.

The Council of Howard County, Maryland passed legislation last night that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in the areas of housing, law enforcement, public accommodations, financing, employment, and health and social services.

The Social Security Solvency and Sustainability Act slashes benefits drastically but continues to require workers to pay the same level of contributions specified under current law. Workers’ paystubs would continue to show that they were contributing to Social Security, but that would be only partly true. Workers would be contributing $6.2 trillion more than what would be needed.

Graham, Lee, and Paul propose to “borrow” those excess contributions, all $6.2 trillion worth, the way a school yard bully borrows –with no intention ever of repaying the money. Like school yard bullies, the three Senators even bragged about the fraud. Their press release announcing their proposal describes “What the plan accomplishes,” and lists as the very first accomplishment, “Reduces debt held by the public by $6.2 trillion by 2085.” How can they reduce the debt held by the public? By “borrowing” $6.2 trillion from Social Security’s Trust Funds with no intention of ever paying as much as a penny back.

Tomorrow afternoon, Congress will once again take up new legislative proposals to improve coal mine safety. After decades of repeated mining disasters, countless unnecessary deaths and injuries, and continual demands for remedial action, can Congress finally get mining safety legislation right? The outward signs are not encouraging.

To bring up a reconciliation bill, Congress must first include reconciliation instructions to deal with a specific issue in a budget resolution. This is why the reconciliation instructions included in the upcoming budget resolution are so important.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promised Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) a vote on the public option in the next few months. The public option can’t overcome a filibuster, so its only hope of becoming law is using a reconciliation bill. The only way a reconciliation bill can be used to pass a public option is if Congress first passed a budget resolution with reconciliation instructions that could be used for health care-related matters. If the upcoming budget does not include reconciliation instructions that could be used for health care, then you know Reid and Sanders were just blowing smoke.

The Consumer Financial Protection Agency is a big win for our side. It’s academic enemies inhabit some parallel universe where prohibiting predatory practices is “behaviorial control”.