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The bill was crafted in response to the Supreme Court's 5-to-4 decision in Citizens United earlier this year which lifted the limits on contributions for campaign advertising by corporations, business groups, unions and trade associations.  Without new legislation to enforce transparency, powerful special interests like Big Oil, Wall Street firms and even foreign interests could funnel unlimited amounts of money to fund shadow campaign ads and manipulate the outcome of elections.

As a co-sponsor of the bill, Jim had stated his concern that, unless mitigated by legislation, the Supreme Court decision could lead to the voices of individual citizens being drowned out in the electoral process.  “The Supreme Court's decision to allow unlimited third-party political advertising practically hangs a ‘For Sale’ sign on the U.S. Capitol," Jim had said.

The DISCLOSE Act would establish strict disclosure requirements on firms and groups contributing to election ads, and prohibit foreign interests, federal TARP fund recipients and large government contractors from spending in federal campaigns.  The measure now moves to the U.S. Senate.

A round-up of related coverage follows:

From CNN:

The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill that would require most independent groups that pay for campaign ads to disclose their donors.

The measure passed on a 219-206 vote, with most Democrats in support and Republicans opposing. The Senate is considering taking up its own version of the bill.

Referred to as the "disclose act," the bill was pushed by House Democrats to respond to a Supreme Court ruling in January that struck down key provisions of campaign finance laws that restricted spending by corporations, unions and independent groups.

From the New York Times:

The House on Thursday approved legislation to curtail the ability of corporations and other special interest groups to influence elections by requiring greater disclosure of their role in paying for campaign advertising.

The bill is intended to counter a Supreme Court ruling in January that the federal government may not ban political spending by corporations and other advocacy groups, like labor unions. The ruling overturned two precedents, including a 1990 ruling that upheld restrictions on political spending by corporations.

The vote was 219 to 206, with just two Republicans joining Democrats in favor.

Known as the Disclose Act, the acronym for Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections, the bill would ban spending on political campaigns by corporations that have $10 million or more in government contracts as well as by American corporations that are controlled by foreign citizens.

The bill would also establish rules and restrictions for American corporations and interest groups, including a prohibition of corporations and other interest groups in coordinating spending with candidates or political parties, and a mandate that chief executives appear in any advertisement paid for by their companies.

From Huffington Post:

The House of Representatives passed major reforms to campaign finance law on Thursday following a heated debate over whether an exemption granted for the National Rifle Association had sullied the final product.

The final vote was 219 to 206 in favor of the DISCLOSE Act, with only two Republicans -- Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Joseph Cao (R-La.) -- crossing party lines. The bill would provide tough new disclosure rules for groups that invest in the election process. In addition to forcing all 501c4 groups to stand by the ads they sponsor during elections (with the CEO of the organization literally forced to appear in the spot), the law would also require groups that met certain criteria to reveal who was funding their election activity.

The latter provision sparked intense pushback from a host of business groups, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

An essential engine of economic growth and job creation, small businesses have continued to face a credit crunch, which has hampered their ability to expand and increase hiring.  Despite the fact that two-thirds of new jobs were created by small businesses in the past fifteen years, more than half of small businesses last year were not able to get the credit they needed.

To help address these problems, the House passed the Small Business Lending Fund Act and the Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act, both of which are fully paid for and which now go to the Senate for approval.

The news pages at WebCPA.com provide a good rundown on the legislation.

The House passed legislation to incentivize community banks to increase their small-business lending.

The Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010 was approved Thursday by a vote of 241 to 182. The legislation would establish a $30 billion lending fund for community banks that measurably increase their lending to small businesses. Banks would need to repay all capital investments with interest to the government within 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the lending fund would bring in a profit of $1.1 billion to taxpayers, which would be used toward deficit reduction.

The bill would also provide $2 billion in funding for new or existing state lending programs. These programs already exist in around 30 states, use small amounts of public dollars to generate substantial private bank financing, and can use federal dollars to quickly increase small-business lending.

It is estimated that the $30 billion lending fund could generate up to $300 billion total credit to small businesses through local community banks.  The companion tax relief bill is designed to spur investments in growing small businesses.

The House approved the Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act of 2010 on Tuesday by a bipartisan majority of 247-170.

The legislation would provide tax cuts for small businesses to help them grow and create new jobs.  H.R. 5486 is companion legislation to H.R. 5297, the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, which will enhance lending opportunities for small businesses. Both pieces of legislation are offset by closing some existing tax loopholes.

The bill would increase the capital gains exclusion on investments in small business stock to 100 percent (from 75 percent in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) for qualifying stock acquired after March 15, 2010 and before Jan. 1, 2012

The bill would also alleviate certain onerous tax penalties on small businesses.

The bill would also allow small businesses to deduct up to $20,000 in small business start-up expenses not related to capital or equipment. In addition, the bill would allow non-recourse Small Business Administration loans to qualify for certain exceptions to the at-risk loan rules, allowing business expenditures made under those loans to be deductible against related business income.

As Jim has often said, helping small businesses grow is the most effective way to create the jobs we need in our economy and our communities.  By helping small businesses access the credit and investment they need, we help put Americans back to work.  And with this legislative package, we do so while saving taxpayers $1.1 billion in the next ten years. 

Friends,

Like my fellow citizens, I have been deeply saddened, angered and immensely frustrated by the tragedy in the Gulf caused by the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and the disastrous BP oil spill.  Our hearts go out to those most directly affected on the Gulf Coast.  This tragedy is of great concern for all Americans, and particularly those living in coastal communities everywhere.

Despite continuing efforts to reduce the flow and capture more of the oil, thousands of barrels are still spilling into the Gulf each day.

This is not a natural disaster.  It is a man-made disaster - a human, environmental and economic catastrophe that should not have happened.  To my mind, we shouldn't be drilling at depths or in places where we lack the ability to quickly resolve any problem and stop any leak.

Right now, the largest cleanup effort in the nation's history is underway while the work continues to reduce the flow and stop the leak.  BP has agreed to pay all the costs for these efforts, and for the people, property and resources impacted by the spill.  We need to make sure that BP is held to that promise.

At the same time, we need to find out exactly how and why this happened.  The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the oil rig explosion, and an independent commission has been named to determine what steps need to be taken to ensure that this never happens again.  As we've witnessed during the recent financial crisis, excessive risk-taking for short-term gains without effective oversight can cause severe economic harm.  The same holds true for shortcutting safety issues in our energy sector.

America's economic, national, and environmental security hinge on our ability to lead the way in developing and using clean energy. The country that leads this transition will lead the world economy. The research, development, and manufacturing associated with making that future will create millions of jobs and make our existing jobs more secure.

By using cleaner, safer fuels, we will prevent horrible disasters like the one we are now experiencing.

And eliminating our dependence on foreign oil will mean we no longer send billions of dollars to dangerous countries in the Middle East. We must get ourselves to a point where we can operate the country on American-made energy; we are not safe if another country holds the power to shut down our cars, trains, lights, and computers.

All of this points to an ever more urgent need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and move ahead with sustainable alternatives toward a safe, clean energy future.  The time to create that future is now.

Thank you,

Jim

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They don't call it petty cash for nothing.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., found that out when he tried to return $400 in unspent petty cash from a December trip to Afghanistan he took with several fellow members of House Homeland Security Committee.

Surely, the Pentagon and State Department, which provide meal and lodging money for such trips on a per diem basis, would want the money back.

To his bewilderment, Himes said he couldn't find any takers for the four $100 bills in his possession -- not because no one wanted them, but because there was no mechanism in place for accepting excess petty cash.

Himes brought the problem to the attention of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who last week announced new travel rules for members of Congress that require excess funds go to the U.S. Treasury, the same agency that the House freshman from Greenwich said he resorted to writing a personal check to as reimbursement for the government.

"Given the amount of effort it took for me to return $400 to the government, my guess is in the past there have been people who have said, `Well, I'll simply hang onto it,' which is not the right thing to do," Himes said.

In a May 13 letter to House leaders, Pelosi spelled out the new rules, which require members of Congress to fly economy-class unless the trip is over 14 hours and business-class can be justified; clear their itinerary with their respective committee chairman, file quarterly expense reports with the House Clerk and prohibits them from bringing spouses along on trips unless they are paid for out-of-pocket.

"Look, I applaud the speaker's initiative here, but I think it could go further," Himes said.

Fact-finding trips by lawmakers, or in Washington parlance CODELS for congressional delegation, have drawn scrutiny from a number of watchdog groups because of their cost to taxpayers.

"This is a good step," said Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for the D.C.-based Citizens Against Government Waste. "It's requiring them to return all the money they don't use and create some sort of transparency."

Paige said there is a long way to go toward achieving accountability, however.

"These trips are almost completely opaque and obscure to the average taxpayer," Paige said. "For example, how much does it cost to use military planes? Do they arrange these things so there's a stop for shopping in Paris?"

The fact that the government didn't have a mechanism in place for accepting excess petty cash, is pathetic, Paige said.

Thanks to Jim, that's changing too.

The Hill reports:

Despite opposition from the left and the right, House Democratic leaders are cautiously optimistic they have enough votes to pass a new campaign finance bill.

...in the last week alone, the bill aimed at suppressing  the Supreme Court’s Citizen United ruling has picked up 14 co-sponsors, The measure now has 114 backers, including 11 members of the business-friendly Blue Dog Democrat Coalition. The number of supporters has continued to grow despite vehement protests from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups that the bill, known as the Disclose Act, would have a chilling effect on free speech.

Campaign finance watchdog groups and the legislation’s main sponsors, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), are still wary about last-minute lobbying blitzes.

Van Hollen and Schumer want to send the bill to the president’s desk by the July 4 recess in order for it to go into effect before the midterm elections. Van Hollen has convinced two Republicans (Reps. Mike Castle, Del., and Walter Jones, N.C.) to co-sponsor his bill, while Schumer is still seeking GOP support in the upper chamber.

The high court’s decision earlier this year lifted limits on corporate, trade association and union funding of political advertisements.

Critics of the ruling, including Obama, have argued that it will open the floodgates for funding of political ads by shadow groups taking money from corporations and unions.

The Disclose Act attempts to force the groups to disclose exactly where the money for the ads is coming from by forcing corporate and union officials, as well as their top donors, to stand by their ads and disclose their identities in the ads, just as federal politicians must do.

Rep. Jim Himes, a freshman Democrat from Connecticut who faces a challenging reelection in a district previously held by veteran GOP Rep. Christopher Shays, is a former banker at Goldman Sachs. He says he considers himself an ally of the business community, but does not take kindly to threats by the U.S. Chamber against supporting the Disclose bill.

Himes, who signed on as a co-sponsor, said he’s willing to lose his seat over the issue of campaign finance reform.

“It’s just that important for the integrity of our political system,” he said.

In a 5-4 decision earlier this year, the Supreme Court lifted the limits on contributions for campaign advertising by corporations, business groups, unions and trade associations.  Without new legislation to enforce transparency, powerful special interests like Big Oil, Wall Street firms and even foreign interests could funnel unlimited amounts of money to fund shadow campaign ads and manipulate the outcome of elections.

Jim supports the Disclose Act because he is concerned that the Supreme Court's decision could drown out the voices of individual Americans in the electoral process.   “The Supreme Court's decision to allow unlimited third-party political advertising practically hangs a ‘For Sale’ sign on the U.S. Capitol, giving corporations, shadowy interest groups, and unions permission to spend limitless amounts to influence elections," Himes has said.  "This decision undermines the voice of the individual constituents I represent. We need to return to a system of one person--one vote, but this pushes us in the direction of one dollar--one vote.”

To counter such unregulated corporate influence over elections, the Disclose Act would address seven key points:

1. Enhance Disclaimers
   Make CEOs and other leaders take responsibility for their ads.
2. Enhance Disclosures
   It is time to follow the money.
3. Prevent Foreign Influence
   Foreign countries and entities should not be determining the outcome of our elections.
4. Shareholder/Member Disclosure
   We should allow shareholders and members to know where money goes.
5. Prevent Government Contractors from Spending
   Taxpayer money should not be spent on political ads.
6. Provide the Lowest Unit Rate for Candidates and Parties
   Special interests should not drown out the voices of the people.
7. Tighten Coordination Rules
   Corporations should not be able to “sponsor” a candidate.

The Disclose Act is H.R. 5175.  The bill may be brought up for a vote in the House after the Memorial Day recess.

Congress has been debating an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill that would initiate a clear process to repeal the unfair and outdated "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bans gay men and women from serving in the military.  The amendment in the House of Representatives is offered by my colleague Rep. Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, an Iraq War veteran.

I am proud to say I voted for and wholeheartedly support this amendment.  It passed the House last night 234 to 194.  It's time to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

In the seventeen years since this discriminatory policy was enacted, more than 13,500 dedicated, well-trained patriotic soldiers have been kicked out of the military just because they were gay or lesbian.  I would urge you to read some of their stories here.

Unfairly denying these brave men and women their rights in the military does a disservice to the nation's historic commitment to fundamental human rights.  It also undermines our military readiness capabilities at a time when the military is stretched thin and fighting two wars.  Many service members are on their third, fourth or fifth deployments.  Yet, in the last five years, the military has discharged almost 800 mission-critical troops and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Other countries that have fought with us, including Australia, Israel, Great Britain and Canada, have shown that their policies of non-discriminatory open service have had no adverse effect on enrollment or retention.

When the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was introduced as a separate measure last year I was proud to join with 192 House members as a co-sponsor. 

Jim Himes, as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, helped author and pass a similar, strong financial regulatory reform bill in the House.  That bill, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, along with the Senate's bill, will now go to a conference committee to compose a merged final bill.

Wall Street reform legislation will restore accountability, increase transparency in the markets, and protect the American economy and consumers.  It was a weakened financial regulatory system and irresponsible mismanagement under the previous Administration that were major factors in the financial crisis that led to the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.  A strong, workable regulatory system will help the financial sector support sustainable economic growth and the jobs America needs.  It will also end taxpayer bailouts of failing private firms and protect consumers from predatory and deceptive practices by lenders, brokers and credit card companies.

Here's a sample of some of the early reporting following the Senate's action:

McClatchy:

The Senate Thursday night passed the most sweeping changes in government regulation of the nation's financial institutions since the Great Depression, including strong new consumer and investor protections and provisions that seek to shine a bright light on the dark corners of Wall Street.

In a 59-39 vote, four Republicans joined 53 Democrats and two independents in approving the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010.

The House of Representatives passed a similar version, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, six months ago. The two bills must now be reconciled in negotiations between the two chambers, passed anew by each and sent to President Barack Obama for his signature, which is expected by July 4.

"Our goal is not to punish the banks, but to protect the larger economy and the American people," Obama said Thursday.

"If you've ever applied for a credit card, a student loan, or a mortgage, you know the feeling of signing your name to pages of barely understandable fine print," Obama said Thursday. "It's a big step for most families, but one that's often filled with unnecessary confusion and apprehension. As a result, many Americans are simply duped into hidden fees and loans they just can't afford by companies that know exactly what they're doing."

The New York Times:

The Senate voted 59 to 39 on Thursday night to pass a far-reaching financial regulatory bill, putting Congress on the brink of approving a broad expansion of government oversight of the increasingly complex banking industry and financial markets,  David M. Herszenhorn of The New York Times reports from Washington.

The legislation is intended to prevent a repeat of the 2008 crisis, but it also reshapes the roles of numerous federal agencies, and vastly empowers the Federal Reserve, in an attempt to predict and contain future debacles.

Democratic Congressional leaders and the Obama administration must now work to combine the Senate measure with a version approved by the House in December, a process that is expected to take several weeks and be completed after Memorial Day.

While there are important differences — notably a Senate provision that would force big banks to spin off some of their most lucrative derivatives business into separate subsidiaries — the bills are broadly similar, making it virtually certain that Congress will adopt the most sweeping regulatory overhaul since the aftermath of the Great Depression.

President Obama, speaking in the Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon, declared victory over the financial industry and “hordes of lobbyists” that he said had tried to kill the legislation.

“The recession we’re emerging from was primarily caused by a lack of responsibility and accountability from Wall Street to Washington,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s why I made passage of Wall Street reform one of my top priorities as president, so that a crisis like this does not happen again.”

Tim Fernholz on TAPPED:

After a tense afternoon of votes stretched into the evening, the Senate passed its financial reform legislation, setting the stage for negotiations with the House to craft a final package that will be voted on once more by both chambers before arriving on President Obama's desk.

After the Democrats, joined by three Republicans, successfully overcame efforts to block a vote on the bill in the afternoon, 30 hours were allotted before final passage -- unless Republicans could be convinced to dispense with the debate and any additional amendments.

Particularly at stake was an amendment from Sam Brownback to exempt auto dealers from consumer regulation and another amendment proposed by Senators Merkley and Levin to strengthen a measure already in the bill to limit the kinds of risky business banks can engage in.

While the Merkley-Levin amendment could not be voted on post-cloture due to a technicality, in a clever bit of legislative jujitsu, the two attached their amendment to Brownback's as a second-order amendment, meaning that both would have to be voted on together to enter the bill. Reformers opposed Brownback and supported Merkley-Levin, but could at least see stronger restrictions on Wall Street if Brownback succeeded.

Republicans, however, proved reluctant to force another symbolic vote that would reveal their support of Wall Street. Brownback pulled his amendment, leading to an agreement on how to proceed: After a procedural objection from Republicans that required 60 votes to set aside, voting for final passage began at approximately 8:45. The bill passed 59-39

Instead, in the race between Republican Tim Burns and Democrat Mark Critz, yesterday the Democrat won.  And it wasn't really close:  53 to 45 percent.

Four days before the vote, The Fix's Chris Cillizza wrote:

For months, the conventional wisdom about the coming 2010 midterm elections has been that Republicans are not only poised to make major gains this fall but that they also have a realistic chance of taking the chamber back.

That CW gets put to its first major test on Tuesday when businessman Tim Burns (R) faces off against former congressional aide Mark Critz (D) in the special election to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D).

Polling suggests the race is extremely close and the financial attention the southwestern Pennsylvania district is receiving from the two national parties as well as a slew of interest groups make clear the import the contest carries.

For Republicans, the race is simply a must-win.

This morning, after the Democratic victory, MSNBC's First Read reported:

Is this really 1994? Here’s another lesson we learned from last night: A good campaign can overcome a tough political environment. In the only contest pitting a Democrat against a Republican, Mark Critz (D) defeated Tim Burns (R) in the special congressional election to replace the late Rep. Jack Murtha (D) in Pennsylvania. As we’ve pointed out, this isn’t a good sign for the GOP in its quest to take back the House in November. Why? Because this was a race that Republicans -- in this kind of political environment -- should have been able to win. Yes, Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district. And, yes, the Dem turnout in the competitive Sestak-vs.-Specter primary helped Critz (though the statewide Dem turnout wasn't overly impressive). But this was the only congressional district in the country that John Kerry won in ’04 but Obama lost in ’08, meaning that it was ripe for the picking. Remember, back in 1994, Republicans were the ones winning House special elections. But can this be ’94 all over again if the Democrats are the ones winning these things -- four straight this cycle (PA-12, NY-23, CA-10, NY-20) and seven since 2008 (IL-14, MS-1, LA-6). By the way, there was a ton of finger-pointing among House Republicans after they lost the NY-23 special late last year; it could be worse internally after last night.

The pre- special election unconventional wisdom may have been best expressed by Paul Krugman who asked on his blog "Will 2010 be 1948?" with this latest Pollster.com composite national Congressional ballot:

Krugman writes:

There are hints in the polling data (see this one, not yet in the Pollster average above) — and, more generally, in the tone and feel of the news — that November may not be quite the Republican blowout everyone is expecting.

This has me thinking about the 1948 election, when Harry Truman shocked the pundits by pulling it out at the last minute. You might have thought that such a narrow victory wouldn’t have changed that much — that people would have dismissed it as not giving Democrats a mandate to do much. In fact, however, it marked the end of Republican attempts to undo the New Deal (that is, until the rise of the hard right several decades later.) In effect, many people came to the conclusion that if the GOP couldn’t pull off a win in such favorable circumstances, it wasn’t ever going to be able to win until it changed its positions.

Of course, one special election does not a trend make, as they say.  But thus far the conventional wisdom appears not so wise after all.

This past weekend Jim Himes took time to meet with seven local students he had nominated to attend U.S. Service Academies this coming fall. The students and their families joined Jim for lunch at the Westport VFW on Saturday.  “These students are making a brave commitment to service and a smart commitment to their education,” Jim said.  “Congratulations to these future leaders on a bright future.”

A panel of local leaders had worked with Congressman Himes to select students for nomination to the Naval Academy, West Point, and the Air Force Academy.

The seven students accepted at the Academies are:

Naval Academy

Jennifer Abbott, Wilton, Wilton High School

West Hubbard, Greenwich, Deerfield Academy

Brendan Obranski, Wilton, Wilton High School

Air Force Academy

Michael McCormick, Ridgefield, Ridgefield High School

Congressman Himes praised the City of Bridgeport and its City Council for extending humanitarian aid to its Sister City, Petion-Ville, in Haiti.

It was an enthusiastic crowd on hand at Bridgeport's Central High School gymnasium.  And the excitement grew as Convention Chair Carmen Colon introduced State Senator Ed Gomes of Bridgeport, who gave a resounding speech to nominate Jim Himes to run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Anna Duleep of Norwalk delivered a rousing seconding address before the delegates approved a motion to nominate Jim Himes by acclamation.

A joyous, extended standing ovation greeted Jim's nomination as he approached the podium to deliver his acceptance speech.  Energized by the crowd, and determined to continue meeting the extraordinary challenges of our times, Jim took the opportunity to recall the recent past and to chart a clear path forward.

In his memorable and truly stirring address, here's what Jim said:

“Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you Ed and Anna for your kind words. A mis amigos Latinos, gracias, gracias por su apoyo y su confianza.

Two years ago, I stood in this city to accept the nomination as Democratic candidate for US Congress. I will tell you tonight, that I was a little daunted by that. I had been running an affordable housing non-profit, had spent some time in business, and had been focused on raising two young girls, whom you met earlier tonight.

We all suspected then, and we all know now, that we were going into very tough times.

When I took office, our country was losing 750,000 jobs a month. Our banking sector looked as if it might collapse, taking the dreams of millions of businesses and families with it. Millions of Americans wondered if they would keep their homes.

Days after I was sworn into a new job, I started getting letters from constituents who were losing theirs.

From Andrew in Stamford, who was in his second year without a job, and had just about spent his retirement fund.

From Lisa in Stamford, who had never paid a bill late in her life, but was now praying that she and her fourteen year old son would not become homeless as winter approached.

Thinking about Andrew and Lisa’s stories, and millions more like them, we took action. We passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which we now know has already saved or created well over 2 million jobs.

Those were jobs tearing down the broken Congress Street bridge, which had symbolized neglect in Bridgeport for ten years. Those were jobs at the Norwalk Community Health Center, fixing the Stamford Urban Transitway, and teaching in every one of our schools.

We passed a homebuyers tax credit, which has allowed almost 15,000 Connecticut families to buy homes. We cut taxes for five out of six Fairfield County workers.

We made the single largest investment ever in our nation’s public schools, not just so we could avoid firing thousands of teachers, but so that troubled schools would get the resources and ideas they need to make sure that every American child gets the education he or she needs to succeed.

We did all this in the face of unified opposition and ridicule. To each and every one of our proposed solutions—to healthcare,to Wall Street reform, to energy, to fixing the economy—our opposition just said no.

We know now that our efforts are working. Last month, the economy added 290,000 jobs with over 230,000 of those in the private sector. We’ve now seen jobs grow for four months in a row. We are finally seeing some positive signs of economic recovery.

While we can take some small satisfaction in that, you and I both know that we have a long way to go. Families are still struggling and much remains to be done to help rebuild America’s middle class. We will not celebrate, we will not rest, until every man and woman that wants to work in Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield or anywhere else in this country has the dignity, respect and paycheck of a steady job.

As we do this, as we work to revive the economy, we must rebuild it stronger than it was before. Here is where you will see the sharpest choices in November’s election.

My opponent in November will argue that we should go back to a health care system that ignores children like Ella, a four year old in Monroe, who was turned down for health insurance because she had a single asthma attack. Ella’s mom Kim asked me “where does that put her for the rest of her life?”

My opponent will argue that Wall Street can police itself and that Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG and the credit card companies can be trusted to do the right thing by themselves. My opponent will oppose protecting the American consumer from scam artists, crooked mortgage brokers and predatory lenders.

Until last week’s oil spill in the Gulf, I’m pretty sure my opponent’s energy policy would have been “Drill, baby, drill”

You and I know that none of these ideas are in the interest of the American people. These ideas may help health insurance companies, or Wall Street, or big oil, but they put American families at risk.

You and I know that government can be big and wasteful,that if it grows too much, it can squeeze the private sector, which is the real engine of our economic prosperity. But you and I also know that government has a crucial role to play in keeping us safe, in better educating our children, and in helping deliver on the promise of a just and prosperous America.

Most of all, you and I know that we have much work to do.

In the next few months, we will pass a Wall Street reform law which protects consumers, closes down the casino on Wall Street, and makes sure that our taxpayer dollars are never again used to bail out private businesses.

We must continue our efforts to move our nation away from its addiction to Saudi Arabia’s—or anyone else’s—oil and into leadership on clean, sustainable, American sources of energy.

We must restore the American public school as the source of the very best education anywhere in the world. If we are serious about the idea that every child gets opportunity in this nation, we will do that. If we are serious about preserving our economic and political power on this planet, we will do that.

And of course, economically, we have a long way to go. We inherited massive debt from the prior administration and now must begin to restore fiscal responsibility and reduce the deficit. We must do that while continuing to support our small businesses, working to keep families in their homes, and fighting for stable, good-paying jobs.

That is what November is about. Do we work together to continue our climb out of the mess we inherited sixteen months ago? Do we make the hard choices so that it never happens again? Or do we go back to the policies that got us into the mess in the first place.

I’m even prouder today than I was when I first stood in Bridgeport to accept your nomination to run for Congress. We were all prepared to take a chance that night two years ago. On a new President, a new Congress, a new way of doing things.

The days since then have not been easy, but we have done the right thing. And we have done it together. As I look out at all of you tonight, I ask that you join me and do what we did two years ago – knock on those doors, make those phone calls, empower our friends and neighbors. And I know that together we will finish the job of restoring the honor, the justice and the prosperity of the United States of America.”

Then the Rev. Bruce Morris, State Representative from Norwalk, wrapped up the proceedings with a thrilling speech challenging all the delegations from all the cities and all the towns of the 4th Congressional District to do the work that will be needed "to send this great and good man back to Washington" for a second term.

• 7:55 - Motion to adjourn made and accepted - delegates signing up to start the hard work of the campaign.
• 7:44 - Representative Bruce Morris of Norwalk offers closing remarks - urges delegates to get out and help make sure Congressman Himes is re-elected.
• 7:42 -Noting the location of the the convention (Bridgeport Central High), Jim urges reinvestment in public schools, and cites the Pell Grant expansion included with Health Care Reform as a key investment in our kids pursuit of higher education and America's future. Read Jim's full acceptance speech.
• 7:40 - Getting the crowd fired up about Connecticut's future, Jim is pleased the House has led on an energy and environmental plan, and  commits to helping to drive green jobs.
• 7:37 - Jim discusses his pride in supporting healthcare reform and helping to craft financial regulatory reform.
• 7:33 - Jim thanks delegates and speaks about the challenges and accomplishments of his first 18 months in office - led by the 2 million jobs preserved thanks to the Recovery Act - "We will not rest"until all have jobs.
• 7:31 - Jim Himes nominated by acclamation.
• 7:25 - Anna Duleep, teacher of Norwalk seconds the nomination
• 7:20 - Bridgeport State Senator Gomes nominates Congressman Himes - delegates cheer loudly, led by huge turn-out from Bridgeport and Norwalk.
• 7:05 - Temporary Secretary Don Clemons elected
• 7:00 - Jim's daughters lead the delegates in saying the Pledge of Allegiancet
• 6:58 - Bill Finch, Mayor of Bridgeport speaking - introduces Jim's wife and daughterst
• 6:52 - Congressman Himes just arrived
• 6:40 - Looking around the room at the very diverse crowd - makes one proud to be a member of a truly big tent party
• 6:30 - The convention is officially starting - looks like about 1/2 the delegates are here already...
• 6:00 - Am told 150 delegates expected.
• 4:50 - Just arrived at Bridgeport's Central High to help set-up for the 4th district nominating convention. Lamenting lack of wi-fi - our kids deserve modern infrastructure.