I hope there is a strong interest in bipartisanship. I’ve begun talking to the new members to make sure that they know I want to proceed in a bipartisan manner and to get their ideas and their thoughts and find out what their expectations are.

Quick. How many amendments does the Constitution have? Time’s up! What about—What is Benjamin Franklin famous for (besides anything having to do with kites, bifocals, pot-belly stoves and c-notes)?

In the words of John McEnroe: You cannot be serious?!

If you’re still scratching your head and wishing you paid more attention in 7th grade history class, imagine now if you were an immigrant and knowing the answers to these questions and others like them could determine whether or not you earned the right to become a citizen. The SAT’s never looked so good.

Unfortunately, you’ve got company. In an informal survey of nearly 250 people conducted by People For the American Way Foundation in New York City this past week, more than 50% of respondents failed a simulated 10-question naturalization exam composed of 80 new questions released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a proposed new version of the exam set to be piloted in 2007.

Respondents averaged a failing 5.4 correct answers per exam. (None knew that the Constitution has 27 amendments.) For those attempting to earn citizenship, it takes 6 out of 10 correct—and no, it’s not multiple choice. If you think you can do better, take the test yourself! Read more...

The civil liberties community let out a collective sigh of relief when the 109th Congress adjourned for the last time.  The midterm elections and resulting leadership changes makes the ACLU optimistic about the prospect of increased oversight and better protections for civil liberties and fundamental freedoms.  However it certainly won’t be clear sailing in the 110th Congress for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Lawmakers in the 109th Congress failed to act as an adequate check on the Bush administration’s excessive abuses of power.  Some of the resulting losses for civil liberties include:

•    Military Commissions Act passage;
•    Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s conformation;
•    Real ID Act passage;
•    Patriot Act reauthorization without necessary changes; and
•    Cybercrime Treaty ratification. Read more...

Yesterday, a federal court ruled in favor of a challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Law of 2002 (BCRA) that I sponsored along with Representative Christopher Shays and Senators McCain and Feingold.  The provision of the law that was challenged prohibited groups from using "soft money" to run advertisements that name candidates one month prior to a primary election and two months prior to a general election.

Wisconsin Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, ran its ads to undermine my Senate partner in reform Russ Feingold, but it brought this case specifically to invalidate the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act that Russ and I fought for.

I am very disappointed by the split decision issued by the court, which is inconsistent with the Supreme Court ruling in McConnell v. FEC.  Fortunately, this narrow ruling only applies to the three specific ads mentioned in the case. Read more...

In the 110th, obviously we have to deal with challenge of Iraq. We have got to move in a new direction there. We also have to restore fiscal responsibility and get back on a more sustainable course. The debt is skyrocketing before the baby boomers retire, which is something that cannot be permitted to continue. So we have to begin to change the long-term outlook.

I welcome President Bush's signing of legislation yesterday to establish a drought early-warning system that will help state and local officials mitigate the effects of drought. I introduced a bill creating the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), modeled after the Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Removing some of the unpredictability of drought will allow us to also avoid some of its devastation. The advanced and accurate research from NIDIS will aid in the preventive battle against this natural disaster that afflicts Nebraska's farmers and ranchers. This legislation will not only be effective, but also cost-efficient.

Earlier this year Dr. Don Wilhite from the UNL Drought Mitigation Center testified that a system like NIDIS is a cost-effective approach to drought because for every dollar invested in mitigation and preparedness, four dollars are saved through reduced impacts when a natural disaster occurs.

Establishing a system to mitigate the damage of drought is an exciting step forward for our farmers and ranchers. Unfortunately, the past damage of this drought still lingers in many areas of the country and I will renew my efforts to pass a needed multi-billion dollar emergency drought assistance package in the upcoming 110th Congress.

I am gratified by yesterday's signing into law of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, a bill I authored in the House, restricting funding to a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

By fixing his hand to this legislation, President Bush has indicated that the U.S. will not, directly or indirectly, allow American taxpayer funds to be used to perpetuate the leadership of an Islamist jihadist entity like Hamas.

The signing of this law is an important aspect of our foreign policy, for its enactment addresses our immediate, as well as long-term security interests, seeking to promote stability in the region and ensure the security of our close friends and allies in the Middle East.

As needs arise and developments occur, I will work on further legislative action to further strengthen U.S. policy regarding any Palestinian Authority controlled by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or any other such Islamist extremist entity, and ensure U.S. assistance truly furthers our national security interests and priorities in the region.

When Congress adjourned for the year, it did so without passing the crucial funding bills for 2007.  In fact, it passed only two out of the eleven.

Batting .180 is not too impressive in baseball, and it hardly gets the job done in Congress either. Because the Congress could not pass all of its spending bills, it was forced to pass a continuing resolution instead, and will likely have to operate on one for the upcoming year as the only practical remaining option.

In a way, it is not surprising that the Congress could not complete its basic appropriations work: as the Washington Post recently pointed out, by the last day of this past Congress, the outgoing congressional leadership had held the Congress in session in Washington for a total of 103 days.  That's seven days fewer than the infamous “Do-Nothing Congress

Yesterday's historic signing into law of our nation's first comprehensive legislation on underage drinking is a significant step toward bringing this national public health crisis out of the shadows. Prior to being elected to public office, I worked for a nonprofit agency which focused on alcohol abuse. I witnessed firsthand the many devastating consequences of irresponsible drinking. That experience made me realize that, as a nation, we must no longer be complacent about underage drinking and its alarming consequences.

The STOP Act makes permanent an Ad Council national media campaign directed at parents that started last year, coordinates all federal programs and research initiatives on underage drinking, and provides grants to institutions of higher education, states and non-profit organizations to combat underage drinking in communities.  The STOP Act also supports crucial research on the health effects of underage drinking and requires the federal government to produce an annual status report on underage drinking in our country. Read more...