Washington Report: Senate Votes to Curb Outrageous Swipe Fees

See how your senators voted. Also, climate change legislation is finally unveiled and EPA lays the groundwork for regulating green house gases.

May 14, 2010

Senators Vote on Durbin€™s Swipe Fee Amendment
In a major victory last night the Senate voted 64-33 in favor of Majority Whip Richard Durbin€™s (D-IL) amendment to address swipe fee reform. Extensive grassroots calls and e-mails from retailers across the country encourage senators to support this amendment. NACS applauds all 64 Senators who voted to help small businesses and consumers. See how your senators voted. Please call and send follow-up e-mails to your senators who voted "yea," as this is the first time Congress has ever taken a step towards ending unfair credit card practices.

Senators Voting Yea
Barrasso (R-WY)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R-MS)
Wyden (D-OR)

Senators Voting No
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Carper (D-DE)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)

Senators Not Voting
Byrd (D-WV) Hutchison (R-TX) Nelson (D-FL)

Click here for a list of your senators. NACS would appreciate any feedback members receive from their senators on this issue.

NACS Staff Contact: Lyle Beckwith lbeckwith@nacsonline.com

Senators Kerry, Lieberman Introduce Climate Change Legislation
On Wednesday Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) introduced the American Power Act, legislation dealing with climate change. In hopes of achieving national pollution reduction goals, The Kerry-Lieberman legislation has a 15-year transition period that supports state-level renewable and energy initiatives with tax credits, invests large sums of money into eco-friendly transportation, and promotes nuclear energy and natural gas as an alternative fuel.

Read a more detailed summary.

NACS Staff Contact: Corey Fitze

EPA Sets Thresholds for Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements
The EPA announced yesterday a final rule to address greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources. "After extensive study, debate and hundreds of thousands of public comments, EPA has set common-sense thresholds for greenhouse gases that will spark clean technology innovation and protect small businesses and farms," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. Using a phased in approach starting January 1st, 2011, the Clean Air act will begin the permitting process to regulate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for large facilities. These existing facilities that already need to seek permits for other pollutants will have to include GHGs in their permit if they increase theses emissions by at least 75,000 tons per year.

NACS Staff Contact: Corey Fitze

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