Senator Leahy on the foreclosure bill

[ProSense]

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, had supported the bill after being buttonholed by notaries at a September event in Washington honoring Calvin Coolidge, a U.S. president from Vermont and the only one sworn into office by a notary public.

No Objections

No lawmakers had objected to the legislation, Leahy said in a written statement.

“Now that concerns have been raised, Congress should re- examine whether this bill might have had an unintended impact on foreclosures,” Leahy said.

When Congress is adjourned, as it is now, the president may withhold his signature on legislation to prevent it from becoming law. Obama last used a pocket veto on Dec. 30, 2009, for an appropriations bill that was rendered unnecessary by subsequent legislation, according to the White House.

link

[ProSense]

1. No comment? n/t

[karynnj]

2. This is a CYA if there ever was one

The question might be if how many Senators even knew it was being considered - when the leaders on both sides agreed to the "unanimous" agreement. I know it was written by a Republican member of the House - and it passed the House, but it is not clear who pushed it in the Senate. Leahy and Sessions agreed not to fight it.

[ProSense]

3. It's hard

to imagine why anyone would proceed on such a bill, even on the basis of improving interstate commerce, giving the current foreclosure crisis. If anything the focus should have been on doing exactly what Pelosi just did, calling for an investigation.

[karynnj]

4. I hadn't heard that Pelosi called for an investigation - it is great that she did

[Raine1967]

5. Really good article, Thanks Prosense.

I especially liked this part: Obama’s “pocket veto” puts to an end, for now, a five- year effort by some of the nation’s 4.8 million notaries to streamline court proceedings involving notarized documents. The Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act for years had won approval from Democrats and Republicans in Congress as a piece of mundane, good-government legislation.

The measure was approved by the House without fanfare in 2006 and 2007 only to languish in the Senate. The bill from Representative Robert Aderholt, an Alabama Republican, passed the Senate Sept. 27 by unanimous consent and drew attention this week when Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner sent out a campaign fund-raising e-mail calling the bill “dangerous” and urging Obama not to sign it.

In her e-mail, Brunner said the Senate approved the bill just as banks suspended hundreds of thousands of foreclosures after borrowers and courts raised questions about signatures on legal documents.

Timing

“It sounded innocuous to me, but then I started looking at the timing of the bill,” Brunner wrote in her Oct. 5 e-mail.

Ally Financial Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. have suspended foreclosures or evictions in 23 states where courts have jurisdiction over home seizures. At least seven state attorneys general are looking into the issue, and the companies are reviewing affidavits and other loan documents that might have been signed without being examined first.

looks like Jen Brunner was on top of this. I am not quite convinced this was as malicious as some may have thought, but it is damn good that it will be getting vetoed-- the bill is bad-- especially coming on the heels of so many Foreclosures being stopped right now.

[Go2Peace]

6. Pocket veto's only work if Congress closes. Do you know if that is the case?

I believe it would have to happen this week, otherwise the bill becomes law anyway, as a "pocket veto" is not a real veto.

Can someone more in tune with recess times state if this is the case? Because what I found on the net sounds like they are still in session?

[Raine1967]

7. To the best of my knowledge --

The bill originated in the house -- and the House is in Recess. And my knowledge may not be the best.