Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
These stray cats in China appear to be carefully tracking congressional action on a spending bill that would protect their U.S. brethren.(Photo: Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Congress is voting this week on a provision to block federal permits for companies that round up stray cats and dogs and sell them for research. It is one of dozens of odd provisions included in the massive year-end spending bill, which provides $1.1 trillion in federal spending but specifies many activities that may not be paid for out of that giant bankroll. It is akin to a parent saying "Here's your allowance. Don't buy drugs with it."
Here are some of our favorites:
[h=2]Cats & dogs[/h]
Congress doesn't want the Department of Agriculture to issue or reissue licences for "to class B dealers who sell dogs and cats for use in research, experiments, teaching, or testing." This provision addresses a concern that companies are providing labs with "randomly sourced" cats and dogs. That is: They are scooping up strays or possibly even swiping household pets and selling them.
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., issued a press release this summer claiming credit for the provision and explaining the problem.
[h=2]Keeping ACORN dead[/h]
ACORN closed its doors five years ago. But it is still in the spending bill.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Getty Images)
Remember ACORN? Congress does. The community organizing/voter registration group was the target of a sting video by conservative activist James O'Keefe and accused by conservatives of helping clients break the law. The group was never charged in that case, but Congress cut off its federal funding and it closed its doors in 2010. Nevertheless, the omnibus spending bill contains a provision barring any federal funding to "the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, allied organizations, or successors."
[h=2]Hands off the salt shaker[/h]
The Department of Agriculture already has rules in place for salt in school lunches, but Congress wants to make sure the agency does not push that limit lower just yet. The spending bill prohibits implementation of any rule cutting sodium levels further "until the latest scientific research establishes the reduction is beneficial for children."
[h=2]No false fronts[/h]
This Sept, 27, 2012, file photo shows the shroud that covered Supreme Court building during its restoration.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)
During the recently completed restoration of the Supreme Court building, workers toiled behind a giant sheet printed with a life-size photo of the building, making the whole operation easier on the eyes. Congress apparently was not amused. The spending bill includes this passage: "None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for scrims containing photographs of building facades during restoration or construction projects performed by the Architect of the Capitol."
[h=2]NSFW[/h]
I thought we were clear on this: Don't watch porn at work. The spending bill contains some variation of this language in several places: "None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to maintain or establish a computer network unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and exchanging of pornography." This is not new language — it has been in the spending bills for years. Nevertheless, the EPA inspector general found earlier this year that workers there were watching porn on government computers, raising some question about just how effective these spending bans are.
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