Vermont Aid-In-Dying Bill Passes House, Moves To Governor

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont House approved a measure Monday night that would allow doctors to provide lethal medication to terminally ill patients seeking to end their own lives.

If Gov. Peter Shumlin – a strong supporter of the bill – signs on, Vermont will join Oregon, Washington and Montana as states allowing physicians to provide deadly doses of medication to dying patients who seek it.

The vote was a reversal of the defeat of similar legislation in the House in 2007 and marked the first time any legislature in the country had seen such a measure all the way to passage.

By a 75-65 roll call vote, the House approved a bill largely copies a law passed by Oregon voters in 1997 for three years and then shifts to a system with less government monitoring.

For the first three years, Vermont's law would closely follow the Oregon model, which allows for several safeguards, including requirements that patients state three times – once in writing – that they wish to die. Others include a concurring opinion from a second doctor that a patient has less than six months to live and a finding that the patient is of sound mind.

"It's an important step for terminally ill Vermont patients," Dick Walters, president of Patient Choices-Vermont, said after the vote. "It's a big step forward for the region and for the country as a whole."

The bill's passage likely will be seen as the most historic event of the 2013 legislation session, which is expected to wrap up Tuesday.

Vermont would be the first state east of the Mississippi to allow doctors to help patients die by writing a prescription for a lethal dose of medication. Oregon passed the first-in-the-nation law by referendum in 1997; Washington state followed suit in 2006 and a court order in Montana made it legal in that state.

Debate included two packed Statehouse hearings in which supporters and opponents took turns voicing their views on the legislation, sometimes dubbed "death with dignity" by backers and "physician-assisted suicide" by opponents.

Critics continued to voice their concerns during House debate on Monday, while supporters, who knew they had the votes to pass the bill, were more muted.

"There is potential here for abuse of the disabled," said Rep. Carolyn Branagan, R-Georgia, "especially disabled elders," she said. "This is not medical care. It is the opposite."

Sen. Richard McCormack, D-Windsor, watched the debate from the House gallery. "This bill makes no judgment about the value of anybody's life," he said after the vote. "It makes a very positive judgment about the value of personal freedom and the right to make one's own choices."

After July 1, 2016, Vermont would move to a model pushed by some senators who complained of too much government intervention in the Oregon system. Those changes would require less monitoring and reporting by physicians. However, there's widespread expectation that lawmakers may push to eliminate the changes set to take effect in 2016, leaving an Oregon-style law in place.

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Karl Rove Mocks Sarah Palin Tenure As Governor

WASHINGTON -- GOP uberconsultant Karl Rove lashed out at former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Sunday, mocking her decision to leave office early. Rove's criticism was a response to comments Palin made at the Conservative Political Action Conference in which she suggested the poor performance of Rove-backed candidates in the 2012 elections indicates that Rove should get out of the political consulting business.

"If these experts who keep losing elections and keep getting rehired and getting millions -- if they feel that strong about who gets to run in this party, then they should buck-up or stay in the truck," Palin told CPAC Saturday, referring to Rove. "Buck up or run. The Architect can head on back to the great Lone Star State and put their name on some ballot –- though for their sakes, I hope they give themselves a discount on their consulting services."

Rove pushed back in an interview with Fox on Sunday.

"I'm a volunteer and I don't take a dime with my work from American Crossroads and pay my own travel expenses out of my own pocket and I thought she was encouraging volunteer grassroots activity and I'm a volunteer," Rove said. "Second of all, look, I appreciate encouragement I ought to go home to Texas and run for office and, it would be news if I did to have her support. But I don't think I'm a good candidate -- a kind of balding, fat guy. And second, if I did run for office and win, I would serve out my term and I wouldn't leave office midterm."

Palin famously resigned her governorship midway through her first term in office in early 2009, shortly after her 2008 bid for vice president came up short. Rove's Crossroads operation spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the 2012 elections, only to see nearly all of his marquee candidates fail to be elected.

Rove has since become a magnet for criticism from much of the Republican Party base for his more recent efforts to recruit candidates that are more palatable to voters than Tea Party favorites like failed Senate candidate Todd Akin, whose electoral bid collapsed after he stated that women are biologically incapable of becoming pregnant from a "legitimate rape." Rove's latest strategy has been interpreted by some Republicans as an effort to undermine hardline conservatives and move the party toward more moderate candidates.

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David Dewhurst, Texas Lieutenant Governor, Calls For State-Funded Weapons Training For Teachers

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for state-funded, specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators to guard against school shootings.

Dewhurst, a Republican, said school districts would nominate who they wanted to carry weapons on campus. The training would be more extensive than what is currently required for a Texas concealed handgun license and include how to react in an active shooter situation.

"God forbid we should have an active shooter crisis in our schools," Dewhurst said.

His proposal came in the aftermath of last month's mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman slaughtered 20 children and six adults before killing himself. Vice President Joe Biden has been meeting with groups this week to develop policy recommendations on how to prevent such tragedies.

The National Rifle Association has called for armed guards in every school in America and rejected any further restrictions on gun purchases or ownership.

Dewhurst said the eight hours of class instruction and two hours of shooting training for a concealed handgun license is "not sufficient" for school employees.

"It doesn't teach how to respond emotionally and technically" to a potentially chaotic situation where young lives could be at stake, he said.

Dewhurst has a concealed handgun license and made his comments in a speech to the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.

He didn't provide any other details of his plan or specifics on what the training should include. He said the amount of state funding needed would depend on the number of school districts that participate and how many people want the training. School districts would not be required to participate.

Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association, said the state should spend more money on classroom instruction, not firearm instruction for teachers. The money Dewhurst is talking about would be better spent on equipping armed school security guards, he said.

"Teachers sign up to teach, not to be armed security guards in their classrooms," Robison said. "Even well-trained security guards with pistols are going to be at a disadvantage to a suicidal maniac with an assault rifle."

The prospects for his proposal weren't immediately clear. A spokesman for Sen. Joan Huffman, of Houston, leader of the Senate Republican Caucus, said she could not comment on Dewhurst's plan and its chances of passing the GOP-dominated chamber until the caucus meets next week.

Texas is a state where gun ownership is typically embraced. Concealed handgun license holders are allowed to bring weapons into the state Capitol and don't have to pass through security metal detectors.

Although state law generally bans guns from schools, school districts may grant teachers and staff permission to carry weapons on to campus if they are licensed.

But lawmakers don't pass every gun bill that gets proposed. In 2011, most of the state's lawmakers signed on in support of a bill allowing concealed weapons into college classrooms, but the bill failed without a final vote in the Republican-majority House.

Dewhurst said his plan would not be a mandate for more guns in schools, but would allow school districts to seek the state's help in guarding against a mass shooter.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said concealed handgun license holders should be allowed to carry their weapons wherever they want. A Perry spokesman did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on Dewhurst's proposal.

The Harrold Independent School District near the Oklahoma border is one of the few in Texas that allows school personnel with concealed handgun licenses to carry their weapons to school. The teachers and staff must first be approved by the school board and also take additional training on shooting accuracy, hostage situations and how to clear a classroom in a program designed for the school district.

Harrold schools Superintendent David Thweatt said he's heard from many Texas school districts about his program since the Newtown shootings. He said the program is cheaper than paying for an armed security guard.

"I'm getting a lot of calls from around the state," said Thweatt, who created his district's Guardian Plan in 2007.

"I think it's a good idea," Thweatt said of Dewhurst's idea. "One of the biggest objections to firearms in society is that some don't want people with that tool without some kind of extra training."

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Penn State Sanctions Prompt Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett To Sue NCAA

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Corbett said Tuesday he plans to sue the NCAA in federal court over stiff sanctions imposed against Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.

The Republican governor scheduled a Wednesday news conference on the Penn State campus in State College to announce the filing in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.

A person associated with the university and knowledgeable about the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the lawsuit had not been filed, told The Associated Press that it is an antitrust action.

The NCAA sanctions, which were agreed to by the university in July, included a $60 million fine that would be used nationally to finance child abuse prevention grants. The sanctions also included a four-year bowl game ban for the university's marquee football program, reduced football scholarships and the forfeiture of 112 wins but didn't include a suspension of the football program, the so-called death penalty.

The governor's office announced the news conference late Tuesday afternoon. His spokesman did not respond to repeated calls and emails seeking to confirm a Sports Illustrated story that cited anonymous sources saying a lawsuit was imminent.

Corbett's brief statement did not indicate whether his office coordinated its legal strategy with state Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane, who is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 15.

Kane, a Democrat, ran on a vow to investigate why it took state prosecutors nearly three years to charge Sandusky, an assistant under former football coach Joe Paterno. Corbett was the attorney general when that office took over the case in early 2009 and until he became governor in January 2011.

State and congressional lawmakers from Pennsylvania have objected to using the Penn State fine to finance activities in other states. Penn State has already made the first $12 million payment, and an NCAA task force is deciding how it should be spent.

The NCAA, which declined to comment Tuesday on the planned lawsuit, has said at least a quarter of the money would be spent in Pennsylvania.

Republican U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent called that an "unacceptable and unsatisfactory" response by the NCAA to a request from the state's U.S. House delegation that the whole $60 million be distributed to causes within the state.

Last week, state Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican whose district includes Penn State's main campus, said he plans to seek court action barring any of the first $12 million from being released to groups outside the state.

Sandusky, 68, was convicted in June on charges he sexually abused 10 boys, some on Penn State's campus. He's serving a 30- to 60-year state prison term.

Eight young men testified against him, describing a range of abuse they said went from grooming and manipulation to fondling, oral sex and anal rape when they were boys.

Sandusky did not testify at his trial but has maintained his innocence, acknowledging he showered with boys but insisting he never molested them.

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Brian Schatz Senate: Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Tapped To Replace Late Sen. Daniel Inouye

Hawaii's Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz has been chosen to replace the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii).

Hawaii Democrats picked U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, Schatz and Department of Land and Natural Resources Deputy Director Esther Kiaaina as final nominees for the open U.S. Senate seat. Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced Schatz as Inouye's replacement Wednesday evening.

After fighting respiratory complications, Inouye passed away December 17 at the age of 88. The day Inouye died, he sent a letter to Abercrombie asking him to appoint Hanabusa to his seat.

Abercrombie said that he wanted Hanabusa to remain on the House Armed Services Committee because of her close relationship with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Politico's Manu Raju reports Inouye's office is "very disappointed" the late senator's choice of successor was not honored by Abercrombie.

After the announcement, Schatz noted he would run for Senate in 2014 with hopes of serving the last 2 years of Inouye's term. He also announced he would seek the Senate seat for a full term in 2016.

The AP reports:

HONOLULU — Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz of Hawaii was appointed Wednesday to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced the appointment after receiving a list of three candidates from the state Democratic Party earlier in the day. The other candidates were U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Esther Kiaaina, a deputy director in the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Inouye died Dec. 17 of respiratory complications at the age of 88. He had sent Abercrombie a letter that day, saying he would like Hanabusa, 61, to succeed him.

"Sen. Inouye conveyed his final wish to Gov. Abercrombie. While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the governor's decision to make," Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's chief of staff, said in a statement. "We wish Brian Schatz the best of luck."

Schatz will serve until an election is held in 2014. Had Hanabusa been appointed, a special election would have been needed to fill her seat.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had urged Abercrombie to name Inouye's successor before the end of the year. Schatz could be sworn in as early as this week, which would make him Hawaii's senior senator heading into the new Congress, which begins Jan. 3.

Sen. Daniel Akaka is retiring at the end of this Congress, after 22 years in the Senate. Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono was elected in November to succeed him.

Schatz, 40, is a former state representative and a former chairman of the state Democratic Party. He also was a leader of President Barack Obama's campaign in Hawaii in 2008.

In making his case before the party's central committee Wednesday, he said he understood the importance of seniority in the Senate and said that if he was appointed, he would strive to make serving in the Senate his life's work.

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