Sep 6, 2007 4:49 pm US/Central
Senate Approves Funding For '08 Conventions
Washington, D.C. (AP) ―
-
-
The vote was 76-to-15. It passed as an amendment to a veterans-military construction spending bill. (File)
CBS
The Senate Thursday approved $100 million in security money for next year's Republican convention in St. Paul and Democratic convention in Denver, over objections from a conservative senator who said the cities should fund the security needs themselves.
The amendment to the veterans-military construction spending bill passed 76-15. Later, the Senate passed the overall bill, which now goes to negotiations to reconcile differences with the House version.
The amendment, by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., provides $50 million a piece for security costs for the two conventions.
Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., argued that when cities bid for conventions, they should be prepared to pay for the necessary security. Bunning asked rhetorically why the cities bid on the conventions.
"Did they bid to lose money?" he asked on the Senate floor. "Or did they bid to attract people into their states so they could make money on the convention?"
Coleman said that the conventions are terrorist targets and the federal government should pay for the security.
"This is clearly, clearly, clearly a federal responsibility," he said during the Senate debate.
"I urge my colleagues to ask themselves: What are the consequences of not providing this critical funding?" he added. "Frankly, I wouldn't want to be standing on the Senate floor a year from now saying I wish we had done more."
In a telephone interview, Coleman noted that Boston and New York both received $50 million for hosting the 2004 conventions. Both cities have "deeper pockets than we do," the native New Yorker said.
Coleman said he was optimistic that the bill would survive negotiations with the House and be signed into law.
"Our folks are committed to holding this up" in negotiations, he said.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who co-sponsored the amendment, said in a statement, "I stand behind Minnesota's first responders, ensuring they have every resource they need to serve and protect both Minnesotans and the thousands who will visit our great state in September, 2008."
-------
According to GOP.com, the Republican Party was born in the early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first Republican Party president.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
