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RALEIGH — Yes, she may be a Democrat and she may be a U.S. senator, but Kay Hagan is waiting like the rest of us to hear what President Barack Obama has on his mind this week.

When asked what she hoped to hear from the president, the Greensboro Democrat refused to provide a prescription on health policy.

“I think we need to wait and listen to him,” Hagan said. “I think the key is, right now (in) the U.S. Senate, the Finance Committee is working hard trying to get Democrats and Republicans together to determine a funding mechanism on how we’re going to get a grasp on payment.”

Obama is scheduled to appear Wednesday morning at Broughton High School in Raleigh in an effort to boost the prospects for national health care reform.

Tickets for the president’s visit are all gone, by the way.

Polls show the public wavering on the idea of comprehensive health care reform, and North Carolina — represented by moderate Democrats like Hagan — is viewed as a potentially key battleground in the debate.

“I think it’s great he’s coming to North Carolina,” Hagan said. “I think it shows, one, the importance (of) our state. But I also think that people will get to hear firsthand from him what his ideas are on health care reform.”

Golden

Speaking of Hagan, she’s earned a bit of gold despite coming in second.

The U.S. Senate presents the “Golden Gavel” award to members who preside over more than 100 hours of Senate sessions during a single two-year session of Congress.

The vice president is technically the presiding officer of the Senate, but he’s rarely there save for ceremonial occasions and to break tie votes. That leaves the chore of refereeing debate over legislation to Senate members themselves. And since the task is considered an onerous one, it is generally left to junior members like Hagan.

“My time in the presiding chair has also allowed me to learn the finer intricacies of the Senate’s parliamentary procedure, and to learn more about my colleagues as they speak on the floor on the issues they care about most,” Hagan said in a statement.

As has been noted elsewhere, this is how the late Jesse Helms, a Republican, was said to have mastered the arcana of Senate procedure.

Military spouses

The spouses of those in the armed forces could maintain residency in their home state no matter where their husband or wife is posted under an amendment sponsored last week by Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican.

The amendment was added to the defense authorization bill on a voice vote. That measure has now passed the full Senate.

Currently, service members can remain residents of their home states even if they’re transferred to a base out of state. However, their spouses don’t have this right.

“This means that every time they move in response to military orders, they must change their license plates, voter registration and even file taxes in a different state than their spouse,” Burr said in a statement. “This just isn’t right.”

House votes

Among the recorded votes in the House last week:

* HR 2920: Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009. The law would require Congress to compensate for future tax cuts or spending increases with a corresponding cut in spending or tax increase. The measure is meant to enforce fiscal discipline upon members of Congress. A few programs or tax adjustments would be exempt from the rules.

The measure passed 265-166 and now goes to the Senate.

Democrats Brad Miller of Raleigh and Mel Watt of Charlotte voted for the bill.

Republicans Howard Coble of Greensboro and Virginia Foxx of Winston Salem voted against.

* An amendment to HR 3288 offered by Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas would have struck funding for the Hope VI public housing program from the Housing and Urban Development Department’s budget.

The program gives local governments funding to replace old-style housing projects with mixed-income neighborhoods. Hope VI grants have been used in Greensboro and High Point. The amendment failed 152-276.

Coble and Foxx voted for the amendment. Miller and Watt voted against.

Senate votes

Among the recorded votes in the Senate last week:

* An amendment to the defense authorization bill by Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, struck $1.75 billion for the F-22 fighter aircraft, shifting funding to other military operations. The program has been controversial, with even some military officers arguing the plane is not needed. The amendment passed 58-40.

Hagan voted yes. Burr voted no.

* Another amendment to the defense spending bill would have required states to accept concealed weapons permits issued by other states. The measure was favored by gun rights groups and opposed by gun control advocates. North Carolina currently has such reciprocity agreements with dozens of other states.

Although the amendment got a 58-39 vote in favor, it fell short of the 60 votes it needed to pass under Senate rules.

Both Hagan and Burr voted for the amendment.
 

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com