Chris Van Hollen

A top House Republican says passage of the health care bill shows that Democrats didn't get the message from voters last week and in summer town-hall meetings. The No. 3 House Republican, Indiana's Mike Pence, says Democrats are putting their liberal, big government agenda ahead of the American people. The Democrat who is overseeing the party's House races, Maryland's Chris Van Hollen, says the passage of the health care bill was a signal to voters. The message, Van Hollen says, is that Democrats are fixing the health care system and working to bring down costs. Pence and Van Hollen appeared on "Fox News Sunday." Read Full Story

Mandatory DNA profiles of at least 12,000 Wisconsin felons are missing from a statewide database, according to an audit released Wednesday. The audit was conducted after officials discovered no DNA was on file for a convicted felon now suspected in a string of Milwaukee killings. Investigators have since found that a sample was submitted in Walter E. Ellis' name, but the DNA and fingerprint belonged to a different inmate, said Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. "A sample appears to have been collected by (the Wisconsin Department of) Corrections from the wrong person," Van Hollen said in a statement. The other inmate may have ... Read Full Story

Wisconsin's attorney general said Friday he will not defend a new law that grants same-sex couples spousal benefits such as hospital visitation and inheritance, saying lawmakers went against voters' decision not to extend such privileges. "When the people have spoken by amending our Constitution, I will abide by their command," said Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who believes the law is unconstitutional. "When policy makers have ignored their words, I will not." The law, which took effect Aug. 3, allows gay and lesbian partners to receive dozens of the same legal protections as married spouses. So far, 413 couples have been added to the ... Read Full Story

Many of us in the tax industry are confused this morning, because of a $24 billion bio-fuel tax credit that was added to a health care bill making it’s way through Congress. The modification was made recently, but there already dozens of bloggers who have spoken out about this fishy addition to the health care reform bill. You can read coverage on this developing story from The New York Times here and here , or checkout a segment below. A measure that could save the federal government $24 billion in bio-fuel tax credits over 10 years by restricting the eligibility of a controversial fuel ... Read Full Story

Freshman Rep. Bobby Bright won his seat in Congress by convincing conservative southeast Alabama voters that he wasn't a typical Democrat. Barely a week into his Washington career, he showed that he meant it. On a vote that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saw as a slam dunk for kicking off the new Congress, Bright opposed a bill named after an Alabama tire-factory worker that would ease restrictions for women challenging pay discrimination. A few days later, Bright voted against another Democratic rallying point, expanding health insurance for children of the working poor. Bright's rebellion against his party's agenda illustrates the trade-offs that Democrats face ... Read Full Story