OR-Sen: Jeff Merkley (D) To Give Opening Keynote At Netroots Nation 2013

DailyKos:

If you're attending Netroots Nation, you're in for a treat: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) will give the opening keynote address at the Netroots Nation conference next month in San Jose, Calif., according to an email shared with The Huffington Post that will be sent out later Thursday. The gathering is the year's biggest event for progressives, bringing together activists, politicians and bloggers. It will be held from June 20-23. "I first attended Netroots Nation in 2008 as a candidate for Senate and I knew immediately that I was among friends and allies," Merkley wrote in the email. "The people who fill the halls of Netroots Nation are fighting in their communities for the same things I fight for in the halls of the United States Senate: a strong middle class, a sustainable future and a fair and equal society for all." - Huffington Post, 5/23/13

So be sure to check out Merkley's speech if you'll be attending.  Also, Merkley has been pushing to get the Employee Non-Discrimination Act.  Looks like action on that may happen a little bit later than expected: http://www.buzzfeed.com/...

LGBT advocates — who faced a setback this week when the Senate kept protections for same-sex couples out of immigration reform — will have to wait until after the Fourth of July holiday to see any action on another top priority: a bill to ban workplace discrimination against LGBT people. “I’ve got a couple, three things on my agenda right now. I think we’re going to do ENDA probably after the Fourth of July break,” Sen. Tom Harkin, the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that is considering the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, told BuzzFeed this week. Supporters had hoped to see the bill move out of the committee by June at the latest. At ENDA’s introduction, the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, had told BuzzFeed that he hoped to have the bill marked up in May or June. Merkley’s office had no comment on Harkin’s statement, but a spokesman noted that the bill already has support from 46 co-sponsors, plus Reid’s support, and that they remain optimistic the bill will be heard on the Senate floor this year. - BuzzFeed, 5/23/13

Meanwhile, Merkley is getting more press for leading the effort to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act: http://www.nydailynews.com/...

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is seeking to introduce an amendment to the upcoming farm bill that would overturn protections given to Monsanto and other producers of genetically modified seeds. Anonymously slipped into a spending package in March that averted a government shutdown and signed into law by President Obama, the “farmer assurance provision” limits the ability of judges to stop Monsanto or the farmers it sells genetically modified seeds from growing or harvesting those crops even if courts find evidence of potential health risks. “The Monsanto Protection Act is an outrageous example of a special interest loophole,” said Merkley said in a press release. “This provision nullifies the actions of a court that is enforcing the law to protect farmers, the environment and public health. That is unacceptable.” The provision has sparked outrage among consumer groups, and Merkley’s own constituents voiced their opposition during a recent trip back to Oregon. “Farmers from Southern Oregon were especially worried about cross-pollination and losing the right to ship their crops overseas,” Merkley spokesperson Jamal Raad told the Daily News. - New York Daily News, 5/22/13

If you haven't signed Merkley's petition calling for Congress to repeal the Monsanto Protect Act, please do so here: http://www.jeffmerkley.com/... And how about donating to his re-election campaign while you're at it: https://secure.actblue.com/...

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