Gun Control: Where Does Your Congressman Stand?

Patch contacted 10 newly elected representatives to find out what they plan to do to help curb gun violence in our country in the wake of last week's mass killing in Newtown, CT. Those who actually wanted to discuss the issue say it's time for a change.

When members of the 113th Congress take their seats in January, one of the top items on their agenda very well could be a new look at federal gun control laws. In the wake of the Newtown, CT, tragedy of one week ago today, President Obama on Wednesday set a January deadline for his administration to "create concrete proposals" to curb gun violence in the United States. Obama also called on Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 to "pursue the possibility of limiting high-capacity ammunition clips" and to "close a gun show loophole that allows people to purchase firearms from private dealers without a background check."  What will come of this renewed debate is yet to be seen, but what is certain is that …

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Patch on Politics

Bipartisan Backing for an Obamacare Play in Illinois

Durbin and Kirk support $150 million loan for SimpleHx • Few approve of Quinn • Convicts collect $2 million in unemployment • Poll: Biggert-Foster very close • State House candidate's domestic battery case dropped with scant attention.

One aspect of Obamacare is drawing bipartisan support — at least in Illinois. Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk both back an outfit called SimpleHx, which wants a $150 million federal loan to establish the state's first health insurance co-op under the president's federal healthcare law. The people behind SimpleHx met at Northwestern University last year while pursuing their MBAs, according to Modern Healthcare reporter Kristen Schorsch. SimpleHx is competing against four proposals, including one backed by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, a trade group founded in 1935 that represents more than 150 local hospitals and health care organizations. If the proposals are similar, in terms of promises to save money and …

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