By Bill

House of Representatives passes private bill for Hotaru Ferschke

All that needs to be done is for President Obama to sign the legislation.

The U.S. House passed a bill today allowing a young Japanese widow to honor her fallen Marine husband’s wishes and raise their toddler son in East Tennessee.

The measure, approved unanimously, grants permanent residency status to Hotaru “Hota” Ferschke.

Hota Ferschke is the widow of Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke of Maryville, who was killed in Iraq in 2008.

The bill now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Declared dead just last week, the bill was brought back to life after supporters led by U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, found a loophole that allowed the vote to proceed.

Ferschke has been trying for two years to honor her deceased husband’s wishes and move to East Tennessee with their son, 22-month-old Mikey Ferschke.

The legislation, known as a private bill, already had passed the U.S. Senate but stalled in the House last week when U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, insisted it be vetted by a committee.

But Duncan found a way to get around Sensenbrenner’s objections and bring the bill directly to the floor for a vote.

In the Senate, lawmakers inserted standard language into the bill indicating it would not impact the federal budget. The addition of that language meant that, under House rules, the measure was technically no longer a “private” bill and could not be blocked by a single lawmaker, said Duncan’s spokesman, Patrick Newton.- Knoxville News Sentinel

Where was that piece of shit James Sensenbrenner today? Why wasn’t he demanding the bill be vetted by his committee? Because he is an absolute moron who may have realized idiotic he was appearing by holding up a bill that had the approval of the rest of the United States Congress.

Thank you Congressman Duncan, Senators Webb, Corker, and Alexander, for fighting for what is right.

I feel a sense of victory after over two years of fervently pounding this subject on this blog and other places. There have been few issues I’ve felt so strongly about. Right now I am mostly happy for the Ferschke family. Robin who struggled so hard for her daughter-in-law, Mikey who will now live with his mother in the country his father died for, and finally Hota who can fufill her husband’s wishes. God bless them.