Q&A on the News

By Andy Johnston

For the AJC

Q: The Senate recently passed a bill on openness in insider stock trading for senators. The vote was 96-3. Who were the three senators who opposed the openness?

—Skip French, Cleveland

A: Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) were the three senators who voted against the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, also called the Stock Act. “It’s disappointing the Senate spent a week debating a bill that duplicates existing law and fails to address the real problems facing the country,” Coburn said at www.coburn.senate.gov. “The only way we can restore confidence in Congress is to make hard choices and solve real problems by doing things like reforming our tax code, repairing our safety net and reducing our crushing debt burden. Doing anything less will further alienate the American people, and rightfully so.” The act will “ban lawmakers from trading stocks based on information they pick up in the halls of Capitol Hill,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

Q: Did the Southern Center for International Studies go out of business? And what’s happening to its house on West Paces Ferry Road?

—Ben Shapiro, Atlanta

A: The Southern Center for International Studies has moved to its new location at Piedmont Center North in Buckhead, where the SCIS “will continue its mission to educate Americans about international issues,” according to www.southerncenter.org. Its former home at 320 West Paces Ferry Road – which is known as the Goodrum House and was designed by Philip Shutze -- was bought by the Watson-Brown Foundation for $3.5 million in 2009. The house was built in 1929. The Watson-Brown Foundation confirmed it is renovating the property.

Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).