Sam Stein reports that Senate Republicans have given up their obstruction of Hilda Solis's nomination and that she will be given an up or down vote in the full Senate tonight:

Republicans in the Senate just agreed to unanimous consent on the California Democrat's nomination for the labor post, according to a labor source. That means that no cloture vote is needed and Solis will be confirmed should she get more than 50 votes. In short: she will be the next Labor Secretary.

Solis' nomination had been held up in committee and on the Senate floor due to a variety of factors, most recently tax liens her husband had failed to pay on his business. Labor allies, however, contended that the opposition was driven by her support of the Employee Free Choice Act -- a union priority that Republicans in the Senate staunchly oppose.

This is great news. Hilda Solis is a true champion of labor and a staunch supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act, whose defeat Republicans have signaled they will make a priority this year. Glad to see President Obama and Senate Democrats didn't blink in response to their delay tactics. While Republicans may have given up on this battle, don't think for a second they've given up on the war.

What Solis's confirmation also means is that the special election to replace her in CA-32 can get underway. One suspects that Governor Schwarzenegger will schedule it to coincide with the statewide special on May 19th. Candidates running to replace Solis include Board of Equalization member Judy Chu and State Senator Gil Cedillo.

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The AP is reporting that Rep. Hilda Solis, one of California's most progressive house members and great friend to labor and the grassroots, will be President-elect Obama's choice for Labor Secretary.

A labor official says Rep. Hilda Solis of California will be nominated as labor secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.

The Democratic congresswoman was just elected to her fifth term representing heavily Hispanic portions of eastern Los Angeles County and east L.A. She is the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants and has been the only member of Congress of Central American descent.

I agree with Juls at calitics. While this is a big loss for California, this is the nation's gain, as she will be a phenomenal champion for labor in President Obama's cabinet. Just to give you a taste of Solis's record -- and hence Barack Obama's commitment to labor by picking her -- according to Project Vote Smart, in 2007 Solis had 100% voting records with the interests of the AFL-CIO, SEIU, United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, to name just a few.

This is an interesting coda to Dave Dayen's post about California's rising influence nationally even as it flounders at home. He even had cited Solis as the "only woman who could fix California" as Governor. Clearly President-elect Obama had similar ideas about what Solis can do to the decimated US Labor department.

Update [2008-12-18 14:13:21 by Todd Beeton]:Watch Hilda Solis's passionate floor speech in support of The Employee Free Choice Act when it was up for a vote in 2007 (it passed easily in the House.) With Solis at Labor, this is a strong sign that Obama is serious about EFCA.

I rise in strong support as a family member from a strong union backgroud. My father was a shop steward for the Teamsters and my mother was a proud worker for the United Rubber Workers who worked tirelessly for 20 and 25 years. Without the help protection we received in retirement benefits I know myself and my seven siblings would not be where we are today.

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