The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It is courtesy of Scott Wilk, Community Organizer, and Anchor Consulting group. The Beacon will be posting these daily as they become available.

IN THE HOUSE

• The House is not in session.
• House panel may revive Armenian genocide resolution  -  The measure, which risks offending Turkey, a U.S. ally, is being handled more cautiously after the 2007 effort, when it appeared headed toward approval. (LA Times)

IN THE SENATE

• The Senate convenes at 2:00pm with morning business until 3pm; senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.
• At 3:00pm, the Senate will begin consideration of H.R.4213, Tax Extenders.
• There will be no roll call votes on Monday, March 1.
• In Senate, a Renewed Effort to Reach a Consensus on Financial Regulation  -  When Christopher J. Dodd announced in January that he would not seek a sixth term in the Senate, he called reform of financial regulation, along with health care, “the two most important issues of our time,” and pledged to spend his last year in Congress “fully focused” on his legislative duties. (NY Times)

OTHER NEWS

• Pelosi Confident on Health Vote  -  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday expressed confidence she will have enough votes to pass a health overhaul, but acknowledged it could come at a political cost to lawmakers who back the measure. (WSJ)
• Obama focuses on school dropouts  -  President Barack Obama will offer $900 million in grants to states and school districts to turn around low-performing schools – but recipients would have to take drastic action, such as replacing principals, reopening schools as charter schools or closing them outright. (Wash Post)
• Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Foiling E.P.A.  -  Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act’s reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law, according to interviews with regulators. (NY Times)
• A federal effort to lead ‘green’ technology  -  Half a century ago, after the Soviet Union jolted Americans by sending Sputnik into orbit, the Defense Department launched a little-noticed program designed to help the United States leapfrog the frontiers of technology by doling out millions of dollars for research on radically new ideas. (LA Times)
• RFK’s grandson decides against run for US House  -  Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of a former congressman and the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, said Sunday he had decided against running for the U.S. House from Massachusetts this year. (AP)

FEDERAL GRANT OF THE DAY

• Community-Based Partnerships for Childhood Obesity Prevention and Control- The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the NICHD is to enhance childhood obesity research by fostering the formation of local, state, or regional teams consisting of researchers, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., community representatives, public health practitioners or officials, educators) in order to identify research questions and hypotheses, design and implement the relevant research, and translate the research into evidence relevant to potential policy efforts in this area.  For a list of eligible applicants and more information, see NIH. Application deadline: May 7, 2012

TODAY IN HISTORY

• March 1, 1872- On this day, the world’s first national park – Yellowstone National Park – is established by Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Source and thanks to www.anchor-consult.com / For more information or to opt-out of this list, contact Anchor Consulting at 703-333-6013 or beacon@anchor-consult.com