The following is political activity for Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 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 convenes at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business.
• Last votes are expected at 8:00 p.m.
• One Minutes (15 per side)
• H.R. 5822 – Making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011 (Structured Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Edwards (TX) / Appropriations Committee)
• Suspensions (16 Bills):

1. H.R. 4692 – National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010 (Sponsored by Rep. Lipinski / Energy and Commerce Committee)
2. H.R. 5156 – Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act (Sponsored by Rep. Matsui / Energy and Commerce Committee)
3. H.R. 1875 – End the Trade Deficit Act (Sponsored by Rep. DeFazio – Ways and Means Committee)
4. H.Res. 1481 – Supporting the goals and ideals of “National Save for Retirement Week (Sponsored by Rep. Schwartz / Ways and Means Committee)
5. H.R. 1796 – Residential Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Sponsored by Rep. Matheson / Energy and Commerce Committee)
6. H.Res. 1499 – Honoring the achievements of Dr. Robert M. Campbell, Jr., to provide children with lifesaving medical care (Sponsored by Rep. Wasserman Schultz / Energy and Commerce Committee)
7. H.R. 2480 – Truth in Fur Labeling Act (Sponsored by Rep. Moran (VA) / Energy and Commerce Committee)
8. S. 1789 – Fair Sentencing Act (Sponsored by Sen. Durbin / Judiciary Committee)
9. H.R. 5751 – Fee on Lobbyists Act (Sponsored by Rep. Kilroy / Judiciary Committee)

10.  H.R. 5872 – General and Special Risk Insurance Funds Availability Act (Sponsored by Rep. Frank / Financial Services Committee)

11.  Senate Amendments to H.R. 5610 – Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act (Sponsored by Rep. George Miller / Education and Labor Committee)

12.  H.R. 5874 – Making Supplemental Appropriations for the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2010 (Sponsored by Rep. Mollohan / Appropriations Committee)

13.  H.R. 5875 – Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Border Security for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2010 (Sponsored by Rep. Price (NC) / Appropriations Committee)

14.  H.Res. 1558 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that fruit and vegetable and commodity producers are encouraged to display the American flag on labels of products grown in the United States, reminding us all to take pride in the healthy bounty produced by American farmers and workers (Sponsored by Rep. Cardoza / Agriculture Committee)

15.  H.R. 4658 – Benton MacKaye Cherokee National Forest Land Consolidation Act (Sponsored by Rep. Duncan / Agriculture Committee)

16.  H.R. 5669 – To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey certain Federally owned land located in Story County, Iowa (Sponsored by Rep. Latham / Agriculture Committee)

• Special Orders
• Rep. Rangel explores possible deal in ethics case  -  A second House Democrat called on Representative Charles Rangel to resign on Tuesday while the lawmaker raced the clock to see if a deal could be reached to settle ethics charges against him. (Reuters)

IN THE SENATE

• The Senate convenes at 9:30am; following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business for 1 hour with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the Majority will control the next 30 minutes.
• Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R.5297, Small Business Jobs bill.
• Reid unveils pared-down energy and oil bill  -  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled a draft of energy and oil spill legislation Tuesday, having to settle for a far less sweeping bill than the cap on carbon emissions he had hoped for. (AP)

OTHER NEWS

• States setting pace on school change; Obama agenda stalled in Congress  -  While states are moving fast to overhaul public schools, President Obama’s education agenda is hitting a wall in Congress. (Washington Post)
• Lawmakers Offer Bills to Address Spill Issues  -  House and Senate Democratic leaders introduced bills on Tuesday responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, with provisions to overhaul the federal regulation of offshore drilling, lift liability limits on companies responsible for damaging spills and funnel more money to spill-related research and restoration projects. (New York Times)
• Campaign-Finance Legislation Dead for Now   -  Senate Democrats on Tuesday failed to advance campaign-finance legislation that had been a top priority of President Barack Obama, falling short of the 60 votes needed to end a GOP filibuster. (Wall Street Journal)
• Obama pushes Congress to pass small business plan  -  President Barack Obama pushed the Senate on Tuesday to pass legislation he says will benefit small businesses and generate jobs, and called on Republicans to back what he described as a plan similar to programs they had supported in the past. (Reuters)
• Women to head GOP, Democratic tickets in Oklahoma  -  Oklahoma will have its first female governor this January. (AP)

FEDERAL GRANT OF THE DAY

• Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs)
• This FOA issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health, supports new and renewal applications for Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs) (centers of excellence in geriatrics research and training). Eligible applicants include public, private and state controlled institutions of higher education, for-profit institutions and others; for more information see NIH. Application deadline: October 21, 2010

TODAY IN HISTORY

• July 28, 2002- On this day, American cyclist Lance Armstrong won his fourth straight Tour de France.

Source and thanks to www.anchor-consult.com / For more information, contact Anchor Consulting at 703-333-6013