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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 in adjournment until 2:00 p.m. on February 2, 2009.
  • House Science Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) hailed the economic stimulus package passed by the House for its provision of $100 million in funds for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.  The funds would provide technology assistance to small businesses.
  • House Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Olver (D-MA) indicated that the House would likely abide by the Senate’s request that they hold off on the omnibus appropriations bill until the Senate can wrap up its work on the economic stimulus.

In the Senate:

  • Convenes: 9:30am
  • Morning Business with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.
  • In the wake of the economic stimulus package gaining no Republican votes in the House, Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) indicated that they would likely oppose the legislation.
  • Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) has outlined an oversight plan for the much-maligned economic bailout program, known officially as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or its acronym, TARP.  Included in Sen. Dodd’s plan would be a requirement that any company receiving TARP would have to refund the government any executive bonuses paid out since the program began.
  • Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) plan to seek stimulus monies for an air traffic control modernization plan that would transform the ground-based system to a satellite-based system.
  • Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) is seeking additional stimulus funds for the finance and the housing industries.

Other News

  • “Sweeping aside six years of scandal and crippling political infighting with a historic impeachment vote,” the Illinois State Senate removed Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) from office by a 59-0 vote yesterday. (Chicago Tribune)
  • Announcing that “the ordeal is over,” Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) was sworn into office as the Governor of Illinois after the removal of Mr. Blagojevich. (Chicago Tribune)
  • In a statement issued by the White House, President Obama said, “Today ends a painful episode for Illinois. For months, the state had been crippled by a crisis of leadership. Now that cloud has lifted.” (NYT)
  • “President Obama signed his first bill Thursday…The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.”  The legislation “makes it easier for workers to sue companies for pay discrimination and effectively reverses a 2007 Supreme Court decision that had given workers 180 days to file a lawsuit after the pay inequity allegedly first took place.” (USAT)
  • “Lawmakers voted 66 to 32, largely along party lines, to renew” the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) “and spend an additional $32.8 billion to expand coverage to 4 million more children. The expansion would be paid for by raising the cigarette tax from 39 cents a pack to $1.”  SCHIP is designed to benefit families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but cannot afford private health insurance. (WaPo)
  • Today, “Americans United for Change, a liberal group, will begin airing radio ads in three states Obama won – Ohio, Pennsylvania and Nevada – with a tough question aimed at the GOP senators there: Will you side with Obama or Rush Limbaugh?” (Politico)
  • According to some sources, “President Barack Obama is considering picking Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire as commerce secretary.”  If this were to happen, Democratic Gov. John Lynch would name Sen. Gregg’s replacement. If he selected a Democrat, and if Al Franken is ultimately seated in the U.S. Senate, the Democratic caucus would have a filibuster-proof 60 seats. (Reuters)

Today in History

  • On January 30, 1969, the Beatles played their final public performance, appearing on the roof of a London record store.

Source and thanks to www.anchor-consult.com