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The following is a roundup of political activity going on in Washington and across the nation. It’s 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 10:30 p.m. for morning hour, proceeding to legislative business at 12:00 p.m.
  • Unlimited “One Minutes” Per Side
  • Senate Amendments to H.R. 1388 – Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (Rep. McCarthy (NY) – Education and Labor) (Subject to a Rule)
    1. H.Res. 279 – Providing for the expenses of certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One Hundred Eleventh Congress. (Rep. Brady (PA) – House Administration) (Subject to a Rule)
  • The following votes will be considered under suspension
    1. H.Res. 290 – Honoring the lives and mourning the loss of Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, Sergeant Daniel Sakai, and Officer John Hege, Members of the Oakland Police Department in California who were brutally slain in the line of duty (Rep. Lee (CA) – Judiciary)
    2. H.R. 985 – Free Flow of Information Act of 2009 (Rep. Boucher – Judiciary)
    3. H.R. 1029 – Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2009 (Rep. Hill – Judiciary)
    4. H.R. 838 – Miami Dade College Land Conveyance Act (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen – Judiciary)
    5. H.Con.Res. 54 – Permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust (Rep. Waxman – House Administration)
    6. H.R. 151 – Daniel Webster Congressional Clerkship Act of 2009 (Rep. Lofgren – House Administration)
    7. H.R. 1299 – Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009 (Rep. Brady (PA) – House Administration)
    8. H.Res. 282 – Recognizing the 30th anniversary of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel (Rep. Fortenberry – Foreign Affairs)
    9. H.R. 1253 – Health Insurance Restrictions and Limitations Clarification Act of 2009 (Rep. Burgess – Energy and Commerce)
    10. H.R. 1259 – Dextromethorphan Distribution Act of 2009 (Rep. Upton – Energy and Commerce)
    11. H.R. 577 – Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 (Rep. Gene Green – Energy and Commerce)
  • With the budget process already underway, the House Appropriations Committee has a full slate of hearings today:
    1. Hearing – Defense Subcommittee
    2. Army Aviation: 9:30 AM, H-140 The Capitol
    3. Hearing – Agriculture Subcommittee
    4. Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA: 10:00 AM, 2362-A Rayburn
    5. Hearing – Financial Services Subcommittee
    6. Federal Trade Commission: 10:00 AM, 2358-A Rayburn
    7. Hearing – Homeland Security Subcommittee
    8. Rail and Transit Security, Aviation Security Efficiency: 10:00 AM, 2362-B Rayburn
    9. Hearing – Interior and Environment Subcommittee
    10. The Arts: 10:30 AM, 2359 Rayburn
  • Today, House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-MA) are expected to unveil a 600-page, four-part, energy and climate strategy in advance of the hearings and markups that will precede a comprehensive bill designed for the committee to pass by Memorial Day.

In the Senate:

  • The Senate convenes at 10:00 a.m.
  • Resume consideration of S.Con.Res. 13, the concurrent budget resolution.
  • The Senate began its fifty hours of debate over the budget resolution yesterday, with Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) showering praise on the resolution, while Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made an impassioned case against it.

Other News

  • President Obama traveled to Capitol Hill yesterday to meet with lawmakers and to urge “them to remain united behind the House’s $3.5 trillion spending plan, saying its approval would provide momentum for more difficult fights to come over major policy changes he has promised.” (NYT)
  • While also calling on the United Auto Workers “to make even bigger concessions on a new wage and benefits contract and health benefits for retirees,” the White House “delivered an ultimatum to General Motors and Chrysler on Monday, telling them to adopt radical changes in short order or face bankruptcy…In the end, the president decided to throw the companies a short lifeline. He gave G.M. 60 days and Chrysler one month to avert bankruptcy and restructure on their own.” (NYT)
  • However, this “sweeping plan to reshape General Motors Corp. makes it increasingly likely that the struggling carmaker will enter bankruptcy.” (LAT)
  • Despite continued economic woes, President Obama continues to enjoy high approval numbers. “The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since Barack Obama’s election, and the public overwhelmingly blames the excesses of the financial industry, rather than the new president, for turmoil in the economy, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.” (WaPo)
  • “With the crucial first sit-down between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev just days away, the dialogue between Washington and Moscow has been brimming with optimism about the potential for a far less chilly, far more productive relationship between the countries.” (Chicago Tribune)
  • “Tim Kaine, the Virginia governor and President Barack Obama’s hand-picked choice as the head of the Democratic National Committee, infuriated abortion-rights groups Monday by signing legislation…that allows Virginia motorists to advertise their anti-abortion views by sporting ‘Choose Life’ specialty license plates.” (Politico)

Today in History

  • On March 31, 1995 Major League Baseball players went back to work after the longest strike in baseball history ended. Because of the strike, the 1994 World Series was cancelled; it was the first time baseball did not crown a champion in 89 years.

Source and thanks to www.anchor-consult.com