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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 9:00 a.m. for legislative business.
  • Possible Consideration of Senate Amendments to H.R. 3548 – Unemployment Compensation Extension Act (Sponsored by Rep. McDermott / Ways and Means Committee)
  • House Democrats pull together on health care  -  After six months of deal making, House Democratic leaders Thursday introduced a health-care reform bill that would expand coverage to almost all Americans and overhaul the insurance industry while asking the wealthiest taxpayers to pay much of the tab. (Wash Post)

In the Senate:

  • The Senate convenes at 10:00am with morning business; Senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.
  • There will be no roll call votes on Friday.
  • Senate panel takes up distracted-driving bill  -  A bipartisan bill introduced Wednesday would provide incentives for states to ban drivers 18 years of age and under from using their cell phones. (The Hill)

Other News:

  • Stimulus Fueled Much of Expansion  -  The U.S. economy would have turned in a far worse performance in the third quarter without help from the federal government. Now the question is whether growth can continue without that support. (WSJ)
  • Justices will scrutinize life sentences for youths  -  Cases of two Florida juveniles raise questions about penalty for non-homicide crimes (Wash Post)
  • Ethics Inquiries Into Lawmakers Surface via Security Breach  -  The House ethics committee announced Thursday that it would begin full investigations into two House members, Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson, but a security breach threatened to make public the names of many other members facing possible ethics inquiries. (NY Times)
  • Congress bucks Obama on spending cuts  -  The House and Senate approve a bill preserving funding for programs the White House had sought to eliminate. (LA Times)
  • The influence game: Bill Gates pushes education reform  -  Not content with shaping education directly through schools, the biggest player in the school reform movement has an eye on moving education policy. (USA Today)
  • Sputtering Economy Confronts N.J. Campaigns  -  In the final leg of New Jersey’s unpredictable governor’s race, both candidates are casting about for ways to save the state from financial doom as they confront the economic reality that will severely restrict the winner of Tuesday’s voting. (NY Times)

 Federal Grant of the Day:

  • EPA – ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM- Historically, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program (EJSG) is designed to provide funding for eligible applicants working on, or planning to work on, a project that addresses a local environmental and public health issue within an affected community.  The primary purposes of proposed projects should be to develop an understanding of environmental and public health issues and to identify ways to address these issues at the local level, and educate and empower the community. The long-term goals of the EJSG Program are to help build the capacity of the communities with environmental justice concerns and create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will continue to improve local environments in the future.

The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is January 8, 2010. For a list of eligible applicants and more information, see EPA

Today in History:

  • October 30, 1938- On this day, the Orson Welles radio masterpiece “The War of the Worlds,” aired on CBS. The live drama, which was made up of faux news reports, panicked many who tuned in; they thought that the portrayal of the Martian invasion was real.

Source and thanks www.anchor-consult.com / For more information, or to be removed from this list, contact Anchor Consulting, LLC at [email protected].