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The following is political activity for Friday, March 4, 2011, 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

  1. No votes are scheduled in the House.
  2. House passes 1099 repeal bill  -  It’s incredibly rare that the White House, Senate and House are in fierce agreement over an issue: health reform’s 1099 tax-reporting requirements ought to be repealed. (Politico)

IN THE SENATE

  1. The Senate convenes at 10:00am with morning business; senators will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.
  2. There is a 1:00pm filing deadline for all first degree amendments to S.23, the America Invents Act
  3. There will be no roll call votes during Friday’s session.
  4. Sessions ‘flabbergasted’ by increase in Obama transportation budget  -  Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) took Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to task Thursday for the Obama administration’s call for a massive increase in transportation spending.   (The Hill)

OTHER NEWS

  1. White House agrees to $6.5B more in budget cuts  -  Their opening volleys behind them, the White House and tea party-backed Republicans in Congress still face a gaping disagreement over how much to immediately cut from domestic programs over the next six months as a down payment on out-of-control budget deficits. (AP)
  2. Ruling won’t stand in way of healthcare reform implementation  -  The healthcare law can continue to be implemented, says a Florida judge who earlier ruled the law unconstitutional. Judge Roger E. Vinson has backed an Obama administration request to stay his ruling while the law is reviewed by appellate courts. (Los Angeles Times)
  3. GOP Aims to Tame Benefits Programs  -  House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he’s determined to offer a budget this spring that curbs Social Security and Medicare, despite the political risks, and that Republicans will try to persuade voters that sacrifices are needed. (Wall Street Journal)
  4. Budget crisis forces states to spend creatively: Duncan  -  With some states taking a budget-cutting ax to public school funding, the U.S. education department on Thursday offered some guidance on finding and spending federal money flexibly. (Reuters)
  5. New governors may outshine White House hopefuls  -  What’s wrong with this picture? While half a dozen current and former Republican governors weigh bids to challenge President Barack Obama, the party’s lightning and thunder are coming from a different handful of governors, who threaten to overshadow those potential candidates. (AP)

FEDERAL GRANT OF THE DAY

  • Enhanced Transitional Jobs Demonstration (ETJD)- The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $40 million in grant funds authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 to support successful applicants in providing enhanced transitional jobs (ETJ) programs, as well as other activities and services, to increase the workforce participation of low-income, hard-to-employ populations, specifically non-custodial parents and/or ex-offenders reentering their communities. ETA intends to fund grantees proposing to implement ETJ program models that go beyond transitional jobs (TJ) programs currently operating or tested previously. For more information, see Department of Labor.

TODAY IN HISTORY

  • March 4, 1789- On this day, the Constitution of the United States of America went into effect as the first Congress met in New York City.

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