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The following is political activity for Wednesday, June 29, 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. The House is not in session.
  2. House allows members to Skype  -  House members and staff will now be allowed to use online video-chatting tools Skype and ooVoo, ending a prohibition that House Republicans have been on a yearlong crusade to reverse. (Politico)

IN THE SENATE

  1. The Senate convenes at 9:30am.  Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for one hour with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority controlling the final half.
  2. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.679, the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act.  At approximately 11am, the Senate will conduct up to 4 roll call votes.
  3. Following disposition of S.679, the Senate will proceed to consideration of S.Res.116, a resolution to provide for expedited Senate consideration of certain nominations subject to advice and consent.
  4. Both sides square off as Senate hearing weighs DREAM Act  -  Ten years after the DREAM Act was first proposed on Capitol Hill, the Senate held its first-ever hearing Tuesday on the stalled measure that would provide a pathway to citizenship for children illegally brought to the United States. (Houston Chronicle)

OTHER NEWS

  1. Obama highlights manufacturing revival, jobs in Iowa  -  The president visits an Alcoa plant to draw attention to the addition of private-sector jobs. His subdued optimism is tempered by his acknowledgement that too many Americans remain jobless. (Los Angeles Times)
  2. Justices who will shape Supreme Court’s future are matching pairs  -  The Supreme Court term that ended Monday lacked the blockbuster decisions of years past, but appeared to make one thing clear: George W. Bush and Barack Obama got what they hoped for when they nominated the justices who will shape the court’s future. (Washington Post)
  3. Future of federal solar programs in doubt  -  The solar power industry is facing a double threat from a Congress that may turn off the flow of federal subsidies and take a pass on mandating renewable-energy standards that would increase demand. (USA Today)
  4. In Washington, Rifts Over Libya Exposed  -  Tension between President Barack Obama and war skeptics on Capitol Hill spilled into the open Tuesday, as senators from both parties rejected the administration’s contention that it doesn’t need Congress’s permission to continue the military campaign in Libya. (Wall Street Journal)
  5. President, GOP hopefuls descend on Iowa as pivotal straw poll draws near  -  With a key test of the GOP presidential field just over a month and a half away, candidates are descending on Iowa this week to sharpen their appeal to voters in the first caucus state. (The Hill)

FEDERAL GRANT OF THE DAY

  • Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood Grants- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) is announcing the solicitation of applications to award demonstration projects that support ” …activities promoting responsible fatherhood” as enacted by the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-291).Grants awarded under this Funding Opportunity Announcement will support projects with organizations that have the capacity and proven track record of helping low-income fathers. Projects should be designed to develop a broad approach to overall case management and support services. Additionally, projects should be designed to help fathers build mutually supportive and long-lasting relationships with their children, the mothers of their children, and help fathers overcome barriers to economic self-sufficiency. For more information, see HHS.

TODAY IN HISTORY

  • June 29, 1995- On this day, the shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.

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