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 not in session. 
  • House Democrats to Pursue Health Bill Changes -  House Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they would insist on changes to the Senate health care legislation to make coverage more affordable for middle-class Americans and to tighten control over the insurance industry. (NY Times)

IN THE SENATE

  • The Senate is not in session.
  • Grassley wants answers on handling, cost of ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program -  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to the Transportation Department on Tuesday to request a complete audit of the administrative costs for the “Cash for Clunkers” program. (The Hill)

OTHER NEWS

  • Democratic Sens. Dodd, Dorgan won’t seek reelection in fall -  Dorgan announces his decision; AP says Dodd will do so Wednesday. Their departures could complicate the party’s efforts to hold its strong majority. (LA Times)
  • Attempt to bomb airliner could have been prevented, Obama says  -  President Obama said Tuesday that U.S. intelligence agencies could have prevented the attempt to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day, and used a grim and forceful White House statement to demand rapid improvements in efforts to protect Americans from attack. (Wash Post)
  • Salazar to Toughen U.S. Drilling Rules  -  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is expected to announce Wednesday that his agency will require oil and natural-gas companies to clear more regulatory hurdles before they are allowed to drill on federal lands. (WSJ)
  • Obama’s Promise to Trim Deficit Is Growing Harder to Keep  -  President Obama is making final decisions on his budget for next year and is still promising to outline a path to substantially lower federal deficits. But on nearly every front, that goal has gotten harder since his first budget a year ago. (NY Times)
  • California leaders seek budget help from D.C.  -  California’s political leaders, who are facing the daunting challenge of closing an estimated $20.7 billion budget deficit this year, are looking to Washington for help. Just don’t call it a bailout. (SF Chronicle)

 GRANT OF THE DAY

  • National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers (Consumer and Consumer Supporter TA Centers) grants. The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance to facilitate the restructuring of the mental health system by promoting consumer directed approaches for adults with serious mental illnesses. Such programs maximize consumer self-determination and recovery and assist people with serious mental illness by decreasing their dependence on expensive social services and avoiding psychiatric hospitalization.

National Consumer and Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Centers is one of SAMHSA’s infrastructure grant programs. SAMHSA’s Infrastructure Grants support an array of activities to help the grantee build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health services. SAMHSA recognizes that each applicant will start from a unique point in developing infrastructure and will serve populations/communities with specific needs. Awardees may pursue diverse strategies and methods to achieve their infrastructure development and capacity expansion goals. Successful applicants will provide a coherent and detailed conceptual “roadmap” of the process by which they have assessed or intend to assess service system needs and plan/implement infrastructure development strategies that meet those needs. The plan put forward in the grant application must show the linkages among needs, the proposed infrastructure development strategy, and increased system capacity that will enhance and sustain effective programs and services.

As of February 2009, approximately 1.89 million men and women have been deployed to serve in support of overseas contingency operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk for suffering post-traumatic stress and other related disorders. Experts estimate that up to one-third of returning veterans will need mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and related services. In addition, the family members of returning veterans have an increased need for related support services. To address these concerns, SAMHSA strongly encourages all applicants to consider the unique needs of returning veterans and their families in developing their proposed project. For a list of eligible applicants and more information, see SAMHSA.

The closing date for receipt of applications under this announcement is February 19, 2010.

TODAY IN HISTORY

  • January 6, 1994- On this day, two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan was attacked and clubbed on her right knee.  It was later determined that she was assaulted by a man hired by Jeff Gillooly, the ex-husband of her rival skater Tonya Harding and that Harding herself had helped plan the attack.

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