Midway through Recess

Apparently I've even taken a recess from this blog, not to mention taking a bit of time away from D.C.

Work definitely is slower during recess, as even though some of us are here, many others who you may need information from are away. I'm making progress on my two legislative proposals, and sent both copies back to Leg Counsel for changes, line by line (what to delete, change and add). Fortunately, their workload must be slow, too, since I received the next version back with needed changes for both that same afternoon. I hope to meet with the L.D. (legislative director) tomorrow to discuss these ideas. If she supports, the next step is review by the Senator.

Discouragingly, not much legislative progress by Congress in general before this break. It seems the members were more interested in positioning themselves for the election by faulting the opposite party, rather than seeking compromise on key issues of the day. Fortunately, some members are resisting "legislating by poll results," as some of the electorate expresses opinions based on their immediate financial needs (e.g. gas prices), rather than what's in the long-term best interest of the country (e.g., alternative fuel sources).

And Dr. No (Senator Coburn) succeeding in thwarting some very good legislation by not removing his hold, and forcing the Senate to seek 60 votes to reach cloture, which it was unable to do. So we didn't see the Senate vote on mental health parity, and other important issues. In fact, other than naming post offices and designating special "months" (e.g., September as child awareness month), this is what the last few days of the Senate session looked like:

H. Con. Res. 398; A concurrent resolution providing for an adjournment or recess of the two Houses.

31-Jul S. 3001 On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 3001; National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009

31-Jul H.R. 4137 On the Conference Report Agreed to H.R. 4137 Conference Report; College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008

31-Jul H.R. 4040 On the Conference Report Agreed to H.R. 4040 Conference Report; CPSC Reform Act (consumer product safety)

30-Jul S. 3335 On the Cloture Motion Rejected Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S.3335; Jobs, Energy, Families, and Disaster Relief Act of 2008

30-Jul S. 2035 On the Cloture Motion Rejected Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 2035; Free Flow of Information Act of 2007

29-Jul H.R. 6049 On the Cloture Motion Rejected Upon Reconsideration Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider H.R.6049; Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008

28-Jul S. 3297 On the Cloture Motion Rejected Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S.3297; Advancing America's Priorities Act

28-Jul S. 3297 On the Motion Agreed to Motion to Instruct Sgt. At Arms; Advancing America's Priorities Act (this was to get the Republican Senators into the Senate Chamber to have a quorum to even vote on cloture, which they didn't want to do since they then would have a vote on bills they had to justify voting against to their constituents)

26-Jul S. 3186 On the Cloture Motion Rejected Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to the Consideration of S. 3186; Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act

In fact, pretty much all they agreed to was to adjourn for recess, although the House Republicans seem to be trying to force the Speaker to reconvene to debate energy policy.

Senate Democratic leaders just weren't able to reach those needed 60 votes to pass their renewable energy and tax "extender" bill, even though they negotiated Midwest flood relief, mental health parity legislation and other "sweeteners." Minority leaders were unhappy that amendments unrelated to energy were part of the package, that they were not allowed to offer their own amendments on these bills, and that some of the costs were not "offset" by other fiscal measures.

In addition, and similar to last year, all 12 annual appropriations bills won't be brought up for a vote. Leadership hopes to enact a continuing resolution in September that would fund the government until a new president and Congress take office next year.

With the Democratic Convention in Denver the last week in August, and the Republican Convention the first week in September in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the Senate won't reconvene until Sept 8th. And with the House members and 1/3 of the Senate running for re-election, not much legislative activity is expected after September.

Unfortunately, a legislative bill I was working on with two other offices about creating incentives for "green" mortgages was just introduced by another office (timing is everything). We were too late, or slow, on finalizing our idea. Now we'll see what other aspects of our bill we can still develop.

The APHA fellow candidates for 2009 had their in-person interviews today. It was delightful to meet the final candidates, and to learn that they found and read my blog (so that's Bill, my mom, and 3 candidates at least...). Each finalist was qualified and very different from one another, but I'm confident our selected candidate will be terrific.

Every now and then I come upon an interesting job opening. For anyone interested in a job advocating for public health research funding, see: www.researchamerica.org/careers

With recess, members and staffers (and lobbyists) head out of town, leaving the city quieter. This week is "restaurant week," with low prices for lunch and dinner, a great way to try that expensive restaurant in an affordable way. I have my eye on Ten Penh with a colleague tomorrow, and Circle Bistro with visiting spouse on Friday.

Museums also offer specials. The Museum of Crime & Punishment offered free passes to any Congressional member or staff this month, so I went. http://www.crimemuseum.org
Everything you want to know about Medieval times, colonial crimes, prohibition, and identity theft. Pretty interactive and fun. It's also the location for the America's Most Wanted studio.

Question: What crime did "Ma Barker" commit?