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Oil Money for Conservation? |
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Written by JOSEF HEBERT
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Monday, 25 December 2006 |
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House Democrats in the first weeks of the new Congress plan to establish a dedicated fund to promote renewable energy and conservation, using money from oil companies. That's only one legislative hit the oil industry is expected to take next year as a Congress run by Democrats is likely to show little sympathy to the cash-rich, high-profile business. Whether the issue is rolling back tax breaks - some approved by Congress only 18 months ago - pushing for more use of ethanol and other biofuels instead of gasoline, or investigations into shortfalls in royalty payments to the government, oil industry lobbyists will spend most of their time playing defense. |
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Ailing Senator Shows Progress |
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Written by AP
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Sunday, 17 December 2006 |
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Sen. Tim Johnson has shown significant improvement after brain surgery and doctors say "everything is going to be just fine," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Sunday. Yet when asked whether the 59-year-old South Dakota Democrat was conscious, Reid said in a television interview: "I'm not a doctor. I have heard and talked to his family. You should talk to them. It's not appropriate to talk to me about that." Reid, who has visited Johnson frequently after the surgery Wednesday following a brain hemorrhage, said "he's doing very well. ... His improvement has been significant." |
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Congress: Tax Cuts and No Budget |
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Written by AP
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Saturday, 09 December 2006 |
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In its last hours of GOP control, Congress passed a raft of bills big and small, most significantly a sweeping bill reviving expired tax breaks, extending trade benefits for developing countries and protecting doctors from a big cut in Medicare payments. The Senate cleared the bill for President Bush's signature early Saturday by a 79-9 vote. Final adjournment followed after the House and Senate cleared away a bevy of other legislation, including bills reauthorizing health research programs at the National Institutes of Health and an overhaul of fisheries management. |
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House Leaders Negligent |
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Written by JEFF ZELENY
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Friday, 08 December 2006 |
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The House ethics committee said Friday that a nine-week investigation into former Representative Mark Foley’s conduct had found that Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and other Republican leaders were negligent in not shielding teenagers from inappropriate advances by Mr. Foley. But the panel also concluded that neither Mr. Hastert nor other officers of the House had violated any House rules, and recommended no sanctions for their failure to stop Mr. Foley’s conduct. The bipartisan report, released in the waning hours of the Congressional session, concluded that “political considerations played a role” in some of the decisions made by lawmakers or their aides after learning about Mr. Foley’s contacts with former Congressional pages. |
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Dems Pledge Open Gov't |
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Written by LARRY MARGASAK
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Friday, 10 November 2006 |
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On Day 1 of the next session of Congress, newly empowered Democrats are promising restrictive rules to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation." The city's veteran lobbyists know what to expect on Day 2: requests for political donations from the Capitol's new stewards. Ethics watchdog groups are hopeful as incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., readies the Democrats'"Honest Leadership and Open Government" initiative for opening day in January. The plan includes a list of changes designed to clean up what the party calls "a culture of corruption" in Washington. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 November 2006 )
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