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The article reports that U.S. Republican senators are still undecided on passing a bill that would authorize 700 miles of reinforced fencing along the Mexican border. The bill, which the House approved on September 14, 2006 was the most prominent of several incremental border-security measures that conservative leaders were seeking to pass before the election, after efforts to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation faltered amid intraparty disputes.

The article presents an update on the U.S. Congress as of July 2006. The House of Representatives failed to override President George W. Bush's veto of a bill that would expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The Senate approved more than $12 billion worth of flood-control projects of the Army Corps of Engineers. The House approved the U.S.-Oman free-trade agreement on July 20, 2006.

The article reports on the consideration being given by the U.S. House on a bill sponsored by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) that would reform the telecommunications law of the country. The bill allows telephone companies to easily compete with cable television providers. In spite of the approval of the committee, the legislation has been put on delay due to a jurisdictional dispute with the House Judiciary Committee.

The article reports on the conflict among Republicans over the enforcement of border security and the granting of citizenship for illegal immigrants in line with the passage of the immigration bill in the U.S. Senate. Majority Leader Bill Frist brought up his own border-security bill and made the broader immigration bill approved by the Judiciary Committee a substitute amendment. The committee bill would establish a guest-worker program for illegal immigrants and grant citizenship without having to first return to their home countries.

Reports on the decision issued by the U.S. House on a resolution calling for the country to withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO). Legislators who sponsored the resolution; Remarks from Representative Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) regarding the participation of the country in the WTO; Overview of the resolution.

Presents updates on the U.S. Congress as of January 29, 2005. Number of opposition votes to the appointment of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State; Amount of funds to be requested by the administration to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Forecast on the budget deficit in fiscal 2005.

Reports on the enactment of an increase in the statutory debt ceiling as well as the fiscal 2005 omnibus appropriations bill in the U.S. Congress. Warning given by Senator Robert Byrd, D-W. Va. on budget deficits; Letter sent by Joshua Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to appropriators.

Reports on the selection of U.S. Representative Porter Goss (R-Fla.) as the Central Intelligence Agency director and the approval of a bipartisan intelligence reform bill by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in September 2004. Number of Democrats who voted against Goss; Sponsor of the intelligence reform bill; Action to be taken by the Senate regarding the bill.

Reports on the approval of a federal transportation bill by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 24, 2004. Amount of the bill; Transportation bill preferred by the committee which was not sent to the House; Provision included by chairman Don Young, (R-Alaska), in the bill; Remarks from ranking member James Oberstar, (D-Minn.), on the funding issue.

Highlights the plans of U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) to pare back the energy bill in February 2004. Budget for the energy bill; Controversial provisions that will be removed by Domenici.

Provides an update on significant events in the U.S. Congress as of December 13, 2003. Reason for delaying the progress of the fiscal 2004 omnibus appropriations package; Ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act; Information on the Medicare expansion bill signed by U.S. President George W. Bush.

Reports the efforts of U.S. House-Senate appropriators to finalize appropriation bills for fiscal 2004. Bills that appropriators plan to merge into an omnibus package; Issues that affect the merger of the package.

Reports on the deadline set by the U. S. Congress to adjourn for the year 2003. Bills to be completed; Progress of several measures.

Reports on U.S. House-Senate negotiations on the Medicare prescription drug benefit legislation on November 4, 2003. Problems associated with the draft of the conference report; Concern over competition in the Medicare program.

Presents news briefs related to events in the U.S. Congress from November 12 through 14, 2002. Creation of a Homeland Security Department; Postponement of budget decisions until January 2003; Activities in bankruptcy reform and terrorism insurance.

Presents an update on various political and government issues in the U.S. as of September 28, 2002. Issues that delay the proposed establishment of a Department of Homeland Security; Projected losses in the airline industry by 2002; Provisions of two health care bills that were approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The article reports on the passage of bank and credit union regulatory relief by the U.S. House on September 27, gaining a 417-0 vote. It is now awaiting passage by the U.S. Senate. Under the Senate bill he authored, Senator Mike Crapo would require the U.S. Securities Exchage Commission to consult with banking regulators on banks' securities operations.

The article presents updates on the final passage of the fiscal 2007 Defense authorization bill in the U.S. Congress. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner were deadlocked over whether unrelated legislation should be attached. Hastert was insisting on attaching measures to the authorization bill that would strengthen security at federal courthouses and that would make it easier to detain and deport illegal immigrant gang members.

The article reports that Republican congressional leaders were looking to pass only two of the fiscal 2007 appropriations bills before adjourning. In the last week of August 2006, conferees on the Defense spending bill agreed to cut traditional defense accounts by $4 billion below the U.S. administration's request--after Republican moderates demanded more money for health and education--but conferees boosted the war-related supplemental bridge fund by $20 billion to $70 billion.

The article reports on the pending U.S. legislative bill that would expand energy production in the Gulf of Mexico. Senate proponents have emphasized the delicate compromise that was needed to get a limited offshore energy bill through their chamber in August 2006. But proponents in the U.S. House contend that their broader legislation, approved in June, promises to bring a lot more domestic natural gas and oil to the market.

The article presents an update on the maritime security legislation in the U.S. Congress. Negotiations were continuing late this week on a major maritime security bill, and it was unclear whether Congress would send the legislation to President George W. Bush before the November 2006 midterm election. In September 2006, Republicans and Democrats joined forces to pass amendments that would authorize $3.5 billion for mass transit security and $1.2 billion for rail freight and passenger security.

The article reports on the effort of Republicans to win the 2006 midterm elections by passing legislation that sets standards for the treatment of terrorism suspects. The bill will give U.S. President George W. Bush the authority he says his administration needs to effectively prosecute the war on terrorism.

This article reports that the U.S. Congress this week was poised to send President George W. Bush a renewal of the Perkins Act, a popular $1.2 billion-a-year program that funds high school and college classes in carpentry, business administration, nursing, and other career-oriented fields. The long-stalled reauthorization, last approved in 1998, moved with bipartisan support over objections from the Bush administration, which wanted to eliminate the program and use the money to expand the reading-and-math-focused No Child Left Behind Act in high schools.

This article reports that the U.S. Senate has approved a legislation on July 25, 2006 that would make it a crime to transport a pregnant girl across state lines for an abortion without her parents' knowledge. Although the Senate passed the bill easily, 65-34, Democrats moved to block Republicans from taking it to conference with the House. Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, complained that Republicans circumvented the legislative process. The Senate bill would make taking a pregnant minor to another state to skirt parental-notification laws on abortion punishable by fines and jail time. The House bill defines a national parental-notification law and requires a physician to notify a minor's parents 24 hours in advance of an abortion if the minor is a resident of another state.

This article reports on the move by U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R.-Ind. and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to unveil a proposal on July 25, 2006 that Pence described as a rational middle ground between the Senate-approved comprehensive bill and the House's border-security measure aimed at jump-starting the stalled immigration reform negotiation. Under their plan, once the president certifies that all mandated border-security measures are completed, a privately run guest-worker program would start in. Critics questioned the practicality of a program premised on inducing millions of people to return home.

This article states that House Republican leaders announced on July 26, 2006 that they would move to implement new rules on spending and earmarks in early September if a House-Senate conference committee fails to agree on a broader lobbying and ethics overhaul package by then. The House-passed lobbying and ethics bill would require earmark sponsors to be listed in appropriations bills and conference reports. Senate Republicans are also weighing plans for an earmark rules change, as well as possibly incorporating other provisions from the Senate-passed lobbying bill, such as a ban on gifts and meals and new disclosure requirements for grassroots and coalition lobbying.

This article states that U.S. Senate this week began floor debate on a bill intended to expand offshore oil and natural gas production, with final approval likely next week, before senators leave for the August 2006 recess. A cloture vote is set for July 31, and the bill's supporters expect to have the 60 votes needed to limit debate. The House passed a more sweeping offshore-production bill on June 29, and its sponsor, Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-California, opposes the Senate bill in its current form and wants to hold conference committee talks. The Senate bill, which opens 8.3 million acres for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, represents a deal between Republican leaders, Floridians, and other Gulf Coast senators.

This article states that Republican leaders hoped to complete a long-stalled pension reform conference report before the House adjourned at week's end for the August recess, but it was unclear at press time on July 27, 2006 whether their goal was within reach. The legislation -- passed by the Senate last November and the House last December -- would tighten the rules governing how companies fund their pension plans, in order to prevent businesses from defaulting on their promises to workers and dumping their pension plans on the already-troubled Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Key Republicans disagreed over whether to hitch to the pension conference report separate legislation to curb the estate tax and to extend various popular tax breaks.

A statement by U.S. Reresentative Tom Reynolds R-N.Y., the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is quoted in which he said that he is offering his take on a potential leadership matchup that hinges on Democrats taking back the House.

The article reports on health care bills proposed by Democratic and Republican members of the U.S. Senate. Among the health care issues the Democrats plan to amend are the Medicare prescription drug program and stem cell research. The small business health plan bill sponsored by Senator Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, will lower costs according to plan sponsors allowing small businesses to offer coverage to employees.

The article reports on a debate over the 2007 Defense authorization bill at the U.S. House. Representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) comments against the refusal of Republican members to discuss amendments to the bill proposed by Democrats. Included in the bill is an amendment from U.S. Representative Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) which requires the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct an epidemiological study on the possible impact of chemical weapons dumped in the ocean on local population.

The article reports on the criticism of U.S. Democratic Senate members on the nominations of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Terrence Boyle by U.S. President George W. Bush. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Kavanaugh for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C. Circuit. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) demands the withdrawal of Boyle's selection for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

The article reports on the skepticism of some U.S. congressional members to the nomination of General Michael V. Hayden to head the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) comments against the nomination. The domestic eavesdropping program of the U.S. National Security Agency which Hayden formerly headed may hinder his confirmation, according to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).