• When the dog days of August arrived, Congress adjourned for five weeks, leaving a number of major bills hanging fire. Among them were legislation aimed at resolving energy problems. After the House voted to adjourn, a group of feisty Republicans stayed on the floor–no microphones and dimmed lights–and demanded that Democratic leaders come back and take action on energy legislation. Democrats declined. In the Senate, a bipartisan group known as the “group of ten” proposed a possible $84 billion compromise bill, but that did not sell. Democrats maintained that more drilling would create risky environmental problems and that energy companies fat with record profits were not exploring areas already open for drilling.
• As of August 1 there had been 3,449 bills and 651 resolutions introduced in the Senate, while in the House there were 6,831 bills and 1,417 resolutions introduced. The nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense released an analysis showing that to date the 110th Congress had passed only 260 laws, including 74 that renamed post offices. That number was significantly less than during any other session within the last decade. However, Congress did pass hundreds of resolutions–these should not be confused with laws–including recognizing soil as an “essential resource” and declaring a National Corvette Day.
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