Both the House and the Senate adjourned for the August recess at the end of last week, though not without some fanfare on the House side.  The Republicans on the House side, upset at not getting to vote on whether or not to permit more offshore drilling, staged a sort of talk-in; the House was officially adjourned, and the microphones and the CSPAN cameras were off, but the Republicans just kept on talking. 

The scene may be likened to a petty, publicity-driven adaptation of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. 

Congress is expected to be back in session on September 8.  In any event, here's a collection of what Congress worked on their last week.

For Government Workers

1.    As OhMyGov! reported to you last week, the House voted to credit unused sick leave in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).  This measure incentivizes federal employees to use their sick leave more sparingly, and not for vacation, resulting in a generally more productive workforce.  The Senate is expected to vote on the measure after returning from the recess.
 
2.    Before adjourning on Friday, the Senate passed H.R. 5683, the "Government Accountability Office Act of 2008".  The bill raises the average salary of GAO employees, creates an Office of the Inspector General in the GAO, and increases the number of analysts the agency may employ.  Overall, the bill would increase the scope and power of the GAO, if signed by the President.  There is no word yet if the GAO will publish an analysis on the bill that gives them more money and power.

3.    S. 2840, a bill introduced by Charles Schumer (D-NY), has passed out of committee for full debate on the Senate floor. The bill would "establish a liaison with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to expedite naturalization applications filed by members of the Armed Forces."  Essentially, the bill would make it faster and easier for green card carriers fighting in our armed forces to become full citizens. It's pretty clear to most that fighting for a country is a good standard for citizenship.

Innovations

1.    As reported by OhMyGov! last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to pass the "Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace Act," more commonly called the "HANG-UP Act."  The bill would ban in-flight cell phone use, though texting, email, and Wifi would remain unaffected. 

Any frequent flyer might recall that cell phone use is already banned during take off and landing.  The bill would make the ban for the entire flight federal law.

Just for kicks

1.    The Senate passed H. Con. Res. 318, which supports "the goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation."  Roughly translated, this resolution says, "Yeah, we don't like the smell of toilets either."

2.    The House passed a resolution expressing their support for the designation of August 2008 as "National Heat Stroke Awareness Month."  For anybody who has experienced an August living in the former swamp of Washington, D.C., this resolution might seem a little like saying one should be aware of the cold in Alaska.

3.    It would not be a productive week in Congress without a bevy of things to name and designate.  This week's tally: 5 Post offices, 2 Veterans Affairs buildings, and 1 courthouse.

4.    Finally, as the college football season is soon upon us, on Tuesday, the House honored University of Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow for winning the Heisman Trophy, albeit a timely eight months after he received the award.


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