Members marked up a series of seminal civil liberties bills, including H.R. 984, the State Secret Protection Act, and H.R. 3845, the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009. The USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 would amend and extend expiring USA PATRIOT Act and related provisions needed to combat terrorism, while at the same time better protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) made remarks from the Senate Floor urging the Supreme Court to permit live television coverage of its open proceedings.

House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke about health care legislation, expanding unemployment benefits and responded to reporters' questions.

House Republicans and others voiced opposition to health care legislation set to hit the House floor this weekend. The measure, crafted by the House Democratic leadership, is expected to get a vote before the Congress adjourns next week.

The Senate Environment Cmte. voted to send the climate change bill to the full Senate without Republican participation. The bill was voted out of committee 11 to 1 with Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) as the only Democrat against the bill.

A House Oversight and Government Reform Subcmte. on Federal Workforce held a hearing on generating revenue opportunities for the Postal Service titled “More Than Stamps: Adapting the Postal Service to a Changing World." Witnesses examined what steps the Postal Service has taken since Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.

Members marked up a series of seminal civil liberties bills, including H.R. 984, the State Secret Protection Act, and H.R. 3845, the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009. The USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 would amend and extend expiring USA PATRIOT Act and related provisions needed to combat terrorism, while at the same time better protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) was joined by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in a call for climate change and energy legislation. They talked about a letter from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsing efforts to craft a climate change bill. The Senate Environment Committee has begun work on Senator Kerry’s legislation without committee Republicans.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) chaired a House Judiciary Committee hearing to mark up a series of seminal civil liberties bills, including H.R. 984, the State Secret Protection Act, and H.R. 3845, the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009.

In June, Congress appropriated $7.65 billion for agencies to use to respond to the H1N1 "Swine" flu. The House Appropriations Cmte. examined how those funds are being used by public health programs and witnesses provided an update on the distribution of the vaccine.