Morgan Meguire News

On September 17, the Department of Health and Human Service Secretary Micheal Leavitt announced the release of $121 million in emergency LIHEAP funding to help offset home heating bills for low-income individuals.  A portion of the money - $96 million - will be distributed nationwide, while the remainder will go to states who ...

On September 18, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced legislation to ease tax laws restricting the ability of banks to purchase municipal bonds to help small municipalities raise cash for their infrastructure projects.  Under current tax law, banks are prohibited from purchasing bonds ...

The House and Energy Commerce Committee decided not to consider legislation last week (9/23) to give emergency powers to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to protect the nation's power grid against cyber-attacks to the electric grid.  The emergency authority would apply to users, owners and operators of the bulk ...

On September 26, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that they jointly requested last year.  Lieberman and Collins are the Chairman and Ranking Republican, respectively, of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The study found ...

After an unexpected, failed vote on the "financial bailout" bill, the House of Representatives adjourned for the Jewish holiday until Thursday, October 2, hoping that compromise on an economic rescue package can still be reached and enacted, post haste.    Also left unresolved is the fate of the energy tax ...

Congress has passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government at FY 2008 levels through March 6, 2009 and the President is expected to sign it.  The current fiscal year expires September 30, and no individual FY 09 appropriations bills have yet been approved. While most of the CR sets spending at FY 08 funding ...