Democratic priorities
Democrats Demand Vote on Bill to Improve Grid
Tue Jul 20, 2004 12:39 PM ET

By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly one year after the power blackout that left 50 million people in the dark, frustrated Democrats began a push on Tuesday to get the Republican-controlled House to schedule a vote on legislation that would improve the U.S. electricity grid.

With time running out for Congress to pass a comprehensive energy bill, Democrats are demanding a vote on stand-alone legislation that would impose and enforce electric transmission reliability standards on U.S. utilities.

The Bush administration and Republican lawmakers insist that electricity issues can be addressed only in a larger energy legislation package that also includes billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil, natural gas and coal firms.

Republican priorities
Measure to Outlaw Flag Burning Advances in Senate
Tue Jul 20, 2004 01:33 PM ET

By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw the burning of the American flag won the approval on Tuesday of a Senate Judiciary Committee split largely along party lines.

Raised by some Republicans as a mark of patriotism this election year, the measure passed on a 11-7 vote and was sent to the full Senate for final congressional approval. While the Senate has repeatedly rejected such measures in the past, both sides predict a razor-close vote this time.

The Judiciary Committee's vote came a week after a divided Senate blocked a White House-backed bid to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, another issue Democrats have accused Republicans of pushing merely to rally their conservative base for the November elections.