TheWeekInCongress (March 12-16, 2007)

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This past week was an active one in both the House and Senate, as a number of legislative proposals were taken up on the floor. For a summary of the issues which were debated and considered, we at Congresspedia will again turn to TheWeekInCongress, a project by Robert McElroy. His site is a great resource for citizens wishing to keep track of what their members are up to on Capitol Hill, and we urge you to check it out. This week, the following developments in Congress were covered:

• The Senate defeated a measure requiring President Bush to begin redeploying U.S. combat troops from Iraq and recommending a full withdraw by March 31, 2008. Two non-binding resolutions calling for the continued support of U.S. troops were passed.
• The House passed a bill providing greater federal government protections for whistleblowers, or those who reveal wrongdoing within an organization to either the public or those in positions of authority.
• The House passed a bill which imposes stricter disclosure requirements for donors to presidential library funds.
• The House passed a bill amending the Freedom of Information Act to make it easier for requesters of federal government documents to receive them in a timely fashion.
• The House passed the Accountability in Contracting Act, which is aimed at requiring stricter oversight over firms who receive federal government contracts (particularly “no-bid” contracts).