It was an eventful week on Capitol Hill, as Congress returned from its August recess and dug into a series of spending bills that must be completed by the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. The nutshell versions of the major bills that received action are below and the links go to their full Congresspedia [3] articles. Remember, Congresspedia is a wiki, so if you would like to add to these articles or record your representatives' votes, head on over and click "edit":

• The Senate passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act [4] in a vote of 92-1, directing spending for DoD medical and construction expenses, Veterans Affairs construction, administration, and medical programs, and some national and international agencies. The Senate also added a variety of amendments to the bill, including one to spend $100 on improving security at national political conventions.
• The Senate also passed the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act [5] for fiscal year 2008, adding amendments to promote transparency in foreign governments and aid organizations and to bring aid to victims of human rights violations.
• The conference report on the College Cost Reduction Act [6] was agreed to in a vote of 79-12 in the Senate, which paved the way for its expected passage in the House. The bill would reduce subsidies for lenders of student loans and put that money into new grants for students as well as increasing eligibility and funding for old grants.