Pat Roberts links (New York Times) Democrats Block a Vote on Bolton for the Second Time: With Mr. Biden and other Democrats holding firm in their demand for the White House to release information relating to Mr. Bolton, his future is unclear. “At this juncture, I think it’s a pretty tough climb,” said Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, who has tried to broker a deal with Democrats, when asked if he thought Mr. Bolton would eventually be confirmed. He added, “We tried our best and we failed.”(AP) Bush Faces Decision on Bolton Nomination: Some Republicans urged Bush to continue fighting for Bolton rather than appoint him on his own during the upcoming Senate break — a so-called recess appointment — for fear of sending a weakened nominee to the United Nations. ”That would not be in our best interest,” said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Such an appointment would only last through the next one-year session of Congress — in Bolton’s case until January 2007.(Washington Post) Democrats Block Vote On Bolton: Recess appointments allow a president to temporarily seat a nominee while Congress is out of session. They invariably ignite charges of partisan abuse, and Democrats complained bitterly when Bush used recess appointments to place nominees on federal courts in his first term. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), a Bolton supporter, said a recess appointment “would weaken not only Mr. Bolton but also the United States” because the international community would see the new ambassador as lacking bipartisan support.Sam Brownback links (The Hill) Bill would help ex-inmates reintegrate into society: The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet next week to address prison reform and will give special attention to difficulties faced by the 650,000 prisoners who reenter society each year after incarceration. … Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) has drafted a companion bill to the 2005 Second Chance Act, which was reintroduced in the House in April. He is still working with potential co-sponsors on the legislative language but could be ready to introduce it within the next two weeks, according to spokesman Brian Hart.(Bloomberg) GE, Honeywell Clash With Small Firms Jeopardizes Asbestos Fund A battle pitting General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc. and other big manufacturers against a group of smaller companies may jeopardize U.S. congressional approval of a $140 billion fund for asbestos- exposure victims. … One way to avoid a fight between the opposing factions in the business community would be reduce the total size of the trust, says Senator Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican. The $140 billion figure was agreed to last year by Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist and then-Democratic leader Tom Daschle, before negotiations broke down over other details of the legislation. Brownback says the fund doesn’t need $140 billion to pay all anticipated claims, citing a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimate that $113 billion would be sufficient. Dennis Moore links (Lawrence Journal-World) Proposed broadcasting cuts could affect area public stations A congressional plan to pull the plug on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would force Kansas stations to either spend less on programming or increase fundraising efforts, a station manager warned Monday. … “I’ve had 50 to 60 calls and probably 100 letters – almost all of them opposed to the cut,” said U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., who represents the eastern half of Lawrence. Moore said he would vote against the proposal when it reaches the House floor later this week. “I’ve been supportive of public broadcasting in the past, and I continue to be,” he said.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation here.