Senate Finance Committee leaders Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) are the hardest working members of Congress, according to the people who work with them on Capitol Hill — their fellow lawmakers, aides and other officials.

Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) came in third.

An array of experts answered one simple question: Who are the hardest-working lawmakers?  


Most, if not all, members of Congress work hard, but the Capitol Hill community was able to winnow down the 535 members to the 25 who, more than any others, work late into the night and yet also rise early the next morning to do the people’s business.  

The duties of a member of Congress are varied, ranging from appearing at local parades to responding to constituent mail to remaking the nation’s laws. Lawmakers, aides and officials looked beyond regular duties and point to those who are an effective advocate for their constituents and get their way legislatively. The resulting list is composed of members with patience, street smarts and fire in the belly.    

The list does not include the top House and Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), because it is a given that leaders work hardest. Of the 25 who made it onto the list, 12 are senators and 13 serve in the House. There are 14 Democrats (including nine committee chairmen) and 11 Republicans.

1. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). "I get paid by the year, and I try to earn my money," says Grassley, who was elected to the upper chamber in 1980. The 76-year-old senator sits on four heavyweight panels: Judiciary, Finance, Agriculture and Budget.   

After a three-mile jog at 5:30 a.m., Grassley arrives at the office at 7, where he continues to be one of the biggest playmakers under the Capitol dome. His work on government oversight remains consistent regardless of which party controls 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Grassley is one of only 28 senators in history to cast 10,000 votes, and he has not missed a roll call since 1993.  Grassley, whom Democrats are targeting this cycle, is known for striking bipartisan deals, but he and his counterpart on the Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), agreed to disagree this year on how to reform the nation’s healthcare system.  

2. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). Baucus, an avid runner who has spent endless hours flying around the fourth-largest state, took on the biggest challenge of his career when he pushed health reform to passage.   

“I can't remember anything I've relished more," he said.  

When at home in Montana, the Finance Committee chairman holds regular "workdays" featuring him spending a full day in a blue-collar job alongside constituents. Baucus is gifted at running hearings with a no-nonsense, quick gavel. Like Grassley, Baucus believes that compromise is not a bad word.  

3. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). Frank told The Hill he doesn’t have much free time these days. "This is the busiest time in my life since I was the executive assistant to the mayor of Boston [Kevin White] from 1968 to 1970,” Frank said. “And I'm 40 years older, so it's not as easy as it was then.”  

He will soon put the finishing touches on a massive financial regulatory reform bill that is expected to be signed into law. Frank has hinted he would like to end his career as a Cabinet member, but for the moment, the 70-year-old House member is clearly enjoying his time on Capitol Hill.  

Unlike most players inside the Washington Beltway, Frank does not have a BlackBerry and does not do business by e-mail. To get a brief respite from the frantic pace of lawmaking, Frank shuts off his cell phone at night.

4. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Dodd is not seeking reelection, but he is as relevant as ever. He helped pass an overhaul of health reform and is poised to do the same for financial regulatory reform.

Unlike many on this list, Dodd dealt with personal tragedies during the 111th Congress. His sister died of cancer last summer and his best friend in the upper chamber, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), died a month later. Dodd also was diagnosed with cancer, but he now says he is healthy.

In an interview with The Hill, Dodd astutely noted that few lawmakers know when to leave Congress, Dodd, 66, will depart on top of his game.

5. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). Because he is a senior leadership lawmaker, Kyl was initially excluded from this list. But an exception was made because his name kept coming up. Asked to name two or three of their hardest-working colleagues, Republicans mentioned Kyl more than any other senator.

Kyl said, "Being involved in so many big issues — it is really time-consuming.” He is one of the few senators who is regularly in the Capitol on Mondays even if there are no scheduled votes, and can often be seen carrying a huge pile of briefing books, papers and binders.  

"I spend all day Monday meeting with my staff preparing for the rest of the week. If I didn't do that, I'd be way behind the curve."  

6. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). Waxman is one of the most powerful lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He spends much of his time in Washington and no one seems to mind. Soon after securing the votes for climate change legislation on the House floor, Waxman was briefly hospitalized. But he hasn’t slowed down one bit. A close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.), Waxman says, "When you do something you enjoy, you just keep moving and doing the things you need to do."  

7. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). The former North Dakota Tax Commissioner is now the leading deficit hawk in the Senate Democratic Conference. Conrad knows tax and budget policy inside and out. As the chairman of Budget Committee, Conrad is at the center of every major issue and every piece of legislation emerging from Congress.  

8. Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.). Obey, the retiring chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is all business. No time for press conferences and silly questions from reporters. The third-longest-serving member of the House, after Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), is no backslapper. But you want him on your side in a conference negotiation.  

9. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Schumer is known for his fondness of press conferences, but he also gets the job done. With his cell phone perpetually attached to his ear, Schumer has mastered the art of being a workhorse and a show horse at the same time. The most powerful politician in the Empire State knows policy, politics, fundraising and the nuances of the legislative process. And he doesn’t shy away from controversy, as evidenced by his support for former Attorney General Michael Mukasey and his vow to tackle immigration reform.  

10. (tie) Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). It's hard to tell which one of the senators from Maine is more of a player, so they share this position. When the deals are being forged in the back room and the compromises are being struck, these two are there.   

12. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.). The former Ways and Means Committee chairman has been in the spotlight throughout this Congress for a myriad of ethics allegations. Even with all the controversy, he has not eased up on his work schedule. Rangel arrives at his office in the Rayburn Building at 8 a.m. and departs around 10:30 p.m. every weeknight. He tries to dedicate the second half of what is usually a 15-hour day to his Harlem constituents. "Being a chairman, I can't stop being the local congressman. I work all day with legislation.”  

13. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.). Becerra is on both the Ways and Means Committee and the Budget panel, but the hardest work he’s ever done was far from the halls of Congress — "Working road construction with my dad when I was in college,” Becerra recalls. "It may be busier on Capitol Hill, but hard work is what my dad did." The Los Angeles congressman has become friendly with members of the House maintenance crews. "I stay until the very wee hours, unfortunately. I have to walk out of the last open door at Longworth [House Office Building]. I have nothing to go back to at my condo, so I stay and work."

14. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Never has the issue of "lifting the debt from future generations" been addressed with more zeal. Though the "rising star" tag has been worn out when referring to Ryan, it’s also true. He is one of the best off-the-cuff speakers and possesses a stiff command of the details on the budget.   

15. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The breakneck pace at which the Senate Judiciary Committee moves is due to the legislative direction of its chairman, Leahy. He deftly moved the nominations of Attorney General Eric Holder and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor through the panel. Both attracted bipartisan support on the Senate floor. Next up for Leahy: the high court nomination of Elena Kagan.  

16. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.). The top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee said, "I believe in the Abe Lincoln quote: ‘Wherever you are, be a good one.’ ” According to several of his colleagues, Camp is a good one — and a good example of a consistently hardworking member.   

17. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.). In the last five years, Jones has signed his name more than 18,000 times on both pages of a two-page letter that has been sent to more than 9,200 people. The letters go to the immediate and extended families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.   

"I regret voting to give President Bush the authority to wage war in Iraq," said Jones, who calls signing the letters “penance” for his 2002 vote.  

Jones spends 45 minutes doing the family grocery shopping in Greenville, N.C., every Saturday, but the trips often turn into listening sessions with constituents. "I never want anybody to think I don't have time to listen to them. That's a major part of this job,” he said.  

18. Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.). Last Congress, Scott's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security held more hearings than the full Judiciary Committee. It’s on pace to do the same in the 111th. This Congress, Scott's racked up 235 co-sponsors, including 15 Republicans, along with 250 advocating organizations, on his crime prevention legislation, the Youth Promise Act. Scott is also often mentioned as one of the smartest members, which is part of the reason several Congressional Black Caucus colleagues urged President Barack Obama to consider him for the Supreme Court.  

19. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.). Pence recently has found himself traveling more to carry his party’s torch as chairman of the House Republican Conference, but like most members, he remains focused on his district.   

The possible 2012 presidential contender said, “I think every member of Congress works a lot harder than most Americans realize. You literally have two and maybe three full-time jobs."

No work on Sunday for Pence, however. That day is reserved for “church and family,” he says.  

20. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). Putting holds on legislation and constantly reminding everyone how much money the federal government spends takes a lot of time and energy. Though his colleagues grumble about the time they have to spend voting on his amendments, Coburn remains effective in not only getting his point across, but using Senate rules to slow down the institution when it is quick to spend taxpayer funds.  

21. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Feinstein is a force in the upper chamber, and she is unafraid to say what is on her mind. If Feinstein is not on board, your bill is in trouble. Unlike many on Capitol Hill, the chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee doesn’t spout off on every issue Congress is dealing with. In between briefings on terrorist threats facing the United States, Feinstein is also a major player on the Judiciary Committee.  

22. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Hatch can fire up the partisan rhetoric, but he also works well with Democrats. He is one of the few Republicans on Capitol Hill who has a strong legislative bond with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). That could hurt him, however, in his 2012 reelection race, in which he could face a primary challenge from Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).  

23. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). Wasserman Schultz is a multitasker. She is the chairwoman of the Appropriations Legislative Branch subcommittee, a chief deputy whip and a member of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. On top of that, last year Wasserman Schultz went public with her battle against breast cancer — after she beat it. The first Jewish congresswoman ever elected from Florida has three children and a bright future in the Democratic Caucus.

24. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio). The longest-serving female member in Congress, Kaptur represents an Ohio district hit especially hard by the ailing economy. She doesn’t bite her tongue when she believes her party is moving in the wrong direction.  

25. Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-Ill.). Johnson, who is constantly on his cell phone, is usually trying to reach one of his constituents. The centrist Republican said he spends “a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 hours a day” trying to connect to his more than 650,000 constituents. He added, "We generate a huge amount of constituent service doing this — maybe 10 times the average." That also means the ring tone on his cell phone — which is “The Final Countdown” by the group Europe — is heard a lot in the hallways of the House.

Seeds of industry planted by Brush Wellman five years ago blossomed on Monday as the company opened a new beryllium pebble plant at its Elmore facility.

The new $90.3 million, 51,045-square-foot plant creates 25 new jobs and helps the company retain more than 100 others.

Project manager Greg Gregory said the facility will take in a dusty-looking raw material from Utah that contains 1 percent beryllium and refine it at the new plant into beryllium pebbles.

Those pebbles will be transported to other buildings at the facility to be made into beryllium metals and alloys or sold directly to customers.

Once they're sold, the beryllium products are used in a myriad of goods, from airbags to medical devices to satellites. Brush Wellman recently produced 21, 500-pound hexagonal mirror banks from beryllium for the new James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, who helped obtain supportive federal funding for the project through her position on the defense appropriations sub-committee, hailed the plant opening as a major success story.

"It takes a consciousness to build and maintain a great nation," she said, addressing a large crowd of elected officials, employees and partners at the plant. "We are all soldiers in that cause."

Kaptur said the state-of-the-art beryllium processing plant helps maintain the safety of the country by giving the United States self reliance in obtaining beryllium products for industry and defense.

"We all know what happens with oil," she said. "We are utterly dependent.

Congressman Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, said while the plant is outside his district, many of its employees are his constituents from neighboring counties.

"Whenever anyone says how bad things are in the rust belt, we always point to projects like this and plants like (Brush Wellman)," he said.

In addition to federal support, the new plant utilized funding from the state, Ottawa County Improvement Corp. and the Cleveland/Cuyahoga County Port Authority.

Chairman and CEO Richard Hipple was among several people to note the significance of the expansion and job creation in Ottawa County.

"Times are tough here and they still are in many parts of the county," he said. Ottawa County experienced unemployment rates that peaked near 20 percent -- the highest in the state -- last winter.

Many local companies, including Brush Wellman, laid off workers in the past two years as the economy struggled.

Company spokeswoman Shelly Lizyness said Brush Wellman has since called back laid-off workers and is now in "hiring mode."

"We're busy," she said. "We've had a lot of orders come in this spring."

The company shared the plant opening celebration with a family member of another excitement lightning rod in the county. Bill Bowersox, father of American Idol contender Crystal Bowersox, is an electrician at Brush Wellman. He left after the ceremony to catch a flight to the taping of Tuesday's show in Hollywood.

ERIE TOWNSHIP -- Since Camp Perry opened in 1906, it has been a premier site for training U.S. Armed Forces.

More than 100 years later, officials are vying to make the military training site -- and other bases in Ohio -- national leaders in another field: alternative energy.

Since a $3.37-million solar field was installed last summer at the Air National Guard 200th Red Horse Squadron's headquarters at the camp, the sun has created 35 percent of the squadron's power, said U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo.

Next, the squadron is focusing on building a $1.55 million wind turbine that is expected to generate twice as much electricity as the solar field, Maj. Mike Hrynciw III said.

"I think everyone's trying to reduce usage of fossil fuels and trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels," he said. "The Air Force is very active in the development of renewables on bases."

Kaptur helped allocate Federal Military Construction funds that paid for Camp Perry's solar field and the solar field at the Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing base in Toledo. The Toledo panels were built first and provided the model for Camp Perry's version, which is visible from Ohio 2.

"We consider them to be leadership bases for the country," Kaptur said. "We know that, for our region, the development of these resources means new jobs."

Her goal is to make Ohio a solar and wind power hub and technology development leader. Ohio lags behind other parts of the country in wind power, but it has made advances in solar.

"Lake Erie is the Saudi Arabia of wind," she said. "We're not even bunting at what we could do at this point."

The original Red Horse plan was to develop the 500-kilowatt wind turbine -- which, like the solar field, will be toward the front of the camp -- first.

But the proposed location was too close to a bald eagle's nest near the shooting range, Hrynciw said.

"We actually relocated the turbine to be outside a half-mile radius from that eagle's nest," he said. "We're trying to be as environmentally responsible as possible."

The squadron is waiting on results from an environmental assessment for the turbine's proposed location, said John Turley, a civilian contractor working with the squadron.

If the environmental assessment shows no problems, the plan will go to the National Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., for approval, Hrynciw said.

When completed, the turbine will be twice as big as the turbine at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland and half the size of the turbines at the Wood County Landfill in Bowling Green, Hrynciw said.

After the complications with the turbine location, the Red Horse decided to start with a solar field instead, Hrynciw said.

The 2,592 panels at Camp Perry, off Ohio 2, created enough power by the end of 2009 to power seven homes for a year. They cover an acre.

Even in snowy weather, the gleaming panels are creating power, Hrynciw said.

Energy they make in excess of what the base needs goes back into the grid, sending power to surrounding users, he said.

That's thrilling news to Kaptur, who said the defense department is an extremely high-volume user of petroleum. She hopes the military can lead the way for the rest of the country by curbing its dependence on fossil fuels.

"The operations in Afghanistan are extremely difficult because of the amount of energy it takes to supply our front lines," she said.

In Ohio, the adjutant general was receptive to having the state's military bases go green after he realized energy costs account for one-third of his budget, Kaptur said.

That money could be used for readiness training and other national security efforts, she said.

"What's happening now is the other adjutants are calling him, wanting to hear about what we're doing here," she said.

Camp Perry's green effort has implications beyond the military, she said.

Data from the solar field's production is sent to the University of Toledo, where researchers are studying it to come up with advances in making thinner, more efficient panels, she said.

She wants to see Ottawa County embrace the advances at Camp Perry and work to promote green energy and green jobs.

"We want to invent our way forward," she said. "That is our way out of this economic crisis we're in. We hope to create a research platform.

"These are exciting times."

ERIE TOWNSHIP -- Since Camp Perry opened in 1906, it has been a premier site for training U.S. Armed Forces.

More than 100 years later, officials are vying to make the military training site -- and other bases in Ohio -- national leaders in another field: alternative energy.

Since a $3.37-million solar field was installed last summer at the Air National Guard 200th Red Horse Squadron's headquarters at the camp, the sun has created 35 percent of the squadron's power, said U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo.

Next, the squadron is focusing on building a $1.55 million wind turbine that is expected to generate twice as much electricity as the solar field, Maj. Mike Hrynciw III said.

"I think everyone's trying to reduce usage of fossil fuels and trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels," he said. "The Air Force is very active in the development of renewables on bases."

Kaptur helped allocate Federal Military Construction funds that paid for Camp Perry's solar field and the solar field at the Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing base in Toledo. The Toledo panels were built first and provided the model for Camp Perry's version.

"We consider them to be leadership bases for the country," Kaptur said. "We know that, for our region, the development of these resources means new jobs."

Her goal is to make Ohio a solar and wind power hub and technology development leader. Ohio lags behind other parts of the country in wind power, but it has made advances in solar.

"Lake Erie is the Saudi Arabia of wind," she said. "We're not even bunting at what we could do at this point."

The original Red Horse plan was to develop the 500-kilowatt wind turbine first. But the proposed location was too close to a bald eagle's nest near the shooting range, Hrynciw said.

"We actually relocated the turbine to be outside a half-mile radius from that eagle's nest," he said. "We're trying to be as environmentally responsible as possible."

The squadron is waiting on results from an environmental assessment for the turbine's proposed location, said John Turley, a civilian contractor working with the squadron. If the environmental assessment shows no problems, the plan will go to the National Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., for approval, Hrynciw said.

When completed, the turbine will be twice as big as the turbine at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland and half the size of the turbines at the Wood County Landfill in Bowling Green, Hrynciw said.

After the complications with the turbine location, the Red Horse decided to start with a solar field instead, Hrynciw said.

The 2,592 panels at Camp Perry, off Ohio 2, created enough power by the end of 2009 to power seven homes for a year. They cover an acre.

Even in snowy weather, the gleaming panels are creating power, Hrynciw said. Energy they make in excess of what the base needs goes back into the grid, sending power to surrounding users, he said.

That's thrilling news to Kaptur, who said the defense department is an extremely high-volume user of petroleum. She hopes the military can lead the way for the rest of the country by curbing its dependence on fossil fuels.

"The operations in Afghan-istan are extremely difficult because of the amount of energy it takes to supply our front lines," she said.

In Ohio, the adjutant general was receptive to having the state's military bases go green after he realized energy costs account for one-third of his budget, Kaptur said. That money could be used for readiness training and other national security efforts, she said.

"What's happening now is the other adjutants are calling him, wanting to hear about what we're doing here," she said.

Camp Perry's green effort has implications beyond the military, she said. Data from the solar field's production is sent to the University of Toledo, where researchers are studying it to come up with advances in making thinner, more efficient panels, she said.

She wants to see Ottawa County embrace the advances at Camp Perry and work to promote green energy and green jobs.

"We want to invent our way forward," she said. "That is our way out of this economic crisis we're in. We hope to create a research platform.

"These are exciting times."

The month of April should remind folks to be thankful for the roof over their heads, as it is Fair Housing Month.

The Toledo Fair Housing Center is celebrating thirty five years of serving the community.

The center held a special luncheon to hand out awards, including one to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur for her work on foreclosure issues.

The President of the Fair Housing Center says they have been working hard to open closed doors.

"The last several years, we've been working very diligently to try and help people in Northwest Ohio to stay in their homes because of the foreclosure issue and that has really affected our community," said Toledo Fair Housing Center President & CEO Katherine Broka.

Broka also says the center will finally have the opportunity to apply for education grants to get the word out about foreclosure issues.

WASHINGTON - Maintaining that no Wall Street executive is "too big for jail," 62 members of the House of Representatives asked the Justice Department yesterday to investigate whether Goldman Sachs and other firms committed criminal fraud in the lead-up to the subprime mortgage meltdown.

Two liberal-leaning activist groups, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and MoveOn.org, also said that they garnered the signatures of 140,000 Americans on a petition supporting the request.

The congressional letter asks Attorney General Eric Holder to order investigations into Wall Street's role in the financial crisis, and especially whether Goldman employees broke any laws in a 2007 offshore deal that led the Securities and Exchange Commission to file a civil fraud suit earlier this month.

"If both global and domestic confidence in the integrity of the U.S. financial system is to be regained, there must be confidence that criminal acts will be vigorously pursued and perpetrators punished," wrote the House members, led by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo.

Miss Kaptur, a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has investigated aspects of the financial crisis, said that "an ever- growing mountain of evidence" suggests that the SEC case against Goldman "is neither unique nor isolated."

"The American people both demand and deserve justice in the matter of Wall Street banks, whom the American taxpayers bailed out, only to see unemployment and housing foreclosures rise," she said.

Others signing the letter included Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Republican Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas, and conservative Democratic Reps. Bart Stupak of Michigan, Charlie Melancon of Louisiana, John Barrow of Georgia, and Ben Chandler of Kentucky.

The request came a day after a Senate panel took more than 10 hours of sworn testimony from Goldman chief executive Lloyd Blankfein and six other present and former company executives over allegations that the firm sold off billions of dollars in risky mortgages while secretly betting that they would fail.

The SEC accused Goldman and one of its vice presidents of allowing a longtime client to stack an offshore deal with highly risky mortgages and then secretly betting that they'd fail. The investor, the hedge fund Paulson & Co., later made $1 billion on the deal while two European banks lost that amount.

Goldman has denied wrongdoing.

The SEC has declined to say whether it referred its evidence to the Justice Department, which with the FBI has been investigating a number of major corporations' roles in the financial crisis. Department spokesman Alisa Finelli said only that "the department will review the letter" from Congress.

Also yesterday, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission said there was no connection between the timing of the agency's fraud charges against Goldman Sachs and efforts in the Senate to speed passage of sweeping legislation overhauling financial regulation. SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro was speaking to a Senate panel weighing the agency's budget request.

The pressure on federal investigators to bring financial fraud cases showed up on literally on the Justice Department’s doorstep today.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Ohio), showed up with an entourage to deliver a letter signed by 62 members of Congress to urge the department to investigate Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street banks.

Also at the event were members of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which says it has collected more than 142,000 signatures on an online petition demanding the same. The slogan on the petition: “Nobody on Wall Street is too big for jail.”

Attorney General Eric Holder has said that the department is investigating many cases related to the financial crisis and that it will bring cases where it finds wrongdoing. The Justice Department said it accepted the petition and that is reviewing the letter. The department said it doesn’t comment, confirm or deny the existence of investigations.

The Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month brought a civil securities fraud action against Goldman related to its sale of a mortgage back security that allegedly was designed to fail. Goldman says it did nothing wrong in its dealings with sophisticated investors.

At today’s event, Kaptur said that she and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee were “asking the Attorney General to start a criminal investigation and prosecutions of Goldman Sachs and other firms that brought our country to this sad level of economic catastrophe.”

A letter signed by more than 60 lawmakers calling for a criminal investigation against Goldman Sachs will be delivered to the Justice Department on Wednesday.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, (D-Ohio), who spearheaded the charge, will take the letter with the support 62 Members and a petition with 140,000 signatures to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Kaptur has worked with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and MoveOn.org, to collect signatures backing the call for criminal charges.

Several Goldman Sachs employees, including CEO Lloyd Blankfein spent all day Tuesday on Capitol Hill discussing their firm's actions leading up to the 2008 financial crisis.


To see a copy of Kaptur's letter, click here.

To view the petition, click here. 

TOLEDO -- Vice President Joe Biden announces that the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority will receive a $15 million government grant to help fund energy efficiency improvements in the public and private sector. Toledo is one of 25 communities throughout the country to receive up to $452 million in Recovery Act funding. The funding comes from the Retrofit Ramp-Up initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur and Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority CEO, Paul Toth are in Washington D.C. to receive the Port Authority’s award.   

“Our region is already recognized around the world as a leader on the solar, biofuels and alternative energy fronts,” said Congresswoman Kaptur.  “Federal assistance for the Advanced Energy Utility (AEU) District will leverage private dollars several times over and further secure our competitive advantage in this high-growth sector. This is where many of our jobs will come from as we unleash the creativity and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of the region.”

The awards announced by Vice President Joe Biden are part of the competitive portion of Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, which was funded for the first time under the Recovery Act. Congresswoman Kaptur supported the act to help state, local, and tribal communities make strategic investments in improving energy efficiency.

The AEU will begin within the City of Toledo and will be expanded to other cities and townships within Lucas County. Eventually the program will be expanded to all 28 counties that are part of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority’s financing jurisdiction in Northwest Ohio.

This award will allow the Port Authority to help fund energy efficient improvements of commercial, residential, and industrial facilities within our community. For example, home or business owners can utilize the program to obtain an energy audit that will determine how best to execute sustainable energy improvements to save them money in the long run. The implementation of these improvements, such as energy efficient windows, insulation, lighting upgrades, geo-thermal heating/cooling systems or HVAC control systems will be financed through the AEU. The AEU is projected to maximize the use of local and regional renewable energy and conservation system providers to strengthen the local alternative energy service economy. This will lead to the development of alternative energy businesses and long-term jobs and careers in the area.

Toledo Mayor Mike Bell was enthusiastic about the award, “We are incredibly pleased that the Department of Energy embraces our vision of transforming the way our community uses energy - this transformation will have a remarkable and lasting impact on the City of Toledo, our citizens and regional job creation. By partnering with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, we are able to leverage this investment several times over.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) doesn’t mind making fun of himself in front of crowds. He even relishes it.

Self-deprecation is one of his public-speaking tricks, and it seems to work. At last month’s Gridiron Dinner, Hatch won overwhelmingly positive reviews for a speech in which he called himself a sex symbol on par with California GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and applauded the organization for cutting back on its booze expenses by inviting a non-drinking Mormon to headline this year’s event.

“I have a tremendous tendency to poke fun at myself,” Hatch later told The Hill.

It may have been a special speech for a special occasion, but, in truth, it was just another day in the life of a member of Congress. Lawmakers are called on daily — and usually several times a day — to give speeches at special events, say a few words in front of constituents or make a statement on their chamber’s floor. When he’s in Utah, Hatch said, he gives speeches “all the time.” And Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) estimated that, in any given month, she delivers 50 — “minimum.”

But that doesn’t mean that public speaking does — or should — come easy to members of Congress. Several lawmakers and communications experts say that public speaking is a vital aspect of a politician’s job that demands constant attention — but that, given the minute-by-minute schedules they keep, they rarely have time to prepare enough.

“If you’re not a good public speaker, and you can’t get your message across, you’re in trouble,” said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). Roberts joined Toastmasters International, the organization that helps people become better public speakers, while in the Marine Corps after someone told him he had a flair for public speaking — and that he could probably get even better.

“It’s a continuing learning process,” he said. “You fall into bad speaking habits easily.”

Roberts said he likes to write his own remarks and, like Hatch, often relies on “levity and humor” to grab his audience. He’ll write a speech and then “let it cook” for a day or two, but he admits that his schedule doesn’t usually allow him to do that with every speech.

Roberts also tries to be selective about his speaking engagements.

“People tend to stop listening” if you speak a lot, he said.

Christine Clapp, the president of communications firm Spoken with Authority and a member of the Senate’s Toastmasters International chapter, wishes more members of Congress would be as judicious.

“Sometimes I feel like there’s a push for [members of Congress] … to say yes to everything, and I understand that inclination,” said Clapp, who also worked in communications capacities for Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). “But I really think that, in terms of having effective speeches that are memorable, members should narrow it down to one or two per week rather than five per week.”

Kaptur tries to take that approach.

“I try not to wear out my welcome,” she said, even though she does love to speak, she added. Kaptur remembered getting graded down on her elementary school report cards for talking too much in class. And no one in her family liked to talk more than her.

Kaptur said she likes to borrow lines of poetry to capture her audience. She’ll often practice on her own before big speeches; she times herself, she said, to make sure she’s not running on too long.

Hatch said the public speaking he did as a trial attorney and before his church provided him a solid base when he started accepting speaking engagements as a senator. For his Gridiron Dinner speech, he practiced about five times before delivering it to the exclusive group of journalists, politicians, government officials and Washington insiders.

He echoed his colleagues in saying he tries to keep his number of speaking engagements manageable.

“I don’t like to speak unless I know what I’m talking about,” he said. “But when I do speak, I want it to be meaningful and impactful.”

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who is often cited for his superlative oratorical skills, said he started practicing his public speaking very early, when he thought he wanted to be a minister.

“As a young child, I would gather all the chickens in the chicken yard and my brothers, sisters and cousins, and they would make up the congregation,” he said.

He said the key to good public speaking is to show passion.

“In order to convince people, in order to move people, you have to believe in what you’re saying,” he said.

By many standards, his strategy has worked. Lewis remembered that when he first joined the Georgia congressional delegation, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) told him he thought Lewis was the House’s best public speaker.

“I just go for it,” Lewis said.


Public speaking: some tips from the experts

Take it from the experts: Members of Congress aren’t as good at public speaking as they could be.

“I’ll just cut to the chase: One of the things that never stopped surprising me is how many elected officials are really bad public speakers,” said Aileen Pincus, president of the Pincus Group communications firm and a former communications director for Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.).

Christine Clapp, the president of communications firm Spoken with Authority, agrees.

“Many of them assume that because they are members of Congress and they’ve been elected by their constituents, they’re necessarily good speakers,” said Clapp, who also worked for Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.). “You can’t rest on your laurels.”

Both Pincus and Clapp said one of the lawmakers’ biggest public-speaking problems is that they don’t dedicate enough time to it. But for those who do — or want to — they offered several suggestions:

• Don’t read the text of your speech. Audiences are paying attention to a speaker’s body language, sincerity and tone, “so it’s a missed opportunity if you’re looking down and reading your words,” Pincus said.

•Go toward what you’re good at. “I definitely think that every speaker has their own strengths,” Clapp said. For instance, Clapp said, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is a good storyteller, and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has a sharp wit.

•Solicit feedback. Communications staffers should seek out training in evaluating public speaking and be frank with their bosses — all in the name of improvement. “People just don’t have training on how to give an evaluation that’s not a whitewash,” Clapp said. She said her involvement in Toastmasters International helped her learn how to evaluate speeches.

And finally, both Pincus and Clapp stressed that public speakers need to practice in order to get better. Pincus pointed out that former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, two politicians people often point to as naturally gifted public speakers, both worked hard at perfecting their public personas.

So it behooves members of Congress to work on their public speaking, she said, because the impressions they make can have huge effects on the longevity and success of their careers.

“I think public speaking is a learned skill,” Pincus said. “I don’t think you’re born with it.”


Good public speakers: Who are they?

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) most often came to mind when The Hill asked communications experts and members of Congress which lawmakers they consider to be effective public speakers.

Below is a list of the people surveyed and whom they cited as skillful public speakers.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.):

• Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Byrd.
•Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) — “For the charts, of course,” spokeswoman Sarah Little wrote in an e-mail.
•Former Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.)
• The late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.)
• The late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). “Ted Kennedy was a classic example,” Roberts said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah):

• McConnell “is very selective in his choice of words. He has a very wry sense of humor.”
• Alexander has “a professorial approach.”
• Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) “can talk to the common man.”
• Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is “a very, very intelligent guy.”
• Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) is “more professorial.”
• Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is “very fluent and [has] a great sense of humor.”
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is “sincere.”
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) — “She has that little set of eyes, and you can just tell when she’s about to let loose.”
• Kennedy — “He had that Irish charm.”

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio):

•Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.)
•Hollings
•Byrd — “He could captivate me with his words.”
•Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) — “He does not say a lot, but he’s a gifted speaker.”
•Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) “can send a message.”
•Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.).

Christine Clapp, president of Spoken with Authority and former congressional communications director:

•Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) — “I think that John Lewis has one of the most beautiful voices that you can find.”
•Byrd — “He’s one of the members who has so much passion when he gets up there and speaks.”
•Hatch — “I think that his songwriting and singing come to bear in his public speaking in an interesting way.”
•House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio) — “I think he has a really great voice, and kind of a soothing voice.”

Aileen Pincus, president of the Pincus Group and former congressional communications director:

•Byrd — “I enjoyed several moments of Robert Byrd in his heyday, when he’d get on something.”