Negotiators Work Overtime on 9/11 Bill (House/Senate Session To End Sat.?)

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- Negotiators planned to work until Congress' final moments to get a breakthrough on legislation implementing the Sept. 11 commission's recommendations to protect the nation from terrorism.

Congressional aides kept saying Friday that a deal was reachable, but the House and Senate expected to leave for the year as early as Saturday, and that would kill any chance to get a bill approved and sent to the president.

"If that happens, it means members of Congress have shamefully abdicated their responsibility to the citizens who elected them," said a statement from the 9/11 Family Steering Committee, victims' families who have been pushing for Congress to finish the legislation.

Lawmakers have been working since August to try to find a way to turn the 9/11 commission's 41 recommendations on how to make the country safer from terrorists into legislation that could be signed by the president.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-congress-intelligence,0,3064645.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

The Senate is still on CSPAN2, but the House isn't on CSPAN, so I don't know if the House is in recess.