Congress is set to approve a major appropriations package before lawmakers leave Washington for the year, which means press offices are eager to hit the send button on e-mail press releases that herald the dollars obtained for projects back home.

Thanks to the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, here’s a list of the earmarks in the three appropriations bills headed for the president’s desk — a first look at what Arkansas lawmakers will be touting when they return to the Natural State.

Nearly $50 million worth of earmarks for Arkansas projects are contained in the Defense, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security fiscal 2009 appropriations bills.

Lawmakers are expected to take up the eight other spending bills when a new Congress convenes in January.

Here are the projects for Arkansas, listed by sponsor:

Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, and Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both D-Ark.:

$1.6 million for biological air filtering system technology;

$800,000 for spectroscopic materials identification center;

$2.8 million for a standoff hazardous agent detection and evaluation system;

$10.9 million for a new National Guard readiness center in Cabot.

Berry:

$50,000 for pre-disaster mitigation for the city of Wynne.

Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers:

$750,000 for Sebastian County’s emergency operations center.

Boozman, Lincoln and Pryor:

$3.2 million for development of mobile combat support hospitals, which could be manufactured in Russellville;

$204,000 for a infantry platoon battle course at Fort Chaffee;

Boozman and Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott:

$800,000 for the center for nanoscale biosciences at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and UA-Pine Bluff.

Ross, Lincoln and Pryor:

$8.8 million for mortar and grenade production at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.

Ross:

$1.6 million for development of a lightweight, unmanned ground robot;

$1.6 million for grenade production.

Rep. Vic Snyder, Lincoln and Pryor:

$2 million for advanced functional nanomaterials for biological processes;

$1.6 million for silicon carbide torso plates;

$1.6 million for information quality tools for persistent surveillance data sets;

$4 million for the engine shop replacement at Little Rock Air Force Base.

Lincoln and Pryor:

$1.6 million for advanced field artillery tactical data systems;

$2.5 million for nanoscale biosensors;

$800,000 for nanotech lubricants designed for durability, energy-saving and sustainability of oceanic vehicles.

Nearly deleted among the thousand-or-so e-mails awaiting after a two-week trip to the political conventions was this nugget: Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is the nicest senator.

The Washingtonian magazine polled 1,700 Capitol Hill aides for its feature on the Best and Worst of Congress.

Lincoln was selected “nicest” by both Democratic and Republican staffers, the magazine said. She finished ahead of Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., was named the meanest.

The rest of the Arkansas congressional delegation is generally nice, too. We’ll leave it to others to decide where their pleasantness ranks compared to Lincoln, avoiding any mean-spirited competition.

Arkansas Republicans couldn’t complain about a lack of sleep during this year’s national convention.

Unlike their Democratic counterparts up every day at 7 a.m. for breakfast meetings, the state’s GOP delegates had just one group breakfast — on the convention’s first day.

Tuesday through Thursday, delegates were on their own to attend other meetings or hit the snooze button.

GOP state director Karen Ray said the party decided to save its money for political races instead of using it for breakfasts during convention week.

“Our business is to go out and elect candidates,” Ray said. “We didn’t go out and raise money for the convention. We went out and raised money for our elections this year. We’re trying to be as responsible with our dollars as possible.”

The hotel where the Arkansas delegation stays hosts a free buffet breakfast every day, so delegates didn’t necessarily have to miss a morning meal, Ray said.

Last week in Denver, the Democrats’ daily breakfast meetings included speeches by members of the state’s congressional delegation.

Republicans on Monday heard from former Gov. Mike Huckabee and supporters of John McCain that included North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven and conservative commentator Gary Bauer.

The lone GOP breakfast was sponsored by Wal-Mart. Sponsors last week for Democrats included Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, both D-Ark.

Maybe Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, could have helped GOP delegates with what’s considered the most important meal of the day. Boozman does not have a Democratic opponent this year and had more than $175,000 in the bank at the end of June, according to campaign finance records.

Surely it was only a scheduling mishap that forced reporters this morning to decide whether to attend a speech by Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., or a breakfast meeting with Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.

Pryor spoke at the daily Arkansas delegation breakfast just a few minutes before Lincoln hosted journalists at a restaurant across town.

Surely the senators wouldn’t want to make reporters — especially reporters for companies that only have one man in town, *ahem* — choose which senator to spurn.

The senior senator? The freshman who is up for re-election? The intimate reporters-only roundtable? The breakfast speech intended for the state’s convention delegation? The eggs benedict? The french toast? Oh, the choices!

Well, after days of prayer for the wisdom of Solomon, it turns out the choice for this blogger really didn’t matter.

Ultimately, it was Denver cab company that made the decision. After a 45-minute wait for a cab that never arrived, the ruminating over which event to attend seemed pretty worthless.

Yes, the missing taxi meant both events were missed.

AWOL cabs are the latest in a series of transportation indignities here in Denver.

There has been traffic on a Sunday that made a 15-minute errand a 2-hour ordeal. The commuter rail line runs only when there’s nothing in the street to block it. A hotel shuttle service seemingly only operates within a 5-block radius and, even then, apparently not after sundown.

So here’s hoping the eggs were tasty, Sen. Lincoln! Hope they kept your coffee warm, Sen. Pryor!

It’s off to the Pepsi Center now. It may be time to try hitchhiking.

On a night when two women senators with Arkansas ties had roles at the Democratic convention, it was only natural that the state’s first female senator was mentioned.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., brought up the late Hattie Caraway in a short videotaped message to delegates.

Caraway was the first woman ever elected to the Senate.The Democrat from Jonesboro, served from December 1931 to January 1945.

She earned the nickname “Silent Hattie” because she rarely spoke on the Senate floor.

Clinton, the former Arkansas first lady, referenced Caraway as she introduced via a video message the female senators for whom Caraway effectively opened the door.

“One day someone asked her why she never made speeches in the Senate,” Clinton said. “She said it was because ‘The men have left nothing unsaid.’ Well, they may not have left nothing unsaid, but they left plenty of things undone.”

Eight current female senators, including Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., used their convention time to set out a domestic policy agenda they hope to advance in the Senate.

Here is the text of remarks by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., to delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Lincoln spoke along with other women senators just after 6:15 p.m. Central.

Good evening. I’m Sen. Blanche Lincoln, and I am so very proud to represent the great state of Arkansas.

Thank you and God bless.

Lincoln is the only Arkansan scheduled to speak at the convention.

The Arkansas delegation to the Democratic National Convention has its busiest schedule of events of any day during the convention today in Denver.

After a early-morning breakfast where Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., addressed the group and previewed her 6 p.m. Central time convention speech, delegates boarded buses for downtown Denver. There they will participate in a luncheon and reception sponsored by Entergy Arkansas. Gov. Mike Beebe is the featured speaker.

After that, it’s on to Denver’s historic Union Station for a party sponsored by Union Pacific aboard vintage rail cars owned by the company.

Both the Beebe luncheon and the train station party are closed to the press.

A speech by former Arkansas First Lady Hillary Clinton highlights action on the convention floor tonight.

Then after the speech, it’s off to the official state delegation party at The Tavern, a trendy Denver nightclub.

Delegates who get any sleep at all will have to wake up by 7 a.m. Wednesday for their breakfast featuring Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., as the guest speaker.

Straight from the Democratic National Convention Committee press office’s news release on today’s convention schedule:

The Honorable Blanche Lambert Lincoln

US Senator, Arizona

Wonder when she moved?

The Arkansas senior senator (or at least she still was Monday) will take the convention stage at 6 p.m. Central tonight along with other women Democratic senators. The group of senators will discuss its election-year “Checklist for Change.” It’s the group’s effort to focus on issues important to everyday Americans.

Joining Lincoln, D-Ariz., rather, D-Ark., will be Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Mary Landrieu, D-La., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.