UPDATE: Drew Goesl,  Rep. Mike Ross’ chief of staff, says staff overlooked the congressman’s planned trip to Fort Worth, which he is making on behalf of a personal friend.

“The bottom line is this is an old friend from Congressman Ross’ days from Young Democrats,” Goesl said. “He is just going out of friendship for lunch and coming back the same day.

“It is kind of a personal trip,” Goesl said. “It is of a campaign nature but it also is an old friend.”

When checking into the congressman’s campaign-related travel,  staffers “were not thinking about this,” Goesl said.  “This was not something that in any way we were not trying to disclose.”

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Is Mike Ross afraid of backlash from Razorback fans who dislike all things Texas?

Is he sneaking into the Lone Star State because he heard there was better barbecue there?

Neither of those explanations is likely, which makes it odd that the 4th District congressman’s staff didn’t mention Ross’ scheduled trip to Fort Worth on Friday to campaign for a constable candidate.

After Stephens Media published this article about the congressional delegation’s pre-election plans, a blog item from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Monday noted that Ross, D-Prescott, would be in town for a fundraising luncheon for Tarrant County Constable Sergio DeLeon.

That’s interesting news here, especially after this e-mail exchange from last week:

Stephens Media: “Is your boss appearing for anyone or going anywhere to campaign for someone else between now and Nov. 4?”

Brad Howard, Ross’ press secretary: “I checked in with our campaign person in the District. He said at this time there are no plans. I’ll let you know if something gets scheduled.”

DeLeon, contacted Monday, said the luncheon has been scheduled for about a month.

Ross office’s has not responded yet to explain why information about the Texas trip was not disclosed.

DeLeon said he and Ross are friends from two decades ago, when the two worked together on Democratic causes in Arkansas. DeLeon grew up in Bigelow and attended the University of Central Arkansas.

It’s unlikely Ross would lose political points for attending a fundraiser on behalf of his old friend. So why the secrecy, congressman? Is it really that bad for an Arkansan to help a Texan?

The House voted 263-171 in favor of a $700 billion financial rescue plan. All four Arkansas congressmen voted for the measure.

The package passed the Senate on Wednesday. It now goes to the president, who is expected to sign it.

The Arkansas delegation in the House and Senate supported it even though public feedback that was decidedly against using taxpayer money to prop up imperiled financial institutions. Lawmakers said they backed the bill because it was the best way to stave off an economic crisis.

It was the House’s second attempt to pass the controversial bailout bill, which failed Monday despite the Arkansans’ support for it.

Opponents decried the legislation as improper government intervention in a crisis caused by Wall Street. Other foes demanded more help for homeowners caught up in the subprime mortgage mess.

Arkansas’ delegation is Sens. Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, both Democrats, and Reps. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, John Boozman, R-Rogers, Mike Ross, D-Prescott, and Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock.

The House just rejected a Bush adminstration-backed plan to shore up the nation’s financial institutions by buying up bad debts.

The vote was 228 to 205.

Reps. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, John Boozman, R-Rogers, Mike Ross, D-Prescott, and Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, all voted for the bill.

The stock market fell sharply in response to the House vote.

The White House and congressional leaders pushed the plan as a “necessary evil” to protect the economy from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Opponents said the government shouldn’t be responsible for saving Wall Street firms that caused the crisis in the first place. Other bailout foes demanded more help for American homeowners threatened with foreclosure.

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.

Congressional Quarterly today reported that some ethics watchdog groups criticized the Blue Dog Democrats for participating in a party Sunday in Denver on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

A spokesman for one ethics group told the publication the “Blue Night In Denver” party was not in line with a new law that puts restrictions on lawmakers who attend a lobbyist-sponsored reception.

Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, is one of the leaders of the group of fiscally conservative Democrats in the House.

He was reported saying that the House Blue Dog Coalition had nothing to do with the party.

“We paid at the door like everybody else,” Ross said.

Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, is also a Blue Dog.

The Washington Post and Salon.com feature related articles.

Arkansas delegates for Hillary Clinton outnumber those for Obama more than 4 to 1 here in the Mile High City, where the Democrats kick off their national convention today.
But it seems even the state’s Clinton fans are on an Obama high as the convention opens.
Reps. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, and Marion Berry, D-Gillett, had been lukewarm in their past endorsements of the presumptive nominee, but the pair put on a hard Obama sales pitch to Natural State delegates at a breakfast Monday morning.
After that, in a conference call with reporters back in Arkansas, Clinton delegates from the 1st Congressional District said they would “enthusiastically” support the Illinois senator.
They were equally effusive in praise for Joe Biden, Obama’s vice presidential choice.
“I have no qualms about supporting this ticket at all, it’s a great ticket,” said Gary Phillips of Blytheville.
Former State Treasurer Jimmie Lou Fisher, who served alongside then-Gov. Bill Clinton, also took a big gulp of the Obama Kool-Aid.
Fisher has been to every Democratic convention since 1976, she said.
“Our party is about unification,” she said. “We’re all under one tent. We’re going to leave this convention indivisible for Sen. Obama. It’s time we put this primary behind us.”
We’ll see as the week progresses whether the delegates who represent the rest of the 18 million Hillary Clinton voters feel the same way.