The Week Ahead: Back from recess

The Senate returns from the July 4 recess to a full plate: There’s the tax extenders legislation that’s failed three times and the final Wall Street reform bill being held up in part because of the death of West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd — a key Democratic vote.

Senate Democrats will also grapple with tough decisions over the shape of energy and climate change legislation that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to bring to the floor later in the month.

{mosads}Second-quarter fundraising reports are due to the Federal Election Commission Thursday by midnight.

And first lady Michelle Obama will make her first trip to the Gulf region to meet with residents affected by the oil spill.

Monday, July 12

— President Barack Obama will meet with Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez at the White House.

— Michelle Obama is in Kansas City to address the NAACP’s annual convention. She’ll then travel to Panama City Beach, Fla., to examine the impact of the oil spill.

— The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan holds a hearing at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

— The National Alliance to End Homelessness begins its three-day annual conference. It begins at 9 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Washington.

— The Brookings Institution holds an event from 10 a.m. to noon in Rayburn on “Fighting Poverty With Cash Incentives: Can It Work?”

— The U.S. Census Bureau holds a conference call at 10 a.m. on new data on businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans.

— The German Marshall Fund hosts a discussion, with Charlie Cook of The Cook Political Report, on predictions and implications for the 2010 midterm elections. It starts at noon.

— The House Homeland Security Committee’s Oversight subpanel holds a field hearing in New Orleans on the “Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Chain of Command.”

— Microsoft holds its “Worldwide Partner Conference,” through Thursday. Former President Bill Clinton is the special guest speaker; he delivers remarks on Wednesday on “Our Common Humanity.”

— Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) is in New York City for a fundraiser hosted by former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.

Tuesday, July 13

— The White House unveils a national HIV/AIDS strategy. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes hold a 2 p.m. press conference.

— Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff speaks at 8 a.m. at the Capitol Hill Club at an event sponsored by the National Defense University Foundation.

— Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) holds a legislative summit with African-American faith-based leaders. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and the Rev. Al Sharpton are expected to attend the event, which starts at 9 a.m. in the Russell building.

— The Middle East Policy Council holds a Capitol Hill conference on U.S. policies to Iran and Israel. It begins at 9:30 a.m. in Cannon.

— The Senate Judiciary Committee meets at 10 a.m. A vote on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan had been scheduled, but it could be pushed back a week.

— The House Education and Labor Committee holds a hearing on the Mine Safety and Health Act at 3 p.m.

— A House Judiciary Committee subpanel holds a 4 p.m. hearing on the impact of China’s antitrust law on U.S. business.

— The National Republican Senatorial Committee holds a fundraising breakfast for Utah Senate candidate Mike Lee (R) in Washington. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is the host.

— Michelle Obama will launch the new Let’s Move! website by hosting an online chat facilitated by AOL Health. It will be streamed live on www.LetsMove.gov and begins at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, July 14

— The Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation sponsors a daylong forum on the “Smart Grid’s Future.” Among the participants: federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra. The event starts at 9 a.m.

— The House Judiciary Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. on “The Ethical Imperative for Reform of our Immigration System.”

— The Senate Finance Committee holds a 10 a.m. hearing on “The Future of Individual Tax Rates: Effects on Economic Growth and Distribution.”

— Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on governance and civilian strategy in Afghanistan. The hearing begins at 2 p.m.

— Michelle Obama will be joined by 2010 Wimbledon champion Serena Williams for a South Lawn event involving young people from the D.C. area. It begins at 11 a.m.

Thursday, July 15

— Quarterly fundraising reports are due to the FEC by midnight.

— President Obama will deliver remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Compact Power battery plant in Holland, Mich.

— The Senate Budget Committee meets at 10 a.m. on “Responsible Contracting: Modernizing the Business of Government.”

Friday, July 16

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is in the Hamptons, N.Y., for a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser.

— Vice President Joe Biden will be in Nashville for a Democratic Party fundraiser.