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U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan was among a quartet of female Democratic senators contending Wednesday that health care reform will boost women's access to health care.

The foursome said under the current health care system, women pay more than men for health insurance and are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions such as C-sections and domestic violence. The group said preventive screenings such as mammograms and pap tests often are not covered.

"Without health care reform, insurance companies will continue to discriminate against women," said Senator Hagan. "Charging women more for coverage and denying comprehensive maternity care are just two of the common insurance company practices. The Senate is working on sending the President a reform bill that ensures women are treated fairly, expands coverage, and provides security and stability to people who have health insurance."

The other three senators were Barbara Mikulski, of Maryland; Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire and Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan has joined U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota in introducing legislation to crack down on kids who don’t show up for school.

The senators, both Democrats, want to establish a national truancy resource center and a federal grant program for schools, reports Barb Barrett. The competitive grant program would allow schools to work with community groups to discourage truancy, especially in middle school.

The senators say middle school truancy is a strong indicator of drop-out rates in high school.

The grant program’s cost has not been established yet, said Hagan spokesman David Hoffman.

But Klobuchar said she hopes to include it in Congress’ reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Hagan, of Greensboro, is a member of the Senate education committee, which would handle the reauthorization.

John Edwards' rehabilitation is not yet complete.

Witness Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who drew lots of laughs Wednesday night in her speech at the annual Washington Press Club Foundation's congressional dinner in Washington, a fancy affair that brings together the Capitol Hill press corps and members of Congress.

First, she cracked on the reporters, saying how the room contained the city’s smartest people — all of whom were scooped by the National Enquirer on the Edwards story.

Then, she cracked on Edwards: "John Edwards is still talking about Two Americas. It turned out to be the greatest pickup line ever."

Working Mother magazine has named U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole one of the "Best of Congress."

In its annual look at "passionate legislators who champion families," the magazine notes that Dole has 11 working mothers on her staff of 45 and offers good perks.

Employees' hours and work-from-home options are flexible in extenuating circumstances. For example, when one staffer's husband was sick, she was encouraged to use a flexible schedule to balance family and work obligations, and when another employee had a difficult pregnancy confining her to bed rest, her home was set up so she could work remotely.

On policy issues, the magaizne notes that Dole has worked to extend the Family and Medical Leave Act to military families and pushed "a number of antihunger and nutrition initiatives."

Other senators honored included Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Herb Kohl and Johnny Isakson.  

Here's a complete list of Barack Obama's surrogates in North Carolina:

Michelle Obama; Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius; U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Claire McCaskill of Missouri; U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, John Conyers of Michigan and Danny Davis of Illinois; former Mississipi Gov. Ray Mabus; former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan of Missouri; former South Carolina politician Inez Tenenbaum; Newark Mayor Cory Booker; former UNC-Chapel Hill basketball star Sam Perkins; actor Kal Penn; actresses Sophia Bush, Alfre Woodard and Tatyana Ali, independent bands Arcade Fire and Superchunk.

Surrogates for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton faced off Saturday.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, an Obama supporter, and National Women's Political Caucus head Irene Natividad, a Clinton supporter, spoke before the Jefferson-Jackson Breakfast.

The breakfast will be held by the Democratic Women of Wake County at 9:30 a.m. at the Sheraton in downtown Raleigh.

Gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue also spoke.

"This is an exciting time to be working in politics as we have important races from the county level on up to President in 2008," said Democratic Women president Patricia Hawkins.

U.S. Reps. Brad Miller, David Price and Bob Etheridge and U.S. Senate candidates Kay Hagan and Jim Neal were also expected to attend.

Update: The event was last Saturday. Dome was off for a few days and misunderstood an old e-mail. Our apologies.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole joined five other senators in co-sponsoring climate change legislation.

Sens. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and John Warner of Virginia have worked for several months to draft America's Climate Security Act, a bill introduced today that is designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions, Barb Barrett reports.

The bill's goal is to reduce total U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 19% below the 2005 level in the next 13 years, and by as much as 63% below the 2005 level in 2050.

The bill allows companies to save, borrow and trade emission allowances. Companies could earn credits by "inducing" other non-covered businesses such as farms to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions.

"The solution to this serious problem is not inaction," Dole said in a statement. "We must ensure clean air for future generations, and this is a responsible, market-driven approach that strengthens our economy, competitiveness and security."

Other co-sponsors include Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa, Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Republican Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Susan Collins of Maine.

The legislation is supported by both the National Wildlife Federation and Environmental Defense.