The $42.8 billion Homeland Security spending bill that President Barack Obama signed into law last week has its roots in the office of U.S. Rep. David Price.

The bill stumbled through the type of drama that can often envelop Capitol Hill — last-minute political maneuvers along with closed-door meetings, quiet arm-twisting and flying accusations, Barb Barrett reports in a look at how a big bill became law.

Karen Elizabeth Price, daughter of U.S. Rep. David Price, has finished a documentary about the 2006 midterm elections.

The film, HouseQuake, focused on seven races including now-Rep. Heath Shuler, a Waynesville Democrat, The Washington Post's Reliable Source blog reports. 

Price, 39, is one of a handful of Congressional daughters who have become documentary filmmakers.

"It's an interesting trend," Price told the blog. "It seems to be the daughters. They tend to be political documentaries, too. I guess it gets in the blood.... There's maybe a need to make sense of it all and use our access to show everyone the reality of politics you don't see on cable news."

In the run-up to the 2006 midterm elections, she got the idea for a documentary about the Democrats' attempt to win back the House — after her dad told her about this  Rahm Emanuel guy with a plan so crazy it just might work.

"It was not a fun time to be a Democrat," she said. "They had to take on the belief they could win. I wanted to explore the question of, how do you create success?"

U.S. Rep. David Price has $218,586 on hand for his campaign to keep his seat.

Since 2007, the Chapel Hill Democrat has raised $73,000, mostly from Political Action Committees, according to federal campaign finance records.

Republican challenger Frank Roche has raised $10,879, mostly through individual contributions. Republican George Hutchins has loaned himself $5,000.

Beau Mills, a veteran of state and local government, has gone to work as the new district director for 4th District Democratic Congressman David Price.

Mills replaces Rose Auman, who is retiring after nearly 12 years as Price's district director, Rob Christensen reports.

Mills is well known in government circles. He has worked as an advisor to former Gov. Jim Hunt, as the executive director of the N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition and most recently as a partner at Fountainworks, a public policy and market research firm in Raleigh.

Price also announced the hiring of Andrew High to be his press secretary. High, a Durham native, has worked the past two years as a press aide to California Congresswoman Linda Sanchez.

He replaces Phil Feagan, who is now attending law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Frank Roche says he wants some answers about a program at UNC that has little to show for more than $7 million it has received to help deployed soldiers of the National Guard and Army Reserves.

Roche, a Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. David Price of Chapel Hill, issued a release today questioning the money spent by the Citizen Soldier Support Program. The program was created in 2004 when Price inserted $10 million for it in the federal budget.

Internal audits at UNC have found that the program has produced a lot of paperwork, but few concrete results.

"Where is the oversight?" Roche asked. "It adds insult to injury that this money was intended to help our National Guardsmen and Army Reserve, who leave jobs and families to fight for our freedom."

A federally funded program at UNC-Chapel Hill was supposed to help deployed soldiers of the National Guard and Army Reserves.

Instead, the Citizen Soldier Support Program has produced reams of paperwork but few concrete results, according to an internal review.

"The CSSP is vulnerable to the accusation that it spends too much money on administrative overhead and low-priority 'nice-to-do' actitivities and not enough time on activities directly relevant to its mission," read the review.

The program was created in 2004 when U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, inserted $10 million into the federal budget.

Since then, the program has spent $7.3 million. One-quarter of the money has gone to the university for overhead. Half of the eight full-time employees are paid more than $100,000 a year, including a deputy director who has been reimbursed $76,000 for food, travel and lodging when she commutes from her home in northern Virginia to North Carolina.

Price said the program is worthy of federal funding and that he still supports its goals.

"If these funds haven't been utilized in the most effective way, we need to correct it," he said. (N&O)

North Carolina Democratic U.S. Reps. G.K. Butterfield of Wilson and David Price of Chapel Hill voted this afternoon to protect ACORN'S right to receive federal funding.

U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, a Charlotte Democrat, voted present, Barb Barrett reports.

The rest of the delegation supported the measure, put forward by Republicans who are attacking the national community development organization.

This week, YouTube videos showed frontline employees at a handful of ACORN offices offering advice to two young undercover activists posing as a prostitute and her pimp.

According to Republican estimates, ACORN has received $53 million in federal funding in the past 15 years. The vote in the House passed 345-75.

On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted to prohibit ACORN from receiving federal funding in the spending bill that covers the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, voted yes in the 83-7 vote. U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, did not vote.

Reaction from U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, to President Barack Obama's speech on health care:

“A strong leader recognizes when our nation is facing a crisis and inaction is simply not an option. The president embodied that resolve tonight, clearly outlining a plan that will provide security and stability to those who have health insurance, offer insurance to those who don’t, and slow the growth of health costs for our families, businesses and government. He has provided a foundation on which people of good will can build.”

The U.S. House of Representatives has set aside 30 minutes tonight for speeches in memory of former U.S. Rep. Bill Hefner, who died Sept. 2.

The special order speeches are scheduled from 7:30 to 8 p.m. tonight, after the last vote, and will be broadcast on C-SPAN, Barb Barrett reports. They are being organized by U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, a Biscoe Democrat, who also will be speaking.

Confirmed to speak tonight are U.S. Reps. Chet Edwards of Texas, along with Bob Etheridge, David Price and Brad Miller, all of North Carolina. Other members may speak as well.