The Miami Heat visit the White House today as President Obama honors their NBA championship last year. He also holds a meeting at the White House with members of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs’ Association on gun control. On Tuesday, the President will deliver remarks in Las Vegas. The President closes out the week by hosting an awards ceremony for recipients of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

The Senate convenes this afternoon and will take up the Hurricane Sandy emergency aid bill (H.R. 152). Later in the week, the Senate may vote on the confirmation of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as Secretary of State. It may also take up the House-passed measure that raises the debt limit for three months.

The House is out this week.

Senate Hearings: WEDNESDAY—The Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on “What Should America Do About Gun Violence?” THURSDAY—The Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) to serve as Secretary of Defense. The Environment and Public Works Committee examines the nation’s port infrastructure.

Executive Branch: Vice President Biden joins the President in the meeting with members of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs’ Association.

Economic Reports: From The New York Times: “Data to be released this week include durable goods for December and pending home sales for December (Monday); the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller housing price index for November; consumer confidence for January (Tuesday); A.D.P. employment for January (WEDNESDAY); fourth-quarter weekly jobless claims and personal income and spending for December (Thursday); and unemployment for January (Friday).” The Washington Post has additional information here.

This afternoon, National Labor Relations Board Chairman, Mark Pearce, issued a press statement in response to three of his Board Members’ appointments being invalidated by the Appeals Court. In his statement, Chairman Pearce tries to make the assertion that all is well with the Board and they will continue to go about their business, because the Court is wrong and even if they’re right it only applies to one case. Nothing could be farther from the truth and he ought to know that.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled today that President Obama’s recess appointments of Sharon Block, Richard Griffin and Terry Flynn were invalid at their inception – as far as court opinions go that’s pretty clear and unambiguous language. If the appointments were never valid then the Board has been operating without a quorum, which would be in violation of Supreme Court decisions requiring at least three Board members in order to issue regulations or case decisions.

If the Board is then violating the precedent set by the Supreme Court, how is it that today’s ruling would only apply to the case in which the ruling was made?

The facts suggest Chairman Pearce may be keeping his eye on whatever prize it is he’s been keeping an eye on, but the Courts showed they are keeping an eye on whether the Board is acting within its power and authority. Soon, the DC Circuit will issue a ruling on a case the NAM filed against the NLRB on a regulation that was clearly asserting more authority than the Board was intended to have.

The last year of actions by the Board has just been thrown into limbo. It will be up to the Supreme Court to decide if the Appeals Court was right, but to suggest it only applies to one case is misleading at best. Acting as if the ruling changes nothing is, well, you know.

Immigration reform has been expected to be a hot topic this year and already a group of bipartisan senators has unveiled plans to introduce a bill that would address the shortage of high-skilled workers in the United States. The bill, set to be introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL.), Chris Coons (D-DE.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), is the first major immigration reform bill of the 113^th Congress and it seems to be a strong first step toward dealing with the skills gap in the United States.

82 percent of manufacturers have reported medium to serious difficulty in finding the skilled workers they need. The NAM has partnered with the inSPIRE STEM USA Coalition to implement H1B visa reform while improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in the United States. That way we can make sure that manufacturers have access to the educated and skilled workers they need today while ensuring that we will have plenty of homegrown talent working towards careers in those fields.

President Obama attends the National Prayer Service this morning. In the evening, inauguration activities continue, with the Staff Inaugural Ball.

The Senate meets this morning and may take up H.R. 152, the House-passed measures providing relief for Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. At some point during the week, the Senate may take up filibuster reform. Democrats and Republicans are discussing potential options this week.

The House meets today at 10:00 a.m. and will consider the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (H.R. 307). On Wednesday, the House will likely take up a bill extending the debt limit for three months. The Majority Leader’s schedule is available here.

Senate Hearings: THURSDAY—The Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) to serve as Secretary of State.

House Hearings: TUESDAY—The Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on the debt limit.

Executive Branch: Vice President Biden joins the President at this morning’s National Prayer Service and at the Staff Inaugural Ball later today.

Economic Reports: From The New York Times: “Data will include sales of existing homes for December (Tuesday); weekly jobless claims and leading economic indicators for December (Thursday); and sales of new homes for December (Friday).” The Washington Post has additional information here.

As thousands of Americans gathered to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama, his speech invoked the challenges our nation faces to realize the dreams of the founding fathers. It is essential that our policies make it easier to do so – from STEM education to a pro-growth agenda that reduces the burdens on manufacturers.

“We the people” was the President’s refrain and manufacturers all across the U.S. are hopeful that his second term will offer an opportunity to lead our economic recovery.

Today, the NAM’s Council of Manufacturing Associations (CMA) awarded the annual CMA Leadership Award to Edward Youdell, President and CEO of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International.

Ed received the award for his vision and drive of the inaugural 2012 Manufacturing Day. The very first Manufacturing Day took place on October 5, 2012 when manufacturers opened their doors to students and educators to expand knowledge about and improve general public perception of manufacturing careers. Ed was instrumental in making sure the national event was a huge success.

“I am humbled that an idea which started as what seemed like a bit of a pipe dream about how to bolster the image of manufacturing in America and draw attention to its great career opportunities led to this recognition,” said Youdell. “The event will continue to grow and prosper because of the dozens of organizations that now support it and the hundreds of participating companies.”

The Leadership Award was unveiled by the CMA Board of Directors in 2001 and is given annually to the chief staff officer who has done the most to further the CMA’s mission. The recipient is selected by the Chairman of the Council and is honored at the annual Winter Leadership Conference. The success of an association depends largely on the involvement of its members and we’re even more grateful to those members who take a leadership role in the CMA.

The CMA Winter Leadership Conference took place in Annapolis, Maryland on January 18 – 19, 2013. Check out photos from the event here and follow the conversation at #NAMCMA.

President Obama receives the credentials from a number of new foreign ambassadors today. The President’s schedule for the rest of the week is to be determined, though he is scheduled to be in Washington.

The Senate is out this week.

The House meets this afternoon and will take up the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act, which would expedite the payment of disaster relief funds. (More information about the bill is available here.) Later in the week, the House will consider a measure providing funds for the Hurricane Sandy recovery, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (H.R. 152). You can see the Majority Leader’s schedule here.

Executive Branch: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta leaves for Europe today and is set to visit Portugal, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank is attending the Detroit Auto Show. On Friday, she addresses the Advanced Manufacturing Task Force, an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Economic Reports: From The New York Times: “Data scheduled to be released include retail sales for December, the Producer Price Index for December and business inventories for November (Tuesday); the Consumer Price Index for December, industrial production for December and the Federal Reserve Beige Book (Wednesday); weekly jobless claims, housing starts for December and the Philadelphia Fed index for January (Thursday); and the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for January (Friday).” Here is more information from The Washington Post.

Controlling healthcare costs is a serious concern for manufacturers and consistently ranks as one of the top cost drivers for companies. Healthcare information technology (HIT) provides an opportunity to streamline processes, put more power in the hands of consumers and lower costs.  This week, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the intersection between healthcare delivery, consumers and IT is highlighted.  Mobile applications that allow consumers to manage their health and healthcare resources 24 hours a day, such as mobile applications and telehealth capabilities, allow for management of chronic illnesses. These technologies bridge critical gaps in access for some and provide additional flexibility for others. Employers and employees can manage healthcare costs by reducing complications associated with chronic disease, such as diabetes.

In addition, HIT and other technologies can facilitate more informed decisions, greater use of preventative services, assist care coordination, reduce fraud and abuse, improve delivery of services, and generate better overall health outcomes. For example, in-home assessments performed on a tablet, can improve the quality of care by improving care management services and reducing hospital readmissions while also identifying potential issues for patients to discuss with their primary care doctor. These are important issues to health care industry and NAM member United Health Group is one of the companies striving to make the system better.

Dr. Reed Tuckson, Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs for the United Health Group, said today that the health care technologies they are offering allow patients to utilize information to achieve the goals of their health care plans. Specifically he says that, “Health care cost calculators like those offered by United Health Care Group technologies allows consumers to know the exact price of all their clinical engagement – how much it costs for a procedure, hospital, by clinician, and more importantly, know the quality of the care delivery system. That information made available online allows people to truly participate in and make better medical care choices. We need the NAM to continue to be a leadership force for change that will improve health care for employers and consumers.”

The NAM is committed to continuing that leadership in order to ensure that the 97 percent of manufacturers that provide health benefits remain on the cutting edge. Technological innovation is driving modern manufacturing and can also drive modern healthcare, which provides for better outcomes and reduced costs. The future of healthcare is here and many manufacturers are leading the way by adopting these technologies.

President Obama is expected to make several personnel announcements today, likely nominating former Sen. Chuck Hagel to serve as secretary of defense and Counterterrorism Adviser John Brennan to serve as CIA director.

After welcoming new members to the Capitol last week, the Senate and House are taking this week off. The House returns next week, and the Senate returns the week after.

Executive Branch: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returns to work today, Vice President Biden is in the Virgin Islands until tomorrow, and Treasury Secretary Geithner meets with his Israeli counterpart, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.

Economic Reports: From The New York Times: “Data to be released this week include consumer credit for November (Tuesday); weekly jobless claims and wholesale trade inventories for November (Thursday); and the trade deficit for November and import prices for December (Friday).” The Washington Post has additional information here.

Companies tend to communicate actively with employees about many workplace issues, but how actively are you sharing political communication with your employees? Recent research by the Business Industry Political Action Committee (www.BIPAC.net) shows that employees find their employers to be three times more credible than any other source when it comes to political issues.

Whether it is through email, a website, or posted communication throughout the shop floor, employees value their employer’s political information (35 percent) far more than that of political parties (12 percent) and labor unions (1 percent), respectively.

Your team members want to hear how political issues and elections will affect their job, company, and industry directly from their employer – you. BIPAC’s 2011-2012 Market Research Report shows that 75 percent of employees find the information provided by their employer useful and helpful, and that the information made them more likely to vote or to be involved politically.

An average of 51% of employees likes to receive weekly or monthly updates from their employers – this is a tremendous opportunity for you to communicate and connect with your employees! So what are you waiting for?  Now is the time to tell your workers about how legislation, politics and elections impact your bottom line.  Keep the information non-partisan, fair and balanced, but your employees will welcome information.  If you need help, the NAM has information and resources available for you to use with your employees. Let’s work together to keep the voice of manufacturing strong – by including your employees in the conversation!

Ned Monroe is senior vice president of external relations, National Association of Manufacturers.