Senate relents, will seat Burris

WASHINGTON - Eager to put the scandal-tainted standoff behind them, Senate Democrats accepted Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's Senate successor yesterday and said they expect to swear in the new Illinois senator this week.

"He is now the senator-designate from Illinois and, as such, will be accorded all the rights and privileges of a senator-elect," Senate majority leader Harry Reid and Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said in a joint statement after Senate lawyers determined that Burris's paperwork met Senate requirements.

The two senators said they expect Burris, a former Illinois attorney general, to be sworn in and seated this week, barring objections from Republicans.

The announcement is a major reversal for Senate Democrats. They initially balked at the surprise appointment by embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of seeking to trade the Senate seat for personal favors, amid fears that any appointee would be tainted.

Burris said he is "humbled and honored" to join the Senate, and pledged to work on the economic stimulus package. "Brighter days are ahead for Illinois," he said at a news conference.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON - The Obama transition team and Congressional Democrats plan to invest tens of billions on health information technology in the economic stimulus plan now being fashioned on Capitol Hill, even as a growing number of specialists raise concerns about the ability of existing electronic records systems to share information and help doctors treat patients.

Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health - a voice for large corporations on healthcare issues - told reporters yesterday that at this point, those involved in crafting the legislation plan to include $25 billion to $50 billion for health information technology.

Darling said she strongly believes Congress must get tougher on the industry, which she said could move far more quickly if forced to do so. "We are in a war for the recovery of the United States economy," she said. "We should have the same attitude towards all these things we would have in war, which is, we don't have time. . . . Getting some of these problems resolved is more important than anyone's narrow interest."

LISA WANGSNESS

President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural committee launched public service ads yesterday in support of its community service push.

The TV and radio ads urge Americans to summon a new spirit of volunteerism as Obama launches his public service initiative on Monday, on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the day before his inauguration. A website already lists 6,000 service opportunities around the country.

"America's greatness was not crafted in skyscrapers alone, but on the ground by those who could see what needed to be done," Obama says in the TV ad. "Volunteers who in service stepped forward onto the dust of the moon, a levee in the heartland, the marble steps of a dream.

"You may ask yourself: 'Where's my moon, my levee, my dream?' Obama continues. "Well, it's here, with you. Step forward. Help renew America at USAService.org."

GLOBE STAFF