Kennedy planning to return to Senate in January

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, shown at last month's Democratic National Convention, will work from his Hyannis Port home when Congress reconvenes this week. (MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS)

WASHINGTON - Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who has brain cancer, will not be on Capitol Hill this week when Congress returns from its summer break. He intends to work from his Massachusetts home this fall and return to the Senate in January.

A Kennedy aide said yesterday that the Democratic lawmaker's doctors are pleased with his progress, but want him to keep working from home through the fall.

The 76-year-old Kennedy made a dramatic speech last month at the Democratic National Convention in Denver that drew a rousing response from delegates. Kennedy has been one of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's strongest supporters.

"As Senator Kennedy said two weeks ago in Denver, he intends to be on the floor of the United States Senate next January when we begin to write the next great chapter of American progress," spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner said.

Kennedy's appearance at the convention was a surprise. He was supposed to be honored only with a video tribute. His doctors had been wary of the Denver appearance, especially his exposure to crowds, given the weakness of his immune system after weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Kennedy also hosted a breakfast for friends and members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation while in Denver.

The senator was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after he had a seizure in May. He has had surgery and six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.

Kennedy has been working from his home in Hyannis Port, Mass. He made a surprise visit to the Senate in July to cast a Medicare vote.

In recent weeks, Kennedy has been laying the groundwork for a renewed push next year on his signature issue, universal healthcare. He also has been working closely with his son, Representative Patrick Kennedy, Democrat of Rhode Island, on a bill requiring equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses.