Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will bestow upon former Reps. Bob Michel (R-Ill.) and Don Edwards (D-Calif.) the Congressional Distinguished Service Award next month. [IMGCAP(1)]

Established in 2002, the award honors former House Members who have performed their duties with “extraordinary distinction.”

“Last year when we announced that [former Reps.] John Rhodes [R-Ariz.] and Louis Stokes [D-Ohio] were to be the first recipients of the Congressional Distinguished Award, we noted that they maintained a reputation throughout the government as men of outstanding character, integrity and compassion. The same surely can be said of Bob Michel and Don Edwards,” Hastert and Pelosi said in a statement. “While never forsaking their own strongly held views, they always sought compromise where appropriate, solicited the opinions of their colleagues, and respected the differences among them.”

The awards will be presented to all four men at a July 8 ceremony in Statuary Hall.

Giving Blood. The American Red Cross’ House of Representatives Blood Drive takes place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday in the Cannon Caucus Room.

Appointments, which are encouraged, can be made by calling (800) GIVE-LIFE.

Well Preserved. The Capitol Preservation Fund received good marks for fiscal 2001 and 2002 from the General Accounting Office in a recent financial audit.

The financial arm of the Capitol Preservation Commission raises funds for improvements, preservation and acquisitions of artwork and other property in the Capitol, as well as construction of the Capitol Visitor Center.

The fund grew significantly between fiscal 2001 and 2002, increasing from net assets of $35.8 million to nearly $62.1 million. The net assets reached $67 million by March 2003.

— Suzanne Nelson, Bree Hocking and Jennifer Yachnin