Yesterday’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Obamacare was the top of the news for the day, but there was another important Capitol Hill meeting: the first gathering of the House-Senate budget conference committee.

The budget conference committee is meeting to hammer out a compromise on the budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. While not an earth-shattering event, it is nonetheless noteworthy since the two Chambers have not produced a normal budget resolution in a few years. They have until December 13 to produce a budget.

All 29 conferees attended the meeting and delivered their opening statements, laying out goals and expectations for the committee. A full recording of the event is available on the Senate Budget Committee website.

Senate Budget Committee: Budget Conference Committee Meeting

Although the meeting is a step in the right direction to sorting out the country’s fiscal problems, there is a long road ahead.

Time: “Different Political Planets” Collide: Disagreements Abound On First Day of Budget Meetings In Congress

McClatchy DC: Budget Negotiations Open with Happy Talk But Firm Positions

And if you are going to be following the work of the budget conference committee, you might want to know a little bit about the key players.

Wall Street Journal: Who’s Who on the Budget Conference Committee

And since tonight is Halloween, Politico has mapped out Capitol Hill’s ghostliest sites.

Politico: Halloween: Capitol Hill’s Spookiest Haunts

And for our latest blog post: What Happens When a Member of Congress Dies?