The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a college aid bill that includes a San Joaquin Valley-oriented amendment. Three of the Valley's House members, though, weren't around for the vote.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 -- lawmakers are rarely subtle when they title legislation -- shifts away from the current system of guaranteed loans made by private lenders and toward direct loans made by the federal government. The House approved the bill by a largely party line 253-171 margin.

The bill includes an amendment authored by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, that gives community colleges in regions with high unemployment rates "priority consideration" when applying for education grants. Cardoza said the amendment could help the Valley, where high unemployment remains naggingly persistent.

Cardoza's colleagues -- Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, and George Radanovich, R-Mariposa -- presumably would have aligned themselves with their respective parties on the vote. But because Fox News Channel star dreamboat Sean Hannity was hosting an hour-long special Thursday on the San Joaquin Valley's water woes, Costa, Nunes and Radanovich were in California instead of on Capitol Hill. The three lawmakers were to participate in a roundtable discussion with Hannity.

Hey, the guy DOES have a way bigger viewership than C-SPAN....