Congressional
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Greetings!
Please enjoy today's issue of the Congressional Climate newsletter, brought to you by Keys to the Capitol! |
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Today's Hill Action:
THE SENATE:
The Senate convenes at 10:00 a.m. ET. Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R.2918, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act.
Senate Judiciary (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts: Hearings to examine responding to the growing need for federal judgeships, focusing on the Federal Judgeship Act of 2009.
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance: hearings to examine international cooperation to modernize financial regulation.
Senate Foreign Relations (10:15 a.m.): Subcommittee on African Affairs: Hearings to examine exploring United States policy options toward Zimbabwe's transition.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (10 a.m.): Business meeting to consider an original bill entitled "Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009", and the nominations of Brenda Dann-Messier, of Rhode Island, to be Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, and Alexa E. Posny, of Kansas, to be Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, both of the Department of Education, and George H. Cohen, of Virginia, to be Federal Mediation and Conciliation Director, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, and any pending nominations.
Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (9:45 a.m.): Hearings to examine the nominations of Bartholomew Chilton, of Maryland, Jill Sommers, of Kansas, and Scott D. O'Malia, of Michigan, all to be a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Edward M. Avalos, of New Mexico, to be Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Edward M. Avalos, and Harris D. Sherman, of California, to be Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, both to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation, both of the Department of Agriculture, and Kenneth Albert Spearman, of Florida, to be a Member of the Farm Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration.
Senate Veterans' Affairs (9:30 a.m.): Hearings to examine Veterans Affairs contracts for health services.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (10 a.m.): Hearings to examine eight years after 9/11, focusing on confronting the terrorist threat to the homeland.
Senate Judiciary (10 a.m.): Hearings to examine advancing freedom of information in the New Era of Responsibility.
Senate Aging (11 a.m.): Hearings to examine how successful health systems keep costs low and quality high.
Senate Foreign Relations (2:30 p.m.): Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs: Hearings to examine United States policy toward Burma, focusing on its impact and effectiveness
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (3 p.m.): Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security: Hearings to examine controlled substance abuse in Medicaid
THE HOUSE:
The House meets at 10:00 a.m. Finals votes are predicted to fall between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m.
HOUSE COMMITTEES:
House Veterans' Affairs (10 a.m.): Full Committee. On energy efficiency at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dept. and public witnesses.
House Transportation and Infrastructure (10 a.m.): Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subc. On reviewing the Coast Guard's search and rescue mission.
House Science and Technology (10 a.m.): Energy and Environment Subc. Markup of H.R. 3650 - Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act, H.R. 3585 - Solar Technology Roadmap Act, and H.R. 3598 - Energy and Water Research Integration Act.
House Agriculture (10 a.m.): Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research Subc. On the reviewing the implementation of the research title of the 2008 farm bill. Dept. and public witnesses.
House Armed Services (10 a.m.): Full Committee. On the status of ongoing U.S. efforts in Iraq. Dept. witnesses.
House Education and Labor (11 a.m.): Full Committee. On examining the progress states and schools districts have made toward ensuring that every child is taught by an effective teacher.
House Energy and Commerce (10 a.m.): Full Committee. Markup of H.R. 2221 - The Data Accountability and Trust Act, H.R. 1319 - The Informed P2P User Act, and H.R. 2190 - The Mercury Pollution Reduction Act
House Financial Services (10 a.m.): Full Committee. On perspectives on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency
House Financial Services (2 p.m.): Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subc. On reforming credit rating agencies. Public witnesses.
House Homeland Security (2 p.m.): Transportations Security and Infrastructure Protection Subc. On the future of the registered traveler program. Dept. and public witnesses
House Judiciary (3 p.m.): Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subc. On cyberbullying and other online safety issues for children. MC's and public witnesses.
House Natural Resources (10 a.m.): Full Committee. Markup of pending resources legislation
House Oversight and Government Reform (10 a.m.): Full Committee. On credit rating agencies and the next financial crisis
House Small Business (10 a.m.): Full Committee. On examining the importance of expiring tax incentives for small businesses on the road to an economic recovery. Public witnesses.
House Transportation and Infrastructure (2 p.m.): Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subc. On whether the nation's emergency alert system is prepared to deliver the President's message to the public. |
Reid says "No" to Columbus Day Recess:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Wednesday that the chamber will not take a recess next month in order to plow through a heavy legislative agenda that includes passing a host of appropriations bills and perhaps health care reform.
"With all the things going on here, it just would not be right for us to take that week off," Reid said on the Senate floor.
The Senate typically reserves the week of Columbus Day for a weeklong October recess. But Reid predicted Wednesday that a health care reform bill will be ready for floor consideration by then, so the Senate will need to stay in town.
"I apologize to everyone for not being able to have that whole week off, but I think with health care, which is really beginning to ferment, it wouldn't be right for us to be gone that week," Reid said. "I think we should be able to start our health care work that week here on the Senate floor."
The Senate will observe Columbus Day itself - Monday, Oct. 12 - but convene Tuesday for evening votes. The chamber will work through the week but will not be in session that Friday.
Without an October recess, the Senate will be in a total of 11 weeks from the beginning of this work period until Thanksgiving, Reid pointed out.
"That's a long time when a number of us have families at home and work we want to try to do during the week rather than just on weekends," Reid said. "So I apologize to everyone."
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Foreign Repair Station Standards Major Issue in FAA Reauthorization: 
The $53.5 billion FAA reauthorization bill that has passed the U.S. House of Representatives has a provision that would allow the FAA to inspect foreign repair stations twice a year, and to require those facilities that work on U.S. airliners to introduce mandatory drug and alcohol testing. But the Senate bill currently under consideration, which tips the budget scale at $40 billion, does not make those provisions mandatory. It provides an exception if "a bilateral aviation safety agreement [is] in place that allows for comparable inspection by local authorities."
The disagreement between the two could slow the FAA reauthorization process, as differences between the two bills must be resolved before being sent to the President.
Air Transport World reports that Dana Jennings, a professional staffer for the majority in the House aviation subcommittee, told the FAA's International Safety Forum "We're just trying to make sure we have the same safety standards [at foreign repair stations] that we have in the US."
The EU contends that the stipulation runs contrary to an Aviation Safety agreement signed between it and the U.S. last year. "We negotiated for several years in good faith with FAA," said Luisa Ragher, a representative for the European Commission's Washington delegation. "we trust the FAA" to inspect and certify US repair stations and in turn "FAA trusts us."
The House bill passed with little Republican support. Aviation subcommittee Republican Staff Director Holly Woodruff Lyons, who is also the minority's Senior Council, said some U.S repair stations "may have to close" because EASA inspections could come with "heavy fees," which would be more than they could afford to pay.
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Senate Works to Avoid Government Shutdown: 
Up against a midnight deadline to avoid a government shutdown, the Senate raced to pass legislation Wednesday that temporarily would extend spending on most federal programs at current levels while raising Congress' budget by 6 percent.
A vote on the measure to keep the government for one more month was set for late afternoon. It was expected to win easy approval, with President Barack Obama virtually certain to sign it before day's end.
The legislation also would patch over problems in the struggling postal service and pay for soon-to-expire highway programs for an additional month as well. The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to complete work on any of the 12 annual spending bills for agency budgets.
The community activist group ACORN was in line for another hit as Democrats added language saying the organization could not receive federal dollars under the stopgap measure or any prior legislation.
ACORN, short for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has come under fire over a set of videotapes made by conservative activists that show employees offering advice about how to establish a brothel with underage prostitutes.
The underlying legislation is a $4.7 billion measure covering Congress' budget for the fiscal year beginning Thursday. That spending bill was chosen because it can't be amended before going to Obama, which saves time and spares Democrats potentially difficult votes.
It's not unusual for Congress to tack such stopgap bills onto other spending measures to speed them along. But by choosing the legislative branch bill to be the first measure presented to the president, majority Democrats opened themselves to GOP criticism that they were putting their own budget ahead of agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took aim at $500,000 included to notify constituents about town hall meetings, even though people packed such events in August.
"Has anybody had any trouble lately having people come to their town hall meetings," McCain said. "We need to spend $500,000 additional to notify people?"
Congress was rewarding itself with a 6 percent budget boost, though the $51 million increase for the House office budget account represents an 8 percent increase. There's also a big jump in spending to repair House office buildings, including a $50 million refurbishing of the oldest one.
The Senate rewarded itself with a 6 percent boost for its office accounts.
The Postal Service could delay $4 billion in payments due next month to a health care fund for retirees. Some $5.4 billion is supposed to be paid, but officials say they don't have enough money to make the payment.
The measure also would extend the federal highway program for one month. Congress is working on a three-month extension.
The stopgap legislation would extend funding for the operating budgets of Cabinet departments and other agencies at current levels through Oct. 31. Exceptions would be made for the Census Bureau, which gets a big infusion to prepare for next year's count, and veterans' medical programs, both of which would operate at increases.
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Until tomorrow,
Keys To The Capitol |
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