U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that the "vast majority" of House Republicans want immigration reform but he doesn't know whether the House will agree to legal status or a path to citizenship for the country's 11 million illegal immigrants. "Well, we're going to find out," the Ohio Republican said. A leading Democrat, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, said a meeting with House leaders on immigration was 'encouraging'.

It's unknown whether the House will act on immigration before Congress breaks in early August for its month-long summer recess. That would push the issue into the fall when other legislative matters could compete with immigration. Next year are the midterm elections when House members will face voters.

Alabama's seven U.S. House members voted along party lines Thursday for the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, the farm bill, which excludes food stamp funding from the rest of the agriculture bill. The vote of 216-208 is a win for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, but President Obama has threatened to veto the bill. Agriculture groups generally opposed separating food stamp funding from the bill because of the legislative impact and no Democrat supported it. Only 12 House Republicans voted against it.

"Though the process may not have been pretty, today's vote was an important step in the legislative process and giving producers certainty that is vital to the continued health of American agriculture," U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, said. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, said: "This is not the hallmark of what we as Americans stand for."

Last month, 62 Republicans voted against the bill that had kept food stamp funding, helping Democrats defeat it. Conservatives wanted food stamps removed. A provision of the bill would require the Food and Drug Administration to analyze the economic and scientific impact the law on agricultural businesses and food processors. Enforcement of related regulations would stop until the study was done, Politico reported. The White House has already threatened to veto the proposal over disagreements with food stamp provisions and other measures. http://politico.pro/1b3Uovz and dealt with separately. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said passage is a win for reform. "The work will now continue, and we hope Senate Democrats will not obstruct reform because the status quo isn't working," he said, according to The Hill.

Passage of the House version creates the possibility of a conference committee with the Democrat-controlled Senate that had approved its version of the farm bill that includes food stamp funding. While the Senate bill cut food stamp spending modestly, the House wanted greater cuts. Farm bills traditionally include both farm subsidies and food stamps in order to generate urban and rural support.

The House approved the third of 12 annual spending bills for next fiscal year by passing the Department of Energy and water projects spending bill. The vote was 227-198. Democrats say the $30.4-billion bill cuts renewable energy and science research by too much, prompting all but eight Democrats to vote against it. President Obama has threatened to veto the House bill and the Senate is not likely to approve the House bill that spends more than the Senate version, The Hill reported.

Republicans say the legislation supports national priorities of maintaining the U.S. nuclear stockpile and maintaining U.S. waterways. Still national security-related funding would be cut by nearly $400 million and non-security funding would be cut by $2.5 billion. The proposed cuts include $100 million for Army Corps of Engineers civil works programs, $100 million to the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation, and $2.1 billion to the Department of Energy. Democrats seek to restore funding to the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program. Its proposed funding is $50 million, 80 percent less than this year.

Labor board nominees face potential delay      

The Hill (Bogardus 7/9) "Business groups are urging the Senate to call a timeout on President Obama's nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, setting the stage for a high-stakes clash with labor unions. Unless the nominees are confirmed by late August, the board will lose a quorum and become inoperable. Unions want to avoid that outcome and are putting intense pressure on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to use the 'nuclear option' if necessary to change filibuster rules and move the nominees through.

"The two NLRB nominees who are drawing the most controversy are Sharon Block and Richard Griffin. Obama installed them at the labor board via recess appointments, but a federal court has ruled the move was unconstitutional, putting the legitimacy of their service in doubt. The Supreme Court agreed last month to review the case. Obama has asked the Senate to end the uncertainty surrounding the NLRB by confirming his five nominees, including Block and Griffin, for a full term.

"That's not sitting well with business groups who have accused the board of carrying water for unions during Obama's time in the White House. 'We have serious concerns about two of the nominees, Griffin and Block. They were improperly appointed and insisted on staying and issuing decisions, which has caused much uncertainty for the business community,' said Randy Johnson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits. Joe Trauger with the National Association of Manufacturers said the group has 'concerns about nominees and appointees who show little respect for rulings made by the courts'. More than 200 (House Democrats) signed onto a letter to (U.S. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.) ... that asked him not to block a vote on the nominees."

The Business Council of Alabama is Alabama's exclusive affiliate to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

The following article is related.

Senate Majority Leader Reid may change filibuster rule if Republicans block President Obama's nominations         

Los Angeles Times (Memoli 7/11) "Fed up with Republican efforts to block confirmation of President Obama's appointees, Democrats threatened Thursday to limit use of the filibuster, a drastic maneuver that would end an age-old Senate tradition and could inflame tensions between the two parties. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a showdown next week, scheduling votes on seven stalled nominations that require 60 votes to advance under a filibuster. If those votes fail, Reid vowed that Democrats would alter Senate rules on executive branch nominations to allow them to pass on majority votes. 'This is about making Washington work regardless of who's the president," the Nevada Democrat said in a heated debate that consumed the day.

"The Senate's GOP leader, Mitch McConnell, bitterly protested Reid's threat, saying it would be 'one of the most consequential changes to the United States Senate in the history of our nation'. Republicans warned that use of the so-called nuclear option would lead them to shut down the Senate for the rest of the congressional term and make the filibuster the centerpiece of their campaign in next year's election. At the heart of the dispute are the president's unconfirmed choices to lead the Labor Department and Environmental Protection Agency and, more significant for Democrats, long-delayed nominees to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and fill posts on the National Labor Relations Board." The fight echoes one from 2005. Then, Republicans had the Senate majority and Democrats were blocking several of President George W. Bush's judicial nominees. The dispute sparked similar threats to alter the filibuster, but with the roles reversed."

Delaying all of Obamacare set for House vote next week         

The Hill (Berman 7-11) "The House will vote next week to delay the implementation of both the employer and individual mandate in the healthcare law, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced Thursday, as Republicans look to seize on the Obama administration's move to unilaterally delay the requirement for big businesses.

"'ObamaCare is raising costs, making it harder for businesses to hire, and now it's wide open to fraud', Boehner said in prepared remarks. 'In short, it's a train wreck. Even the Administration admits the health law is unworkable. The president delayed ObamaCare's employer mandate, but he hasn't delayed the mandate on individuals and families. This is unfair, and it is indefensible'.

"House Republicans, who have voted more than three dozen times to repeal the 2010 law, view the administration's announcement as a new opening to press their case that the entire program be scrapped. In the last week, they have adopted a populist response to the move on the employer mandate, arguing that the White House is punishing individuals while giving businesses a break."

The Obama Administration last week said it would delay implementation of the employer mandate by one year. The Business Council of Alabama supports the one-year delay and also supports efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in its entirety and efforts to repeal the PPACA excise tax on health insurance premiums.