Recapping yesterday's action:
The House allowed itself the usual late start to the workweek, plus one extra day above and beyond what you people got for the holiday weekend, and made its way through consideration of its slate of 12 suspension bills for the day. All but four were passed on voice votes, and three of the remainder passed easily on roll call votes. The Pretentiously-Named Pretend Problem Act, however, saw its vote postponed and rescheduled for today. For more background on this piece of crap, see yesterday's entry and the much more thorough work from Meteor Blades, here.
Looking ahead to today:
They've got a long day planned for floor activity in the House, beginning with the consideration of this year's intelligence authorization bill, which has recently become a favorite legislative vehicle in the lower house. My recollection is that in days gone by, there were sometimes years in which no new authorization was passed, though of course the intelligence community never went without appropriations. But part of the lasting 9/11 hangover has been that everyone tends to jump out of the way of the intel bills, which appear to have joined the ranks of defense and veterans' bills as untouchable. Nine amendments are approved for floor consideration under the rule, which should eat up the first few hours of the day, but the bulk of the day may be spent on the evening's work on the MilCon appropriations bill, which is expected to come to the floor under an open rule, meaning there's no predetermined limit on which amendments can be brought up. So there's no way of knowing just yet how long into the evening they'll have to hang around to work on this, or exactly what they'll be considering, though most members with substantive amendments will have circulated them among their colleagues and have printed them in the Congressional Record.
I also note that Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA-10) will be offering a motion to instruct the conferees on the surface transportation bill today. God only knows what he's up to, but it's probably something like making sure the yellow lines in the road aren't marked with Sharia paint, or whatever.
The last item noted on the schedule, which may or may not actually be called for a vote today, is the postponed roll call on Rep. Trent Franks' (R-AZ-02) ridiculous PRETENDA nonsense. The late night's work might push that into tomorrow, or they might just toss it into the mix if, as is often the practice, they opt to postpone votes on the day's amendments for later in the day, when they can stack them all up and hold the roll calls one after the other. So if you're on pins and needles to see how that one comes out, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled, since they can sneak that one in at any time, including late at night.
Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
THE NIGHTLY WHIP: WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012
TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK
On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for Morning Hour debate and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.
Members are advised that close votes, including a potential vote on an amendment to H.R. 5854 – Military Construction And Veterans Affairs Act related to Project Labor Agreements (PLA), are expected this week and that any expected absences should be reported to the Whip’s office at x5-3130.
Members are also advised that the GOP Leadership has announced that votes will occur after 7:00 p.m. when the House is considering Appropriations bills, and that the House will be voting late into the evening on Thursday.
First votes expected: 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Last votes expected: 10:00 – 11:00 p.m.
“One Minutes” (15 per side)
H.R. 5743 – Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Rep. Rogers (MI) – Intelligence) (Subject to a Rule)
The Rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order the following amendments:
Rep. Rogers (MI) Manager’s Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Thompson (CA) Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Reps. Conyers/Ellison/Lee (CA) Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Farr Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Cuellar Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Hahn Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Jackson-Lee Amendment #3 (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Jackson-Lee Amendment #4 (10 minutes of debate)
Reps. Myrick/Wolf Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
H.R. 5854 – Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013 (Rep. Culberson – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule)
**We expect an Open Rule which would not require that amendments be pre-printed in the Congressional Record prior to their consideration.
Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 4348 – Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II (Rep. Broun)
Postponed Suspension (1 Bill)
- H.R. 3541 – Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2012, as amended (Rep. Franks – Judiciary)
Today's House committee schedule:
APPROPRIATIONS-------------------------------------------------------11:00-Open
Full Committee. Markup of H.R. _ - Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY 2013. 2359 RHOB.
BUDGET-----------------------------------------------------------------10:00-Open
Full Committee. On legislative proposals to overhauling the budget process. Public witnesses. 210 CHOB.
EDUCATION & THE WORKFORCE---------------------------------------10:00-Open
Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subc. On examining barriers to lowering health care costs for workers and employers. Public witnesses. 2175 RHOB.
ENERGY & COMMERCE--------------------------------------------------10:15-Open
Communications and Technology Subc. On international proposals to regulate the Internet. Dept. and public witnesses. 2123 RHOB.
FINANCIAL SERVICES--------------------------------------------------10:00-Open
Full Committee. Markup of H.R. 1588 – Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, and H.R. 3128 – To amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to adjust the date on which consolidated assets are determined for purposes of exempting certain instruments of smaller institutions from capital deductions. 2128 RHOB.
HOMELAND SECURITY---------------------------------------------------2:00-Open
Transportation Security Subc. On strengthening the TSA’s surface inspection program. Public witnesses. 311 CHOB.
JUDICIARY---------------------------------------------------------------10:00-Open
Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subc. On the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act of 2008. Public witnesses. 2141 RHOB.
JUDICIARY---------------------------------------------------------------12:00-Open
Courts, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subc. On reviewing the Department of Justice’s civil, environment and natural resources, and tax divisions. Dept. witnesses. 2141 RHOB.
JUDICIARY----------------------------------------------------------------1:30-Open
Immigration Policy and Enforcement Subc. On H.R. 2831 – To amend Public Law 89-732 to modify the requirement for a Cuban national to qualify for and maintain status as a permanent resident. MC’s and public witnesses. 2141 RHOB.
OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM----------------------------------9:30-Open
Full Committee. On the impact of administration policies on the production and use of oil, natural gas, and coal as energy sources. Public witnesses. 2154 RHOB.
OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM----------------------------------1:30-Open
Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subc. On assessing the impact of federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing. Dept. and public witnesses. 2154 RHOB.
SCIENCE, SPACE, & TECHNOLOGY-------------------------------------10:00-Open
Technology and Innovation Subc. On examining the proposed national network for manufacturing innovation. Dept. witnesses. 2318 RHOB.
SMALL BUSINESS-------------------------------------------------------10:00-Open
Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access Subc. On examining the impact of the estate tax on small businesses. Public witnesses. 2360 RHOB.
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE-------------------------------10:00-Open
Aviation Subc. On reviewing the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to reduce costs and ensure safety and efficiency through realignment and facility consolidation. Dept. witnesses. 2167 RHOB.
VETERANS’ AFFAIRS----------------------------------------------------10:15-Open
Full Committee. On reviewing the implementation of major provisions of the Veterans Opportunity to Work to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. Dept. and public witnesses. 334 CHOB.
WAYS & MEANS---------------------------------------------------------10:00-Open
Full Committee. Markup of H.R. 436 – Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011, H.R. 5842 – Restoring Access to Medication Act, H.R. 1004 – Medical FSA Improvement Act of 2011, and H.R. 5858 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve health savings accounts, and for other purposes. 1100 LHOB.