Recapping Last Week in Congress
Easy: Congress has been in recess for the past two weeks. When we last left off, though, the House had passed the latest crazy Ryan budget, the Senate had failed to invoke cloture on the oil subsidy repeal, and everybody hurried through a temporary transportation extension to keep the wheels turning.
This Week in Congress
We're back in... uh... business, I guess. But it sure doesn't feel like much is happening. And that might be because there isn't much. Certainly not as much as should be happening. Both houses do return to DC today, but the House schedule is mostly tribute bills and the like. By the end of the week, they'll get around to passing yet another transportation extension bill, and then to H.R. 9, an Eric Cantor bill that... well, you'll never guess what it does! OK, it's a corporate tax cut! You got me! H.R. 9, though. They sure took their sweet time getting around to this thing. You'd think they'd have been in more of a rush to get to a tax cut, you know?
The Senate, too, is back in DC. And if the Senate's back, we can't be too far from a cloture vote. We'll get one today (on the motion to proceed to the "Paying a Fair Share Act," aka the Buffett Rule bill), but only after the next in the slow and drawn out series of judicial confirmation votes agreed to in the weeks before the break. Beyond that, we can't guess where the Senate is going this week. If they manage to get cloture on the Fair Share bill, that could well occupy the rest of the week, since cloture today only gets us to the start of debate, and really only to a time limit for the end of debate on whether or not to begin debate on the bill, at that. Somewhere along the line, we'll have to see the transportation extension coming before the House brought before the Senate, too.
And hey, keep in mind that there's another recess coming up in two weeks.
Full floor are below the fold. No committee meetings are scheduled for today.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
THE WEEKLY WHIP: FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012
First Vote Of The Week: Monday 6:30 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted: Thursday 3:00 p.m.
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012
On Monday, the House will meet at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m.
Suspensions (4 Bills)
- H.R. 3001 – Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act (Rep. Meeks – Financial Services)
- H.R. 1815 – Lena Horne Recognition Act (Rep. Hastings (FL) – Financial Services)
- H.R. 4040 – To provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the Nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship in golf (Rep. Baca – Financial Services)
- H.R. 2453 – Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act, as amended (Rep. Luetkemeyer – Financial Services)
TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012 AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for Morning Hour debate and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business with last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m. On Friday, no votes are expected in the House.
H.R. 4089 – Sportmen's Heritage Act of 2012 (Rep. Miller (FL) – Natural Resources/Agriculture/Energy and Commerce) (Subject to Rule)
H.R. __ – Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II (Rep. Mica – Transportation and Infrastructure/Ways and Means/Natural Resources/Science, Space, and Technology/Energy and Commerce) (Subject to a Rule)
H.R. 9 – Small Business Tax Cut Act (Rep. Cantor – Ways and Means) (Subject to a Rule)
In the Senate, courtesy of the
Office of the Majority Leader:
Senate Floor Schedule for Monday, April 16, 2012
Convenes: 2:00pm
Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.2240, the Paying a Fair Share Act.
As a reminder to all Senators, cloture was filed on the motion to proceed to S.2230, the Paying a Fair Share Act on Thursday, March 29th.
At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #460, Stephanie Dawn Thacker, of WV, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit with up to 60 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.
Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), there will be a roll call vote on confirmation of the Thacker nomination. There will then be a 2nd roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.2230, the Paying a Fair Share Act.
If the House does not adopt S.Con.Res.38, the adjournment resolution, the Senate will also meet on the following dates at the following times in pro forma sessions only, with no business conducted:
- Monday, April 2nd at 2:00pm
- Thursday, April 5th at 11:00am
- Monday, April 9th at 10:00am
- Thursday, April 12th at 2:00pm