In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010
House Meets At: 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Business
First Vote Predicted: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Last Vote Predicted: 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
"One Minutes" (10 per side)
Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1722 - Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (Rep. Sarbanes – Oversight and Government Reform)(Subject to a Rule)
Suspensions (1 Bill)
- H.R. 6419 - Emergency Unemployment Compensation Continuation Act (Rep. McDermott - Ways and Means)
Postponed Suspension Votes (3 Bills)
- H.Con.Res. 329 - Recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Rep. George Miller - Education and Labor)
- H.Res. 1677 - Condemning the Burmese regime's undemocratic upcoming elections on November 7, 2010 (Rep. Manzullo - Foreign Affairs)
- S. 3774 - Extending the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008 (Sen. Cornyn - Ways and Means)
- Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.
Motions to go to Conference should they become available.
Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Convenes: 9:30am
Following any Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business for 1 hour with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the Majority will control the final 30 minutes.
Following morning business, the Senate will resume the motion to proceed to S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, post-cloture.
The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 3:00pm to allow for a Democratic caucus meeting.
Time during any recess, adjournment or period of morning business will count post-cloture.
The Leaders will continue to work on an agreement to consider amendments to the Food Safety bill. Senator Reid would like to reach an agreement on amendments so that we may complete action on this important legislation this week.
Yes, more suspensions. But there's a good one in there! H.R. 6419, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Continuation Act! Now, suspension bills need a 2/3 vote to pass, so that's a pretty high hurdle -- 290 votes, at least 35 of which would have to come from Republicans. So why bring the bill to the floor that way? Suspension bills aren't subject to amendment, nor to the motion to recommit. So although the hurdle is high, it's a straight-up yes-or-no vote on unemployment benefits extension.
There's also one other substantive bill on the floor in the House, the Telework Enhancement Act, back from the Senate with an amendment that the House plans to try to accept.
By the way, some of you may remember that considering suspensions this late in the week is unusual, and if the House stays in on Friday, they'll need special dispensation to consider any more. For the record, the rule for consideration of the Telework bill includes that dispensation. With so little time left in the session, they may want to try to clear the decks of whatever non-controversial matters might still be lying around.
On the Senate side, the Paycheck Fairness cloture vote went down yesterday, but the Food Safety vote succeeded, which means debate on the actual bill is... just hours away! Yes, they're running the 30-hour post cloture clock on the motion to proceed to the Food Safety bill. And while the clock is running, the Democratic caucus will be meeting to consider, among other things, strategy for the remaining week, and possible rules reform for next year. There are still a number of Senators not entirely convinced of the need for rules change, which is amazing considering that they'll be meeting while time ticks uselessly away on a food safety bill. Food safety! Come on!
Today's committee schedule appears below the fold. But you'll have to wait 30 hours before I let you read it! Just kidding! I'm not that crazy!