In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010
House Meets At... 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Business
First Vote Predicted... 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted... 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
"One Minutes" (15 per side)
Complete Consideration H.R. 4849 - Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act of 2010 (Rep. Levin – Ways and Means)
Begin Consideration of H.R. 4899 – Disaster Relief and Summer Jobs Act of 2010 (Rep. Obey – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule)
Suspensions (2 Bills):
- H.R. 4360 - To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs blind rehabilitation center in Long Beach, California, as the "Major Charles R. Soltes, Jr., O.D. Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Center" (Rep. Campbell - Veterans' Affairs)
- H.R. 4915 - Extending the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and extending authorizations for the airport improvement program (Rep. Oberstar - Transportation and Infrastructure)
Postponed Suspension Votes (5 Bills):
- H.R. 1879 - National Guard Employment Protection Act of 2009 (Rep. Coffman - Veterans' Affairs)
- H.Res. 1125 - Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Works Week (Rep. Perriello - Transportation and Infrastructure)
- H.Res. 917 - Recognizing the Florida Keys Scenic Highway on the occasion of its designation as an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation (Rep. Ros-Lehtinen - Transportation and Infrastructure)
- H.R. 3562 - To designate the Federal building under construction at 1220 Echelon Parkway in Jackson, Mississippi, as the "Chaney, Goodman, Schwerner Federal Building" (Rep. Thompson (MS) - Transportation and Infrastructure)
- H.R. 4098 - Secure Federal File Sharing Act (Rep. Towns - Oversight and Government Reform)
- 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: 9:00am
The Senate will resume consideration of HR4872, Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.
Roll call votes are expected to occur throughout the day.
Eyes are back on the Senate again today, as they deal with the reconciliation "fix" bill for health insurance reform. Try not to get dizzy today, as you watch the feverish whirling in place of Republicans, who take up the task of simultaneously bashing what's in the main bill while also throwing up any obstructionist hurdle they can think of to passing a bill that fixes what they're bashing. The first bill was full of special deals! That's why I'm opposing this new bill to get rid of the special deals!
But chasing their tails is their prerogative (and in more than a few cases, it beats having them free to chase tail elsewhere). Federal law provides for just 20 hours of debate for reconciliation bills, and yesterday's antics consumed 7 1/2 of them. If things go relatively smoothly, they'll finish up by the end of the week. If Republicans go bat-s#*t crazy -- or rather, continue to do so -- they can push things to the tipping point and perhaps motivate Senate Dems to come down on them in ways they're not likely to want to live with. We'll see if in the end, they're not more interested in living to fight another day, and taking their recess.
Committee work, at least in the House, continues apace. If Senate Republicans continue their temper tantrum, it's possible no Senate committees will meet today, though plenty are scheduled. Today's meetings, as usual, are listed below the fold.
UPDATE: Senate Dems have yielded back all their time on the reconciliation bill, which will cut debate time in half. Republicans still have about 8 1/2 hours remaining, so now they'll talk themselves blue for a while, and we'll start voting about 7 hours sooner than we otherwise would. I would have expected Dems to simply reserve their time and make Republicans speak all at once, and then yield back. But either way, this says to the GOP, there's nothing you can do with speeches and we have the votes, so let's let you vent and get it over with already. OK by me!
In the committees:
House
Committee | Date | Time | Purpose | View Online? |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 9:30 am | Defense Subcommittee: Department of Defense Budget Overview | Yes |
Energy & Commerce | Wed, 3/24 | 9:30 am | Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment: Energy And Environment Subcommittee Markup | Yes |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee: NSF (National Science Foundation) FY2011 Budget Overview | No |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Homeland Security Subcommittee: CBP- Balancing Security with Legitimate Trade and Travel | No |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Military Construction, VA Subcommittee: Pacific Command | No |
Energy & Commerce | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection: Commerce, Trade, And Consumer Protection Subcommittee Markup | Yes |
Financial Services | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity: H.R. 4868, Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act of 2010 | Yes |
Judiciary | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Sharing and Analyzing Information to Prevent Terrorism | Yes |
Natural Resources | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Markup: H.R. 4225 (Costa): To authorize drought assistance adjustments to provide immediate funding for projects and activities that will help alleviate record unemployment and diminished agricultural production related to the drought in California | Yes |
Oversight & Government Reform | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia Subcommittee: Subcommittee Business Meeting | Yes |
Ways & Means | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Hearing on China’s Exchange Rate Policy | Yes |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 10:15 am | Legislative Branch Subcommittee: FY 2011 Budgets of the Library of Congress, the Government Printing Office, and the Open World Leadership Center | No |
Science & Technology | Wed, 3/24 | 10:30 am | Subcommittee on Technology & Innovation: Supporting Innovation in the 21st Century Economy | Yes |
Small Business | Wed, 3/24 | 1:00 pm | Small Business Participation in the Federal Procurement Marketplace | No |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Energy and Water Subcommittee: Department of Energy FY2011 Budget | Yes |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Transportation, HUD Subcommittee: Housing & Transportation Challenges within Native American Communities and the FY 2011 Budget Request | No |
Armed Services | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Air and Land Forces and Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittees: Joint meeting to receive testimony on Department of the Navy and Air Force combat aviation programs | Yes |
Financial Services | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit: Keeping Score on Credit Scores: An Overview of Credit Scores, Credit Reports and their Impact on Consumers | Yes |
Oversight & Government Reform | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Government Management, Organization and Procurement Subcommittee: Federal Information Security: Current Challenges And Future Policy Considerations | Yes |
Science & Technology | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Subcommittee on Space & Aeronautics: Proposed Changes to NASA’s Exploration Program: What’s Known, What’s Not, and What Are The Issues for Congress? | Yes |
Select Intelligence | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | FY11 Budget: DoJ Intelligence | No |
Transportation & Infrastructure | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management: Capital Assets Crisis: Maintaining Federal Real Estate with a Dwindling Federal Building Fund | Yes |
Veterans Affairs | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 pm | Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs: Examination of VA Regional Office Disability Claims Quality Review Methods – Is VBA’s Systematic Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) Making the Grade? | Yes |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 2:30 pm | Military Construction, VA Subcommittee: Army Budget | No |
Foreign Affairs | Wed, 3/24 | 3:30 pm | Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health: An Overview of U.S. Policy in Africa | Yes |
Senate
Committee | Date | Time | Purpose | View Online? |
Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry | Wed, 3/24 | 9:30 am | Business meeting to consider an original bill entitled,"Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" | Yes |
Veterans' Affairs | Wed, 3/24 | 9:30 am | Oversight Hearing: VA's Plan for Ending Homelessness among Veterans | Yes |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Subcommittee on Defense: Hearing on FY 2011 Guard and Reserve Budget | Yes |
Armed Services | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Subcommittee on Personnel: Hearings to examine Military Health System programs, policies, and initiatives in review of the Defense Authorization request for fiscal year 2011 and the Future Years Defense Program | Yes |
Commerce, Science & Transportation | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Business mg to consider S.773, to ensure the continued free flow of commerce within the US & with its global trading partners through secure cyber communications, to provide for the continued development and exploitation of the Internet & intranet communications for such purposes, to provide for the development of a cadre of information technology specialists to improve & maintain effective cybersecurity defenses against disruption; S.2881, to provide greater technical resources to FCC Commissioners; S.1252, to promote ocean & human health & for other purposes; S.2870, to establish uniform administrative & enforcement procedures & penalties for the enforcement of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act & similar statutes; S.2871, to make technical corrections to the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act; Nominations: Robert J. Papp Jr., to be Commandant, US Coast Guard, Dept. of Homeland Security; Larry Robinson, Asst. Sec. of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere; Earl F. Weener, Member, Nat'l Transportation Safety Board; Michael F. Tillman and Daryl J. Boness, Members, Marine Mammal Commission; Jeffrey R. Moreland, Dir., Amtrak Board of Directors; and a promotion list in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps and the US Coast Guard | Yes |
Environment & Public Works | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Opportunities to Improve Energy Security and the Environment through Transportation Policy | Yes |
Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs | Wed, 3/24 | 10:00 am | Nomination of Maj. Gen. Robert A. Harding, USA, Ret., Asst. Sec., Dept. of Homeland Security | Yes |
Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Wed, 3/24 | 1:30 am | President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2011 for the Small Business Administration | ??? |
Special Aging | Wed, 3/24 | 2:00 am | Hearings to examine medicine and prescription drugs, focusing on nursing home patients | Yes |
Appropriations | Wed, 3/24 | 2:30 pm | Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government: Hearing on FY 2011 OPM Budget | Yes |
Armed Services | Wed, 3/24 | 2:30 pm | Hearings to examine U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Strategic Command, and U.S. Forces Korea in review of the Defense Authorization request for fiscal year 2011 and the Future Years Defense Program; with the possibility of a closed session in SVC-217 following the open session | Yes |
Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs | Wed, 3/24 | 2:30 pm | Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight: Contracts for Afghan National Police Training | Yes |
Judiciary | Wed, 3/24 | 2:30 pm | Nominations: Goodwin Liu, US Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; and Kimberly J. Mueller, US District Judge for the Eastern District of CA | Yes |