OMG, please don't tell anyone I was a Republican.
Recapping Last Week in Congress
A typical week in the House last week, with one union-bashing bill, two regulatory panic bills, and one bill killing off federal elections assistance programs and federal funding for presidential races and party conventions. That last bit is interesting, especially in light of speculation that Herman Cain "suspended" rather than ended his presidential bid in an effort to remain eligible to collect federal matching funds. It'd be awfully ironic to see Mr. Bootstraps holding on for a federal bailout, especially in light of the fact that every Republican in the House (save one, Walter Jones of NC) voted to kill that funding off just last week.
The Senate spent Monday through Thursday evening finishing the controversial defense authorization bill (currently under veto threat over the detainee policy provisions), then quickly turned to rejecting motions to proceed to both the Democratic and Republican alternatives on the payroll tax holiday extension.
This Week in Congress
The House calendar currently lists Thursday as its target adjournment date for the first session, though it's not entirely clear that they're really going to be able to wind things up this week without some additional appropriations work that isn't specifically enumerated on the schedule at this point. As of now, there's a lot of end-of-session housekeeping. Eighteen suspension bills, and two Republican regulatory panic bills, one of which has been languishing in committee since January, and has apparently only emerged now at the very end of the session, because Republicans are so super serious about stuff. Seriously. It can reliably be said, I think, that voting for the first time on H.R. 10 in the last week of the session is a sign of some pretty scatterbrained disorganization. And if that's not enough for you, how about genuine paranoid idiocy? The second regulatory panic bill seeks to ban a non-existent EPA rule on "farm dust."
That's where your United States House of Representatives is, folks.
The Senate, as usual, does not have nearly as much detail set in stone about its schedule. So far, they've got an agreement in place for votes on four federal district court judges. There's a fifth judicial nomination pending, but Republicans are apparently still standing in the way of that one, and cloture had to be filed, on which a vote is expected on Tuesday.
There's no clear target adjournment date yet on the Senate side, but again, it's likely there will have to be some additional appropriations work done before anyone can go home, since the last continuing appropriations bill (passed in mid-November) funded some agencies only through December 16th. And of course, the promise on the payroll tax holiday extension was that the Senate would keep trying over and over again to get that to the floor until... something. So... stay tuned!
Full floor and committee schedules are below the fold.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
THE WEEKLY WHIP: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011
First Vote Of The Week: Tuesday Afternoon
Last Vote Predicted: Thursday 3:00 p.m.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2011
On Monday, House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for Morning Hour debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. No votes are expected in the House in order to accommodate the White House Holiday Ball. Any recorded votes requested will be postponed until Tuesday, December 6.
Suspensions (8 Bills)
- H.R. 2351 - North Cascades National Park Service Complex Fish Stocking Act (Rep. Hastings (WA) - Natural Resources)
- H.R. 944 - To eliminate an unused lighthouse reservation, provide management consistency by incorporating the rocks and small islands along the coast of Orange County, California, into the California Coastal National Monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and meet the original Congressional intent of preserving Orange County's rocks and small islands, and for other purpose (Rep. Campbell - Natural Resources)
- H.R. 2360 - POWER Act (Rep. Landry - Natural Resources)
- H.R. 643 - Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District Land Exchange Act (Rep. Polis - Natural Resources)
- H.R. 1560 - To amend the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo and Alabama and Coushatta Indian Tribes of Texas Restoration Act to allow the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe to determine blood quantum requirement for membership in that tribe (Rep. Reyes - Natural Resources)
- S.683 - Box Elder Utah Land Conveyance Act (Sen. Lee - Natural Resources)
- S. 535 - Fort Pulaski National Monument Lease Authorization Act (Sen. Isakson - Natural Resources)
- S.Con.Res. 32 - A concurrent resolution to authorize the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make technical corrections in the enrollment of H.R. 470 , an Act to further allocate and expand the availability of hydroelectric power generated at Hoover Dam, and for other purpose (Sen. Bingaman - Natural Resources)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011 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. Members are advised that first votes on Tuesday could occur as early as 1:00 p.m. 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 at this time.
Suspensions (10 Bills)
- H.R. 1254 - Synthetic Drug Control Act (Rep. Dent - Energy and Commerce)
- H.R. 2405 - Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (Rep. Rogers (MI) - Energy and Commerce)
- H.R. 3237 - SOAR Technical Corrections Act (Rep. Gowdy - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2297 - To promote the development of the Southwest waterfront in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes (Rep. Norton - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 313 - Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act of 2011 (Rep. Smith (TX) - Judiciary)
- H.R. 2471 - To amend section 2710 of title 18, United States Code, to clarify that a video tape service provider may obtain a consumer's informed, written consent on an ongoing basis and that consent may be obtained through the Internet (Rep. Goodlatte - Judiciary)
- H.R. 1021 - Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011 (Rep. Smith (TX) -Judiciary)
- S.J.Res. 22 - A joint resolution to grant the consent of Congress to an amendment to the compact between the States of Missouri and Illinois providing that bonds issuedby the Bi-State Development Agency may mature in not to exceed 40 years, as amended (Sen. McCaskill - Judiciary)
- S. 1639 - A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to authorize the American Legion under its Federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to the individual departments and posts of the American Legion, and for other purposes (Sen. Jon Tester - Judiciary)
- S. 1541 - A bill to revise the Federal charter for the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. to reflect a change in eligibility requirements for membership (Sen. Bennet - Judiciary)
H.R. 10 – Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2011 (Rep. Davis (KY) – Judiciary/Rules) (Subject to a Rule)
The Rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order the following amendments:
Rep. Sessions Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Reps. Johnson (GA)/Jackson-Lee Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Schrader Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. McKinley Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Maloney Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Jackson-Lee Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
Rep. Moore Amendment (10 minutes of debate)
H.R. 1633 – Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 (Rep. Noem – Energy and Commerce) (Subject to a Rule)
Possible Motion to go to Conference and Motions to Instruct Conferees
Possible Consideration of Legislation Related to Expiring Provisions of Current Law
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Schedule for Monday, December 5, 2011
On Monday, December 5, the Senate will convene at 2:00pm.
Following Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 4:30pm with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the nominations listed below. There will be up to 1 hour for debate on the nominations.
#363 Edgardo Ramos – to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York
#364 Andrew L. Carter, Jr. – to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York
#365 James Rodney Gilstrap – to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas
#406 Dana L. Christensen – to be United States District Judge for the District of Montana
At 5:30pm there will be a roll call vote on confirmation of one of the judicial nominations. We expect the remaining three judges to be confirmed by consent. As a reminder, cloture was filed on the nomination of Caitlin Joan Halligan, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia. That cloture vote will occur at noon on Tuesday.