In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009
House Meets At... 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Business
Fifteen "One Minutes" Per Side
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
H.R. 2920 - Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009 (Reps. Hoyer/Spratt – Budget) (Subject to a Rule)
Suspensions (5 Bills)
- H.Res. 654 - Honoring the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation (Rep. Hastings (FL) - Foreign Affairs)
- H.Res. 538 - Resolution supporting Olympic Day and encouraging the International Olympic Committee to select Chicago, Illinois, as the host city for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Rep. Schakowsky - Foreign Affairs)
- H.Res. 285 - Congratulating the people of the Republic of Lithuania for its 1000th anniversary and celebrating the rich history of Lithuania (Rep. Shimkus - Foreign Affairs)
- H.R. 1511 - Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2009 (Rep. Smith (NJ) - Foreign Affairs)
- H.Res. 519- Expressing appreciation to the people and Government of Canada for their long history of friendship and cooperation with the people and Government of the United States (Rep. Stupak - Foreign Affairs)
Dispose of H.Res. __ - Raising a question of privileges of the House (Rep. Flake – Privileged Resolution)
Postponed Suspension Votes (8 Bills)
- H.R. 1675 - Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2009 (Rep. Murphy (CT) - Financial Services)
- H.R. 2938 - To extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project (Rep. Costello - Energy and Commerce)
- H.Res. 69 - Recognizing the need to continue research into the causes, treatment, education, and an eventual cure for diabetes (Rep. Baca - Energy and Commerce)
- H.R. 3119 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 867 Stockton Street in San Francisco, California, as the "Lim Poon Lee Post Office" (Rep. Pelosi - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.Res. 534 - Supporting the goals and ideals of "National Children and Families Day" (Rep. Edwards (MD) - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2972 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 115 West Edward Street in Erath, Louisiana, as the "Conrad DeRouen, Jr. Post Office" (Rep. Boustany - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.Res. 566 - Congratulating the 2008-2009 National Basketball Association Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, on an outstanding and historic season (Rep. Waters - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.Res. 350 - Honoring the life and accomplishments of Harry Kalas for his invaluable contributions to the national past-time of baseball, the community, and the Nation (Rep. Sestak - Oversight and Government Reform)
In the Senate, courtesy of the Secretary of the Senate:
Convenes: 9:30am
Resume consideration of S.1390, the Department of Defense Authorization bill, with the time until 12:00 o’clock for debate on the Thune amendment relating to carry conceal. At 12 o’clock, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote in relation to the Thune amendment (60-votes in the affirmative required for adoption).
At 2:00pm, there will be a live quorum with respect to the Court of Impeachment of Samuel B. Kent. Senators should be on the floor at 2:00pm for the live quorum.
Committee events of note:
Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Energy & Commerce Committee: H.R. 3200, The America's Affordable Health Choices Act Of 2009 Markup, Day 5
- Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Financial Services Committee: Regulatory Perspectives on the Obama Administration’s Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals
- Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Foreign Affairs Committee: Iran: Recent Developments and Implications for U.S. Policy
- Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law: Ramifications of Auto Industry Bankruptcies, Part III
- Wed., 7/22, 10am. House Natural Resources Committee: Full committee markup: H.R. 2499: To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. "Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009"
- Wed., 7/22, 10am. Senate Agriculture Committee: The Role of Agriculture and Forestry in Global Warming Legislation. Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture; Lisa Jackson, Administrator Environmental Protection Agency; John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science & Technology
- Wed., 7/22, 10am. Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee: The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress. Ben Bernanke, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Wed., 7/22, 2pm. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: TARP Oversight: Warrant Repurchases and Protecting Taxpayers
- Wed., 7/22, 3:15pm. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs: Markup: H.R. 3245, the "Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009"
A Wednesday full of suspensions with a full appropriations plate still waiting and a recess fast approaching means something's gone at least slightly amiss. We're heading into consideration of what's traditionally among the most contentious appropriations fights -- that is, Labor/HHS, schedule for tomorrow -- with another big ticket one (Transportation/HUD) up today. And the Rules Committee delayed its hearing on the statutory PAYGO bill yesterday, too. It all may be just a series of unfortunate but unconnected circumstances, of course. [Late update: PAYGO is on the floor as scheduled, just slightly delayed in Rules for consideration of a last-minute tune up, in the form of a substitute.] But appropriations bills have been very contentious this year because Democrats have kept a tight lid on amendments, with an eye toward finishing up all the bills on a strict schedule this year. To lose a Wednesday work day in the middle of this schedule, then, seems at least a little more than slightly unusual. And that's not even to mention the cancellation -- for the second day in a row -- of the Energy & Commerce Committee's markup of the health care bill.
In the Senate, though, losing time is a way of life. We're still on the defense authorization bill over there, with the bulk of the attention for the day on yet another non-germane Republican gun amendment, this time the concealed carry reciprocity proposal from John Thune (R-SD). Seems they're making a real habit of bringing gun riders. Probably because we're making a real habit of sustaining their hopes of passing them and/or embarrassing us, by constantly releasing wobbly Dems to "vote their districts" (or states, in the case of the Senate). I can understand and sympathize with the desire to get Dems out of the way of common sense gun law reforms. But diving out of the way of any amendment that brings up the "g word" isn't any kind of exercise in common sense.
Plenty to follow in committee today, including still more health care work in the House Energy & Commerce Committee. And still no such work in the Senate Finance Committee. Remember when everyone was supposed to have their eye on Max Baucus? Where is that guy?
Full committee schedule appears below.
In the Committees:
House
Committee | Date | Time | Purpose | View Online? |
Appropriations | Wed., 7/22 | 9:00 a.m. | Full Committee Markup - Defense | Yes |
Financial Services | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Regulatory Perspectives on the Obama Administration’s Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals | Yes |
Foreign Affairs | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Iran: Recent Developments and Implications for U.S. Policy | Yes |
Homeland Security | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism: Markup: H.R. 1517, H.R. 1726, H.R. 3239 | Yes |
Judiciary | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law: Ramifications of Auto Industry Bankruptcies, Part III | Yes |
Natural Resources | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Full committee markup: H.R. 2499 (Pierluisi): To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. "Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009" | Yes |
Veterans' Affairs | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: Enforcement of VA’s Brachytherapy Program Safety Standards | Yes |
Small Business | Wed., 7/22 | 1:00 p.m. | Meeting the Needs of Small Businesses and Family Farmers in Regulating our Nation’s Waters | No |
Armed Services | Wed., 7/22 | 2:00 p.m. | Military Personnel Subcommittee: Oversight of family support programs | Yes |
Financial Services | Wed., 7/22 | 2:00 p.m. | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: TARP Oversight: Warrant Repurchases and Protecting Taxpayers | Yes |
Oversight & Government Reform | Wed., 7/22 | 2:00 p.m. | Domestic Policy Subcommittee: Arbitration or ‘Arbitrary’: The Misuse of Mandatory Arbitration to Collect Consumer Debts | Yes |
Transportation & Infrastructure | Wed., 7/22 | 2:00 p.m. | Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management: The Congressional Vision for a 21st Century Union Station: New Intermodal Uses and a New Union Station Livable Community | Yes |
Judiciary | Wed., 7/22 | 3:00 p.m. | Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security: Over-Criminalization of Conduct/Over-Federalization of Criminal Law | Yes |
Rules | Wed., 7/22 | 3:00 p.m. | H.R. __ - Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 | No |
Judiciary | Wed., 7/22 | 3:15 p.m. | Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security: Markup: H.R. 3245, the "Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009" | Yes |
Senate
Committee | Date | Time | Purpose | View Online? |
Foreign Relations | Wed., 7/22 | 9:00 a.m. | Nominations: Samuel Louis Kaplan, Amb. to the Kingdom of Morocco; James B. Smith, Amb. to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Kenneth E. Gross Jr., Amb. to the Republic of Tajikistan; Miguel Humberto Diaz, Amb. to the Holy See | Yes |
Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | The Role of Agriculture and Forestry in Global Warming Legislation | ? |
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress | Yes |
Commerce, Science & Transportation | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance: Advertising Trends and Consumer Protection | Yes |
Environment & Public Works | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Nomination: Samuel Hamilton, Dir. of the US Fish & Wildlife Service | Yes |
Judiciary | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Promoting Job Creation and Foreign Investment in the United States: An Assessment of the EB-5 Regional Center Program | Yes |
Veterans' Affairs | Wed., 7/22 | 10:00 a.m. | Nomination: Raymond Jefferson, Asst. Sec. of Labor for Veterans' Employment & Training; Joan M. Evans, Asst. Sec. of Veterans Affairs for Congressional & Legislative Affairs | Yes |
Commerce, Science & Transportation | Wed., 7/22 | 2:30 p.m. | Rethinking the Children's Television Act for a Digital Media Age | Yes |
Energy & Natural Resources | Wed., 7/22 | 2:30 p.m. | National Parks Subcommittee: S. 635, S. 715, S. 742, S. 1270, S.1418 and H.R. 2330, and H.R. 2430 | Yes |
Foreign Relations | Wed., 7/22 | 2:30 p.m. | The Case for Reform: Foreign Aid and Development in a New Era | Yes |
Judiciary | Wed., 7/22 | 2:30 p.m. | Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs: Metal Theft: Public Hazard, Law Enforcement Challenge | Yes |
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs | Wed., 7/22 | 3:00 p.m. | Nomination: Deborah Matz, Member of the Board of the National Credit Union Administration | Yes |