With a vote of 247-161, the House came back from recess to pass H.R.1586 providing $26.1 billion in State-Aid Measures. Republican House members are furious at the need to return from recess for one vote, and have touted this legislation as another “stimulus” and unnecessary spending. Representative John Boehner even released a 10 point argument against the legislation. Fortunately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made it clear prior to the vote that “this amendment meets every test Republicans claim to be concerned about. They have no more excuses…help these workers keep their jobs and help our economy recover.”

Democrats stepped up and made a powerful statement in support of states, local governments, and labor. This legislation allocates $16.1 billion for a six-month extension of Medicaid (FMAP), $10 billion for education funding, $8.4 billion in spending rescissions, and 2 billion in cuts to Medicaid drug pricing.

These measures insure the retaining of roughly 161,000 education jobs and 158,000 police, firefighters, and other public works employees. In addition, this new funding is paid for through corrections to foreign and domestic tax provisions and reduces the deficit by $1.4 billion.

As time moves closer towards the midterm elections, this step is an encouragement to our continued efforts in promoting and fighting for the rights and aid for everyday hard working Americans. As President Obama made clear earlier today in the Rose Garden, “We can’t stand by and do nothing while pink slips are given to the men and women who educate our children or keep our communities safe.”

As a result of the Senate passing funding of which $10 billion will spare teachers from being laid off and gives $16.1 billion of Medicaid funding to struggling states, the House returns this week in the middle of the August legislative break to vote on the Senate approved measure. The vote is expected Tuesday.

The House is officially in recess until September.  The Senate has one more week to accomplish their unfinished business.

In the Senate:

- Senator Reid is using the HR 1586 Aviation Safety and Investment Act of 2010 to add on a $26.1 billion dollar measure that includes 10 billion dollars in education funding that was cut out of last week’s wartime supplemental.  There will be enormous state and local job loss if this does not pass.

- There is also a possible cloture vote on the Energy bill in hopes of a final vote on Wednesday.

- The Kagan nomination proceedings and votes will commence this week as well.  Currently there are five Republicans plus every Democrat except Bill Nelson in favor of her appointment.

- On Monday, July 19th President Obama made blatant comments blaming Republicans for holding up a bill to reauthorize extended unemployment benefits. In a public address he made it clear of his intent to have the reauthorization as well as a small business tax lenders package passed by the end of the week.

- Financial Reform finally passed both houses and the President is expected to sign the bill on Wednesday. There is still much work to do with regulators to make sure important parts are in place.


House

- There will be a suspension on H.R. 1855, Sectors Act, introduced by Rep. Loebsack from the Education and Labor Committee. This Act includes Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Reauthorization, manufacturing job creation and workforce investment.

- The House has passed Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional (HR 1855/S 777- introduced in April 2009 by Senator Sherrod Brown). The aim of the bill is to require the Department of Labor to initiate grant programs that would create partnerships between businesses that share common workforces. There are two different grants a “three-year implementation grants of up to $2.5 million for established training partnerships, and renewal grants of up to $1.5 million to extend funding for implementation grant recipients for an additional three years.” The hope is that job training programs will improve so the unemployed moving back into the workforce will be properly acclimated to the particular industry.

Senate

- The Kagan nominations should be complete by weeks end.

- Senator Reid prepares to have an energy bill introduced this week. His plan is to debate the bill week of July 26 .

- The Senate according to Reid is prepared to pass unemployment one Tuesday (H.R. 5618). Senator Byrd’s named replacement Carte Goodwin will be sworn in Tuesday, July 20th at about 2:15 pm then quickly proceed to addressing the unemployment bill- which according to the Congressional record is 2:30 p.m. After it hopefully passes in the Senate, the bill goes back to the House for another vote regarding a Senate amendment. Thereafter, the bill will go to President Obama and be signed into law. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also made it clear today that the Administration, come November will push for another extension if unemployment is still hovering around8.5-9 percent unemployment.

- Last week Senator Reid made it clear that he would bring the Disclose Act to the floor; however, due to the loss of support from Senator Brown and Snowe, that effort has been rescinded.

3 big priorities this week

- Unemployment insurance bill is to be worked on this coming week. There are big questions on who will be taking Senator Byrd’s seat especially since that vote matters in getting this legislation through. If not passed this will be the first time since 1950 that unemployment was above 7 percent and no benefits package was passed.

- The War Supplemental passed in the House- The Senate is having issues with the domestic spending part of 10 billion which will save 140,000 education jobs. Some of the funding comes from “Race to the top funds,” which both the White House and 12 Democrats are opposed to using for this bill. Included in this supplemental is a public safety collective barraging bill for 250,000 safety workers in about 20 states. This has about 6 Republicans backing the language.

-The Financial Reform bill passed the House the week before the July 4th recess. The Senate lost Senator Feingold's support but now have the support of Senator Collins and Senator Brown. This leaves the vote count at 59, but with the Republican support of Senator Snowe there will be the 60 votes necessary to pass the legislation.

- Proceedings for Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme will be held over another week in Judiciary Committee.

-There is a possibility of a 30 billion dollar small business bill that could come up before August recess which would include an estate tax and funding for the expiring middle class tax cuts.

- The House will hopefully take up the 9-11 Compensation. The efforts of unions have been to transform this legislation into a mandatory spending program. If left to annual appropriations it does not guarantee that this will exist in the next year’s budget.

This week on the Hill, both the House and Senate chambers are on recess until July 12th.

- Last week the Financial Reform bill got out of conference. There should be votes as early as Tuesday in the House and Wednesday in the Senate

- Former FBI Deputy Director John Pistole, the third nominee, was approved by the Senate as the new TSA Administrator.

- The Senate fell 3 votes (57-41) short on the tax extenders package. A 33 billion dollar unemployment bill did not pass again today.

- The FAA Reauthorization Bill received another extension from the House (HR 5611 -Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2010, Part II), until August 1, 2010. It’s not on the Senate docket as of yet.

- A war supplemental (HR 4899- Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010) has to be done this week. The House bill could have $24 billion in domestic spending, which would include $10 billion to prevent 140,000 school employee layoffs.

- The Supreme Court Nomination Proceedings continue for Elena Kagan.

- Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) from Alabama, yesterday introduced the “Protecting Human Space Flight Act of 2010”

Hearings this week

Future: House Committee Meetings

FISCAL 2011 APPROPRIATIONS: TRANSPORTATION-HUD / Full Listing July 1, 10 a.m., 2358-A Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Markup

PERSPECTIVES ON THE U.S. ECONOMY / Full Listing July 1, 1 p.m., 210 Cannon Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing
House Education & Labor

AIR CARGO SCREENING / Full Listing
June 30, 2 p.m., 311 Cannon Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing
House Judiciary

TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE PRACTICES / Full Listing June 30, 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

AUTOMATED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT / Full Listing June 30, 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

OIL SPILL ACCOUNTABILITY; SURFACE TRANSPORTATION; OTHER PENDING BILLS / Full Listing July 1, 11 a.m., 2167 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

Future: Senate Committee Meetings

Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee
“Needs of Communities Affected by 9/11” , 2:30, 430 Dirksen Bldg.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ACT / Full Listing June 29, 2:15 a.m., Closed to the Public
Full Committee Markup

U.S. AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY / Full Listing July 1, 10 a.m., 419 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

WORKPLACE SAFETY AND WORKER PROTECTIONS AT BP / Full Listing July 1, 10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

PREVENTING AND RECOVERING GOVERNMENT PAYMENT ERRORS / Full Listing July 1, 2:30 p.m., 342 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

SUPREME COURT NOMINATION / Full Listing
June 29, Time TBA, 216 Hart Bldg.
June 30, Time TBA, 216 Hart Bldg.
July 1, Time TBA, 216 Hart Bldg.
Full Committee Confirmation Hearing
Senate Select Intelligence

There are essentially 6 weeks left before August recess for the two Houses to get as much work done as possible. Senator Harry Reid is getting pressure from the White House to accomplish much in that short time.

- The Financial Reform Bill (HR 4173) could come out of conference as soon as June 24.

- Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearings to be a Supreme Court justice will start at 12:30 p.m. on June 28, in the Senate Judiciary Committee Room 216 of Hart Building.

- On June 15, 2010 the Salem Bridge in Naugatuck collapsed. This event encouraged Senator Chris Dodd to make a another call for a National Infrastructure Bank to “fund critical national and regional projects to upgrade the roads, bridges, transit and water systems across the United States.” The Senator made an original call for this legislation through the National Infrastructure Bank Act in 2007 with past Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE).

On the Hill as of June 15, 2010

The Senate will vote on three judicial nominations. After that, the Senate will return to consideration of a bill to extend expired tax provisions (HR 4213) and social safety-net programs. — Extending expired tax provisions and other programs

The House votes on amendments to a bill to create a small-business lending fund. (HR 5297)

House and Senate conferees continue to meet to work out differences on a bill to overhaul financial regulations (HR 4173 ). Currently there are 12 Senators and 31 Representatives present in the conference proceedings.

The primary conversations on the Hill surround concerns regarding deficit spending vs the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, and the gull oil spill payback coverage. President Obama sent out a letter of plea to Congressional Leadership requesting that members recognize the necessity of retaining jobs and unemployment benefits. Many Congressional members are hesitating because of political liabilities this coming November.

Senator Bill Nelson, Chairman for the Subcommittee on Science and Space sent a letter to Senator Barbra Mikulsiki Chairwoman for Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies on June 14, 2010 outlining his intentions of proposing a new bill to not only outline transitions in the NASA organization but also workforce interventions.


Hearing Highlights

House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing on “Proposed United-Continental Merger”. 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, 2167 Rayburn

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs confirmation hearing on the “Nomination of John S. Pistole to head the Transportation Security Administration”. 10 a.m. Wednesday, 342 Dirksen (Postponed and moved to Thursday June 17, 2010 at 2:30pm)

House Ways and Means hearing on “China’s Trade Policies”. 10 a.m. Wednesday, 1100 Longworth

House Judiciary hearing on “Airline Competition”. 2 p.m. Wednesday, 2141 Rayburn

Senate Veterans’ Affairs hearing on “VA Health Care in Rural Areas”. 2 p.m. Wednesday, 562 Dirksen

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on the “Gulf Coast Oil Spill”, with BP CEO Tony Hayward. 10 a.m. Thursday, 2123 Rayburn

Senate Energy & Natural Resources hearing on “Airline Industry Finances and Consolidation”. 10 a.m. Thursday, 253 Russell

The Senate meets this week and is expected to vote on several executive branch and judicial nominees. Debate begins on a financial regulatory overhaul bill as well.

The House returns Tuesday. A vote is expected this week on measures including providing voting rights for the District of Columbia and Veterans’ health services.

Several Congressional hearings will be conducted of interest including: Fiscal 2011 Funding for NASA, Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Aviation Security and Flight 253, and Securing Rail and Transportation Networks.

Finally, the Railroad Subcommittee will conduct a field hearing Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 9:30AM James R. Thompson Center, 100 West Randolph Street, Room 503, Chicago, Illinois to discuss “High-Speed Rail Grants Awarded under the Recovery Act”.