On the Hill this week, the Senate will continue working to pass H.R. 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 that was held up by Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) last week and the House will work to pass the jobs bill that successfully made it through the Senate.

Hearings in the House include: a hearing regarding Transportation Sustainable Planning and a several more hearings regarding transportation appropriations.

Hearings in the Senate include: a hearing regarding Aviation Safety and Flight 253, a hearing regarding Pay Equity in the Workplace, and one regarding transportation appropriations.

Bills expecting floor action: In the House - No major bills scheduled for consideration. In the Senate - H.R. 4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 which includes an extension for unemployment insurance, the funding for the COBRA program, and Pension relief. Funding for the Highway Trust Fund was previously included in this legislation but a 30 day short term extension was passed last week so that furloughed DOT workers could return to their jobs, thus stripping the Highway Trust Fund from the Tax Extenders Act.

On the hill this week, the House will work to pass the jobs bill that was successfully passed by the Senate last week. The Senate will reconsider the unemployment insurance/COBRA that was held up by Sen Bunning (R-KY) last week.

Hearings in the House include:a hearing regarding the NTSB Reauthorization and Combating Health Care Fraud.

Senate hearings include one on Transportation Projects and one on the Fiscal 2011 Transportation Budget.

Bills expecting floor action: in the House - H.R. 4247 the Keeping All Students Safe Act and in the Senate - H.R.4213, the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 as it contains funding for unemployment insurance, an extension of COBRA, and covers the Highway Trust Fund.

On the hill this week, the Senate will continue to work on a jobs bill to bring relief to the more than 10 million Americans that are currently without work.

In the House, the Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing regarding Employment Growth and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing regarding Aircraft Icing. They will also consider H.R. 2701 the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

In the Senate, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing regarding Workforce System Improvements and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on Aviation Safety. Also, the Senate will hold a series of procedural votes as it works to pass a jobs bill.

Additionally, President Obama released his proposal this morning for a compromise to the healthcare reform legislation. The bill being proposed, which has not yet been written and will likely be passed through the budget reconciliation process, would serve as a fix-it bill for the Senate passed bill. It is too early to tell if this proposal will materialize into a bill and if that bill will have the political viability to become law.

On the hill this week, the House and Senate are in recess following the President’s Day holiday. They will resume regularly scheduled legislative business on Tuesday, February 23.

Also this week, TWU encourages you to reach out to the White House and urge President Obama to appoint Craig Becker and Mark Pearce to the NLRB. Click-to-Call the White House now!

On the hill this week, Senators will continue to work on a jobs bill that the President asked for in his State of the Union address last week. The House and the Senate will also continue to work on a strategy to pass comprehensive health care reform despite the election results in the Massachusetts.

In the House, the Science and Technology Committee will hold a hearing regarding Passenger Screen R&D, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing regarding FAA Airline Safety and Pilot Training as well as a hearing regarding Stimulus Spending on Transportation Programs.

In the Senate, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is holding a hearing on Aviation Security and Flight 253, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is holding a hearing about a National Labor Relations Board Nomination, and the Finance Committee is holding a hearing on Health Care Proposals.

Additionally, the Senate will vote on two nominations this week. First, they will consider the nomination of Patricia Smith to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor. Later in the week, they will consider the nomination of Harold Craig Becker to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board.

On the hill this week, the House and Senate will continue to regroup on a strategy to pass healthcare reform and to address legislation that will help more Americans get jobs.

In the House, the Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on Aviation Security and Flight 253, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on the NTSB Reauthorization, and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a hearing regarding Health Care Needs of Rural Veterans.

In the Senate, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Aviation Security. The Senate will also hold a series of votes this week as they resume consideration of H.J. Res. 45, the Debt Limit Extension bill.

Additionally, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held a hearing to confirm Michael Huerta to be deputy administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation (DOT).

As Congress reconvenes, and the Healthcare conferencing continues, the House votes on a couple of resolutions including a bill to provide tax benefits for contributions to Haiti earthquake relief.

The Senate votes on a judicial nomination and debates on raising the debt limit.

We await the January 19th special election results for open seat left by the Late Senator Kennedy.

On a final note, January 20th marks the opening of hearings for the Christmas security debacle that occurred on Delta Airlines.

This week House leadership participates in conferencing the Senate’s Healthcare bill. The Senate remains on recess until January 19, 2010.

The Senate remains in session considering the healthcare bill with a possible vote projected Christmas Eve on the legislation.

Senate Judiciary marks up legislation on several bills including a National Criminal Justice Commission, medical bankruptcy fairness, hate crimes against the homeless, maltreated infants and immunization exemptions for certain adopted children as well as votes on the nomination of O. Rogeriee Thompson to be a judge for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Meanwhile, the House has recessed and is not expected back until January.

On the hill this week, the Senate will continue to debate The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.


In the House, the Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing regarding Airline Bankruptcy and Employees. In addition, the House is expected to pass H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY 2010 by Friday. Also, they are expected to pass a bill that includes funding for transportation infrastructure and a one year extension of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act.


In the Senate, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee will hold a hearing regarding Small Business Jobs and Exports Bills and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Safeguarding the American Dream.”