DHS Budget Status – 09-22-09

There is an interesting article on GovExec.com about the potential for a continuing resolution this year as none of the budget bills have yet been passed. The House Rules Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing late this afternoon on a CR, allowing for consideration in the House as early as tomorrow. The DHS budget bill (HR 2892) is one of five (out of 12) that has been passed in both the House and Senate, but in different versions. This means that a conference committee has to meet and iron out the differences allowing a common bill to go back for a final vote in both houses. The Senate appointed their members of the conference committee back in July, but the House has, as of yet, failed to do that. The GovExec.com article notes that conference committee meetings could start this week. Passage of HR 2892 is important to the chemical security community because it includes a one year extension of the CFATS authorization. Without that extension it is likely that the current chemical security program would come to a screeching halt on October 2nd (it expires on the 4th but that is a Sunday). A continuing resolution with CFATS wording would certainly bridge the time between October 4th and the passage of HR 2892 if that passage is late. Actually, as I understand the DHS position, they will continue the CFATS program under a continuing resolution even if it does not include specific CFATS language. Their lawyers reason that since both versions of HR 2892 contain exactly the same CFATS extension language, it is inevitable that the final version of HR 2892 will extend CFATS. Thus a continuing resolution would express the will of Congress to extend CFATS. There should be no reason that HR 2892 could not be reconciled and brought to a successful floor vote in both houses before September 30th. The two versions are not that far apart. In fact, I do not understand why the conference committee has not already met, but then I am not privy to the machinations of the House leadership.