Congress returns to work next Monday. Well, the Senate never actually adjourned the way the House did, but that was simply a procedural move to stop President Bush from making ‘adjournment’ appointments to various boards and bodies to avoid the Senate confirmation process. In any case, both the Senate and House will be back at work, taking up the ‘people’s business’. This is a good time to review the status of some bills that I have been tracking and reporting on in this blog.
H.R.4806 and H.R6193 – Unclassified Homeland Security Information
These bills was passed by the House (see: “House Passes HR 4806 and HR 6193”). They were referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Chairman Thompson had intended to have them attached to the House Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. That bill is still-born so, if these bills are to make it into law they will have to wend their way through the Senate process in three weeks; not likely.
H.R.5533 or H.R.5577 – CFATS Reauthorization
These two bills are different methods of extending the CFATS authorization that expires next year. HR 5533 essentially makes the current regulations permanent. HR 5577 does that while extending the reach of the bill significantly. Both bills are dying from lack of attention in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. They will still probably be there when this Congress adjourns on September 26th.
S.3181 – Senate DHS Appropriations Bill
Sen. Byrd’s bill might pass the Senate before the September 26th adjournment but it is unlikely to make it through the House. If the House version of the bill is resurrected in time (say the first couple ofdays) then these might make it to conference in time for a last minute passage. I have seen no indications that this is likely. That means that DHS funding will be lumped under Sen. Reid’s continuing resolution. That means that the 2009 funding will be officially dealt with by the next Congress; in 2009 more than half-way through the fiscal year.
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