HR 2892 Status Update 10-14-09

Yesterday afternoon the Conference Committee on HR 2892, the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for FY 2010, filed their report (H Rept 111-298) on their reconciled version of that Bill. While an official version is not yet (as of 8:30 am EDT) available on either the Library of Congress or Government Printing Office web sites, both of the Appropriations Committees and the House Rules Committee have a hand marked-up version posted on their web sites. From a chemical security community perspective, the only thing interesting in this report is the expected provision extending the life of the current CFATS authorization until October 4, 2010. What is an interesting coincidence is the fact that the extension is found in §550 of this legislation, the same section number that was used for the initial CFATS authorization in the FY2007 appropriations bill. As I noted in a Twitter posting yesterday, the House Rules Committee will be meeting today to consider the Conference Report. This meeting will set the ground rules for the floor debate and voting procedures for HR 2892. The Committee web site notes that this is an ‘emergency’ meeting. This almost certainly indicates that the leadership intends to bring the resulting resolution and this bill to a vote tomorrow. I have seen nothing indicating when the Senate intends to take up the bill for a final vote, but it is sure to come quickly.