Bills Introduced – 2-27-13 (Revised)

There were four more bills yesterday that would prevent/modify the sequester of Federal funding. No way of telling yet what specific affect either bill would have on cybersecurity or chemical safety/security spending. The four bills are:

H.R.849 Latest Title: To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the section 251A sequestrations and to reduce the security and nonsecurity discretionary spending limits by $320 billion from fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2021, and to suspend the statutory limit on the public debt until February 1, 2017. Sponsor: Rep Smith, Adam (D,WA)

H.R.857 Latest Title: To amend section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the Department of Defense sequestration for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 and sequester such eliminated sums over a period of fiscal years 2015 through 2021. Sponsor: Rep Cook, Paul (R,CA)

S.16 Latest Title: A bill to provide for a sequester replacement. Sponsor: Sen Inhofe, James M. (R,OK)

S.18 Latest Title: A bill to amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to replace the sequester established by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Sponsor: Sen Ayotte, Kelly (R,NH)

Neither of the House bills, nor the Ayotte bill has much chance of actually being considered. Legislation on spending that does get floor consideration typically comes from the Chair (or sometimes Ranking Member) of the Appropriations Committees. The Inhofe bill will be considered today in the Senate as part of the deal that I mentioned yesterday (though I called it the McConnell bill there).

(NOTE: This post was revised because I found the Senate bills after the Congressional Record became available this morning. I initially check bills sequentially first thing in the morning through Thomas.gov as they become available quicker there. The two Senate bills were introduced out of sequence.)