House Cloakroom: September 19 – September 23

Analysis: The two major items on the House floor this week with be the Continuing Resolution and the TRAIN Act.  The Continuing Resolution would provide funding for the government through November 18^th as Congress continues work on an appropriations package for the remainder of the fiscal year.  Once work on that is completed during the middle of the week they move to the TRAIN Act which will create an interagency committee to complete cost-benefit analyses of EPA regulations.

Major Floor Action:

• HJ Res 79 ^[1] – Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2012
• HR 2401 ^[2] – The Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act

Major Committee Action:

• The House Natural Resources ^[3] Committee will hold a hearing on “ANWR, Jobs, Energy and Deficit Reduction.”
• The House Education and the Workforce ^[4] Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a hearing on “Education Policy Overhaul.”
• The House Ways and Means ^[5] Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures will hold a hearing on “Energy and Tax Policy Issues.”
• The House Science, Space and Technology ^[6] Committee will hold a hearing on the “NASA Spaceflight Assessment and Outlook.”
• The House Education and the Workforce ^[4] Committee will hold a hearing on “NLRB Oversight.”

Senate Cloakroom: September 19 – September 23

Analysis: This week the Senate will take up a trade bill reviving the Generalized System of Preferences, which gives tariff preferences to developing nations.  This bill is expected to be the vehicle for Trade Adjustment Assistance, a controversial program that was expanded greatly by the stimulus in early 2009.  The Senate is also expected to move on a Continuing Resolution towards the end of the week once it passes the House.

Major Floor Action:

• HR 2832 ^[7] – To extend the Generalized System of Preferences, and for other purposes (expected to include Trade Adjustment Assistance)
• HJ Res 79 ^[1] – Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2012

Major Committee Action:

• The Senate Budget ^[8] Committee will hold a hearing on “Job Creation.”
• The Senate Finance ^[9] Committee will hold a hearing on “Tax Overhaul Options.”
• The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs ^[10] Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development will hold a hearing on “Ideas to Clear Out Foreclosed Properties.”
• The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ^[11] Committee will hold a markup of the “Homeland Security Reauthorization.”