This Week in the People's House
7/5/2010
By Bobby Frederick
Happy Independence Day Weekend!

The House convened on Monday, June 28th (first votes at 10:33 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29th) and adjourned on Thursday, July 1st (last vote at 10:54 p.m.), registering 39 votes for the week. For the fourth week in a row, Democrat leadership cancelled votes for Friday in the House. The House was in session for a total of 40 hours and 7 minutes.

Last week, the House passed a 6-month extension of unemployment benefits, the Financial Services Reform Conference Report and an Emergency War Supplemental spending bill. Because, the Senate did not have the votes for the first two legislative items and the House made some changes to the war bill, none of these measures made it to President Obama's desk before the 4th of July recess began. The House and Senate will both reconvene on the 13th and 12th of July, respectively.

Current Balance of the House stands at 433 members : 255 Democrats, 178 Republicans and 2 vacancies (NY-29 & IN-3). If all current members are present and voting, this means that 217 votes are needed to pass a bill in the House.

Rule Bills- Unemployment Benefits Extension

H.R. 5618 - the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2010 Introduced by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA).

This 6-month extension of unemployment benefits (retroactive to June 2nd) would cost $33.9 billion over 10 years. Unemployment is currently at 9.5%. The House tried to pass this measure via suspension of the rules on Tuesday, June 29th (requiring two-thirds of those present and voting for passage), but failed to get the necessary votes. It was a brought back up under a rule that required a simple majority and passed 270-153 (Voting Yes- 241 D's & 29 R's : Voting No-11 D's & 142 R's). However, the Senate's effort to break the filibuster on their unemployment legislation fell two votes short. The previous unemployment extension expired at the end of May. As a result, the Labor Department projected that 1.7 million people will have lost their benefits by the 4th of July.

Financial Services Reform Conference Report

Just days after conferees wrapped up the House/Senate Conference on H.R. 4173- the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Conference was reopened to remove a $17.9 billion tax on banks in an effort to secure the votes necessary to push this measure over the finish line over in the Senate. However, the Senate adjourned without voting on the Conference Report.

The 2,323 page Conference Report creates a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency and brings the trading of derivatives under federal regulation. During debate, Democrats claimed that this increased oversight would help prevent another financial crisis, while Republicans claimed that the bill provides the government with permanent bailout authority. The House passed the Conference Report by a vote of 237-192 (Voting Yes- 234 D's & 3 R's : Voting No- 19 D's & 173 R's). For more information on this lengthy legislation, click here.

War Supplemental

H.R. 4899- the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010 (introduced by Congressman David Obey (D-WI).

The Senate passed their nearly $60 billion version of the War Supplemental on May 27th. On July 1st, the House amended the Senate's version of the War Supplemental, ensuring that this measure would not reach President Obama's desk until mid-July at the earliest. During his testimony at a Senate Appropriations hearing in June, Defense Secretary Robert Gates remarked, "We begin to have to do stupid things if the supplemental is not passed by July 4."

It's all in the rules...The rule setting the parameters for debate and providing for consideration of H.R. 4899 was controversial. For instance, if the rule passed, a $1.12 trillion budget enforcement resolution would also be automatically enacted (this after Democrats announced that for the first time since the current budget rules were enacted in 1974, that a 5-year budget resolution would not be voted on in the House). Other provisions wrapped inside this unorthodox rule: More than $2 billion to settle two federal lawsuits (one involving black farmers and the other related to American Indians) & $1 billion in summer jobs funding.

Finally, this rule made in order 4 amendments, one of with contained $21 billion in domestic spending and the other three pertaining to withdrawal from or reduced funding to Afghanistan). Under the rule, only one of the amendments needed to be adopted in order to send the bill along to the Senate.

While this rule could not muster a majority in the house, it did narrowly pass by a vote of 215-210 (Voting Yes- 215 D's & 0 R's : Voting No- 38 D's & 172 R's).

Amendment #2 Adds $10 billion to hire teachers, $5 billion for Pell Grants, $700 million for border security. Passed 239-182-1 (Voting Yes- 236 D's & 3 R's : Voting No- 15 D's & 167 R's : Voting Present- 1 R). At this point the bill is now approved for the Senate to consider.

Amendment #3 Strikes all military funding for Afghanistan in the bill. Failed 25-376-22 (Voting Yes- 22 D's & 3 R's : Voting No- 208 D's & 168 R's : Voting Present- 22 D's).

Amendment #4 Funding in the bill for Afghanistan could only be used towards withdrawal activities. Failed 100-321 (Voting Yes- 93 D's & 7 R's : Voting No- 157 D's & 164 R's).

Amendment #5 Requires Obama to present a plan to Congress by April 4, 2011 to redeploy U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Failed 162-260 (Voting Yes- 153 D's & 9 R's : Voting No- 98 D's & 162 R's).

Other News of Note

In a blow to the economic recovery, 652,000 dropped out of the workforce, unemployment is at 9.5% and "real unemployment" is at 16.5%. What this likely means for the fall.

The perilous fiscal state of lllinois.

In an apparent victory for the 2nd Amendment, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to extend gun rights to cities. However, if the experience in DC is any indication, gun rights have a long way to go.

Democrats defeat Republicans 13-5 on the diamond. With more than 40 incumbents not running for Congress next year, as well as expected Democrat losses, the rosters for both teams are sure to look very different.

Oil spill recovery efforts, day 76.

Robert Byrd, the Senate's longest serving member, passed away on June 28th. How his death affects the rest of 2010.

Recess

There are 119 days until the 2010 midterm election and just 30 days on the House legislative calendar. A policy-heavy lame duck session appears likely. The next People's House update will be on July 18th.