NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE ON SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Negotiations between congressional leaders and key White House staff continue this week on the new version of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill.
The President vetoed an earlier version of the measure last week. Congressional leaders have set a goal of finalizing the next supplemental before the Memorial Day recess, scheduled for the week of May 28.
To aid the post-veto negotiations, Congressional leaders have set to the side, for now, the non-war domestic spending items that were in the previous supplemental. It is not known yet if or how many of them will be included in the next bill version.
ENERGY LEGISLATION MOVES FORWARD IN BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE
While the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee completed a mark-up of its energy bill last week, it appears that the collective energy package will not likely see action on the Senate floor until after Memorial Day.
Earlier this week, the Senate Energy Committee approved an energy bill that covers provisions on carbon sequestration, efficiency and biofuels. An amendment that would have added an additional coal-to-liquids fuels mandate was rejected on an 11-12 vote.
Chairman Bingaman did not offer his amendment that would create a renewable portfolio standard. Both coal-to-liquids and RPS issues are sure to resurface during floor debate. But even with the Committee clearing the bill on a 20-3 vote, the momentum for getting an energy package to the Senate floor is slowed because other Committees have not marked-up their energy bills. The Commerce Committee has yet to report out its anticipated bill on CAFÉ standards nor has the Senate Finance Committee produced its bill on energy tax incentives.
Meanwhile, House Natural
Resources Committee Chairman Rahall outlined provisions that
are expected to come from his committee, including a study
the potential of carbon sequestration in the U.S., as well
as, a repeal Section 390 of the Energy Policy Act which
allows the BLM and Forest Service to categorically exclude
oil and gas drilling permits from full site-specific studies
triggered by NEPA under certain conditions.
HOUSE CONFEREES TO BUDGET RESOLUTION EXPECTED TO BE NAMED
House conferees to the $2.9 trillion fiscal year FY2008 budget resolution are expected to be named today after a procedural vote on the measure.
The chamber is scheduled to call up the Senate Budget Resolution and insert the text of the House Budget Resolution; it will then consider a motion to go to conference. Senate conferees could be appointed tomorrow. Although details of the agreement have not yet been finalized, a formal conference committee meeting is anticipated mid-week, with a goal of House and Senate floor consideration by Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11, respectively.
House Appropriations subcommittee markups on spending bills may start this week, and floor action could occur beginning the week of May 21.
HEAD START REAUTHORIZATION PASSES WITH PORTER AMENDMENT
The House passed the Head Start Reauthorization bill last week, including an amendment introduced by Congressman Jon Porter (R-NV) to require all Head Start prospective employees to obtain a background check before they can be hired by a Head Start center.
The amendment
aligns and extends authorization for a Porter bill passed during
the last Congress, which provided all state and local education
agencies access to the national criminal databases.
NEVADA STUDENTS SELECTED AS PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS
On May 1, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the selection of two Nevada students, Monica R. Ceragioli of Incline High School and Shaan B. Patel of Clark High School, along with 139 other outstanding high school seniors, as the 2007 Presidential Scholars.
The 141 Presidential Scholars include one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. A 27-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by President Bush selected the scholars based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
Presidential scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 23-27.
