2009 Goobergunch Political Report

Archives:

Questions or comments? E-mail me: martin at goobergunch dot net.

News and Updates

Friday, 13 February 2009
The House convenes at 9:00 am for postponed suspension votes and adoption of H.R. 1, the Economic Stimulus bill. The Senate convenes at 10:00 am and will be in morning business until 5:00 pm. The Senate expects to vote on H.R. 1 this evening.

Thursday, 12 February 2009
Sorry for the lack of updates; it's been a busy week for me.

The House convenes at 10:00 am for consideration of suspensions. The Senate convenes at 10:00 am for morning business. Meanwhile, the H.R. 1 page has been updated. Expect to see final action on that bill in the next couple days.

Saturday, 7 February 2009
The Senate convenes at 12:00 noon for debate (until 3:00 pm) on H.R. 1, the Economic Stimulus bill. The Senate will then further debate H.R. 1 beginning at 1:00 pm on Monday, with a cloture vote on the Nelson/Collins amendment at 5:30 pm. A vote on or in relation to this amendment will occur at 12:00 noon Tuesday, with a 60-vote threshhold. No further amendments are in order.

Friday, 6 February 2009
The Senate convenes at 10:00 am and will proceed to imediate consideration of H.R. 1, the Economic Stimulus bill. For details of Senate action, see the Economic Stimulus bill page.

Thursday, 5 February 2009
The House is not in session today. The Senate convenes at 9:30 am and will proceed to imediate consideration of H.R. 1, the Economic Stimulus bill. For details of Senate action, see the Economic Stimulus bill page.

Before adjourning on Wednesday, the Senate passed S. Res. 27 (Pittsburgh Steelers) and S. 383 (Emergency Economic Stabilization Act) by unanimous consent.

Wednesday, 4 February 2009
The House convenes at 10:00 am and will consider the following:

H.R. 2, the S-CHIP bill

Question	Proponent	Description	Action
H. Res. 107	Cardoza	Closed Rule to consider the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2, the S-CHIP bill. Rule provides 1 hour of debate.	Adopted: VV
Senate Amendment	Senate	To amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes.	Adopted 290-135

S. 352, the DTV Delay bill

Question	Proponent	Description	Action
H. Res. 108	Polis	Closed Rule to consider S. 352, the DTV Delay bill. Rule provides 1 hour of debate.	Adopted: VV
Motion to Commit	Barton (TX)	Add a new section pertaining to Clearance of Public Safety Spectrum, Adjacent Channels, and other Channels Causing Interference.	Rejected 180-242
Final Passage	Senate	To postpone the DTV transition date.	Passed 264-158

The Senate convenes at 10:30 am and will proceed to immediate consideration of H.R. 1, the Economic Stimulus bill. For details of Senate action, see the Economic Stimulus bill page.

Tuesday, 3 February 2009
The Senate is considering H.R. 1, the Economic Stimulus bill, with the following actions taken. "CBA Waiver" refers to a motion to waive the Congressional Budget Act; this requires 60 votes to pass.

Amendment	Proponent	Statement of Purpose	Action
#98	Inouye/Baucus	In the nature of a substitute.
#110 (to #98)	Murray	To strengthen the infrastructure investments made by the bill.	CBA Waiver: Failed 58-39 Point of Order Sustained
#109 (to #98)	Coburn	To strike the $246 million tax earmark for Hollywood production companies.	Adopted 52-45
#104 (to #98)	Mikulski	To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow an above-the-line deduction against individual income tax for interest on indebtedness and for State sales and excise taxes with respect to the purchase of certain motor vehicles.	CBA Waiver: Passed 71-26 Adopted: VV
#101 (to #98)	Specter	To provide an additional $6,500,000,000 to the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research.	Withdrawn
#178 (to ~~#101~~ #98)	Harkin	To provide an additional $6,500,000,000 to the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research.	Adopted: VV
#179	Vitter	To eliminate unnecessary spending.
#112 (to #98)	Boxer/Ensign	To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow the deduction for dividends received from controlled foreign corporations for an additional year	CBA Waiver: Failed 42-55 Point of Order Sustained
#106 (to #98)	Isakson	To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a Federal income tax credit for certain home purchases.
#140 (to #98)	Feingold	To provide greater accountability of taxpayers’ dollars by curtailing congressional earmarking and requiring disclosure of lobbying by recipients of Federal funds.