The Senate will resume with the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill for the second week after conducting a few votes last week regarding the health care repeal issue.
The Senate adopted an amendment identical to the Sen. Debbie Johanns (R-Neb.) amendment offered several times last year that repeals the 1099 filing provision included in the Barack Obama health care bill.
This year the repeal of the 1099 provision was offered by Sen. Mike Stabenow (D-Mich.) and it was adopted after the Senate waived the budget for its consideration. The vote was a resounding 81-17.
Later on the same day, the Senate rejected the Senate GOP effort to completely repeal the Obama health care bill on a straight party linevote of 47-51, with two Democratic senators not voting.
The Senate majority leader has indicated that he will allow the FAA bill to be debated during the early part of this week, but after Tuesday afternoon the Senate Democrats will be heading to Charlottesville, Va., for their party retreat. Therefore, the FAA bill will not be completed until at least the week of Feb. 14.
The House was not in session this past week but plans to consider several bills this week.
An extension of certain provisions under the Patriot Act, HR 514, dealing with business records is to be considered, and also an extension of the trade adjustment assistance and the Andean Trade Preferences Act.
Finally, the House will be debating a House resolution that directs several committees to examine the extensive rule-making that has been going on within the Obama administration as to how these current, past andpending rules being issued are affecting private-sector job creation, entrepreneurial activity, limiting credit and impeding economic growth in America.
This writer wrote a column in late December 2010 about the Obama administrations "rule-making process on steroids." The opening line of the piece states, According to a George Washington University study, the Obama administration issued 16,200 regulations in 2009. In comparison, just 28,400 regulations were issued in the period from April 1996 through December 2000.
Stay tuned to see what findings the House committees unearth once their review of the Obama administrations rule-making has concluded.
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Elizabeth B. Letchworth is a retired, elected United States Senate secretary for the majority and minority. Currently, she is a senior legislative adviser for Covington & Burling, LLC and is the founder of GradeGov.com.
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