Government Relations

Government Relations Legislative Update

Government Relations Legislative Update

Updates on state and federal issues relating to the UW System.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Federal Update for Tuesday, September 6, 2011

U.S. Senate and House Schedules
Both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House reconvene today after their August recess. The full Senate plans to resume later this afternoon consideration of H.R. 1249, the patent reform legislation, including a cloture vote (a vote intended to limit debate) on the bill. Also in the Senate, with new discretionary spending levels in place, several appropriations bills will start to move this week: Agriculture; Energy and Water; and, Homeland Security. On the House side, the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee has finally rescheduled a markup for its bill for the end of this week.

Deficit Reduction "Super Committee"
In addition, the new deficit reduction "super committee" created by the debt ceiling legislation will hold its first public meeting this Thursday. The timeline is as follows:
Sept. 8: Organizational meeting of joint committee.
Sept. 13: First hearing of joint committee.
Oct. 14: Deadline for standing committees to forward their recommendations to joint committee.
Nov. 23: Deadline for joint committee to vote on legislative proposals, with a 10-year deficit reduction goal of $1.5 trillion.
Dec. 2: Deadline for joint committee to formally report proposals.
Dec. 23: Deadline for House and Senate to vote on proposals, without amendment.
Jan. 15: Deadline for enactment of at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, or across-the-board spending cuts will be triggered.
Jan. 2, 2013: If triggered, across-the-board cuts will take effect.

Jobs Speech
On Thursday, the President will address a joint session of Congress. His speech will be focused on jobs. Speaker Boehner will give his own jobs speech on September 15, one week after the President.

Committee Activities
Tuesday, September 6
Senate Appropriations Committee
Energy and Water Subcommittee Markup
2 pm, 192 Dirksen

Senate Appropriations Committee
Homeland Security Subcommittee Markup
3 pm, 138 Dirksen

Wednesday, September 7
Senate Appropriations Committee
Full Committee Markup and Allocations—"302(b) allocations" and bills scheduled for markup: FY2012 Agriculture, Energy and Water Development, and Homeland Security Appropriations Bills
3 pm, 106 Dirksen

Thursday, September 8
Joint Select Deficit Reduction Committee
First public committee meeting
10:30 am, 2123 Rayburn

House Armed Services Committee
Full Committee Hearing—"Future of National Defense and the U.S. Military Ten Years After 9/11: Perspectives from Former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
10 am, 2118 Rayburn

House Science Committee
Technology and Innovation Subcommittee Hearing – "Empowering Consumers and Promoting Innovation through Smart Grid"
10 am, 2318 Rayburn

House Science Committee
Full Committee Hearing – "Impacts of the Light Squared Network on Federal Science Activities"
2 pm, 2318 Rayburn

Friday, September 9
House Appropriations Committee
Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee Markup
9:30 am, 2358-B Rayburn

(APLU, CQ, and the UW System Office of Federal Relations contributed to this report.)