Copyright 2000 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
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May 20, 2000
SECTION: CONGRESS; Pg. 1612; Vol. 32, No. 21
LENGTH: 530 words
HEADLINE:
The Sausage Factory: House-Senate Committee Action, May 15-18
BYLINE: National Journal News Service
BODY:
Hot Bills
Here is the status of
major legislation on the congressional
front burner:
EDUCATION
House: Floor action is pending on the last of four parts of
the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization (H.R.
4141).
Senate: Began debate on an omnibus ESEA bill (S. 2)
on
May 1.
Outlook: The Senate continues its ESEA
debate in between
other business, as Democrats weigh whether to push
gun-control
amendments. Look for this schoolyard fight to spill into the
election season and possibly into next year. PATIENTS'
RIGHTS
House: Approved a bipartisan patients' rights bill (H.R. 2723) on
Oct. 7, 1999, 275-151, then merged it with an insurance access
bill
(H.R. 2990).
Senate: Approved S. 1344 with narrower
reforms favored by
health insurers on July 15, 1999, 53-47.
Outlook: Despite the reported support of House Speaker J.
Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., the negotiations could collapse in a
heartbeat.
Disagreements persist on the number of people to cover
and patients' rights
to sue health plans.
MARRIAGE PENALTY TAX RELIEF
House: Approved H.R. 6 on Feb. 10, 268-158.
Senate: Effort to end debate on S. 2346 failed on April
27.
Outlook: Differences over the size and scope of the
Senate GOP bill seem irreconcilable, so Senate Majority Leader
Trent
Lott, R-Miss., has a new tactic: He wants to attach it to a
budget
enforcement measure the Senate expects to take up in June.
Senate rules bar
filibusters and nongermane amendments to such a
measure.
GUN CONTROL
House: Approved juvenile-justice bill (H.R. 1501)
on June 17,
1999, 287-139.
Senate: Approved
juvenile-justice bill (S. 254),
including new gun control measures, on May
20, 1999, 73-25.
Outlook: Senate Democrats on May 17
forced a vote on a
resolution, which was approved 50-49, that urges final
passage of
the Senate's gun control provisions. The GOP responded with its
own resolution, passed 69-30, urging more-aggressive enforcement
of
existing gun laws. But neither measure was binding, and
there's no
encouraging sign that Congress will find a compromise.
DIGITAL SIGNATURES
House: Approved H.R. 1714 on Nov. 9, 1999, 356-66.
Senate: Approved S. 761 on Nov. 19, 1999, by
unanimous
consent.
Outlook: House and Senate
negotiators set a May 18
meeting to come up with a final bill, which would
provide a
presumption of legal validity to electronic signatures and
records. But Democrats were still voicing concerns over the need
for
more protections for consumers, especially those unfamiliar
with the
Internet and online transactions.
BANKRUPTCY REFORM
House: Approved H.R. 833 on May 5, 1999, 313-108.
Senate: Approved amended version of H.R. 833 on Feb. 2,
83-14.
Outlook: Reforms to the nation's bankruptcy laws
could be
piggybacked on the e-signatures bill or pending crop insurance
legislation, but Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, D-
S.D., is
wary of bundling too many measures together and has
warned of a veto.
LOAD-DATE: May 23, 2000 
