05-20-2000

CONGRESS: The Sausage Factory: House-Senate Committee Action, May 15-18

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.


National Journal News Service

National Journal