January Congressional Update

House of Representatives

The House completed action this week on the Democratic Majority’s first 100-hours agenda with 57 hours to spare. Issues addressed included:

Implementing the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations
Increasing the minimum wage
Negotiating Medicare drug prices
Lobbying and ethics changes
Permitting some embryonic stem cell research
Reducing student loan interest rates
Decreasing tax breaks for oil companies

This week’s agenda will be brief as the House prepares for a retreat session.

Senate

The Senate spent much the week wrangling over S.1, a bill overhauling ethics, lobbying and earmark regulations. The bill passed Thursday evening. Today, the Senate will consider a non-binding resolution addressing the President’s plan to send an additional 21,000 troops to Iraq. Time permitting; they will begin to consider a bill that would increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour.

Legislative activity in both chambers will pause tomorrow evening as legislators convene for a joint session to hear President Bush deliver the State of the Union address.