D.C. Daily: May 15, 2012

Correction: There was a mistake in yesterday's D.C. Daily, which said that the House would be in session yesterday. The House was actually not scheduled to return until today, and the measures listed for the House to consider yesterday will be under consideration when the House returns today.


Senate

Yesterday's Action:
During business yesterday, the Senate took the following actions:

• Confirmed the nomination of George Levi Russell, III, to be District Judge for the District of Maryland. (Non-recorded vote)
• Confirmed the nomination of John J. Tharp, Jr., to be District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, by a vote of 86 yeas to 1 nay.
• Considered H.R. 2072, the "Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012". An agreement was reached to adopt the motion to proceed to consideration and regarding consideration of amendments.

Today's Schedule
The Senate will meet today at 10:00 AM. The Senate is expected to begin consideration of H.R. 2072, the "Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act", with a series of votes on amendments and the final bill to begin as early as 2:15 PM.


House

Yesterday's Action:
The House was not in session yesterday.

Today's Schedule
The House will meet today at 12:00 PM. It is expected to consider eleven measures under suspension of the rules:

• H.R. 365, the "National Blue Alert Act".
• H.R. 1864, the "Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act".
• H.R. 3534, the "Security in Bonding Act".
• H.R. 4119, the "Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2012".
• H.R. 2621, the "Chimney Rock National Monument Establishment Act".
• H.R. 2745, to amend the Mesquite Lands Act of 1986.
• H.R. 3874, the "Black Hills Cemetery Act".
• H.R. 205, the "HEARTH Act of 2011".
• H.R. 4240, the "Ambassador James R. Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012".
• H. Res. 568, expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the importance of preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.
• H.R. 4045, to modify the Department of Defense Program Guidance.

Executive Agencies

Proposed Rules:

• Small Business Administration: amending its regulations governing size and eligibility for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs.
• National Mediation Board: amending the National Mediation Board's (NMB or Board) existing rules for handling representation disputes.
• Environmental Protection Agency: proposing to approve the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Maryland pertaining to sources which are exempt from preconstruction permitting requirements.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: proposing regulations to implement Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (FMP)
• Energy Department: proposing to establish test procedures for residential products that use electricity for purposes of circulating air through duct work.
• Fish and Wildlife Service:proposing to list Umtanum desert buckwheat and White Bluffs bladderpod as threatened.
• Housing and Urban Development Department:making conforming changes to the regulations of the Section 8 Tenant-Based Voucher and Section 8 Project-Based Voucher programs.

Supreme Court

The court has concluded scheduled oral arguments for the October 2011 term. However, the court is still meeting to finalize decisions on cases it heard during the preceeding term. The court's next session of oral arguments is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 1, 2012.

Yesterday, the court issued the following decision:

• Hall v. United States: the court upheld a lower court decision regarding federal income tax liability and the Bankruptcy Code.