The Senate has now moved closer to passing legislation to extend unemployment benefits and expand a popular tax credit for homebuyers.

House Republicans have drafted an alternative healthcare bill that would reward states for reducing the number of uninsured, limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance exempt from most state regulation.

House Democrats released a 42-page package of amendments to their comprehensive health bill late last night, winning over undecided Democrats. This action kicks off a 72-hour review period, with House leaders saying they intend to bring the health bill (HR 3962) to a vote. Floor action could come as soon as the evening of Nov. 6.

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-California) introduced legislation this week that would guarantee five paid sick days for workers sent home by their employers with a contagious illness in order to help rein in the spread of the H1N1 flu.

Officials in Washington this week warned that a number of issues, such as providing operators incentives to equip their aircraft, must be addressed before progress can be made on implementation of the next generation air traffic management system.

Three Republican lawmakers from Kansas unveiled a resolution to change the state’s constitution to exempt state residents from having to follow many of the regulations that are part of the Democratic healthcare reform legislation.

This week Congress is expected to pass a bill to extend the current temporary extension of unemployment benefits. Some unemployed will get an additional 14 weeks of benefits. Only individuals in states with an unemployment rate above 8.5 percent will be eligible for the additional benefits.

Democrats say the cost of their bill is under the $900 billion target set by Obama; however, the actual cost of over $1 trillion is considerably higher.

A report issued Thursday afternoon, October 29 by Congressional Quarterly warned the main revenue source for the House health care bill is not indexed for inflation, meaning that more and more people each year will face a tax that is being sold as a levy on millionaires.

According to a recent AP news article, North Dakota has surpassed Louisiana as the fourth-largest oil-producing state in the nation," producing "6.38 million barrels of crude in May, edging out Louisiana, which had 6.34 million barrels for the month.

HAI reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) plans to release the House Democrats’ healthcare reform legislation Thursday morning. Sources in Washington say it likely will contain a less-sweeping public insurance option tied to negotiated rates rather than a more-robust alternative favored by liberals.

Does the US Constitution allow the government to require uninsured Americans to buy medical insurance or impose a tax penalty if they refuse? Congress has never before required citizens to purchase any good or service, but that is what both House and Senate health bills would mandate.

October 28, 2009 (Aero-News.Net) - One of the worst chapters in aero-educational history is about see a partial resolution in favor of those victimized by the Silver State Helicopter scam. Officials from California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington have reached a legal resolution that will relieve a number of some $113 million in loan debt accrued for training at one of the dozens of Silver State helicopter training facilities that dotted the country.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-New York) said this afternoon, Tuesday October 27 that a vote on the estate tax will not occur until "after health care."

Senate Democrats appear to have abandoned the prospects of getting a climate bill passed this year. They retain hope that they can show some progress on the issue, such as clearing a bill out of a major committee, in advance of international climate negotiations in Denmark in December.

Estate tax legislation is expected on the House floor in the next few weeks that would permanently extend current estate tax law, blocking an increase in the tax set for 2011.

Maine’s Senate president is attempting to revive a bid to require employers in the state to provide paid sick days to employees. Similar legislation failed in the House last year, but the new push comes amid concern over the H1N1 flu.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold three days of hearings this week on a revised draft of climate change legislation.

Businesses would not be required to provide health insurance under legislation being readied for Senate debate, but large firms would owe significant penalties if any worker needed government subsidies to buy coverage on their own, according to Democratic officials familiar with talks on the bill. For firms with more than 50 employees, the fee could be as high as $750 multiplied by the total size of the workforce if only a few workers needed federal aid.

As reported earlier this week on HAI RotorNews, Senate Democratic leaders are gravitating toward including a national public option in healthcare overhaul legislation that would allow states to opt out if they choose, further modifying it to include a trigger clause and a nonprofit.

More than 200,000 square miles in Alaska and off its coast are being designated as “critical habitat” for polar bears, possibly adding restrictions to future drilling for oil and gas.

The House Financial Services Committee approved legislation Thursday, October 22 that would move up the effective date of new restrictions on credit-card issuers. The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act effective date would move from February 22 to December 1. Many in Congress are angry over reports that institutions are jacking up rates and fees prior to the restrictions taking effect.

Current versions of healthcare legislation would force large companies to pay a penalty if they choose not to provide health insurance for employees who work more than 30 hours a week. However, the current definition of “full-time” does not specify how many weeks these employees would have to work to qualify for insurance coverage.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) has now said she has more than 218 votes for a public option tethered to Medicare. She made clear this week that part of her strategy was to strengthen her hand by taking a strong public option bill into the House-Senate conference.

Congress voted Tuesday to approve $137 million for an extension of the E-Verify program over three years as part of a $43 billion spending bill for the Homeland Security Department. The system lets employers check whether newly hired workers are in the country legally.

Many benefits will remain unchanged or change only slightly for 2010. There are some provisions affecting 2010 returns, filed by most taxpayers in early 2011.

The Interior Department has awarded Shell approval to drill oil exploration wells in two leaseholds in the Beaufort Sea, which could lead to the first drilling in more than a decade in this area off the north coast of Alaska. The two leaseholds, which were obtained by Shell in 2005 and 2007, are not affected by a recent court decision that sent the current leasing program back to the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service for additional analysis.

The Senate Finance Committee healthcare bill pushed by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) includes an excise tax on what Senators have termed “Cadillac” or “high-premium insurance plans”. The tax would fall on plans with premiums greater than $8,000 a year for individuals or $21,000 for families. Insurers would pay 40 percent of premiums above those levels to the government.

The central choice in the Senate healthcare bill is between cost or coverage.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has acknowledged that medical malpractice reforms COULD reduce the cost of health care. The CBO found that by adopting tort reform measures, federal spending would be reduced by $41 billion over ten years and the federal deficit would decline by $54 billion.

Legislation is expected to be introduced by Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) near the end of November that would overhaul the nation’s immigration laws and give an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the country a path to legalization.

The US House of Representatives voted 409 to 11 last week to approve legislation (HR 3371) to toughen regulations on pilot training, qualifications and work schedules, in response to a fatal crash in upstate New York in February and other accidents involving regional airlines.

Portland OR (October 19, 2009) - Amid a record breaking fire season in Southern California, Erickson Air-Crane has leased an Aircrane firefighting helicopter to San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) for 60 days with an option to lease the helicopter for another 30 days if fire conditions warrant. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration has dropped plans to impose a $200 billion tax hike on profits earned by American firms overseas prior to being repatriated.

Legislation that would make it easier to organize does not have the support of California Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) yet. President Barack Obama and a majority of Democratic senators are behind the Employee Free Choice Act.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service issued a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS). The Helena National Forest is going to prepare an EIS for vegetation management actions in the Warm Springs area of the Elkhorn Mountains.

To prevent the Obama administration from taking renewed steps to push new aviation user fees through Congress, HAI has learned senior members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Aviation Subcommittee are expected to sign a letter to President Obama on the issue according to published reports in Congressional Quarterly.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said Thursday, October 8 that she is considering  options for stimulating an economy dogged by high unemployment and a slowly easing recession.

President Obama issued Proclamation 8432 on October 2, 2009, naming the week of October 4 through October 10 as Fire Prevention Week. This week’s theme, “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned,” focuses on increasing burn awareness and prevention.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule, effective November 6, 2009, rescinding the amendments promulgated on August 15, 2007, and October 28, 2008, relating to procedures that employers may take to acquire a safe harbor from receipt of No-Match letters.

The Associated Press reported the Supreme Court has left in place a court ruling that the Obama administration says will cost taxpayers at least $19 billion in royalties on energy leases in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Court declined to hear the government's appeal of a ruling in favor of the Anadarko Petroleum Corp. involving eight deepwater leases the company holds in the gulf.

The Washington Post reports that in an interview to be aired Sunday, October 4 on C-SPAN, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-California) said that Senate Democrats "will initially devote 70 percent of the pollution allowances in their new climate measure to making it easier for people to pay their energy bills." The legislation "would force any facility emitting at least 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year to obtain pollution permits," although it "does not indicate how these pollution allowances would be allocated," but Boxer indicated that "Democrats are prepared to give away allowances to make carbon-intensive commodities such as electricity more affordable."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has thus far avoided any commitment to a public option component to the Senate’s final healthcare bill as well as to any deadline for the bill’s passage. Reid has cancelled the Senate’s Columbus Day recess so that lawmakers can focus on passing healthcare reform legislation during the week of October 12.

A one-year extension of existing estate tax law at a reduced rate could lessen the planning burdens on businesses that are already facing difficult economic times. The tax expires at the end of this year and  would be repealed next year, but come back in 2011 at a higher rate – unless Congress acts.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson is expected to issue an announcement this week concerning carbon dioxide limits for U.S. power plants, oil refineries and factories. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said “the EPA is using regulation of stationary sources as a thinly veiled threat to pressure lawmakers into supporting cap and trade legislation.” 

The Senate Finance Committee rejected two amendments for a government-run public health insurance option this afternoon, Tuesday September 29.

Exelon Corporation announced this week it will not renew its membership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because the company and trade association disagree over pushing Congress to enact major climate change legislation. “Inaction on climate is not an option,” Exelon Chairman and CEO John Rowe said in a news release. “If Congress does not act, the EPA will, and the result will be more arbitrary, more expensive, and more uncertain for investors and the industry than a reasonable, market-based legislative solution.”

It is becoming increasingly unlikely that climate change, immigration, union organizing and financial reform legislation will reach the Senate floor before 2010. Democrats may be unwilling or able to move the legislation in 2010 in what is shaping up to be a tough election year with the mid-term Congressional elections coming in November of 2010.

The Senate this week confirmed Jonathan Jarvis as director of the National Park Service (NPS). Jarvis has been with the NPS for 30 years, most recently as regional director in the Pacific West. Meanwhile, an independent panel urged Congress this week to increase spending on national parks by at least $700 million over the next seven years in time for the 100th anniversary of the NPS in 2016.

Legislation to extend the FAA’s authority for the seventh time to collect and spend the taxes that fuel the aviation system through the end of the year is headed to President Obama’s desk for his signature allowing more time for the Senate  finish its full reauthorization bill (S. 1451).

Lawmakers have until next Wednesday night to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government running when FY10 starts next Thursday.

The USDA Forest Service has released a corrected notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the Flea Project (renamed Concow Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project). 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said today, Tuesday, September 22, that he might be "forced" to use reconciliation to pass healthcare and could cancel the Senate's week-long Columbus Day recess if the legislation cannot be worked out in the committee structure of the Senate. 

The U.S. Senate is debating the fiscal 2010 Interior-Environment appropriations bill (H.R.2996) this week, and HAI has learned that Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) will propose an amendment to create a new budget account to fight wildfires as part of the spending bill.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a “Chairman’s Mark” last week. This bill represents the third version of an employer mandate. On the subject of “shared” employer responsibility, the Chairman’s mark starts out with this sentence: “Under the Chairman‘s Mark as under current law, an employer would not be required to offer health insurance coverage.” The proposal outlines what those employers that choose NOT to provide coverage have to do instead.

As the current short-term extension for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expires in approximately one week (September 30), the House and Senate have begun the task of preparing yet another extension to last through the end of the year. The agency has been operating under a series of extensions now for over a year.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report today that says the government will spend $6.5 billion over the next 20 years to maintain a fence along the border with Mexico. To date, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has built nearly 660 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fencing. While GAO has acknowledged that apprehensions have dropped significantly in some border areas which indicate the fencing is serving as a deterrent, they state there is no way to determine whether the fence has helped control illegal immigration.

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus released his mark for an $856 billion healthcare overhaul. The mark is similar to a current proposal Baucus released over the Labor Day weekend that creates a co-op system of health insurance to compete with private insurers.

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said definitively Monday he will release his chairman’s makr of the healthcare overhaul legislation Wednesday, backing off his claim earlier in the day that today was the most probable day for the long-awaited unveiling.

As the heat intensifies in Washington ahead of the Senate’s release of a climate change bill, supporters have now found that touting President Obama’s climate plan as a vehicle for creating millions of clean-energy jobs, isn’t cutting it. Now they are pushing another strategy – the benefits the bill has for national security.

Top House Democrats appear unwilling to concede that a public-plan option for the uninsured to purchase healthcare coverage will be dropped from the healthcare legislation, while two key Senate negotiators have said the public option lacks sufficient support to pass the Senate.

The FAA announced the availability of proposed TSO-C154c for Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipment operating on Frequency of 978 MHz. It can be found at http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/

The Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee this week that his agency should be in control of any greenhouse gas credit market created under pending climate change legislation. The CFTC argued the agency should have regulatory oversight of carbon allowance markets. However, Members of Congress have already expressed concern over the possibility of the CFTC being in control of this emerging market due to their lax oversight of energy markets to date.

In the 2001 tax cut law, a December 31, 2009 deadline was established to set in motion a gradual, but only temporary, decline in the estate tax. If Congress does nothing, the current estate tax of a $3.5 million per person exemption and a maximum rate of 45 percent will disappear at midnight, remain repealed for a year, then return at higher rates and lower exemptions in 2011. The top rate reverts to 55 percent and the exemption shrinks to $1 million.

The debate over healthcare reform is threatening to delay any progress on climate change legislation. While Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has said climate change will be considered by the Senate before the end of the year, if the healthcare debate continues, consideration of climate change legislation will likely be further delayed by the 2010 Congressional mid-term elections.

If the Senate fails to act on an FAA Reauthorization bill before the end of the month, another short-term reauthorization of the agency will be required. The House has already passed their bill, but floor time in the Senate is at a premium as lawmakers continue to grapple with healthcare legislation and climate change. The biggest stumbling block to passage in the Senate is the fact that the Senate Finance Committee has yet to write the tax provisions for the FAA reauthorization bill.

The Senate voted 80-19 on Tuesday, September 8 to move forward with legislation to promote travel to the United States. The measure could pass the Senate later this week, and is a top priority for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final rule establishing a low altitude Area Navigation (RNAV) route, designated T-265, in the Chicago/Rockford International Airport, IL, terminal area. This allows for a more effective utilization of airspace, and enhances the management of aircraft operations, in the Chicago/Rockford International Airport, IL, terminal area west of Chicago, IL.

Should Democrats fail to pass a health care bill this fall, many in Washington believe they will lose the momentum necessary to pass climate and energy legislation through the Senate. With mid-term elections just around the corner in 2010, Congress may be unwilling to take up the divisive energy and climate bill since Republicans have made clear their intention to make climate change a top campaign issue.

As previously reported on HAI’s RotorNews, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its climate change bill (H.R. 2454) on June 26. The White House is expected to now use a strategically timed announcement to push Senate lawmakers to pass their climate bill. The announcement is expected to come from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declaring carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to be dangerous pollutants.

Forest Service Aviation Risk Management has released their July 2009 SAFECOM Summary.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a final rule that will modify Class E airspace at Lake Havasu, AZ. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate aircraft using a new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) at Lake Havasu City Airport, Lake Havasu, AZ.

A South Carolina feasibility study committee will give a go-ahead this week for offshore natural gas and oil exploration while federal regulators in September are expected to put some protections of thousands of square miles of the potential drilling area where valuable deep sea coral is found.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulators intend to revise a regulation about the creation of wildlife hazard management schemes, following the forced Hudson River landing in January of US Airways Flight 1549. Current regulations require only Part 139 certificated airports to create wildlife hazard management plans (WHMP) after an aircraft experiences multiple strikes from a flock of birds or if an aircraft experiences damage or structural failure from a strike.

President Obama participated in a telecom yesterday with the religious community urging them not to believe reports that health reform would cover foreigners in the U.S. illegally. Obama said America, as the world’s richest nation, had a moral duty to offer health care to everyone. He bemoaned those who bear false witness against his plans and then made a claim of his own that has been widely shown to be false.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to amend its regulations by rescinding the amendments promulgated on August 15, 2007 and October 28, 2008 relating to procedures that employers may take to acquire a safe harbor from receipt of no match letters.

Last week, HAI reported the Obama administration will defend the Clinton-era forestry roadless rule in the federal courts. Administration officials said this week that if the courts don't resolve roadless policy, then a national policy will be necessary, meaning that a rule will be developed if the courts cannot resolve the litigation.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Plumas National Forest will prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to establish, develop and maintain an irregularly shaped network up to ½ mile wide Defensible Fuels Profile Zones (DFPZs) on approximately 1,500 acres of National Forest System Land within the Wildland Urban Interface. The DFPZs would be located both within and west of the 2008 Butte Lightning Complex Fire perimeter.

HAI has learned the Obama Administration will defend a 2001 rule imposed by President Bill Clinton that blocked road construction and other development on millions of acres of remote national forests. The decision was contained in court papers filed this week in a case in Wyoming that could help settle the fate of remote federal forests. The administration has sided with environmental in the case.

The long, hot summer isn’t over yet, and Members of Congress have found themselves having to work hard and talk fast in one community after another across the country as angry citizens concerned over healthcare reform confront lawmakers over President Barack Obama’s reform plan. The frustration started earlier this year with government bailouts and big spending bills and has continued to grow as House lawmakers passed climate change and moved a healthcare bill out of committee. True, some of the discontent has been fueled by talk radio, but the polls reveal public support for Obama’s sweeping government healthcare reform is declining and the president may well have to settle for more modest legislation. Clearly, the White House is on the defensive.

President Obama has reiterated his commitment to overhauling the US immigration system, which he described as "broken," but said he wouldn’t make a push for reform legislation until next year. The president made clear he doesn’t believe substantive progress will be possible on the issue until next year, as Democrats are preparing to introduce legislation on immigration when Congress returns to Washington in September. As reported on HAI, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has been working on an immigration reform bill he will introduce after Labor Day.

President Obama held a town hall meeting in New Hampshire today, Tuesday, August 11, in an effort to calm fears over the Democrats’ legislative initiatives to reform healthcare in this country. The meeting was structured, and no visible emotional outbursts were seen as in other meetings with lawmakers across the country.

President Obama is scheduled to meet today, Thursday August 6 with the three Democrats and three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee who continue to struggle to craft bipartisan legislation as they seek middle ground to provide coverage to 94 percent of Americans. Their plan aims to expand Medicaid, “crack down” on insurers, abandon the government insurance option that President Obama is seeking, and tax health-care benefits under the most generous plans. Senate Democrats have said they “will not raise taxes on any individuals, unlike House Democrats.” Instead, they have described health insurance subsidies for low-income individuals as tax cuts.

A Quinnipiac University poll released today reveals 57 percent of respondents said healthcare reform should be dropped if it adds "significantly" to the deficit. 72 percent said they do not believe President Obama can reform health care without contributing to the deficit, while 52 percent disapprove of the way he is handling the issue.

Democrats are struggling to sell Americans on their healthcare overhaul plan, and President Obama met with Democratic senators yesterday, Tuesday, August 4, crafting a message moving forward that focuses on cost containment and changing the way the insurance industry does business. At first healthcare overhaul was about universal coverage, then it became about bringing down the cost, and now the White House and Democrats in Congress have homed in on the insurance industry as the target for improvement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) recently referred to private insurers as “villains”.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 508, which expresses the sense of the U.S. House of Representatives that the general aviation industry should be recognized for its contributions to the United States.

The Forest Service released a Safety Alert about Rappel Equipment and Procedural Changes. It states that all rappel bases shall immediately discontinue the practice of opening the Maillon Rapide tri-link on the HR-2 rappel harness for any purpose other than 1) changing a defective Forgecraft or Bourdon snap hook or 2) replacing the rubber O-ring/Kong Clip that secures the right soft loop to the right corner of the tri-link.

Democratic leaders in the House have worked out a deal with Blue Dog Democrats to bring down premium costs and everyone is on the same page now. A bill is expected to be reported out of committee today, Friday, July 31.

The FAA announced today in the Federal Register the extension of the comment period on the proposed rule regarding CRM Training that would require all certificate holders conducting operations under part 135 to include in their training programs crew resource management for crewmembers, including pilots and flight attendants. This proposal is needed to ensure that crewmembers in part 135 operations receive training and practice in the use of crew resource management principles, as appropriate for their operation.

New licensing requirements for commercial pilots and other aviation safety mandates will be voted on today, Thursday, July 30 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee aimed at increasing current requirement of 250 hours of flight time to 1500 hours required before commercial pilots and first officers can receive their licenses. The bill would “add tough new certification requirements for entry-level commercial pilots, require additional emergency training, improve availability of pilot records and mandate stricter rules to minimize pilot fatigue.”

Even though the Card Check legislation appears dead for the moment, opponents of the measure have intensified their attack on another major provision - binding arbitration if a new union and management cannot agree on a first contract within 120 days. Lawmakers in the senate agreed weeks ago to drop from their proposal the card-check portion of the bill in a bid to pick up votes.

HAI continues to closely track all available information from Capitol Hill on the deal reached between House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Congressman Henry Waxman (D-California) and the Blue Dog Democrats. According to Congressman Mike Ross (D-Arkansas), negotiating with Waxman on behalf of the Blue Dogs, the deal will trim $100 billion from the bill’s overall cost, exempt more small businesses from the employer mandate, and require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate public plan rates with providers.

Negotiations continue between members of the Blue Dog Coalition and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) over stronger cost containment language in the House healthcare bill, with House leaders hoping to avoid having to move the bill to the House floor for a vote without the committee’s stamp of approval. The Senate Finance Committee is moving closer to releasing their bill later this week in advance of the August Congressional Recess.

HAI reports several measures could be placed on the 2010 ballot in Michigan by the Michigan Democratic Party that would require employers to provide affordable healthcare for their employees, increase the minimum wage to $10 an hour, increase unemployment benefits by $100 a week, cut utility rates by 20 percent, and impose a one-year moratorium on home foreclosures. Michigan’s Chamber of Commerce has called the proposals “anti jobs and anti growth.”

Oregon Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski recently signed a $733 million tax increase package into law and a referendum is underway to force a statewide vote on the taxes. Personal income taxes for individual filers with taxable incomes of $125,000 per year or joint filers with more than $250,000 in income would see their taxes increase. A separate measure raises corporate income taxes.

Negotiations between the Blue Dogs and the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have broken down, and there is a very real possibility that Democratic leaders could simply bypass the House Energy and Commerce Committee and bring healthcare reform legislation directly to the House floor for a vote.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing today, Thursday, July 23, on the E-Verify system, and lawmakers touched on the subject of mandating worker background checks using E-Verify. E-Verify is free to employers, and more than 100,000 employers now use the system to confirm Social Security numbers. 

The Forest Service Aviation Risk Management has released the June 2009 SAFECOM Summary. The month of June saw the submission of 28 SAFECOMs, significantly below the 10-year average of 108. 

The Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) is expected to introduce legislation by Labor Day to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws. Schumer’s legislation is expected to mandate that all workers enroll in an employment verification system that uses biometrics, such as fingerprints, to confirm their identity and legal status.

The Senate Commerce Committee gave the green light for the Senate FAA Reauthorization (S. 1451) to advance in the Senate yesterday, Tuesday, July 21.  The Senate Finance Committee needs to put together a tax plan before the full FAA bill is debated on the Senate floor. The bill would reauthorize the FAA for two years.

HAI continues to track all available information relating to healthcare overhaul legislation moving through Congress. A House bill has been approved by the Ways and Means Committee and the Education and Labor Committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee is still considering the bill. If approved by all three committees, their versions will be merged into a single bill. Two committees in the Senate, the Health Education Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee and the Finance Committee, have jurisdiction. The HELP committee has approved its version.  The Senate Finance Committee is still conducting closed door negotiations on its version. 

A short-term FAA reauthorization bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week, aiming to provide more than $40 billion in funding for FAA operations in 2010 and 2011, and speeding up the current dates for implementing NextGen.  The House passed bill would fund the FAA for three years, while the Senate bill would fund the agency for two years, giving FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and President Obama time to plan for a longer reauthorization bill that would be passed in 2011.  Neither the House or Senate bills contain user fees.

HAI continues to track legislative developments on the Employee Free Choice Act. It appears there is a possible Senate compromise to drop the card-check provision from the legislation according to the New York Times. The provision would eliminate the ability of businesses to demand secret ballot elections before workers are allowed to form a union.

The Los Angeles Times reported today, Friday, July 17 that "the Obama administration will auction off a new batch of oil-drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico next month," in spite of a court ruling from the US Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Circuit earlier this year that threw out the nation's offshore leasing plan. The plan was developed during the George W. Bush administration and included drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska.

HAI has learned that the Senate Finance Committee is considering the expansion of an existing "tap gap closing" to offset the cost of comprehensive health care reform. The plan would require ALL businesses to issue Forms 1099 to all their service providing vendors, including corporations.

A short-term FAA reauthorization bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week, aiming to provide more than $40 billion in funding for FAA operations in 2010 and 2011, and speeding up the current dates for implementing NextGen.  The House passed bill would fund the FAA for three years, while the Senate bill would fund the agency for two years, giving FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and President Obama time to plan for a longer reauthorization bill that would be passed in 2011.  Neither the House or Senate bills contain user fees.

The federal deficit has, for the first time ever, now tops one trillion dollars. The rising deficit is sparking renewed fears of inflation and higher interest rates. There is more talk this week among some Obama administration officials that a second round of stimulus may eventually be necessary. 

Despite the fact the U.S. Senate will not vote on a major climate change bill until later this fall, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is marching forward with three important scheduled climate change hearings this week.

Requiring all U.S. employers to verify the identity and immigration status of their workers using biometrics - such as fingerprints or iris scans - is technically feasible but raises logistical challenges and privacy concerns, according to industry officials, immigration experts and civil liberties advocates.

HAI has learned Republicans are planning a forum on the issue of comprehensive healthcare legislation in the coming weeks to expose what they view as the flaws of similar programs in the UK and Canada. Next week, Republicans will also roll out their alternative to a climate and energy strategy pushed by the White House that gives them talking points in the months leading to the midterm elections.

The Senate appears headed toward passing its version of a Homeland Security spending bill. The road ahead will be rocky when differences over immigration related matters heat up in conference negotiations between the House and Senate over the bill. The two chambers must reconcile their differences, which include provisions dealing with enforcing the nation’s immigration laws.

HAI has learned the UK government is delaying the August 31 deadline for aircraft operators to register for the European Union’s (EU) new emissions trading scheme (ETS) and to file a plan for the monitoring, reporting and verification of their carbon emissions.

Scientists conclude in two government-funded studies that forests in the Pacific Northwest have a huge potential to store more carbon to combat global warming, but not if they are heavily thinned to prevent wildfire.
 
 

Congressional Democrats continue to work on legislation to overhaul healthcare and hope to pass legislation in both the House and Senate before a month long break in August. However, this will require markups by five congressional committees as well as the White House and Senate Democratic leaders negotiating deals with healthcare industry groups to help pay for an overhaul.

Muddy waters lie ahead for some newer Members of Congress who voted in favor of climate change legislation, partly because allies on the left have left them hanging according to inside sources on Capitol Hill. Those Members of Congress knew they were taking a very tough vote ahead of possible upcoming votes on healthcare and the Employee Free Choice Act when they voted to pass climate change legislation.

HAI has learned Senate negotiators plan to change a proposed import tariff in the House-passed climate change bill. The provision was criticized last week by President Obama as a potential blow to free trade.

President Obama and top Democrats in Congress say they want to finish work this year on sweeping global warming and health care legislation. Obama has also said he wants to tackle an overhaul of immigration laws. However, the aggressive push does come with risks – failure could pose a serious setback for Obama and his top congressional allies.

Health overhaul legislation remains under development in the Senate, and  bill supporters say the latest version would result in insurance coverage for 97 percent of Americans. A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released last week shows that including an employer mandate in the bill drops the price tag to $611 billion, a dramatic decrease from the previous $1 trillion plus estimate.

Lawmakers return to Washington this week from their weeklong break, with the Senate facing a five-week work period and the House a four-week work period. They face an ambitious legislative agenda, with Democrats hoping to pass the fiscal year 2010 (FY 10) appropriations bills, overhaul the U.S. healthcare and financial systems and perhaps an immigration bill in the next six months.

HAI reports key senators continue to discuss a compromise on the union card check legislation, but have not reached agreement on a plan to break the Senate impasse over the House-passed card-check bill strongly backed by labor unions but adamantly opposed by business groups. No agreement is expected before Congress returns next week.

When lawmakers return to Washington on July 6 after a weeklong recess, the push will be on to overcome differences over issues ranging from whether to set up a new government entity to compete with private insurers to how much to tax the most generous employer-provided insurance plans to generate revenue. Based on a series of recent meetings, it appears President Obama is working to enlist the nation’s governors. HAI has learned Obama has privately urged a group of Governors to serve as his emissaries to Congress to shift the health care debate away from Washington and to the states. 

The House passed a $32.3 billion Interior Department spending bill this week to fund the Interior Department, the EPA, the U.S. Forest Service and other related agencies. The bill represents a 17 percent increase over fiscal 2009 when funds from the economic stimulus law are not included.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) told Senators this week that negotiating a bipartisan healthcare overhaul bill that an employer mandate of some sort would be necessary to keep costs down. Prior to recessing for the July Fourth holiday, the U. S. Senate has now looking at changes to the tax code and the contributions businesses will be expected to make to cover the insured..

HAI reports the two Senate committees writing healthcare overhaul legislation are drawing closer to having mostly complete products ready after the July Fourth recess.

A Senate panel today approved a fiscal 2010 spending bill that would boost funding for environmental agencies, but provide slightly less than the House counterpart and the president’s request. The Senate total is $225 million below President Obama’s request.

Congressman Peter DeFaxio (D-Oregon), a senior House Democrat in charge of writing a massive highway and transit funding bill wants to tax oil futures trades as a way to come up with the roughly $450 billion in needed revenues.  "If it's feasible, it should be wildly popular. I mean everybody hates speculators," DeFazio told CongressDaily.

The appropriations process descended into total mayhem on the House floor on Thursday, June 18 as Democrats leveled threats of weekend votes and more restrictive rules for debate because of the historic 53 roll call votes on Thursday.  The Republican protest and call for roll call votes was sparked by Democratic rules ordering pre-printing of amendments and then blocking most of the 102 GOP (Republican) amendments.

The House Appropriations Committee yesterday, June 18 approved legislation that would boost funding for environment-related agencies, including the Interior Department, the EPA, the U.S. Forest Service and related programs.  The amount would be a 17 percent increase from fiscal 2009 levels,  not including funds from the economic stimulus law.

The White House and House transportation authorizers are on a collision course over road and transit funding and gas taxes to fund legislation. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar (D-Minnesota) has rejected a White House proposal to postpone a new highway bill for 18 months.

How close are key House Democratic Committee Chairmen to bridging differences on a climate and energy bill? It depends upon who you are talking to.  While the talks are complex, it is difficult to determine how firm the deadlines are that Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) have set. There is still a chance the bill could reach the House floor late next week. If this issue isn’t on your radar, it certainly should be!

HAI continues to closely track legislative developments on Capitol Hill as the House Climate Bill continues on a hot path to the House floor with most negotiations occurring behind closed doors. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) has now found fault with the bill’s formula for distributing allowances to electricity producers. The time has come for HAI members to weigh in with their House lawmakers in Washington. 

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee continues to work on an energy bill, passing an amendment yesterday that would return authority to the Interior Secretary to grant royalty relief on offshore oil and gas leases in deep waters. A 2005 law established mandatory royalty relief for the leases, but the amendment would leave the option to the Interior secretary.

Leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee l are looking to wrap up work on energy legislation this week, trying to keep intact a compromise that will be tested when the bill reaches the Senate floor.  Two amendments that Senator Maria Cantwell, (D-Washington), might offer to curtail oil and gas production in Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R-Alaska) home state of Alaska could be very problematic.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted today to repeal the reduction of royalty payments on some offshore Gulf leases that were authorized by the 2005 energy law. Oil and gas companies would resume paying full royalties to the federal government on offshore drilling leases.

The Senate has agreed to proceed to a tourism bill that is a priority for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada.  The Nevada Democrat pushed the bill to the front of the agenda because of a decline in tourism that started after the September 11, 2001, terrorism attacks and has since been exacerbated by recession.

After several crashes involving pilots whose safety backgrounds had not been checked, Congress enacted a law in 1996 (PL 104-264) requiring airlines to gather and share past performance information on prospective pilots. However, this law only enables the release of information for the previous five years. Information beyond that time is not required to be released.

The oil and gas leases that were auctioned near the end of the Bush administration and then blocked by President Obama’s Interior Department, may be reinstated as the Administration reconsiders more than a third of the 77 oil and gas drilling leases. While an Interior Department report released this week criticized the process in which the leases were auctioned in the final days of the Bush administration, it also opened the door for the department to reinstate or re-auction 30 leases on parcels that lie in existing oil and gas development areas or are “not near particularly sensitive landscapes.” 

More Senate Democrats are joining the drive to put together a compromise measure aimed at making it easier for unions to organize in workplaces, in an attempt to draft a bill that can win 60 votes in the Senate.

A viable alternative to a public insurance plan is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill. Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) Wednesday became the latest Republican to give credence to the co-op alternative proposed this week as an attempt to bridge the divide between Democrats in favor of a public plan and Republicans who will not support any government involvement in coverage as part of a healthcare overhaul.

HAI has learned House Democratic leaders might be nearing a breaking point in negotiations with committee chairmen on a climate bill, as discussions continue to widen beyond key panels.

Transportation Department Inspector General Calvin Scovel Wednesday told the Senate Commerce Aviation Subcommittee that despite FAA regulations, regional air carriers do not always meet the same safety levels as national carriers. "When an American gets aboard an aircraft in this country he or she could reasonably think that the level of safety would be the same no matter what aircraft or carrier it is, yet that's not entirely true," Scovel said.