The Senate convened at 3:00 p.m. to take up campaign finance legislation. Tuesday, and for the balance of the week, the Senate is scheduled to continue consideration of the campaign finance bill and may take up small business legislation.

The Senate today continued debate on the motion to proceed to consideration of the DISCLOSE Act (S. 3628), which would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to implement additional disclosure requirements for candidates and prevent foreign influence in federal elections.  A cloture vote will be held July 27 at 2:45 p.m. according to the terms of a unanimous-consent agreement.

Later this week, the Senate is also expected to take up the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5297). The House-approved version of the bill includes approximately $12 billion in tax cuts for small businesses designed to promote job creation and economic growth.  Senators July 22 voted 60-37 to limit debate on an amendment to the bill that would restore a $30 billion small business lending program to the legislation. The Senate is expected to resume consideration of the small business bill after completion of the DISCLOSE Act, but it is possible work on the small business legislation could be postponed until next week.

The House convened at 2:00 p.m. today for legislative business and to take up 9 measures under suspension of the rules.  Tuesday, and for the remainder of the week, the House is set to take up 25 measures under suspension of the rules and three measures subject to a rule.

House leadership plans to bring the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill (H.R. 5822) to the floor this week.  The bill includes $77.3 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction program, equal to President Obama's request. The legislation also includes $48.8 billion for veterans medical care, $3.7 billion above 2010 levels, and $18.7 billion for military construction programs, a $4.5 billion decrease from 2010. The decrease in military construction funding is the result of an expected decline in spending on base realignment and closure (BRAC).  The House Rules Committee plans to meet July 27 to formulate a rule for floor debate of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill.

The House may also consider the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010 (H.R. 4899) this week.  On July 22, the Senate rejected the House-passed version of the war supplemental, which included over $20 billion in domestic spending, including $10 billion to prevent teacher layoffs.  The Senate instead voted to send the original version of the bill, which includes $59 billion in spending for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, back to the House. The supplemental funding bill will likely be brought up on the House floor later in the week, prior to the House's adjournment for the August recess.

The House could also debate the Multiple Peril Insurance Act this week, which would reform the National Flood Insurance Program to allow residents to purchase multiperil and windstorm coverage to protect against losses caused by natural disasters.

KEY HEARINGS & MARKUPS

APPROPRIATIONS: The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up draft legislation that would make fiscal 2011 appropriations for programs under its jurisdiction. 
Tuesday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m., 138 Dirksen Building. 

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up draft legislation that would make fiscal 2011 appropriations for programs under its jurisdiction. 
Tuesday, July 27 at 2:30 p.m., 138 Dirksen Building. 

The House Appropriations Committee will mark up draft legislation that would make fiscal 2011 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture.
Tuesday, July 27 at 3:00 p.m., 2359 Rayburn Building. 

The House Appropriations Committee will mark up draft legislation that would make fiscal 2011 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security.
Tuesday, July 27 at 3:00 p.m., 2359 Rayburn Building. 

The Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee will mark up draft legislation that would make fiscal 2011 appropriations for programs under its jurisdiction.
Tuesday, July 27 at 1:30 p.m., H-140 Capitol Building. 

ARMED SERVICES: The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the final report of the independent panel’s assessment of the Quadrennial Defense Review. 
Thursday, July 29, 10:00 a.m., 2118 Rayburn Building. 

ENERGY & COMMERCE: The Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Bp Oil Spill and Gulf Coast Tourism: Assessing the Impact”.
Tuesday, July 27 at10:00 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Building. 

The Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the implementation of the HITECH Act, title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 
Tuesday, July 27 at 1:00 p.m., 2322 Rayburn Building.  

The Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act. 
Thursday, July 29 at 10:00 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Building. 

ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS: The Water and Wildlife Subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing titled “Assessing Natural Resource Damages resulting from the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster”.
Tuesday, July 27 at 2:30 p.m., 406 Dirksen Building. 

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on protecting the nation’s water treatment facilities. 
Wednesday, July 28 at 2:30 p.m., 406 Dirksen Building. 

HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS: The Children and families Subcommittee of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will mark up the Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act.
Wednesday, July 28, Time TBA, Location TBA. 

HOMELAND SECURITY: The Disaster Recovery Subcommittee and the State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a joint hearing titled “Flood Preparedness and Mitigation: Map Modernization, Levee Inspection and Levee Repairs”. 
Wednesday, July 28 at 3:00 p.m., 342 Dirksen Building. 

The Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing titled “Interoperable Emergency Communications:  Does the National Broadband Plan Meet the Needs of First Responders?”. 
Tuesday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m., 311 Cannon Building. 

INDIAN AFFAIRS: The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Indian gaming. 
Thursday, July 29 at 9:30 a.m., 628 Dirksen Building. 

JUDICIARY: The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “Exxon Valdez to Deepwater Horizon: Protecting Victims of Major Oil Spills”. 
Tuesday, July 27 at 2:30 p.m., 226 Dirksen Building. 

The Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on ways to advance and improve the Fair Housing Act.
Thursday, July 29 at 2:00 p.m., 2142 Rayburn Building. 

NATURAL RESOURCES: National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing titled “Building Success: Implementation of the Secure Rural Schools Program”. 
Thursday, July 29 at 10:00 a.m., 1324 Longworth Building. 

Congress has yet to pass the war supplemental spending bill (HR 4899).  Before the July 4 recess the House passed the bill and added roughly $23 billion in domestic spending for schools and other items.  However, many in the Senate opposed the additional domestic spending attached to the supplemental and the House version did not pass.  Instead, the Senate sent back to the House their original version containing only funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as some disaster relief funds.  It is unclear whether the House will pass the Senate version or continue to insist on additional domestic spending. 

President Obama previously issued a veto threat against the House version that included domestic spending.  In order to offset the $10 billion going to prevent teacher layoffs, the House among other things, pulled $800 million from Race to the Top, an education initiative sponsored by the White House. 

Defense Secretary Gates has warned that funding for troops is needed by the end of the month to avoid furloughs in the Department of Defense.  Typically, war supplemental bills are completed by Memorial Day. 

The Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that mass layoff events in June totaled 1,647, an increase of 235 over the prior month. The number of workers affected totaled 145,538, also an increase over May by 9,749. 

Mass layoffs involve 50 or more workers separated and filing initial unemployment claims from a single employer. Local government and elementary and secondary school layoffs reached program highs in June, while the manufacturing sector recorded its lowest proportional share of mass layoffs in program history. To view the report, go to: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/mmls.pdf.

On Thursday of last week, in a 272-152 vote, the House approved a motion to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 4213, the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act. President Obama signed the bill into law later in the day.

The legislation provides an extension to the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Program through November 2010 and full federal funding for the Extended Benefits program, also through November. Both of these provisions were previously extended by Congress and had expired on June 2. The new extension will be retroactive back to that date. 

The bill also includes two beneficiary protections in the EUC program, one that allows states to coordinate federal unemployment benefits if intermittent earnings would result in a benefit reduction and another to limit the ability of states to reduce regular unemployment benefits.