The Senate voted this morning to invoke cloture on H.R. 1586, a $26.1 billion package for enhanced FMAP and education jobs.  The vote was 61-38 with the two Republican Senators from Maine joining all the Democrats in voting to end debate on the measure.

The bill still must be voted on in the Senate, which could take place either Thursday or Friday after all post-cloture debate time has expired or is yielded back.  If passed by the Senate, it would move to the House. 

While the House is in recess now, House Members are anticipating Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) will bring the chamber back into session for a vote as early as Monday, August 9th to send the bill to the President.

The bill was deemed budget neutral over 10 years. It would provide $16.1 billion in additional federal matching funds by extending - and gradually stepping-down - an "enhanced" FMAP match rate originally approved in the Recovery Act.  Currently, the enhanced federal match for Medicaid is set to expire at the end of 2010. 

Under ARRA, states receive a 6.2 percentage point boost in FMAP, plus an additional increase based on unemployment rates. The pending legislation would phase out the enhanced  FMAP over a six-month period beginning January 1, 2011, providing states with a 3.2 percentage point increase in the second quarter of fiscal year 2011 and a 1.2 percentage point increase in the third quarter of FY 2011.  Early calculations indicate Nevada will receive around $78 million in additional FMAP dollars.

The education jobs provisions appear to mirror an earlier effort passed by the House as part of the supplemental appropriations bill (the provision was later dropped).  It contains "maintenance of effort" provisions requiring states certify they will maintain certain funding levels in order to receive the funding.  According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Education, Nevada would receive more than $81 million.