Shorter Election-Year Work Periods
108th Congress: A 2nd Session Overview
by Jonathan Yarowsky
NATO Washington Counsel
As the 108th Congress reconvenes for the
second session, it does so in a presidential election year
in which the
changing, if not volatile, potential landscape can affect
both the rhythm and fate of a host of legislative initiatives.
Some Congress watchers contend that there will likely be
few legislative breakthroughs, as partisan acrimony will
freeze movement on key issues. Others contend that pressure
from voters back home may stoke the pressure to move some
important legislation not completed last year, as well
as some new proposals.
A brief overview of some of the major issues
facing Congress in 2004:
Scheduling. Because of the presidential
and congressional elections, congressional “work periods” in
Washington, D.C., will be short indeed. At the time of
this writing, both the House and Senate have established
an early October 2004 adjournment – with the House
in session for fewer than 100 working days, and the Senate
planning no more than 120 working days. These work periods
will be punctuated by a 6-week summer break – spanning
late July through early September – for the Republican
and Democratic conventions, as well as general re-election
efforts back home.
Some Congress watchers contend that there will likely
be few
legislative breakthroughs, as partisan acrimony will
freeze movement on key issues. Other contend that pressure
from voters back home may stoke the pressure to move
some important legislation not completed last year,
as well as some new
proposals. |
1) FY2004-05 appropriations bills – 2003 ended with
only six of the 13 annual FY03 appropriations bills that
fund the federal government having been signed into law.
With a continuing resolution put in place funding the rest
of the government at FY03 levels until Jan. 31, the remaining
seven bills were packaged together into a $328 billion “omnibus
spending” bill, which passed the House, but not the
Senate, before the end of last year. Congress must complete
work on the omnibus measure when it returns to start the
second session of the 108th Congress, or else pass another
continuing resolution that maintains spending at the FY03
levels. Dispute over such divisive issues as new overtime
pay rules, media concentration, country-of-origin labeling
for food and other issues held up passage in the Senate
in the closing days of the first session. Obviously, of
continuing interest to NATO members has been the disposition
of the new Department of Labor regulations that would alter
the eligibility requirements for overtime pay. We will
closely track developments.
2) Reauthorization of the Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) – First passed in 1998,
TEA-21 is the law that has funded federal transportation
and infrastructure projects for the last five years. A
new bill to reauthorize those programs for the next six
years – the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient
Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) of 2003 – is
pending in both the House and the Senate. While this bill
is a popular must-do item, the debate about funding levels
for the measure continues to be contentious.
3) Energy reform legislation – Also pending from
2003 is a $31 billion “energy bill” to reform
and incentivize a wide range of the nation’s energy
policies. The bill passed the House, but a final vote was
blocked in the Senate in the closing days of the session.
The outcome of the legislation remains unclear at this
writing.
4) Reauthorization of welfare reform – In
1996, Congress passed and President Clinton signed landmark
welfare reform
legislation. The reauthorization of this legislation has
passed the House, but changes are expected in the Senate
version centering on work requirements for welfare recipients
and child care funding. Whether the expected Senate version
can be reconciled with the House language in a conference
committee in time for a presidential signature before adjournment
is unclear.
5) Medicare – Even though a Medicare prescription
drug bill was ultimately passed by Congress and signed
into law, the issue remains volatile. Democrats have signaled
their intention to seek votes to close gaps in drug coverage,
and allow for the re-importation of medicines from Canada,
among other issues. The president has indicated that the
administration will also be developing proposals to address
the issue of the medically uninsured.
Other issues to watch for: debate over making the tax rate
reductions of the past few years permanent; debate over
judicial nominations; consideration the presidents new
space initiative; and possible consideration of new immigration
proposals to grant temporary legal status to undocumented
immigrants who register to obtain work permits.
NATO Issues. Against
the backdrop of this larger congressional agenda, Congress
may also move to
consider other important
issues that directly affect the exhibition industry, including:
1) association health plan legislation; 2) anti-piracy
legislation, and specifically, anti-camcorder legislation;
3) issues involving the marketing of media violence to
children; and 4) minimum wage legislation.
NATO is embarking on a new and exciting
period with the relocation of its headquarters to within
walking distance
of the nation’s Capitol. In late April, NATO will
be holding its annual board of directors meeting in Washington.
This year’s Hill Day, held in conjunction with the
board of directors meeting, will provide members with a
timely and useful opportunity to directly share with members
of Congress their concerns and federal legislative priorities.
We who live and work in the nation’s capital are
delighted that NATO and its membership are continually
making Washington, D.C. a familiar and essential destination
to further your important work back home. We enjoy the
good company! 
