House may move soon on first of two omnibus measures (extension of unemployment insurance, more)

[The Straight Story]

House may move soon on first of two omnibus measures
By Humberto Sanchez CongressDaily December 8, 2009

The House is expected to take up the first half of a two-part omnibus package this week, which could hitch a ride on the final version of the fiscal 2010 Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill, senior House Democratic and Republican aides said Monday.

The package is expected to include five other appropriations bills which have not yet been enacted, excluding the fiscal 2010 Defense spending bill, which will be the focus of the second part of the omnibus.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Monday that extension of unemployment insurance and COBRA benefits could go in either package.

Conferees are expected to meet Tuesday on Transportation-HUD, the aides said, and the package could be voted on by the House Thursday.

There are three bills, not including Defense, that have passed both the House and Senate and are waiting to be reconciled by conferees: the fiscal 2010 Military Construction-VA bill, the fiscal 2010 Transportation-HUD bill, and the fiscal 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science bill.

To date, only five of the 12 annual appropriations bills have been signed into law by President Obama.
...

Thirty-five Republican senators, led by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., sent a letter to Reid warning that if any provisions making changes that support abortion rights are included in the omnibus, the package will face stiff resistance.

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