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This Week in Congress
Monday, January 18, 2010
8:45 PM

The House this week will take up a number of bills that fall under the Interior Department's purview. One such measure, called the BLM Contract Extension Act (H.R. 3759), would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to extend by up to three years the expiration date of timber contracts executed before Jan. 1, 2009, on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

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The precipitous drop in timber prices triggered by the collapse of the housing market has left timber companies facing the prospect of defaulting on their contracts or harvesting at a loss, according to the bill's proponents. H.R. 3759 would mitigate the impact of the economic downturn by allowing timber companies to delay harvesting until timber prices rise to profitable levels. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has introduced a companion bill (S. 2791) that is currently awaiting committee consideration.

Other bills relating to Interior Department operations that are slated for House floor action this week include:

White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act (H.R. 1065) - Would approve and ratify a settlement agreement between the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the state of Arizona regarding tribal claims to water rights in the state, and would authorize appropriations for the Interior Department to operate and maintain the water system until it is conveyed to the tribe, among other provisions.
Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act (H.R. 3254) - Would approve and ratify a settlement agreement between the Taos Pueblo and the state of New Mexico regarding the Pueblo’s claims to water rights in the state, and would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants to the Taos Pueblo to construct and maintain water infrastructure and to restore and protect environmentally sensitive lands and watersheds, among other provisions.
Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act (H.R. 3342) - Would approve and ratify a settlement agreement between four Pueblos and the state of New Mexico regarding the Pueblos’ claims to water rights in the state, and would authorize appropriations for the Interior Department to operate and maintain certain portions of the system until they are conveyed to the Pueblos, among other provisions.
Castle Nugent National Historic Site Establishment Act (H.R. 3726) - Would establish Castle Nugent on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a unit of the National Park System.

House leaders also have scheduled debate on legislation authorizing funding for the Homeland Security Department's Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to support the "Securing the Cities Initiative," a program aimed at detecting illicit nuclear and radiological material in urban areas. For each city that participated in the program in 2009, the bill authorizes $40 million for fiscal year 2010, $20 million for 2011, and at least $10 million for each subsequent year.

The chamber could vote as early as Tuesday on the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act (H.R. 725), legislation that would allow any federal law enforcement officer to investigate the sale of counterfeit Indian art products. Under current law, only FBI officials are authorized to conduct such investigations, and the Justice Department has indicated that very few cases relating to the sale of counterfeit Indian goods are investigated each year. H.R. 725 would reduce the maximum penalties for offenders who market or sell counterfeit items priced at less than $1,000. Currently, maximum penalties are the same for all offenders, regardless of the price of the goods.

Also on tap is a draft bill that would accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

The Senate's first roll call vote of 2010 is slated for Wednesday on the nomination of Beverly Martin to be a U. S. Circuit Judge for the 11th Circuit. Following the vote on the Martin nomination and the party conference luncheons, the Senate will turn to a House-passed joint resolution (H.J.Res. 45) increasing the statutory limit on the public debt by $635 billion to $13.029 trillion. The House and Senate passed a short-term debt limit increase before adjourning in December.

Several amendments are expected to be offered to H.J. Res. 45, including a proposal by Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-NH) that would establish an 18-member fiscal task force comprised of ten Democrats and eight Republicans that would be charged with reviewing all aspects of the current and long-term financial condition of the federal government. The task force's recommendations would be submitted to Congress following the 2010 elections, followed by expedited consideration in both chambers with no amendments in order. The final votes on the recommendations would require supermajorities in both the House and Senate.

Other amendments expected to be offered to H.J. Res. 45 include:

Thune - Would immediately end TARP and reduce the debt ceiling by any funds repaid through TARP assistance.
Coburn - Rescissions package.
Sessions - Regarding spending caps.
Reid - Regarding PAYGO.

Under an agreement reached in December, each senator's amendment to H.J. Res. 45 will need 60 votes to pass or otherwise be withdrawn. The resolution itself also will be subject to a 60-vote threshold.