The House gathered at 4:30 p.m. on Monday and adjourned at 4:33. The Senate opened at 4:00:02 and closed at 4:00:40. There were no recorded votes, no quorum calls and no committee meetings, according to the October 5 Congressional Record. The paper trail kept moving anyway.
The one rule worth a look
The House received 20 executive communications, EC-4822 through EC-4841. Sixteen were Coast Guard safety zone, special local regulation and drawbridge notices, and three were FAA airworthiness directives for Bell, Airbus and Boeing aircraft. That leaves one that is not routine. EC-4822 transmits a Department of Agriculture interim rule on Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation (Docket NRCS-2026-0067, RIN 0578-AA73), received September 23 and referred to the Committee on Agriculture. The Record carries only the title, so we have not reviewed the rule text. Interim rules take effect before the final word on them, which is why they deserve a second look.
Twenty-one Senate bills wait at the desk
A Senate message asked for House concurrence in 21 bills, and the Digest shows each one held at the desk. Several carry real weight. S. 3315 would have the Department of Health and Human Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency coordinate on health sector cybersecurity. S. 4009 would impose sanctions over forced organ harvesting involving China. S. 4395 reauthorizes the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, S. 4668 sets name, image and likeness protections for student athletes, S. 4974 amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act on food safety, and S. 5249 would align licensing of uranium enrichment facilities with other fuel cycle facilities under the Atomic Energy Act. With both chambers in pro forma, none of them can move before a real session.
New bills and a clock that is running
Members introduced 30 House bills, H.R. 10721 through H.R. 10750, and 11 resolutions. Two stand out. H.R. 10732 from Rep. Davis of North Carolina would bar candidates for federal office from trading in contracts on the outcome of their own elections. H.R. 10736 from Rep. Finstad would prohibit computer or printer acquisitions involving entities owned or controlled by China. Separately, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee reported H.R. 2283, a pilot grant program for outpatient mental health facilities serving veterans, with an amendment (Rept. 119-839).
The Clerk also reported that H.R. 5345 went to the President on September 29. The bill would create a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration for victims of identity theft. By our count of the constitutional ten days, Sundays excepted, the window runs to about October 10.
The Speaker’s appointments were quiet but consequential. Robert Shireman and Dominique Baker, both recommended by the Minority Leader, will serve six year terms on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. The Senate named Adam Klein of Texas to the FISA Reform Commission.
The Record, recycled
The Extensions of Remarks ran to dozens of tributes, and a few read like reruns. One cites a Miami Heat rebounding total as of November 21, 2012. Another celebrates the 100th anniversary of a Miami church whose founding it dates to 1912, which would make this year’s number 114. The official record of the House is only as current as the text members choose to insert.
