The proposed rule would prohibit any person holding a certificate to conduct certain operations from knowingly employing, or making a contractual agreement with, certain individuals to act as an agent or a representative of the certificate holder in any matter before the FAA under certain conditions.

If the estate tax is not extended by the end of this year, it would be repealed altogether for one year in 2010, an outcome that Democrats would like to avoid. The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel (D-New York) backs a permanent solution, although the majority of committee members is to do a one-year fix and set it up for debate as part of the 2010 tax reform effort.

House Democrats appear intent on passing legislation before the end of the year that would fund infrastructure projects, boost small business pending using money remaining in the Troubled Asset Relief Program and fund energy efficiency programs in the hope of creating more jobs and spurring the economy along.

Pursuant to section 7208(k) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, as amended, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposes to establish an international trusted traveler program, called Global Entry.

In contrast to their committee chairman, House Ways and Means Committee Democrats agreed to support a one-year extension of current estate tax levels and tie it to a broader overhaul of the tax code in 2010. That move would spare Democrats from endorsing a tax cut for the wealthiest few families during a time of double-digit unemployment.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nevada) continues to scramble to lock down votes for the Senate healthcare bill and appears poised to unveil his bill on Wednesday. He has not confirmed that he has received commitments from all 60 members of his caucus to overcome GOP procedural objections and bring the bill to the Senate floor.

HAI reports House Democrats are likely to delay consideration of estate tax legislation until after the Thanksgiving recess. Any delay could make a one-year extension of current law more likely, rather than a permanent resolution of the issue.

DUBAI, UAE - Emirates-CAE Flight Training has announced the signing of contracts with three customers for customized pilot training at the Dubai centre as well as other training centres in CAE's global network. CAE has also announced that it has sold two CAE 7000 Series ARJ21-700 Level D full-flight simulators to COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Customer Service Co. Ltd.

CongressDaily said today a report from the General Accountability Office (GAO) says inspectors from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) need to crack down on employers to make sure they keep accurate records about workplace injuries and illnesses.

As reported last week, Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has been exploring the possibility of increasing the percentage of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) portion of the FICA tax to fund healthcare reform. The income base used for the social security is capped at $106,800 of wages or self employment income; however, there is no cap on the amount of wages or self employment income subject to the HI tax.

As reported last week, the House might take up a permanent extension of the estate tax this week at 2009 parameters, making the 2009 rate of 45 percent and $3.5 million exemption permanent is seen as too generous by progressives, who would prefer a return to the Clinton-era 55 percent and $1 million exemption, as current law provides for beginning in 2011.

Final scores on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nevada) proposal have not returned from the Congressional Budget Office. Thus, it appears unlikely that the Senate will take up the overhaul next week. The delay makes a vote on the motion to proceed to the bill more likely after the Thanksgiving break.

The Obama administration has reportedly told domestic agencies to expect their FY11 budgets to be frozen or even cut by 5 percent as part of an election-year push to rein in record deficits threaten the economy and Democrats’ re-election next fall.

HAI reports at the December Copenhagen meeting on global greenhouse gas emissions, the Obama administration is considering endorsing a limited short-term climate pact and deferring more ambitious action until next year. The administration has been unable to make an international deal because Congress has not passed climate legislation.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a healthcare bill last weekend and attention now turns to the U.S. Senate where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) needs a final “score” from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which is not expected until late this week at best.  Reid’s office is waiting for the CBO to return an official score of their healthcare reform bill and if it’s under $900 billion, they will move forward with it, but if it’s over $900 billion, they will revise it, and send it back to CBO for a new, and hopefully lower, score.

There are minor editorial changes to the contract language amendment to the DOI NBC, AM solicitation N10PS30009 (formerly 8010-01), as well as a consolidated listing of comments that were received in response to the draft solicitation.

The Helena National Forest is going to prepare an environmental impact statement for vegetation management actions in the Little Blackfoot drainage west of the Continental Divide. The purpose and need for action is to be responsive to the mountain pine beetle outbreak in this area, specifically to recover economic value of dead and dying trees.

European officials said Thursday, November 5 they were now striving for a political agreement instead of a new treaty to allow the U.S. and other rich nations to make commitments that are not legally binding. That announcement is said to be “an implicit admission of defeat” as the treaty had been due to be completed in December at a 192-nation conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

There will be 258 Democrats in the House by the time the health vote takes place, but to secure the 218 votes needed to passage – and with prospects dim for Republican converts – Pelosi can afford to lose no more than 40 members of her caucus. The vote is now expected late Saturday or Sunday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) expressed confidence Thursday afternoon, November 5 that House Democrats have the 218 votes needed to pass the healthcare overhaul bill Saturday.

The Senate voted 98-0 to extend unemployment benefits to jobless Americans who have run out of aid. The bill also extends the homeowner tax credit through April and expands it to include buyers who already own a house, and it gives a tax credit businesses that experience losses this year and last.

The House overwhelmingly approved legislation, 331 to 92, on Wednesday, November 4 to move up the enforcement of credit card reform to December 1. The legislation, which will be effective February 22, bans universal default and double-cycle billing and limits fees.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Democrats today reported out climate legislation without amendments and over the objections of panel Republicans.

The House could vote Saturday, Nov 7 on the healthcare overhaul bill. Democratic leaders continue to nail down votes.

Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nevada) has now backed off a Democratic push to pass a healthcare overhaul this year.

Dozens of tax provisions could lapse after their Dec. 31 expiration dates, if Congress fails to take action.

Republican senators demanded additional studies on the cost and job impact of a climate bill before it is voted on by a key committee, exposing the sharp partisan divide in Congress over legislation aimed at addressing global warming.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Monday that middle-income families might be required to pay 15 percent to 18 percent of their income on insurance premiums and co-payments under the new proposal.

The fiscal 2010 spending bill for the Interior Department cleared Congress last week and was signed by President Obama.

House democratic leaders introduced their long-awaited healthcare overhaul package last week...

The Hayfork District of the Shasta Trinity National Forest is proposing to use vegetation treatments to reduce risks from fire, improve forest health, and provide forest products on approximately 6,028 acres within the Rattlesnake watershed on the South Fork Management of the Shasta Trinity National Forest.

As scheduled, House Democrats enthusiastically unveiled their healthcare bill this morning, Thursday October 29 at an event on the Capitol's West Front, but the real battle continues behind the scenes to cobble together enough votes to pass it.

HAI has learned the Obama Administration has agreed to settle the long-standing legal dispute with safety advocacy groups and the Teamsters over the driver hours of service (HOS) rules and rewrite the rules from scratch. This decision comes after more than nine years of rulemaking and lawsuits. HOS rules affect fuel truck drivers in support on aerial firefighting operations.
 
 

Five senior administration officials appeared before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to speak in support of a bill to address global warming and encourage development of nonpolluting energy sources, which they said were important not only to the environment but to the nation’s economic competitiveness.

Some moderate Democrats are more comfortable with the ‘trigger’ approach that Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) has advocated. Senator Snowe has already indicated that she will not back Reid’s bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) announced this afternoon, Tuesday October 27 that an extension of the $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit and more generous net operating loss carry-back rules for money-losing businesses will not be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.

The Senate healthcare version worked out with the White House will include a public option with the choice for states to “opt out”. The proposal would allow states to “opt out” once the exchanges are up and running and gives them until 2014 to make up their minds.

The Senate Finance Committee's version of health reform legislation includes a 40 percent tax on plans that cost more than $8,000 for an individual and $21,000 for a family.

Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut) has unveiled legislation to freeze credit-card interest rates until a new law takes effect next year that would rein in abusive and unfair card practices.

The Senate plans to consider legislation to extend the temporary extension of unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks. Only the unemployed in states with high employment rates would be eligible.

Momentum is building in Georgia to overhaul state-mandated insurance coverage for certain medical tests and procedures. Legislation could soon be introduced that would let insurers provide coverage with potentially fewer mandates.

In about one week to ten days, the full House and Senate are expected to bring their final healthcare bills to their chamber floors to begin the final debate and vote on healthcare. As reported last week, Senate Democrats are leaning toward including a government-run insurance plan that would let individual states opt out, a proposal House leaders have signaled as acceptable.

For the past three years, over 70% of Americans have told pollsters from the Pew Research Organization they believe there’s solid evidence of global warming. This year, however, that number has dropped off significantly. Now just 57% say they believe it. The number of people who say they don’t believe in climate change at all has doubled in that time.

The House and Senate will vote next week on another continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through December 15. The CR is likely to be attached to the FY10 Interior-Environment Appropriations Conference Report.

HAI has learned Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) will meet Friday to discuss a strategy for moving a climate and energy bill that could include a Thanksgiving deadline for committees to act.

An alternative that would allow states to opt-out of a national public option is gaining traction in the Senate. Finance Health Subcommittee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) said Wednesday he believes giving states the choice to opt out of a national public option is one compromise that “could work very well that could pick up some of the moderates.”

House Democrats continue to discuss options to jumpstart the economy. Despite record budget deficits, House leaders appear poised to pour more cash into measures aimed at creating jobs and maintaining a safety net for the unemployed.

The Interior Department will investigate a decision made by the Bush administration to grant low royalty rates for oil shale development in the Rocky Mountains.  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar “expressed ‘serious concerns’ about changes made without public notice to six leases on Jan. 15,” and has asked the department’s inspector general, Mary Kendall, to look into the matter.

The Federal Aviation Administration is making several corrections to its “Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Pilot School Certification” final rule published in the Federal Register on August 21, 2009.

Senate Environment and Public Works committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-California) said last week that the Senate climate change bill is written and ready to be debated before the committee, and that it will mirror cap and trade legislation passed by the House in late June with, she noted, “a few tweaks.”

“User fees” are a non-starter to the 118 Members of Congress who have co-signed a letter to President Barack Obama this week. Lawmakers have put Obama on notice that the current system of funding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a stable and efficient source of funding and to propose user fees on the general aviation industry would place an undue financial burden on small businesses and general aviation.

House Speaker Pelosi said the House will push for the strongest public option possible to take into negotiations with the Senate on a healthcare overhaul, while a key House committee laid the groundwork to use the filibuster-proof reconciliation process to pass the bill if necessary.

The Obama administration is calling on Congress to renew expiring provisions of the anti-terrorism law known as the Patriot Act (Public Law 109-177) with few changes. Also, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee plans a hearing Wednesday, October 21st to review the government’s efforts to prepare for and respond to the H1N1 virus.

The Associated Press reports President Barack Obama is considering all options to create jobs, including another stimulus package, while trying to pull the economy out of a deep recession and deal with a record deficit.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Maryland) said last week that Congress will probably be in session until mid-December and possibly even later.

The New York Times has reported the Department of the Interior has frozen oil and gas development on 60 of 77 contested drilling sites in Utah, saying the process of leasing the land was rushed and badly flawed. The 77 government-owned parcels, which cover about 100,000 acres in eastern and southern Utah, were leased in the last weeks of the Bush administration, and “immediately challenged by conservation groups.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved Honeywell International’s latest ground-warning system for helicopters, which is designed to help pilots prevent ground collisions and hitting towers.

The Forest Service will prepare a Kings River Experimental Watershed Forest Health and Research Project (KREW) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS will evaluate the environmental effects of the KREW Project which is designed to treat portions of the Kings River watershed to improve forest health and to examine the short- and long-term effects of these treatments.

HAI reports the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will launch audits in November in conjunction with a “National Research Program” (NRP) focused on employment taxes. An NRP consists of intensive audits followed by analysis. NRPs are used to collect data so that the IRS can hone its profiles for future audits. The infamous tax gap report was based largely on an NRP of individual taxpayers. The IRS has completed but not released the results of an NRP on S Corporations.

HAI has learned the Senate Finance Committee will vote Tuesday, October 12 on a healthcare overhaul proposal. The panel is expected to approve the bill along party lines. Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine remains the only Republican who might support the plan.

HAI has learned House Democrats are considering a tax on insurance company profits as one way to pay for healthcare according to statements made on Thursday, October 8 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a notice of intent to supplement an environmental impact statement. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest will prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SETS) for the Gemmill Thin Project to provide analysis of additional alternatives to the proposed action.

The Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress are exploring an extension of the economic stimulus bill as well as proposing new tax incentives for businesses to renew hiring.  All of this comes as unemployment is expected to rise well into next year even as the economy slowly recovers.

The New York Times reported today, Tuesday, October 6 that Democrats face "competing priorities" in reducing insurance costs and offering comprehensive health benefits. That "tension between keeping costs low and improving coverage is just one of many challenges facing Congress and the Obama administration as they head toward the final stages of the effort to pass healthcare legislation."

The Senate Finance Committee completed work on the last of the amendments to Senator Max Baucus’ (D-Montana) healthcare plan at 2:15 am this morning, Friday, October 2, and plans are in the works to hold a final vote on the bill next week after a cost estimate is received from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

“Pollution reduction and investment” or PRI is the new phrase in place of cap and trade that Democratic senators are using to sell their global warming bill. Senators John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Barbara Boxer (D-California) released their bill yesterday, which they say will increase jobs and cut the billions spent on foreign oil.

Without offering any specifics, Congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have now hinted they’ve found $200 billion in cuts to reduce their healthcare bill under $900 billion. Meetings continue as lawmakers struggle over how to structure a public insurance option while insisting they are under no time pressure.

A Senate draft cap and trade bill will be introduced today, Wednesday September 30 by Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-California). A review of the draft bill reveals a targeted reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, which is higher than a 17 percent reduction target in the House-passed bill.

The latest Interagency Aviation Accident Prevention Bulletin focuses on mobilization of aviation resources.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) said today, Tuesday September 29, that a healthcare bill will be ready for lawmakers to review "at some point in October," but he suggested the measure might not reach the floor until November. Hoyer said a bill will not be sent to the floor until it is ready and would not commit to a more specific timetable.

Amendments will be offered to the Senate Finance Committee’s healthcare legislation today by Senators Charles Schumer (D-New York) and John Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) to include a public option. In lieu of a public plan, the Finance Committee legislation authored by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) includes a system of healthcare coverage modeled on customer-owned and operative cooperatives that would compete with private insurers.

The debate in the Senate over climate change is heating up. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) are expected to unveil their draft cap and trade bill next week to be followed by a hearing and markup next month.

Debate in the Senate Finance Committee continues this week as Democrats and Republicans continue to spar over both procedure and policy. In a few short days, Senate Democrats expect to control 60 Senate votes, enough to pass the bill without any GOP help once Senator Kennedy’s replacement is seated.

The Senate is expected to clear an FAA extension as early as Thursday night, allowing more time for Congress to debate a permanent reauthorization bill for the air transportation agency. Also, FAA Administrator Babbitt, testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee, said that some regional carriers have failed to respond to his June 24 letter asking them to upgrade record disclosure policy for pilot applicants and improve flight operations quality assurance programs.

The House, by voice vote, passed a bill to extend the FAA’s authority to collect and spend the tax revenues fueling the aviation system through the end of the year.

The Senate Finance Committee begins the markup of Senator Max Baucus’ (D-Montana) long awaited legislation today, and HAI has learned he is revising the legislation to make it easier for middle income Americans to afford the health insurance the bill would require them to buy. A committee vote on the bill is expected by the end of the week.

The House is scheduled to vote today on a bill that would extend jobless benefits by 13 weeks for the some 400,000 unemployed workers in “states with a jobless rate of at least 5.8 percent.” The House also plans to take up a continuing resolution that will extend the existing spending levels past September 30, when the fiscal year ends. The resolution will allow government operations to carry on through the end of October while Congress continues work on the 12 annual appropriations bills.

HAI reports the U.S. Senate hopes to have draft legislation prepared in the coming weeks, moving rapidly toward a floor vote on healthcare. Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) released his long awaited Senate Finance Committee healthcare bill last week, with no Republicans backing the proposal and a large number of Democrats expressing opposition to the measure.

If the U.S. government continues to have a terrorism alert system, a bipartisan task force has recommended that the Obama administration simplify and reset the iconic warning system to the lowest of three new levels. 

The Interior Department will scrap a scandal-plagued “royalty-in-kind” program that allows energy companies drilling on public lands to provide oil and gas to the federal government as payment, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday. Salazar testified that he intends to phase out the program as a first step in a set of broader reforms of oil and gas royalty collection.

The USFS has published the Pre-solicitation Notice for the Initial Attack helicopter Contract.

The E-Verify program, which checks a worker’s immigration status against Homeland Security Department and Social Security Administration databases, will expire at the end of this month unless Congress reauthorizes it.

The U.S. Senate is expected to buckle down this week and try to focus on appropriations bills. The House has actually passed all of their versions of the 12 appropriations bills, while the Senate has only passed four. Whatever bills are not signed by the president before the start of the fiscal year, October 1, will mean the rest of the government will be funded through a continuing resolution (CR).

The FAA announced the availability of proposed TSO-C166b for Extended Squitter Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and Traffic Information Service-Broadcast equipment operating on the radio frequency of 1090 Megahertz (MHz). It can be found at www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/

Tariff authority, at least as strong as in the House Climate Change Legislation, is necessary to protect U.S. manufacturers, according to a group of House Democrats who have written to President Obama. They are joined by other Democrats in Congress from Rust Belt and other states who want even stronger language in the Senate Climate Bill that would allow the president and Congress to issue tariffs against developing countries that do not institute their own carbon-reducing policies.

House liberals have threatened to oppose healthcare legislation if it does not include a public plan. Some senators have said they would vote against the bill if it does contain such an option. In last night’s address to a Joint Session of Congress, some argue President Obama failed to provide a sufficient level of detail on his healthcare reform views, while others predicted the address will energize the debate in both the House and Senate.

Advancing card check legislation through the Senate has been all about the 60 votes necessary to end a filibuster. The Senate majority did not have the votes at the beginning of the Congress and still does not have them, especially after the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 marked the implementation of a requirement that federal contractors use the E-Verify system to check the immigration and citizenship status of the people they hire and assign to new federal contracts.

Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York), chair of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, will delay release of his bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, indicating this week he hopes to draw more bipartisan support in the interim while healthcare legislation remains on the hot seat. 

Administration officials have now said President Obama will speak tonight in favor of a public funding healthcare option, but not require its inclusion to earn his signature on the legislation. Meanwhile, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Montana) has now said he will move forward next week, release a Senate healthcare overhaul bill and then schedule a Senate Finance Committee markup in two weeks.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has developed a "How to win Federal Contracts" free online training program, as part of the Stakeholder Outreach Initiative. The program is free, fully automated, and includes numerous resources to teach small business owners how to participate in the Federal procurement arena.  

Many Senator Ted Kennedy allies in Washington see passage of a reform bill by the current Congress as a way of establishing Kennedy’s legacy. Congressional Democrats said over the weekend that the best way for Congress to honor the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy is to set aside partisan disputes and pass healthcare reform legislation, although a key Democrat, Senator Christopher Dodd (Connecticut), said he “doubts any Democrat has the kind of clout to push through such an effort that Mr. Kennedy had.”

The Acquisitions Services Directorate of the Department of the Interior's National Business Center (NBC) has provided HAI with a Presolicitation Notice of Release of Proposed Specifications for on-call 2010 small helicopter support. The documents are expected to be available on Fed Biz Ops and the Aviation Mangement Web site early this week.

The August Congressional Recess is nearly over, and a tremendous amount of work is on tap when Congress returns to Washington after Labor Day. Health care will certainly dominate the agenda, but the issues of expiring tax breaks and climate change legislation also await.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) proposes to add new procedures by which members of the public could report to TSA a problem, deficiency, or vulnerability regarding transportation security including the security of aviation, maritime, motor carrier vehicle, railroad, or pipeline transportation, or any mode of public transportation, such as mass transit, in accordance with the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (9/11 Act).

The American Petroleum Institute claims that the “United States will be more dependent on imports of gasoline and other petroleum fuels while U.S. refining production will be shifted overseas if a climate change bill passed in the House of Representatives becomes law,” according to a study.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued the final rule revising the training, qualification, certification, and operating requirements for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors and pilot schools.

In this edition of the Interagency Aviation Accident Prevention Bulletin, the area of concern focuses on aviation safety during the Dog Days of Summer. Pilots and aviation personnel are reminded about the constant threat of fatigue and heat stress.

Not everyone in the Obama administration seems to be on the same page. Despite extensive media reports since the weekend to the contrary, the White House said yesterday the administration has not changed its stance on the “public option,” has not shifted its goals on healthcare reform or distanced itself from a government-run public insurance option.

Key players within the Obama administration appeared to signal over the weekend that President Obama could accept a healthcare overhaul package that doesn’t include a public option and could consider legislation that includes the creation of a not-for-profit insurance cooperative as an alternative to a government-run plan. 

Polls continue to show rising anger over the government’s grim financial situation, and it will indeed be difficult to push a health reform bill through Congress unless it reduces federal spending on medical care and brings the national debt under control. President Obama has already increased the national debt by four times since taking office seven months ago! Meanwhile angry crowds continue to gather at town hall meetings across the country over Democrats’ plans to pass healthcare legislation.

The AP is reporting that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is ruling out withdrawing energy leases issued for the Roan Plateau even though the plan to drill on public land on the western Colorado landmark is being challenged in court.

“The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) unveiled a comprehensive study on the impact of The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill (HR 2454).” The study “assesses the impact of the Waxman-Markey Bill on manufacturing, jobs, energy prices and our overall economy.”

Another recent study by the Congressional Budget Office found that it will cost nearly $8 billion over the next decade to pay for the expanded federal bureaucracy needed to combat global warming under a bill passed by the House of Representatives. The CBO found that the House bill would shrink the federal deficit in that 10 year period because it requires businesses to buy permits to emit global warming pollution – in turn adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal treasury. According to the CBO, the bill would cost $8 billion from 2010 to 2019, but government agencies would charge fees in some cases, reducing the net cost to taxpayers to $7.8 billion over the 10-year period. Not much of a saving.

Town hall meetings usually draw two dozen or so attendees, but this Congressional Recess, more than 200 are showing up with significant amounts of anger and frustration on display. Constituents are upset because the stimulus was passed unread, at three o’clock in the morning Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) introduced a 300 page amendment for an energy tax increase contained in the cap and trade bill, with a vote coming about 12 hours later and no surprise once again lawmakers didn’t read that bill either.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote later today, Thursday, August 6, on a House-passed $2 billion extension for the wildly popular “Cash for Clunkers” program. Leaders in both parties have said there are sufficient votes, and the Senate is expected to recess for the August Congressional Recess this evening.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dealt a big blow to the ethanol industry earlier this year when it decreed that the corn-based fuel doesn't have a much better carbon footprint than gasoline made with crude oil. Ethanol producers contend that gasoline also leads to "indirect land-use changes," and "argues that the corn-based fuel's environmental credentials should be measured against gasoline made with" oil like that produced by Canada's oil sands, "not with the lighter and more easily refined crude grades, which are becoming scarcer." The debate is raising questions about how to extricate the real carbon footprint of a fuel from a complex web of interconnections across continents.

Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) said this week that Senate Democrats will not hesitate to forgo bipartisanship in order to pass a healthcare overhaul bill – hinting at using budget reconciliation as one option for moving a healthcare bill through the Senate. The one problem is that reconciliation leaves the bill vulnerable to parliamentary objections that could gut provisions of the bill deemed not directly related to deficit reduction. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee still continues to try to hammer out a bill to try to meet the September 15 deadline that has been imposed by Senate leaders. Democrats would need the month between the September 15 deadline and the mid-October date the reconciliation process is allowed to begin to cobble together a bill.

Friday night, July 31, 2009, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved massive health reform legislation, paving the way for House leaders to move forward in September with combining bills approved by the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor committees, leading to a vote on the House floor in mid-September. Meanwhile, the Senate leaves town the end of the week, and the Senate Finance Committee continues to hammer out the details of their bill. What is clear is that the House bill will be more liberal than the product that emerges from the Senate, and all the differences will be ironed out in a conference committee.

Healthcare reform and the ensuing heated controversial debate will be weapon of choice between Republicans and Democrats during the August Congressional Recess, with supporters and opponents planning to pour millions of dollars into television ads, phone banks and other efforts to shape public opinion.  Advocates from both sides are expected to spend a whopping$1.4 million a day on television advertising aimed at swaying the health debate.

If you tuned in last night or this morning to newscasts, then you heard funds for the “Cash for Clunkers” program had been depleted, leaving many who were expecting to participate in the wildly successful program wondering if they had beat the clock. The House voted today to give $2 billion more to the program, redirecting funds in the already-passed economic stimulus package that were intended for energy loan guarantees.

As reported earlier this week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved legislation, S 1261, to provide an alternative, Pass ID, to the federal Real ID driver’s license standard.

The scheduled markup yesterday, Thursday, July 29 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee to resume consideration of Healthcare legislation did not occur. However, the committee is back in business this morning, with Democrats trying desperately to hold together a fragile compromise reached with the Blue Dogs.

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee has approved legislation creating the PASS ID program to require states to issue driver’s licenses that are compliant with federal standards by 2016. The bill requires that states show they are moving in the direction of compliance by 2011.

HAI has just learned the House healthcare bill is on the move once again and will be marked up by Congressman Henry Waxman’s (D-California) Energy and Commerce Committee at 4:00 p.m. today, Wednesday July 29. A major policy deal appears to have been reached with the Blue Dogs, paving the way for the next step in the approval process. This legislation could be voted on by the full U.S. House of Representatives before the end of the week even though Democratic leaders promised the full House would not vote on the measure until September. You need to contact your elected Member of Congress NOW and let them know how you feel about healthcare reform.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released additional data on the House Democrats’ healthcare overhaul legislation, saying the bill “would probably generate substantial increases in federal budget deficits during the decade beyond the current 10-year budget window”, according to National Journal Group.

Oregon’s Democratic Governor signed legislation last week aimed at leveling off greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon by next year. The measures will reduce emissions from cars and trucks through a low-carbon fuel standard, promote solar energy for homes and energy efficiency upgrades for homes and businesses, and control emissions from power plants and industry. The news laws aim to meet the Oregon Legislature’s goal of leveling off greenhouse emissions by 2010.

Today, Monday July 27, could be the day when lawmakers will give us a sense of what is possible going forward with healthcare reform. The House Democratic Caucus will begin a closed door session this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. eastern standard time to allow House Democrats to review the latest draft of legislation. The Senate has already delayed action on healthcare reform until September, and House lawmakers are slated to recess the end of this week. However, the recess could be delayed if House leaders believe there is a chance a deal is near.

The Forest Service published a Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest proposes to improve forest health and restore fire-adapted ecosystem characteristics on approximately 3,000 acres of National Forest System Lands in and adjacent to the Harris Mountain Late-Successional Reserve.

Senate Democratic leaders have said they will not bring a healthcare bill to the Senate floor before the August recess and will instead turn their attention to the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations bills. Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), is still insisting she has the votes in the House to pass healthcare legislation and hinted the start of the August Congressional Recess could be delayed with lawmakers kept working past the end of next week. President Obama told the nation last night, Wednesday July 22, on national television that healthcare reform is central to the effort to rebuilt the economy.

The most recent US Forest Service Aviation Safety Alert focuses on Rappel Operations Equipment and Procedural Check. They are advising all rappel units to review the Interagency Helicopter Rappel Guide Chapter 3, Rappel Equipment to assure that all rappel equipment meets the current standard.

President Obama continues to work behind the scenes in Washington with lawmakers to reform healthcare, accusing Republican lawmakers of blocking his healthcare initiative. Tonight, Wednesday, July 22, President Obama will address the Nation at 8 pm eastern standard time, with polls suggesting he is losing ground on the healthcare issue. 

The latest edition of the Interagency Aviation Safety Alert focuses on Inadvertent Cargo Hook Releases and Cable Adjustments.

On Tuesday, July 21, the U.S. House of Representatives will take up and vote on H. Res. 508 under Suspension of the Rules. H. Res. 508 expresses the sense of the U.S. House of Representatives that the general aviation industry should be recognized for its contributions to the United States. It is important for all HAI members to contact their elected Member of Congress today and urge them to support H. Res. 508.

Two House committees continue to work aggressively on healthcare reform legislation, but the Blue Dog Coalition’s Health Care Task Force is making things difficult for the House Energy and Commerce Committee with their concerns over the House Democratic bill’s heavy focus on expanding access without reducing the growth of spending.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Thursday, July 16 that his department had reversed a Bush administration decision to double the amount of logging allowed in and around old-growth forests in western Oregon.

HAI is reporting the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has today approved its healthcare reform bill, backing a $611 billion package that includes a public health insurance option, a pay or play employer mandate, a requirement that every individual obtain health insurance, and government subsidies for those who will have trouble affording coverage.

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee held a hearing today on a bill that would require states to issue new driver's licenses that meet certain federal standards.

The FAA assigned the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) a new task to develop maintenance requirements for aircraft used in commercial air tour operations, in response to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations. FAA’s review of NTSB’s safety recommendations further identifies the need for a required inspection program for all commercial air tour operations.

House Democrats released their healthcare overhaul bill today, Tuesday, July 14 and the House Ways and Means Committee will begin markup on its portion on Thursday morning. The bill would impose a 1 percent surtax on household income above $350,000, rising to 1.5 percent for joint returns with adjusted gross incomes of $500,000 or more, and 5.4 percent for households with incomes greater than $1 million.

HAI continues to closely track information from a variety of sources in Washington on the unfolding healthcare debate. The prospects are dimming for Congress to meet President Obama’s August deadline to pass healthcare legislation. Obama facing a daunting task of reassuring Americans they will not end up paying more for less, with disagreements escalating over whether to tax employer-sponsored benefits and how much to tax the rich to pay for the plan.

A climbing unemployment rate is generating talk in Congress of extended unemployment compensation and possibly new tax breaks for the jobless — even as both parties attempt to dismiss consideration of a second economic stimulus package.

HAI continues to monitor legislative developments in Washington related to an overhaul of our healthcare system in the U.S. Senate Democrats continue to beat back Republican amendments intended to eliminate a public health insurance option from a healthcare reform package.

As reported earlier this week on HAI’s RotorNews, the U.S. and other G8 leaders signed on to the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. The leaders formally embraced limiting the rise in the Earth’s temperature, but declined to set numerical targets for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-California) said today, Thursday, July 9 Democratic lawmakers expect to unveil their healthcare bill tomorrow. Three committees of jurisdiction are on track to mark up their bills next week, although some final decisions are still being worked out on tax revenue-raising options and the structure of physician reimbursement rates under Medicare.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and the White House continue to press key Senate committee chairmen to move a major climate and energy bill this fall in order to send a final product to President Obama this year. Obama wants a bill before December when the United Nations climate change talks in Denmark, Copenhagen begin.

The House Homeland Security Committee will mark up a bill (H.R. 1881) today, Thursday, July 9 that would provide TSA employees with collective bargaining rights and would bring TSA employees under the protections of the federal civil service system, which also sets terms for compensation, leave, and health care benefits.

The U.S. Senate voted today, Wednesday, July 8 to require federal contractors to use an electronic employee eligibility verification system (E-Verify).  The provision is an amendment to the fiscal 2010 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

Left out amid the climate and healthcare debate is the fact that surface transportation programs face a severe backlog and funding shortfall with current authorization expiring September 30. As much as $7 billion is needed just to get through the summer.

The spotted owl was declared a threatened species in 1990 primarily due to heavy logging in old growth forests. Its numbers continue to decline, despite a sharp reduction in logging on federal lands in 1994. A new study has now emerged that challenges a basic justification about the threat of wildfires that the Bush administration used to make room for more logging in old growth forests that are home to the northern spotted owl.

Senate Democratic leaders are bracing for what will likely be a tough fight over climate change legislation – tougher than it was in the House where the bill passed by a six vote margin on June 26. The House climate change legislation, H.R. 2454, caps emissions of greenhouse gases and mandates a boost in electricity from renewable sources.

New limitations kicked in today, July 1 on the Homeland Security Department's (DHS) ability to expand a program that allows citizens of certain countries to come to the United States without obtaining a visa. There are now 35 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program.