Posted on 10/16/2013 4:36:19 PM PDT by Libloather
The legislation released by the Senate late Wednesday to reopen the government contains several surprises.
The bill includes extra funds to fix flooded roads in Colorado, a $3 million appropriation for a civil liberties oversight board and a one-time payment to the widow of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who died over the summer.
It also includes a more than $2 billion increase in funding for construction on the lower Ohio River in Illinois and Kentucky. Current law authorizes $775 million in spending for related projects, and the bill increases it to $2.918 billion.
The Senate Conservatives Fund quickly called that language the "Kentucky Kickback," and said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) secured that as the price of his support for the bill.
Senate staffers were still scrambling to piece the bill together for votes in the House and Senate Wednesday night. Lawmakers hope to get it to President Obama’s desk before Thursday’s deadline for raising the debt ceiling.
A draft of the bill began circulating in the early evening, and a final version was released by Senate Democratic staff just before 6 p.m.
The legislation also includes specific language that aims to pay back furloughed federal government workers as soon as is practicable.
Section 115 of the text says government workers who are furloughed because of the shutdown "shall be compensated at their standard rate of compensation, for the period of such lapse in appropriations, as soon as practicable after such lapse in appropriations."
Section 116 says states that funded a federal program will be compensated as well, and that the government will pay back states for these costs.
The legislation broadly re-opens the government through Jan. 15, and extends the ability of the government to borrow money through Feb. 7. It does so by allowing President Obama to waive the debt ceiling, a move that can be overridden by a resolution of disapproval by Congress that Obama could still veto.
The Senate bill uses H.R. 2775 as a vehicle for all of these changes. That bill was originally a House GOP bill that would have delayed all health insurance subsidies until a system is put in place to verify incomes for eligibility purposes.
The Senate language does give that issue a nod, by including new rules for verifying household income to determine eligibility for subsidies to buy health insurance under ObamaCare. It specifically requires the government to "certify to the Congress that the Exchanges verify such eligibility."
The secretary of Health and Human Services would have to submit a report to Congress detailing procedures used by the exchanges, and an inspector general report would be required by July 1.
Elsewhere, the bill allows the Department of Transportation to spend up to $450 million to fund the repair of Colorado roads that were damaged by floods. In September, the House passed a bill allowing the department to spend more than the $100 million cap on Colorado roads.
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board would get $3.1 million under the bill. The board was set up in 2004 to ensure privacy concerns are addressed as laws and regulations are issued related to fighting terrorist threats against the country.
Lawmakers and President Obama have sought to jumpstart the board in the wake of the revelations about National Security Agency surveillance.
Another part of the bill, Section 148, holds that no adjustment shall be made related to a cost of living adjustment for members of Congress in fiscal 2014.
And how much was he worth when he assumed room temperature?
Another surprise:
Politico/Levin claims that Debt Ceiling increases will be automatic unless Congress can override obama’s veto of the Congress’ lack of approval.
I....SAID....THIS....WAS....GOING....TO....HAPPEN.
535 people need to be impeached!!!!!!!!!!!
And how much of the Kentucky Kickback will flow directly and indirectly into old McConnell's coffers???
57 mil (minimum estimate)
you hold the line , never surrender you fight to the last man.
but boner and the rest surrender when the media creates a fake crisis “default” . there was never any chance of default.
bohner is a craven coward so is anyone that could have stopped this but didn't
If it’s in the senate deal, wouldn’t the house have to approve it too? Not that I think Bohner wouldn’t agree!
That needs its own thread
So Congress is voting to give away its power.
They will be voting themselves out of a job — who needs them anymore — there is the Senate and the President. They will now be irrelevant.
The only solution left is Mark Levin’s solution. Maybe not the only solution but it is the only solution left that will not lead to WAR!
Yes the house still has to vote.
Mark Levin is talking about this right now.
I thought Obama wanted a clear bill. What a joke.
They generally do when they pass 2000 pages of "As the Administrator shall determine" in their Bills. It's the New Skool way of legislation.
Never look to the obvious with these people. The sellout happened after the EBT craziness on Saturday. Obama called them to the WH on Friday and told them that they will do as he says. All at once, any House bill vanished and no vote was taken after Friday.
Saturday happened, an EBT taste of what Obama will do. The GOP was probably told that the next time they, and the Tea Party would be blamed for no EBT.
Come Monday morning, GOP meets, deal done to okay Senate sell out. And don’t forget those EBT letters sent to states talking about another EBT threat, that was the clincher. Proof that Obama would actually do it.
The legislation broadly re-opens the government through Jan. 15, and extends the ability of the government to borrow money through Feb. 7. It does so by allowing President Obama to waive the debt ceiling, a move that can be overridden by a resolution of disapproval by Congress that Obama could still veto.IOW, this all starts again in January or February.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.