Today In Congress 7/26/2012

Senate in session
House in session

What’s Happening Today:

Senate

• Convenes for session at 9:30am
• Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs hearing to receive the annual report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council from Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner . 10 a.m

House

• Convenes for session at 9am
• Committee on Rules, Full Committee, hearing on H.R. 6169, the Pathway to Job Creation through a Simpler, Fairer Tax Code Act of 2012'', 9:30 a.m.

What Happened Yesterday:

Senate

• Special Committee on Aging: Committee concluded a hearing to examine enhancing women's retirement security, focusing on how women's access to and participation in employer-sponsored retirement plans and retirement incomes compare to men's, and how later-in-life events affect women's retirement income security (Mitchell attended)
• Senate passed S.3412, the Democratic plan to extend the Bush tax cuts. MSGI is preparing a comprehensive document outlining all possible plans and options currently on the table.

House

• Committee on Armed Services: Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a joint hearing on Back from the Battlefield: DOD and VA Collaboration to Assist Service Members Returning to Civilian Life. Testimony was heard from Leon E. Panetta, Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense; and Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Committee on Financial Services: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``The Annual Report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council''. Testimony was heard from Timothy Geithner
• Committee on Small Business: Full Committee held a hearing entitled ``Tales of Resilience: Small Business Survival in the Recession''. (Cielo attended, WIPP witness testified)

Bills to Watch:

• S.3281: A bill to terminate the Federal authorization of the National Veterans Business Development Corporation.
  Sponsor: Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) 
  Cosponsors: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
   
• S.3277: A bill to encourage exporting by small business concerns
  Sponsor: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
  Cosponsors: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
   
• H.R.5975: A bill to amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for the establishment of the Small Business Liaison Pilot Program
  Sponsor: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)
   
• H.R. 6102: America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2012
  Sponsor: Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
  Co Sponsor: Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)