Tuesday: FAA, payroll taxes, State of the Union

The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches, then at noon for work on several bills, including legislation to keep the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funded past the end of this month.

Republicans and Democrats have reached a multi-year agreement on how to provide long-term funding for the FAA, which includes new labor language requiring that 50 percent of airline employees would need to favor a union before a union election is called. But before they can pass that agreement, Congress will extend airport and airway taxes that help fund the FAA through mid-February.

H.R. 3800 would extend those taxes through Feb. 17, giving Congress a few extra weeks to pass the long-term agreement.

The House might also consider a motion to go to conference on the long-term FAA deal.

Also up today is a Democratic motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 3630, the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act. Congress has until the end of February to reach an agreement on how to extend the payroll tax holiday for the rest of the year.

Finally, the House will take up a series of suspension bills, including H.Res. 516, a GOP resolution expressing the importance of passing a 2013 budget resolution. Republicans have continued to tweak Senate Democrats on the need for a budget resolution, and have noted that today marks the 1,000th day since the Senate last passed a budget resolution.

Other suspension bills up today are:

H.R. 2070, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act.

H.R. 290, the War Memorial Protection Act.

H.R. 1022, the Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act.

The Senate meets at 10 a.m., but appears to have no plans for the day, other than meeting Tuesday night in the House chamber for President Obama's State of the Union speech.

The House chamber will be emptied by 5 p.m. to allow for a security sweep. Obama's remarks will begin at 9 p.m.