Thursday: Welfare policy in the House, spending in the Senate

The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches, then at noon to work on a handful of bills.

One of these is H.J.Res. 118, a resolution disapproving of a Department of Health and Human Services rule that would let states waive a current requirement that welfare recipients look for work as a condition of receiving benefits.

The other is H.R. 3409, the Stop the War on Coal Act, which would ease several federal rules for the coal industry.

Both of these bills are covered by the same rule. The House is expected to approve the rule in the early afternoon, allowing for debate and passage of both bills by Friday. Members will also consider 13 amendments to the coal industry bill.

Also up in the House is H.R. 6429, the STEM Jobs Act. This bill, which will be considered under suspension of the rules, would allocate 55,000 visas for foreign nationals who receive science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) degrees in the United States.

And finally, the House will vote on H.R. 5987, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act, another suspension bill.

The Senate resumes at 9:30 a.m., and at 2 p.m. will vote on a motion to proceed to H.J.Res. 117, a resolution providing government funding for six months. The House approved this bill last week.

---