Wednesday: Suspension bills in the House, Russia debate starts Thursday

The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches, then at noon to start work on five suspension bills.

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday approved a rule for H.R. 6156, the bill giving Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status with the United States. But the rule is expected to be debated Thursday at the earliest, and final passage is expected Friday, after a 90 minute debate.

The suspension bills up Wednesday are:

• H.R. 2606, the New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act, as amended by the Senate;

• H.R. 6570, to amend U.S. law to reduce the frequency of reports on stimulus spending and the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP);

• H.R. 2453, the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act, as amended by the Senate;

• H.R. 6116, allowing decisions by the Supreme Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands to be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court; and

• H.R. 5934, applying U.S. laws against contraband tobacco products in the U.S. territories.

The Senate will continue work on S. 3525, the Sportsmen's Act, when it starts work at 2:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, senators voted to proceed to this bill, which would expand access to federal land by hunters and fishermen. Amendments for this bill are due by 4 p.m. Wednesday, and a vote to end debate on the bill is expected Thursday, unless an agreement is reached to vote earlier.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he hopes to finish work on this bill by this week.