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Wednesday: Russia in the Senate, 'lunatic' bill in the House
The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. for four hours of morning remarks, and in the afternoon will consider legislation granting Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status.
Senators are expected to quickly debate the bill and pass it later Wednesday afternoon. The bill, H.R. 6156, is needed in order for the U.S. to take advantage of the trade concessions Russia made when it joined the World Trade Organization over the summer.
Trade has divided Republicans and Democrats for several years, but Democrats broadly supported the bill in the House last month because it includes language that could lead to sanctions against Russian officials for human-rights violations. House Democrats praised the bill's mix of trade and human-rights elements as a possible template for future trade agreements.
The suspension bills are:
• H.Res. __, accepting the Senate amendments to H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard Authorization Act,
• S.Con.Res. 50, a concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress regarding actions to preserve and advance the multi-stakeholder governance model under which the Internet has thrived,
• H.R. 6620, ensuring Secret Service protection for the life of former U.S. presidents and their spouses,
• H.R. 6602, making technical corrections to U.S. law dealing with national observances,
• H.R. 6605, eliminating an unnecessary reporting requirement for an unfunded DNA Identification grant program,
• H.R. 6223, amending U.S. law to clarify that a period of employment abroad by certain U.S. officials in Iraq or Afghanistan will be counted as a period of residence in the United States for purposes of qualifying for naturalization,
• S. 3486, the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act, implementing the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, and the Patent Law Treaty, and
• S. 2367, 21st Century Language Act, striking the word "lunatic" wherever it appears in the U.S. code.
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