House passes intel authorization act in last vote series of the year

The House passed a bill Monday evening authorizing intelligence agency operations for the current fiscal year, sending the bill to President Obama for his signature into law.

Members approved S. 3454 in a 373-29 vote. The bill is similar to a bill the House passed back in May, but contains some changes made by the Senate.

The bill authorizes activities at the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, CIA and Defense Department, among other agencies.

Other bills approved Monday night were:

H.R. 6612, naming a flight research center after Neil Armstrong. Passed 404-0.

H.R. 6364, the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act, establishing a commission to plan World War I commemoration activities. Passed 401-5.

With those votes, the House finished voting for the year, but not for the 112th Congress. The House adjourned immediately after the votes, and is expected to return Tuesday at noon to vote on legislation dealing with Hurricane Sandy cleanup, and a bill extending federal dairy programs for one month.

Those bills can only become law if the Senate acts on them before the new Congress takes control on January 3, and it's unclear if that can happen. House Republicans favor a Sandy bill that's less than half the size of the $60 billion Senate-passed Sandy bill.

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