Senate releases 2012 calendar

Senate Democrats on Tuesday released a 2012 calendar that will have senators working in lengthy stretches throughout the first part of the year, but again will leave the House and Senate with different work schedules next year, as they had this year.

The Senate plans to meet on January 23, and work four weeks until the Presidents' Day recess from February 20-24. Senators will then meet for five straight weeks at the end of February and March before leaving for a two-week recess beginning April 2.

One week recesses are planned for the weeks of April 30, May 28, and July 2, and the Senate will be out from August 6 to September 7.

A target date for adjourning for the year has yet to be announced.

The Senate calendar is starkly different from the House calendar, which will again have House members working in session roughly on a two weeks on, one week off schedule. Only in February and July will the House be working three weeks in a row.

In contrast, the Senate next year will have five stretches of work in session that last three weeks or more, and in February-March plans five straight weeks of session work. June and July will eachsee the Senate in for four consecutive weeks.