Thursday: Senate moves on transportation, House finishes JOBS Act

The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, and after an hour of speeches will begin the final push on the long-stalled transportation bill.

The Senate reached a deal late Wednesday to allow votes on about 30 amendments (see below for details), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he hoped the Senate could completely finish the bill by the end of Thursday. However, votes are expected to be extended into next week; the Senate might get to about one-third of the pending amendments.

The House meets at 10 a.m. to take up the remaining seven amendments to H.R. 3606, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. The House got through the first 10 amendments on Wednesday night.

After amendments, members should be able to approve the entire bill, which broadly seeks to make it easier for small companies to raise startup capital.

A very brief outline of pending Senate amendments to S. 1813 follows:

- Vitter #1535 (OCS) (60-vote threshold);

- Baucus, or designee, regarding rural schools (60-vote threshold);

- Collins #1660 (Boiler MACT) (60-vote threshold);

- Coburn #1738 (OMB/Duplicative Programs) (60-vote threshold);

- Nelson (Fla.)-Shelby-Landrieu #1822 (RESTORE) (60-vote threshold);

- Wyden #1817 (Keystone pipeline) (60-vote threshold);

- Hoeven #1537 (Keystone pipeline) (60-vote threshold);

- Levin #1818 (offshore tax havens);

- McConnell, or designee, side-by-side to Stabenow #1812 (energy tax extenders) (60-vote threshold);

- Stabenow #1812 (energy tax extenders) (60-vote threshold);

- DeMint #1589 (repeal of energy tax subsidies) (60-vote threshold);

- Menendez-Burr #1782 (natural gas) (60-vote threshold);

- DeMint #1756 (state discretionary authority);

- Bingaman #1759 (privatized highways);

- Coats #1517 (apportionment formula);

- Brown (Ohio) #1819 (Buy American);

- Blunt #1540 (off system bridges);

- Merkley #1653 (farm vehicle exemptions);

- Portman #1736 (gas tax flexibility);

- Klobuchar #1617 (Ag transportation);

- Corker #1785, to be modified (discretionary spending cap adjustment)

- Shaheen #1678 (small bus systems);

- Portman #1742 (rest areas);

- Corker #1810 (limitation on expenditures);

- Carper #1670 (tolls);

- Hutchison #1568 (tolls);

- McCain #1669 (Grand Canyon — noise abatement), as modified with the changes at the desk);

- Alexander #1779 (over-flights of national parks);

- Boxer #1816 (SoS emergency exemptions);

- Paul #1556 (emergency exemptions).