Senate to get telecom upgrade, new floor, carpet

The Senate chamber is undergoing some restoration work over the August break to have its telecommunications equipment upgraded, as well as some "floor action" of a sort — an assessment and repair of the Senate floor, plus a new carpet.

The Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms said the work is expected to take all of the five weeks of break to complete, and said the new carpet will be identical in design to the one currently in the chamber.

The chamber will be closed for that maintenance work, which will force the Senate to meet in the Hart Senate Office Building during the pro forma sessions it has scheduled over August. The House and Senate will both hold brief, pro forma sessions on Tuesday morning.

The pro forma sessions are needed because the House voted against adjourning, which reflected the desire on the part of all Democrats and several dozen Republicans to stay in session and finish a farm bill and work on other issues. The Senate voted to adjourn, but unless both chambers agree, they must each hold pro forma sessions every few days.

Also related to restoration, both the House and Senate parking garages appear poised to undergo construction so that battery charging stations for electric cars can be installed. The House and Senate each approved legislation allowing for this change to take place, although it was still waiting to be signed into law by President Obama as of Monday.

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