Congress to hold pro forma sessions until November

Rather than being in recess for more than five weeks, both the Senate and the House decided to hold pro forma sessions until after the November elections.

Both chambers will gavel in Tuesday morning for a brief session; typically, legislative business doesn't take place in pro forma sessions. At most members ask to be recognized for a speech, but rarely do.

It is unclear if the legislative branch was afraid of recess appointments by the White House, yet both sides took a formal recess in August.

The Senate will hold a pro forma session every Tuesday and Friday until Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. when they’ll continue work on S. 3525, the Sportsmen Act, which would increase access to federal land for hunters and fishers while also supporting conservation measures.

Lawmakers have expressed concern about how much work is left to complete during the lame-duck session before the end of the year, when the Bush-era tax rates expire and the sequestration cuts take effect unless Congress acts to prevent such measures.

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