NET NEUTRALITY

In December 2010, an FCC Panel decided to implement Net Neutrality. The new House of Representatives is attempting to override this. Representative Greg Walden (R) OR has introduced House Joint Resolution 37, a congressional resolution of disapproval to reverse the FCC Net Neutrality Rules. This will come up for a vote in the committee on March 2 at 9:30. This is strongly supported by House Speaker John Boehner. Because of this support it should easily pass once it is brought up for a vote before the entire House.

THE BUDGET

The Congress has yet to pass a budget for 2010 to 2011. The previous year’s budget had expired in the fall of 2010 and the government has been operating on the Congress passing Continuing Resolutions. The latest Continuing Resolution expires on March 4th. The House has passed a budget for this fiscal year with $61 Billion in spending cuts. Among the cuts is defunding the President’s Czars. Representative Steve Scalise (R) LA offered this as an amendment to the Continuing Resolution. The amendment passed by a vote of 249 to 179.

The Senate has indicated that they will not pass the Continuing Resolution because of the cuts. A deal is in the works to avoid a government shutdown. The House and Senate will pass another Continuing Resolution to keep the government going until March 18th. This Continuing Resolution will contain $4 Billion in spending cuts. This will allow more time to work out a final deal between the House and Senate. The House approved the Continuing Resolution March 1, and it now goes to the Senate for its approval.

President Obama introduced his 2011 to 2012 budget to the House and Senate. The proposed Budget is for $3.819 Trillion with a $1.67 Trillion Deficit. The House has indicated that is DOA.

Speaker Boehner has said that Representative Paul Ryan (R) WI, Chairman of the Budget Committee will be considering some major budget cutsin the proposed budget, which he hopes to have out of his committee some time in late April. He will also take on entitlement reform, but not in this budget.

S 3480 THE PROTECTING CYBERSPACE AS A NATIONAL ASSET ACT OF 2010

This bill, which would give the President the authority to shut down the Internet in a national emergency is still in committee and is on the legislative calendar. There is a great deal of opposition to this bill from people of different political persuasions, so it may have difficulty passing.

OBAMACARE

In January the House passed a bill to repeal Obamacare. The Senate has not taken it up, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will not allow it to come to the floor. There is a petition that asks the Congress to repeal Obamacare, so pressure is being applied on the Senate to repeal it, but it still faces an up hill battle.

Governor Sean Parnell of Alaska has indicated that he will not enforce Obamacare in his state due to Judge Roger Vinson’s decision that it is unconstitutional. The Obama Administration has asked the Judge if his decision includes an injunction to stop the implementation of the bill immediately. This seems somewhat strange as the Judge’s decision stated that he wasn’t filing an injunction because he believed that the government would abide by his decision. This could fast track Obamacare to the Supreme Court, which is what many opponents of the bill want to do.

NATIONAL DEBT LIMIT

The National Debt Limit will be reached sometime in late April. Many Republicans have indicated that they will not support an increase in the debt limit unless it is accompanied by big spending cuts and entitlement reforms. Some have even mentioned tying an increase in the debt limit to a Constitutional Amendment to balance the budget.