Boehner has given his farewell and ends his five-year tenure in the bio. The House has elected Rep. Paul D. Ryan, a 45-year-old Republican, to Speaker.
Category: On the Hill
House Approves Budget Deal
The House on Wednesday passed a two-year budget package that includes a suspension of the debt ceiling by a vote of 266-167. As has become custom, the measure passed with minimal Republican support: 187 Democrats voted for the measure but only 79 Republicans did. The measure now moves to the Senate, which could take it up as early as tomorrow. The budget measure (HR 1314) would raise discretionary spending caps by $80 billion for defense and domestic spending in both 2016 and 2017, splitting the amount evenly between the two categories.
The Senate is expected to take up the bill quickly, even though GOP presidential candidate and US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) vowed to filibuster the legislation. Because the underlying legislation that’s being used as a vehicle for the deal has already passed the Senate, the measure could see a vote to cut off debate in the chamber tomorrow. Action could occur over the weekend, though votes might get pushed to Monday, just one day before Treasury Secretary Lew’s November 3rd debt ceiling deadline.
White House Issues SAP in Support of Budget Deal
Today, the White House has issued a Statement of Administrative Policy (SAP) in support of the budget deal that will soon pass the House. In it’s support of the passage of HR 1314, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, the Administration’s specifically cited its support of the inclusion of funds for education, job training and research.
Library of Congress Changes Copyright
This morning, the Copyright Office announced the widely anticipated results of its sixth triennial process for exemptions to intellectual property law – making potentially controversial judgments on whether hackers, researchers and ordinary consumers can tinker with products ranging from iPads to cars.
Under Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Librarian of Congress, with the guidance of the Copyright Office, has power to grant exemptions every three years for restrictions against consumers breaking software protections.
The Librarian’s decisions on all 27 proposed exemptions can be found here.
Ryan Is Running for Speaker
After a multi-week “will he or won’t he?”, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has officially announced that he will run for Speaker. Ryan, popular among GOP and Democrats, will be voted in next week.