DREAM Act Portal Forum - Wooohooo! Dream Next week!

http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002608374.html

CQ TODAY – THE WEEK AHEAD
Oct. 18, 2007 – 8:49 p.m.
The Week Ahead: Appropriations on Deck in Senate, as House Takes Up Sovereignty and Discrimination
By Chris Dally and Greg Vadala, CQ Staff
Workplace discrimination, granting sovereignty to Native Hawaiians and land issues will feature prominently in the House agenda next week, while the Senate continues to work on appropriations legislation.

The House is expected next week to take up a bill (HR 3685) that would prohibit employers, employment agencies and labor unions from using a person’s sexual orientation as the basis for employment decisions.

The narrower of two measures sponsored by Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the bill does not contain provisions for transgender people. Leaders have determined that a broader measure (HR 2015) does not have enough support to ensure passage.

House leaders have also slated for floor action a bill (HR 505) that would allow Native Hawaiians to reorganize into a single government entity with negotiating power at the state and federal levels, similar to that of mainland indigenous tribes. Under the bill, they would be allowed to regain control of more than 200,000 acres of land.

The House also will consider a measure (HR 3867) aimed at standardizing and modernizing Small Business Administration contracting programs.

The bill would allow small businesses to contest an individual program award. In addition, it would provide for on-site reviews to confirm eligibility for certain SBA programs.

The chamber also will debate a pair of land measures, including one (HR 1483) that would authorize grants or other assistance to several national heritage areas. The second measure (HR 1011) would designate lands within Virginia’s Jefferson National Forest as wilderness or wilderness study areas.

Meanwhile, House leaders have said there is a chance that legislation (HR 3773) governing the electronic surveillance of foreign terrorism suspects will appear on the floor next week.

The measure was pulled from the floor this week after a procedural move by Republicans threatened to send the legislation back to committee, which would have effectively killed it.

Senate to Complete Work on Spending Bill
The fiscal 2008 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (HR 3043) is expected to consume the Senate floor agenda early next week despite repeated calls from Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to complete action on it before Monday.

Reid wants to wrap up the legislation promptly because Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the bill’s floor manager, is also chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, which will be marking up the farm bill Wednesday.

Reid announced that Senate leaders expected a final vote on the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill Tuesday. The Senate version of the measure would provide $606 billion, including $149.9 billion in discretionary spending, for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies such as the Social Security Administration.

In a strongly worded statement of administration policy, the White House said President Bush would veto the bill because “it includes an irresponsible and excessive level of spending and includes other objectionable provisions.”

Beyond the spending bill, it is unclear what legislation will round out next week’s floor schedule. The chamber could take up an immigration bill related to children (S 774), said Regan Lachapelle, a Reid spokeswoman.

Sponsored by Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., the bill would allow children of illegal immigrants who entered the United States before age 16 and lived here at least five years to gain conditional legal status. Under the bill, they could attain eventual citizenship if they attend college or enlist in the military for at least two years.

Someone needs to tell Regan its S.2205 now

Since its coming as a stand alone bill, does anyone know if still needs 60 votes? or 51 will do?