INTRODUCTION
The First Session of the 111th Congress began January 6, 2009. Bills are not carried over from the previous year. Information related to federal legislation -- text of bills, hearing testimony, committee reports, floor debates in the Congressional Record, roll call of floor votes, and the like -- is available on the Library of Congress website: thomas.loc.gov. This report is divided into two sections: “Highlights,” a summary overview of important developments; and “Review of Legislation,” a more detailed presentation on legislative, executive, and judicial actions. The 12 Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations bills must be signed into law by October 1, the start of the new fiscal year, or a temporary Continuing Resolution (CR) must be passed. With the October 1 deadline approaching and no bills yet signed into law, Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2918), to which it appended a Continuing Resolution section that extended government authority to spend money until October 31. On October 29, Congress extended that date to December 18.
| |
