As the 109th Congress reconvenes this week in a post-election, lame-duck session to complete unfinished business on several spending bills to fund government programs in fiscal year 2007, lawmakers are already looking ahead to the start of the 110th Congress in January, when Democrats will take the reins in both the House and Senate for the first time since 1994.

Needing to capture a minimum of 218 House seats to gain control of the chamber, Democrats on Nov. 7 won at least 229 seats, a net gain of 29, with 10 races remaining to be decided as this issue of Nation’s Building News went to press. Republicans currently hold 196 seats.

By a narrow 51-49 margin, Senate Democrats returned to power by picking up six Republican-held seats in Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. The official tally is 49 Democrats and 49 Republicans, with Independents Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.) aligning themselves with the Democratic caucus.

Democrats also posted gains in the 36 gubernatorial elections, picking up six statehouse seats for a 28-22 majority.

The 109th Congress is expected to resume work on Nov. 14 and it is unclear how long the outgoing Republican leadership will continue the lame duck session now that they have to turn over control of both chambers in January. With only two of the 12 fiscal 2007 appropriations bills completed, lawmakers may decide to craft an omnibus measure if they don’t have enough time to complete work on the outstanding individual spending bills.

While highly unlikely, it is also possible that a continuing resolution will be approved to fund the government until early next year when Congress returns — thus enabling the new Democratic leadership to finalize fiscal 2007 funding.  

Additionally, with the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Senate Republicans are likely to remain in Washington long enough to confirm his potential successor, former CIA Director Robert Gates.

The First 100 Hours

When the 110th Congress convenes in January, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the front-runner for the House Speakership, has stated that she intends to rush a packed agenda through during the first 100 hours. House Democrats will seek to implement all the 9/11 commission recommendations on national security, raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25, eliminate corporate subsidies for oil companies, allow the government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, impose new restrictions on lobbyists, cut interest rates on college loans and support embryonic stem-cell research. 

Presumptive Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has stated that he will try to take up issues outlined by Pelosi as quickly as possible. However, he also noted that the Senate must move slower in pursuing these measures because of the 60-vote threshold that any legislation in the Senate must overcome in order to avoid a filibuster.

Separately, Senator Reid has said he wants to convene a bipartisan summit on Iraq, continue Republican efforts to increase transparency in the Appropriations process and open House-Senate conference committee meetings to the public.

In the aftermath of the elections, President Bush and Democratic leaders expressed a desire for bipartisan cooperation. And with the Democrats holding a razor-thin Senate majority and a modest advantage in the House, building bipartisan support will continue to be essential as NAHB works to achieve its legislative goals in the coming year.

BUILD-PAC, NAHB’s political action committee, contributed to 30 Senate races, winning 20 of them for a 67% success rate. In the House of Representatives, BUILD-PAC-supported candidates won 321 of 348 races for a winning percentage of 92%.  BUILD-PAC is also involved in 12 races that are still too close to call. Overall, BUILD-PAC won 341 of 378 decisive races, for a 90% success rate.

In January, Democrats will assume the helm of all congressional committees, including several that deal with key housing matters. A brief synopsis of these panels, their areas of jurisdiction and their projected leaders are as follows:

Appropriations Committees

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are important because they make decisions that involve funding for NAHB’s pro-housing agenda and appropriations for the NAHB Research Center. These powerful members control the federal government’s purse strings.

In the House, Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) will take the helm as chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, with Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) moving to ranking member. Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.) will lead the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee (T-THUD) and, while the chairman’s gavel for the Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Subcommittee technically passes to Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), he is not expected to assume this role. Instead, it is expected that either Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), or Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) will vie for the chair.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va)., fresh from another Senate re-election victory, will assume the chairmanship of the full Senate Appropriations Committee, with Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) moving to ranking member. It is widely expected that Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will assume the gavel on the T-THUD Subcommittee, and that Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) will become its ranking member. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is expected at this point to head the Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Subcommittee, with Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) moving to ranking member.

With Democrat control of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, it is anticipated there will be a renewed commitment on domestic spending, and several NAHB priority programs may receive increased funding, including housing programs such as Community Development Block Grants, Section 8 and HOME. Additionally, programs under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor, such as Job Corps, are likely to see increases. Democrats can also be expected to look at increases in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory and enforcement line-items.

For a detailed report on the changes in Congress, see this article from the Nov. 13 edition of Nation's Building News. Subscribe to NBN here.

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