–Senate Majority Leader: Senate To Take Up Aid Package Thursday 11am ET
–Sen. Reid: Senate To Vote On Plan In Late Morning; Kagan Later In Day
–House Speaker Is Calling Back House To DC For Tuesday Vote On Bill

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said
Thursday the Senate will vote in the late morning to pass a $26 billion
aid package to help budget battered state governments with their
Medicaid expenses and to retain about 100,000 school teachers.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Reid said the Senate will take up
the package at 11 a.m. ET, hold a brief debate and then vote on several
procedural motions before passing the bill.

The Senate voted Wednesday, 61 to 38, to end the debate on the
bill.

The bill the Senate will pass Thursday provides $10 billion to
states to prevent teacher layoffs and $16 billion for the Medicaid
health insurance program for the poor.

It is paid for by tapping funds from an innovation program, cuts
from the food stamp program, and scaling-back a foreign tax credit used
by multinational corporations.

The House, which has already begun its August recess, will return
to Washington next week and take up the bill Tuesday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office announced Wednesday that the
House will reconvene next week to take up the $26 billion aid package to
“save teachers’ jobs and help seniors & children.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a statement that the
House had already approved both of these two provisions in other bills
and will consider the bill Tuesday.

On another matter, it remains unclear if Senate Democrats will be
able to set up a vote this week on a small business package that
includes a $30 billion small business lending fund and $12 billion in
tax breaks. The measure has been stalled for several weeks.

Reid said Thursday that he is working with Republican leaders to
set the time later in the day for the Senate vote to confirm Elena Kagan
to the Supreme Court.

The Senate is scheduled to begin its August recess Friday.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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