On the Blog: Where the Action Is

If you’re a budget wonk, you want to pay attention this week. If you’re not a budget wonk you should be, because it’s your money.

Whatever you are, you should make yourself a bit more of a budget wonk by reading the post entitled: “The Action is in the Budget Committee.”

(forward to a friend)

Featured Items

This week, President Obama will give his state of the union speech on Tuesday, but the week is almost as interesting for what will not happen as what will.

Late last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) decided not to move forward with an important vote on S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act.

“PIPA” and its House counterpart, “SOPA,” the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), spurred a rebellion because of the effect they might have had on the Internet. Now the bills have abruptly stopped moving. Read more in a recent blog post entitled: “The Internet (Community) Fights Back.”

The House will debate H.R. 1173, the The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011. The bill would formally repeal a part of Public Law 111-148, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (sometimes called “Obamacare”).

The Obama administration has already determined not to implement the provision this bill would repeal, so passage of H.R. 1173 would save about eight cents per U.S. family.

S. 968
The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011
Costs $0.42 per family

H.R. 1173
The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011
Saves $0.08 per family

What People Think

The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 15% For, 85% Against Vote on this Bill

The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011 85% For, 15% Against Vote on this Bill

Displayed below are new, updated, and passed items with their cost or savings per family.

New Items

H.R. 3071
The Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2011
Costs $1.35 per family

H.R. 3124
The Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2011
Costs $0.86 per family

H.R. 3404
To establish in the Department of the Interior an Under Secretary for Energy, Lands, and Minerals and a Bureau of Ocean Energy, an Ocean Energy Safety Service, and an Office of Natural Resources Revenue, and for other purposes
Costs $0.05 per family

H.R. 1162
To provide the Quileute Indian Tribe Tsunami and Flood Protection, and for other purposes
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 1545
The Waco Mammoth National Monument Establishment Act of 2011
Costs $0.10 per family

H.R. 2938
The Gila Bend Indian Reservation Lands Replacement Clarification Act
Costs $0.00 per family

S. 1821
The Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2011
Costs $0.28 per family

S. 546
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians Restoration Act of 2011
Costs $0.70 per family

S. 1065
The Blackfoot River Land Settlement Act of 2011
Costs $0.01 per family

H.R. 2572
The Clean Up Government Act of 2011
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 2987
The American Export Promotion and Job Creation Act
Costs $0.01 per family

Updated Items

H.R. 1173
The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011
Saves $0.08 per family

Passed Items

none