Brace yourself: Congress might actually get something done

WASHINGTON — As Congress returns from a two-week recess this week, lawmakers are in a bit of an unusual situation: For the first time in six months, with no fiscal crisis immediately bearing down on them, there might be a little room to get something done.

Consider: After November’s elections, lawmakers spent two months trying to keep from going over the “fiscal cliff.” Between New Years and the end of February, they tried, unsuccessfully, to undo or replace sequestration spending cuts. March was budget month — the House and Senate passed competing ceremonial budget resolutions, and avoided a government shutdown.

Now, with the next hard fiscal deadline — raising the federal debt ceiling — delayed until at least August, Congress will begin diving into an actual legislative agenda instead of governing by crisis.

Here’s a look at what might be on the agenda going forward, and what you need to watch for:

Gun violence

The full Senate will formally begin considering a legislative response to the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Thursday when it takes a procedural vote on new gun legislation.

This isn’t “gun control,” per se, and the end result is certainly less sweeping than advocates had hoped to see. But there are simply not enough votes to pass an assault-weapons ban or a limit on size of ammunition clips, so background checks are likely to be the highlight of nearly four months of debate on the matter of guns.

A pair of senators working on a compromise background check package will announce the details of their plan today, though they’re expected to at least close the so-called “gun show loophole” that allows individuals to buy firearms from gun shows without undergoing a background check.

Minnesota’s two senators, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, both supported a broader package of gun-violence prevention bills. The pair voted to send four separate Democratic-backed gun bills to the floor: the assault weapons ban, a grant program for improving school safety, universal background checks and stronger penalties for gun trafficking. Senate leadership has promised at least a vote on all the provisions, but the chamber will probably only be able to pass some variation of the latter three.

What to watch for: A compromise background check provision is meant to entice Republican support for an idea that has broad Democratic backing. The question is whether the bill is written in such a way that the GOP-controlled House will be willing to pass it as well.

Immigration reform

While gun control withered this year, hopes for an immigration package have actually increased.

A bipartisan group of senators could release their plan for large-scale immigration reform as early as this week, though there aren’t any details on what that will look like. Any final plan is expected to create a pathway for citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Any immigration reform bill will be extensively debated in the Senate. According to Politico, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold unlimited debate and amendments before the bill even hits the floor.

What to watch for: Whether the Senate bill includes a Klobuchar-introduced provision to increase the number of visas available for high-skilled workers. Klobuchar introduced the measure in January and has said she hopes it’s included in any final immigration-reform package.

Tax reform

House Republicans will spend the rest of the spring crafting a tax-reform package that they hope will find its way to the floor sometime before the end of the year, Rep. Erik Paulsen said.

In February, the House Ways and Means Committee, on which Paulsen sits, split into 11 working groups focused on various areas of tax reform. The groups will report back to the full committee sometime in April or May with their final recommendations, and Republicans hope to pass something through the House this year.

Paulsen said there are three principles guiding Republicans’ approach to tax reform: Creating (1) a simpler tax code that is (2) more competitive internationally and (3) fairer to small businesses.

“The system is picking winners and losers, and it’s putting our companies at a disadvantage in a global economy,” he said.

What to watch for: Tax reform is a hefty task, given that congressional Republicans and President Obama will need to find a way to reconcile their extensive differences on the subject.

The GOP, for example, already voted on a major tax overhaul in the form of its budget resolution. That proposal created a tax code with just two rates: 15 percent and 25 percent for individuals and 25 percent for corporations. And while Obama’s budget, due out today, lowers corporate tax rates, he’s offering to pay for it by raising taxes on the rich and ending certain business tax deductions, which Republicans have resisted. Complicating matters is the Senate, where Democrats looked to raise nearly $1 trillion in new revenue in their budget resolution.

So on paper, tax reform appears exceedingly unlikely, but given the stated desire for it from both Obama and congressional Republicans, Paulsen said he hopes lawmakers will find a way to make it work.

“One of my chief frustrations with Congress has been always looking at short-term fixes versus long-term solutions,” he said. “I think there is opportunity to embrace long-term solution with tax reform.”

Deficit reduction

Lawmakers will again turn their attention to deficit reduction this summer, with a fight over the federal debt limit looming in August.

The battle lines on deficit reduction are well-trodden: Republicans want spending cuts alone (especially when tied to raising the limit on debt the nation can hold), while Democrats want a blend of spending cuts and increased revenue.

Again, the two parties’ budget proposals can give us some insight into what this debate will like look like: Republicans said their budget would balance in 10 years relying almost primarily on spending cuts, repealing the Affordable Care Act and overhauling Medicare. Obama’s budget includes higher taxes on the wealthy, but also reforms meant to slow the growth of entitlement spending, which has liberals incensed, as evidenced by those in the Minnesota delegation.

In 2011, Congress passed a two-part deficit reduction package associated with increasing the debt limit: $1 trillion in agreed-upon spending cuts and the much maligned sequestration. If that summer is any guide, raising the debt limit will a struggle, and the next great fiscal fight Congress takes on.

Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dhenry