Dems promise return to a five-day workweek -- sort ofWASHINGTON (AP) -- The five-day workweek, an idea alien to congressional culture in recent years, is about to make a comeback.
"We are going to work longer hours, we are going to work full weeks, we are going to have votes on Mondays and Fridays," new Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, advised his colleagues at the opening of the new session on January 4.
Old habits, of course, are not that easy to kick. The Senate was off the next day, a Friday. (
- DG)
Nonetheless, the burst of activity is reminiscent of when House Republicans took over in 1995 after the GOP had spent 40 years in the minority. It is a radical break from the recent practice of convening a new session in early January and then immediately taking off until the president's State of the Union address at the end of the month.
Under GOP leadership, the House fell into a pattern where no votes were scheduled until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and the last votes were on Thursday afternoon. That way, lawmakers could leave the Capitol on Thursday evening and not return until the following Tuesday.
Republicans argued that their new breed of citizen legislators should spend more time with their families and constituents back home. The abbreviated schedule also made life easier for lawmakers living in California and Hawaii and gave lawmakers more time for fundraising.
In 2006, besides being off in January, lawmakers were off a week or more for President's Day in February, St. Patrick's Day in March, Easter in April, Memorial Day in May and Independence Day in July. Then they took off six weeks in August and a month off before the November elections.
According to the office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, the House was in session 102 days last year, fewer than the 110 days of the "do-nothing" Congress when Harry S. Truman was president in 1948.
Congress under Democratic-control still will not be punching the clock for a 9-to-5 schedule.
Hoyer said his plan for most weeks was to hold first votes at 6:30 p.m. on Mondays and work until about 2 p.m. on Fridays. Long holiday recesses may be shortened, he added, although "there is great value to House members being in their districts and talking to their people." -CNN
------------
Off for a football game. Nice.
