The House returns to session this week, while the Senate continues to stand in recess until the presidential inauguration on Monday, January 21. This week, the House is expected to take up the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act (HR 152) on Tuesday, January 15. The chamber will vote on a substitute amendment offered by Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), which is virtually identical to the base bill and would provide $17 billion in immediate aid to fund relief and recovery efforts in states affected by the storm. The House will also vote on a separate amendment, offered by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), which would include an additional $33 billion in funding primarily for longer-term projects. Today, the House is also expected to consider another storm-related measure, the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013, intended to streamline and reduce the federal costs of disaster recovery efforts, in part by establishing alternative procedures for state and local governments to receive and use federal disaster response funds more quickly.

Links: HR 152; Frelinghuysen Amendment; Sandy Recovery Improvement Act