Political update: Bailout 2.0, children’s health care vote

By Lisa Mascaro

Monday, Jan. 12, 2009 | 9:24 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners from a chilly, but sunny nation's capital, where forecasters are saying the blue skies may hold up for inauguration day next week.

But first, a busy week of do-overs here on the Hill with Congress expected to vote on expanding children’s health care -- a bill President Bush twice vetoed -- as well as on the release of the second phase of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue money.

Call it Bailout 2.0. Lawmakers are still scathing from the first go-around of the unpopular financial rescue plan, and are demanding greater oversight if they are to release the next $350 billion to the administration. A bill outlining mandated improvements could be before the House this week.

The House is also expected to vote on expanding the children’s health care program that could enable tens of thousands of Nevada kids from middle-income households to receive care.

The Senate worked over the weekend in a rare Sunday session to advance a massive public lands bill that includes several items for Nevada – including setting aside land for a Southern Nevada water retention basin as well as a package of land set-asides in the Carson City area.

The 1,300-page bill advanced on a vote of 66-12 without Republican Sen. John Ensign, who was absent. Several Republicans including those in leadership positions stayed home.

While passage was a victory for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid over a Republican senator who has been blocking the bill with a filibuster, the battle continues.

Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma insisted he will continue blocking bills if Reid does not allow the minority party to offer amendments. “If it’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a battle,” Coburn said. “I’m going to win this battle.”

Senators also engaged in a closed-door briefing Sunday on President-elect Barack Obama's economic recovery plan and were pushing for additional renewable energy provisions that could be important to Nevada's efforts at solar, wind and geothermal development. Senators were discussing as much as $25 billion in additional green energy tax breaks and twice as much in projects.

Later this week, Nevadans may want to set their TiVo for coverage of Senate confirmation hearings for two cabinet posts important to Nevada -- Energy Secretary-designee Steven Chu, who will oversee Yucca Mountain, and Interior Secretary-designee Ken Salazar, who will oversee the 90 percent of the state that is made up of federal lands.

Also, don’t miss the governor’s State of the State speech on Thursday.

Lots of good weekend reads, as always, in the Nevada papers:

J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak look at what a 30 percent state budget cut means in the lives of ordinary Nevadans.

The Mob Museum, redux. The Sun’s City Hall reporter, Sam Skolnik, revisits the Mob Museum’s week in the news, Steve Friess delivers the story for the New York Times and columnist Jon Ralston was up early watching Obama bat away the chance the museum will get money in the stimulus on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

That’s it for now. Check back often for updates from the Sun’s political team.