An updated House legislative calendar for 2020 has only one scheduled voting day in June, 12 in July and none in August. The calendar House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer released Friday retains the previously scheduled month long August
recess and the October break for members to campaign ahead of the November general election.
However, in a “Dear Colleague” letter the Maryland Democrat sent about the updated schedule, he left open the possibility of further changes, depending on whether the House is able to complete work on a number of priority bills in late June and July.
Hoyer specifically mentioned plans for the House to take up the fiscal 2021 appropriations bills, annual defense authorization bill, an infrastructure package, the water resources bill and legislation to strengthen and expand the 2010 health care law, among other unnamed items.
Committees have largely not been able to conduct official business during the pandemic because House rules had not allowed them to meet without a physical presence.
The House recently updated the rules to allow remote hearings and markups, but the rules guidance says the latter can only be done after two virtual hearings and a practice remote markup.
Committees have just started holding remote hearings since the new rules were adopted May 15 and none have yet met the requirements needed to hold remote markups.
The Senate, meanwhile, is scheduled to be in session and voting every week in June. The chamber’s next scheduled district work break starts July 3 and ends July 20. The Senate’s August break is scheduled to start later than the House’s on August 8.
