Expiring authorization bills dominate Congress  The House comes off a one week recess period to begin working on expiring authorization bills that have been extended in a patch-work fashion since the Congress was controlled by the Pelosi/Reid reign of the last few years. The House will have to extend the authorization for the intelligence agency by the end of May or pass a short term extension. They will also have to pass the Federal Aviation Administration before the end of May or this too will need yet another short term extension. This agency has been working off of almost 20 short term extensions since the 2008 calendar year. This bill hopes to modernize our nation’s aging air traffic control system. The House also needs to pass the Patriot Act by month’s end. The agencies included in this bill have been working off of a 90 day extension. While it seems to this writer that the Congress has been “kicking-the-can” down the road on much of their legislative responsibility, I would hope that partisan differences could be parked long enough for Congress to pass bills that serve to keep us safe. In addition to the expiring authorization bills mentioned above, the House will also consider the Department of Defense authorization bill, HR 1540. This bill has traditionally been one of the only authorization bills that Congress enacts going back 30+ years. They will also consider HR 1216, a bill to repeal a provision contained in the ObamaCare bill that permits the mandatory funding for graduate medical education. The House also hopes to pass HR 1745 a bill that reforms unemployment insurance benefits and helps with reemployment services as a condition of benefit receipt.  This bill aims to promote jobs for the unemployed.  Meanwhile the Senate is also trying to wrap up its work to take a week long recess by close of business Friday in honor of Memorial Day. They will be tackling the Patriot Act which extends those security provisions until June 1, 2015. The Senate will be conducting a procedural vote at 5pm on Monday, May 23. If 60 Senators agree to begin the debate, the Senate will be able to proceed to the consideration by mid week with the offering of amendments. Otherwise look for the Senate to pass another extension of the expiring provisions. The Patriot Act is presently operating under a 90 day extension.  While the Senate knew that the current 90 day extension of the Patriot act was coming close to expiring, they spent last week debating a politically charged campaign oriented bill. This bill dealt with the tax provisions afforded to top corporations and enjoyed by the top five oil companies. This agenda oriented bill needed 60 votes to advance in the Senate. Much of last week, hill press reports were peppered with statements by various Senators saying they would not support the idea of cancelling the tax provisions for the oil companies. Notwithstanding the need to pass expiring authorization bills, the Senate spent last week debating S. 940  a bill entitled close big oil tax loopholes act. This bill failed to garner the needed 60 votes to move it forward. The vote was 52 to 48.  Stay tuned to see if Congress is successful in enacting the various expiring authorization bills needed to keep our citizens and country safe. If not, look for Congress to “kick-the-can” down the road with the passage of short term extensions. After all, Memorial Day picnics are calling our Members of Congress.  Elizabeth B. Letchworth is a retired, elected United States Senate Secretary for the Majority and Minority. Currently she is a senior legislative adviser for Covington & Burling, LLC and is the founder of Gradegov.com