Energy Bill Redux

Legislative Watch--
Ways and Means Chair's tax agenda features energy and pension bills. Ways and Means Committee Chair Bill Thomas (R-CA) told reporters following the weekly luncheon meeting of Ways and Means Committee Republicans that his committee would mark up an energy tax bill the week of Apr. 11. According to Thomas, his mark would be somewhere between last year's failed conference agreement and the $6.7 billion called for in the President's budget. Thomas also told reporters that discussions were on-going on the Ways and Means Committee's jurisdictional part of a pension bill. Thomas said that he was looking at a permanent solution as a substitute to the 30-year Treasury bond. He said portions of the Portman-Cardin pension reform legislation will be the core of the bill.