As the second session of the 114th Congress comes to a close, the House and Senate are busy preparing for the first session of the 115th Congress, which will convene on January 3, 2017. The House will be in session for 145 days, which, according to Politico, is a 13-day increase over the 132-day average during nonelection years for the past three GOP-led Congresses. The Senate is scheduled to be in session for 37 weeks—a total of 182 days, which is 11 more weeks than its 2016 schedule.
While the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s appointments—including a Supreme Court Justice—may slow down legislative priorities in the first month or two, the remainder of 2017 is expected to be more productive than the 2016 session. The incoming administration and the GOP majorities in the House and Senate are looking to score some early wins, such as repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and implementing comprehensive tax reform. Underscoring the amount of business Congress hopes to accomplish in 2017, both chambers have scheduled Friday sessions, and the House calendar includes several five-day workweeks in the first half of the year. Congress will be working for approximately 60 days of President-elect Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Click here for a tentative calendar for the first session of the 115th Congress.
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