The Senate returns to Washington on Monday, June 4, from its Memorial Day recess, joining the House of Representatives, which next reconvenes in legislative session a day later.  This means that when the two bodies convene on Tuesday, June 5, they will be in session at the same time for the first time in more than two weeks. 

The number of days during which the two bodies will be in session simultaneously will be brief, however; the House is scheduled to begin yet another week-long recess upon the close of business on Friday, June 8, while the Senate plans to continue in session throughout the remainder of the month of June, not leaving town again until both bodies break on June 30 for a week-long July 4 recess. 


Impact of On-Again Off-Again, Nonsynchronous House and Senate Schedules
The frequent on-again off-again nature of this year's House schedule, combined with the unwillingness of the House and Senate to schedule simultaneous recesses during the 112th Congress, have made it more difficult to coordinate legislative action between the two bodies and made for a particularly challenging time for advocates seeking to influence the course of legislation, including advocates working on immigration- and refugee-related legislation.  One of the casualties of the asynchronous House and Senate schedules has been the Violence Against Women Act.  The House and Senate have passed differing versions of the bill, including vastly different immigration provisions.  But at the time of this writing, the two bodies are in the midst of a period during which they will only be in simultaneous session for three-to-four days out of a four week-long period.  That (combined, of course, with the political differences between the two versions of the bills has made it exceedingly difficult for the two chambers' negotiators to agree on how to resolve the differences between the two bills.

The on-again off-again House schedule also has made it more difficult for the House to do its business.  The Fiscal Year 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations Act is a case in point.  Despite the fact that the House Committee on Appropriations completed action on that measure on May 16, 2012.  The full House of Representatives will not take it up until June 7, at the earliest.  However, it is far more likely that the House will not take up the measure until the week of June 18, or later.

The on-again off-again nature of this year's House schedule has not prevented House committees from producing legislation.  Indeed, the three authorizing committees that have primary jurisdiction over immigration- and refugee-related legislation have produced a significant number of bills.  However, the nature of this year's House floor schedule has left little time for the full House to take up the legislation that the committees have produced.  And so, with so little floor time available, there is a large backlog of immigration-related legislation that have been approved by various House committees but that have not made it to the House floor. 

Despite a large backlog of immigration- and refugee-related legislation that is ready for floor consideration in both the house and the Senate, the schedule of confirmed immigration or refugee legislative action during the week-to-come is sparse.


This Week's Confirmed Legislative Activity
At the time of this writing, only one hearing that could tangentially touch on immigration matters is scheduled for the week-to-come in either the House or the Senate.  No markups of legislation containing significant immigration- or refugee-related provisions were on the week-to-come's schedule in the House or Senate at the time of this writing.  However, while there was no certainty, at the time of this writing, two measures containing significant immigration-related provisions and that could become the subject of intense and contentious immigration debates could be taken up on the House floor or the Senate floor during the week-to-come. 

The first of the measures that could see floor action during the week of June 4 is the Fiscal Year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which the full House of Representatives could take up as soon as Wednesday.  Should the House take up the measure, the Chamber will almost certainly become embroiled in a contentious debate as Members offer amendments on such difficult subjects as prosecutorial discretion, state and local enforcement of federal immigration law, and detention policy.

The second measure that could see floor action during the week of June 4 is the Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which the full Senate could take up at anytime.  That measure, too, is likely to become the target for controversial immigration-related amendments should the full Senate take it up.

The lone hearing scheduled for the week-to-come at which the subject of immigration is likely to be discussed is a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the operations of the Department of Justice, featuring Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.