When you can do just a little? That seems to be the sense of Congress this week, which is poised to pass a stop-gap continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government for six months, then head home at the end of the week to campaign. Left undone, beyond a normal spending plan for the fiscal year that starts October 1, are measures ranging from tax extenders to a new Farm Bill. And, stakes are fast rising for the post-election “lame duck” session, where lawmakers hope to address much undone business once election outcomes are settled.

For the nursery and landscape industry, the CR and unfinished Congressional business present a mixed picture. On the negative side, funding for programs like the National Clean Plant Network and Specialty Crop Research Initiative, as well as various business-related tax incentives, could be in limbo. On a positive note, the Congressional prohibition on a new wage rule covering H-2B program users remains in place. A broader, hostile Labor Department rewrite of the H-2B program is not directly affected, and remains the subject of a court battle in federal district court in northern Florida.

Filed under: Election • legislation