What’s ahead on the Hill: A look at issues Congress will tackle this year

By Amber Phillips

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Sen. Harry Reid's actions over the next few weeks could set the tone for Congress' next two years.

A new Congress convenes today, the first one in eight years in which Reid isn't leading the Senate. Instead, Republicans are now in control, and also have a historic majority in the House of Representatives.

Things could get bumpy. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is preparing his party for incremental victories. He'll face a divided group of Senate Republicans, a handful of whom are likely running for president in 2016.

Reid will have to decide if he rallies his Democrats to filibuster certain Republican proposals — or lets them slide by to President Barack Obama's veto pen.

With that raucous backdrop, here's a look at some issues Congress could tackle right away that could affect you.

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  Steve Marcus

  Terrorism risk insurance

  Congress left town in December without renewing a program that encourages insurance companies to provide terrorism insurance to major businesses, like Las Vegas casinos.

  In the flurry of last-minute activity, Reid decided not to act on a House-passed plan to extend the program for six years. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., warned not renewing the program could trigger a spike in insurance premiums.

  In a statement, Reid urged McConnell to take up the program first thing in January. Heller and Rep. Dina Titus, a Las Vegas Democrat, also encouraged swift action to renew the program this month. House Republicans have scheduled it for a vote as early as this week, but its future in the Senate is unclear.

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  Steve Marcus

  Changes to Obamacare

  Republicans in both chambers say they'll push forward with changes to the president's 2010 health care reform law, known as Obamacare.

  Senate Republicans, with a 54-46 majority, don't have enough votes to repeal the entire health care law. But McConnell said he would focus on trying to dismantle it piece by piece.

  First up in the House could be a bill that lets small companies avoid the law's health insurance requirements if they hire veterans.

  Another potential bill would limit Obamacare's definition of full-time workers, who must be insured, to those working 40 hours a week instead of the current 30-hour requirement.

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  Steve Marcus

  Immigration

  The second half of January could be devoted to a spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that carries out Obama's immigration actions.

  Republicans plan to use it as a vehicle to try to block Obama's executive action to delay deportations for some 5 million immigrants in the country illegally, including the parents of high-profile Las Vegas immigrant Astrid Silva.

  Expect Reid and Democrats to put up a fight here; immigration reform has been one of Reid's priorities since ascending to leadership, and Reid could use the state's Hispanic vote in what's expected to be a tough re-election bid in 2016.

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  Julie Jacobson / AP

  Transportation

  America's highways are badly in need of repair, and it's up to Congress to hand over the money to fix them. In May, the federal fund that repairs roads and bridges is expected to go bust. Refinancing the Highway Trust Fund is a priority for Las Vegas' Titus and incoming Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy, who both sit on the House's transportation committee and are hoping to spur an interstate between Phoenix and Las Vegas. A grand compromise is not likely to happen in this divided Congress, but a short-term deal is possible.

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  Tony Gutierrez / AP

  And much more

  A vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline could kick off the year, potentially forcing Obama to veto a bill from Congress early on.

  But it's not all bad. There's unique room for compromise between Republicans and Obama on tax reform, international trade deals — a slight hurdle: Reid and other union-backed Democrats oppose them, claiming they kill American jobs — and infrastructure spending.