Once the Senate wraps up its health care negotiations, a jobs bills is next in line. Last night, Walter Alarkon at The Hill reported that Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Illinois' own Sen. Dick Durbin are busy "sifting through 121 ideas offered by Democratic senators" about how best to spur short-term economic growth. Specifics are sparse; a Durbin aide said guessing what exact provisions will be included is "pure speculation," although it's expected to be smaller in size than $154 billion economic aid package (H.R. 2847) passed by the House in mid-December. But another aide did tell the Washington Post that the four main areas of concentration will be small business, infrastructure, green energy, and the public sector.

Would an extension of unemployment benefits -- an issue we covered closely last year --make the cut? Recall that the House version extended unemployment aid and a subsidy to purchase COBRA health insurance by an additional six months. And Durbin was a staunch advocate in the Senate fight to extend unemployment insurance through 2009, which has to increase the chances that jobless benefits will be factored into the new package. We will have to wait and see what the Senate drops when they return to session after the King holiday weekend.

Some leaders in the House, meanwhile, still don't think the lower chamber has done enough to support the unemployed. "We have extended unemployment benefits twice to unemployed Americans who are looking very hard, and trying to find a job," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee, during an appearance on CNBC yesterday. "I believe we should continue extending them, otherwise it's just welfare or food stamps."