WASHINGTON - Last week, the House and Senate completed negotiations on the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173), which includes the critical swipe fee reforms long sought by the convenience and petroleum retailing industry. This week, that bill will be brought to the entire House and Senate for final consideration and votes.

The schedule is not yet finalized, but the following represents the potential outlook for the week:

• Tuesday or Wednesday: The House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 4173. There may be a variety of procedural motions offered as opponents seek to delay or defeat a final vote, but because Speaker Nancy Pelosi??s (D-CA) party controls a significant majority of votes, it??s expected that a final vote will occur either Tuesday or Wednesday. NACS will update the home page slider, Facebook and Twitter immediately. You can find full coverage in NACS Daily the following morning.
• Thursday or Friday: The Senate will seek to invoke cloture (that is a procedural motion that requires 60 votes to "break a filibuster" and end debate on a bill) possibly on Thursday, depending upon funeral arrangements for the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV). On May 20, the Senate passed its version of this legislation 59 to 39. However, there have been substantial changes to the bill since that vote, and a senator??s vote on May 20 does not necessarily indicate how that senator will vote on the final bill.
• If 60 senators support the cloture motion, debate can proceed for no more than an additional 30 hours and the bill will move to a vote on final passage, which requires only a simple majority.
• If the cloture motion does not receive the support of 60 senators, debate will continue and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will have to file for another cloture vote. A cloture vote cannot occur until at least one full day after the motion is filed. During this time period, supporters of the bill will seek to convince senators to change their vote to secure the 60 votes needed to proceed.
• NACS will update the home page slider, Facebook and Twitter when we know the outcome of the cloture vote. Be on the lookout for a possible NACS Daily blast for additional details.
• After the House and Senate vote for final passage, the legislation will be delivered to President Obama for his signature and enactment into law. This legislation is a priority for the president, so it??s likely he will sign the bill soon after Congress votes on final passage.

You can influence the outcome of this bill.
It is critical that all retailers contact their senators and representatives and urge them to vote "yes" on H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. You can contact them by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can also send them an e-mail through the NACS Grassroots program at nacsonline.com/grassroots.

Contact your legislators now.