House Democrats Beat 100-Hour Clock

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., second from left, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., right, and other Representatives, applaud during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007 to talk about the work of the 110th Congress during their first 100 hours. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh - AP)

All of the bills face change in the Senate, where rules and a much slimmer Democratic majority assure a bigger role for Republicans. And the House and Senate would have to agree on the language of any bill before it is sent to Bush.

The bills passed by the House as part of the 100-hour agenda would:

_Slap a "conservation fee" on oil and gas taken from deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico; scrap nearly $6 billion worth of oil industry tax breaks enacted by Congress in recent years; and seek to recoup royalties lost to the government because of an Interior Department error in leases issued in the late 1990s. Passed Thursday.

_Lower interest rates on federally subsidized student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent in stages over five years at a cost to taxpayers of $6 billion. About 5.5 million students get the loans each year. Passed Wednesday.

_Make the government bargain directly with drug companies with the aim of reducing prices of prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries. Passed Jan. 12.

_Expand government-financed embryonic stem cell research. Passed Jan. 11.

_Raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over 26 months. Passed Jan. 10.

_Bolster terrorism-fighting efforts with more cargo inspections. Passed Jan. 9.

Democrats also won approval of internal House rule changes dealing with ethics, lobbying and budgeting. They were passed on Jan. 4-5, the first two days of the new Congress.