It was reported this morning in The Hill newspaper that Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has been tapped to lead an effort to find a permanent compromise on the estate tax. The current law includes a gradual phase-out of the estate tax - only to have it re-emerge in 2011 at 2001 levels. This structure makes estate planning difficult and both Democrats and Republicans have commented that the issue of uncertainty needs to be addressed. You can read The Hill article here.