House and Senate leaders are still working to secure a final agreement on the tax reconciliation bill (H.R. 4297). While leaders do plan to remove some business tax extender provisions from H.R. 4297 and move them as a separate package, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) have been unable to agree on the timing and contents of the “extenders” package. We are hearing that the charitable provisions are probably not going to be in the tax reconciliation bill, Chairman Grassley is pushing to have the charitable provisions included in the extenders package. Grassley also wants leaders to agree on a timeframe and process for the consideration of the extenders package. Chairman Thomas, on the other hand, is pushing for an agreement on H.R. 4297 and at this point is less concerned about the specifics of the extenders package.