Shortly after the 2014 midterm elections, in which Republicans trounced Democrats at every level of government across the country, new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised voters that the era of a do-nothing Senate was over and vowed to finally put some bipartisan legislation onto the president’s desk after years of stonewalling by Harry Reid.

The schedule for the first few weeks of the new Congress shows McConnell plans to make good on that promise, as he should, proving to voters their decisions to head to the polls in November weren’t for nothing. So what’s on the docket as members of the new Congress takes their seats on Capitol Hill next week?

Keystone XL pipeline: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing about the Keystone XL pipeline. In November, McConnell said this project would be the first on the to-do list and he meant it.

There are two big advantages here. The first is that a project broadly supported among Americans will finally move forward. Thousands of people, if President Obama cooperates, will have the opportunity of new employment and the economy will see a much-needed, $3.7 billion per year boost.

The second is that, politically, putting Keystone first shows McConnell is following through with promises to prioritize issues Democrats and Republicans share common ground on and leaves the decision to approve the project to Obama.

The IRS scandal: Before Lois Lerner apologized in May 2013 for the inappropriate targeting of conservative and tea party groups by IRS officials, Sen. McConnell was sounding the alarm about intimidating tactics being used by the tax agency to bully conservatives into silence for opposing President Obama’s big-government agenda.

While the House has held multiple hearings about the scandal, revealing the Department of Justice was also involved in the targeting, former Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Democrats in control of Senate committees didn’t touch the issue.

That’s all about to change. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is now in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee and will have the subpoena power he needs to follow up on IRS investigation leads in the House, paving the way for some kind of accountability for IRS officials in the next two years.

ObamaCare: Despite President Obama’s promise to “protect gains” made in health care with his veto power, Democrats and Republicans agree that many parts of his signature legislation must be changed or repealed.

Back in 2013, the Democrat-controlled Senate voted 79-20 on a non-binding resolution to repeal the medical device tax in ObamaCare, which significantly increases costs on companies, hospitals, doctors and people requiring the use of such devices.

With the new Congress, a permanent repeal of this tax is possible and would not only pull back its suffocating economic consequences, but could pave the way for more work to be done to eliminate ObamaCare.

So far, the 114th Congress is making a clear attempt to keep promises made on the campaign trail and 2015 looks like a year when things might actually get done to move the country forward with less government regulation, more job creation and real accountability for wrongdoing.

Katie Pavlich is news editor of Townhall.com. Her exclusive Trib columns appear the first and third Fridays of each month.

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