I'm thinking it's out of respect to Ted Kennedy and his efforts on this, and his terminal illness. They probably wanted to pass something before he passes?

"The House passed the language as a stand-alone bill, while the Senate included it in another measure. So they’ll have to come to a joint agreement about what form the measure will take to be sent off to the White House for the president’s signature." WSJ

With the current economic crisis, it will be interesting to see what all they try to cram onto any bill presented.