The Senate will convene today, Monday December 16, at 3:00 pm, and after any leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 pm, with time equally divided and controlled. The filing deadline is 4:00 pm today for first degree amendments to the motions to concur with respect to H. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Farm Bill Conference Progress The House approved by voice vote a farm bill extension through January 31, 2014. In response to the House’s actions, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stated that the Senate will not take up a similar measure before leaving by the end of the week. Sen. Reid’s comments, however, … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act On Wednesday, December 12, House Homeland Security Committee leaders introduced the National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Act (H.R. 3696). The committee has been working with numerous stakeholders over the past six months to draft the legislation. The bill seeks to strengthen the cybersecurity of the … Continue Reading
EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCH ACTIVITY BUDGET, AND DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION The Senate met briefly Sunday to file cloture on the two-year bipartisan budget deal (H. J. Res. 59) and the compromise FY 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3304). The House passed both measures on Thursday, December 12, before recessing for the year. Senators are expected … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Budget Deal In a budget deal reached last week, conferees raised approximately $5 billion in savings from two provisions affecting federal student loan programs: The agreement would require guaranty agencies to lower the amount that they charge borrowers, from 18.5 percent to 16 percent, for rehabilitating defaulted loans in the Federal Family Education … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House-Passed Budget Agreement Includes Energy Policy Provisions Last Thursday, December 12, members of the U.S. House voted 332-94 to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, a budget resolution offered as an amendment to H.J. Res. 59 that sets short-term funding caps for the FY 2014 and FY 2015 years and longer-term projections … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Nominations for U.S. Department of the Interior and EPA On Tuesday, December 17, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will meet to consider the nomination of Neil Kornze to become the Director of the Bureau of Land Management at the Department of the Interior. The Committee will also consider at that time … Continue Reading
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY Senate Vote on Fed Chair Expected This Week The Senate is expected to hold a vote on the confirmation of Ms. Janet Yellen to be Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors this week. In addition to pushing for a vote on Ms. Yellen’s confirmation, Senate Democrats have already confirmed two judges … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Trade The third round of Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) discussions get underway this week in Washington. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht are expected to meet in either January or February to start a “political review” of the progress made in the … Continue Reading
Tax Legislative Activity Congressman Says Tax Extenders Could be Handled this Spring Representative Richard Neal (D-MA), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, stated that if comprehensive reform stalls, the committee could take up tax extenders “sometime around February or March.” Tax extenders are provisions that are due to expire at the end … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Commerce Committee Members Introduce Video Policy Bills Last Thursday, December 12, two members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced video reform legislation that would eliminate or reform a number of provisions in current law governing video policy. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) introduced the Next Generation Television Marketplace Act (H.R. 3720), … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, December 10, the Senate completed a series of procedural votes on the nomination of Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), voting 57-41 to confirm Rep. Watt as Director of the FHFA. The vote broke mostly along party lines. As Director, Rep. Watt has the authority to establish … Continue Reading
The Senate will convene today, Monday December 9, at 2:00 pm, and after any leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 4:00 pm, with Senators allowed to speak for up to10 minutes each. After morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1197, the National Defense Authorization Act … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Farm Bill Conference Progress This week, we expect the House to adjourn until 2014 without passing a conferenced farm bill, despite House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) expressing his willingness to have the chamber consider a conference report. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) has indicated that the conference committee will most … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity NIST Cybersecurity Framework Stakeholders have until Friday, December 13 to submit comments on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) draft Cybersecurity Framework that was released in October. As required by the President’s Executive Order (EO) on cybersecurity released in February 2013, NIST will incorporate these comments in the final version … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Defense Authorization The Senate returns to Washington this afternoon and is scheduled to resume its floor debate on the Fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ( S.1197). Top Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have been working on a scaled-back NDAA bill to ensure its passage … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Fiscal Year 2014 Funding Budget conferees appear close to a deal that could set spending allocations for each appropriations bill over the next two years. This deal may set the stage for an omnibus appropriations bill instead of a year-long Continuing Resolution (CR), which would unlikely include the Labor-HHS-Education bill. House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Energy and Commerce Committee Holds FERC Oversight Hearing Last Thursday, December 5, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing titled “Evaluating the Role of FERC in a Changing Energy Landscape” featuring testimony of all sitting members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The hearing was also Cheryl A. LaFleur’s … Continue Reading
Executive Activity President’s Task Force To Meet on Climate Change The President’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience will meet for the first time on Tuesday, December 10. The Task Force is composed of 26 state, local and tribal officials and is charged with identifying ways to prepare communities for the impact of climate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate to Move Forward with Confirmations The Senate is expected to vote on the confirmations of nominees Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Janet Yellen to be Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, within the next two weeks, before the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity SGR Update The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a one-page memo that lowered the cost for repealing Medicare’s physician payment formula, reporting that a ten-year repeal would cost about $23 billion less than a previous estimate this year. According to the CBO, the cost of repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula would … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Trade Over the weekend, the White House welcomed the news that the World Trade Organization (WTO) adopted a multilateral trade facilitation deal reached in Bali, Indonesia. The United States and India compromised on food subsidies, and a Latin American bloc led by Cuba dropped its opposition to an agreement. At … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Chairman Camp Announces Tax Reform Delay House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) stated last week that comprehensive tax reform legislation will not be circulated this year. The Chairman had aimed to release a comprehensive reform draft this year for markup in committee, but other occurrences like the government shutdown had slowed … Continue Reading
