The Senate will convene today, Monday, February 24, at 2:00 pm. After any leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00 pm, with senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. At 5:00 pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #564, the … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Let’s Move! As part of a series of events to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move!, this week First Lady Michelle Obama will make two separate announcements at the White House in addition to traveling to cities along the east coast to participate in scheduled events. On Tuesday, February 25, the First … Continue Reading
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY House Tax Overhaul House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) has told GOP panel members he will release a “comprehensive discussion draft” this week of a tax code rewrite. While getting a major change in tax law this year is widely considered to be a long shot, this marks a turning … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity Upcoming Hearings: Tuesday, February 25: The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Reauthorizing TRIA (Terrorism Risk Insurance Act): The State of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Market, Part II.” Thursday, February 27: The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing to examine the U.S. Strategic Command and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congressional Response to Executive Actions on Higher Ed Policy House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent a letter to President Obama on February 12 requesting to work in partnership with the Administration on reauthorizing the Higher Education … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings Wednesday, February 26: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Natural Resource Adaptation: Protecting Ecosystems and Economies.” Wednesday, February 26: The House Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing titled, “American Energy Jobs: Opportunities for Veterans.” Thursday, February 27: The House Energy and Commerce … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA To Propose New GHG Emissions Rule for Oil and Gas Facilities The EPA is proposing revisions to the greenhouse gas reporting rule for oil and gas facilities that will revise calculation methods, monitoring and data reporting requirements, terms and definitions including confidentiality determinations. Affected parties are likely to include: pipeline transportation of … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House To Consider Amending Flood Insurance Bill This Wednesday, February 26, and for the duration of the week, the House will consider amending the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act under suspension of the rules. The legislation would scale back flood insurance rate increases. According to Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), “the House will … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Monday, February 24: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Tuesday, February 25: The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies has scheduled an oversight hearing on “Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasure Enterprise.” The Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Authorization Bill The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies will hold a hearing to discuss the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Authorization and Accountability Act of 2014 (H.R. 4007) on Thursday, February 26. This bill, introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Patrick Meehan (R-PA), would provide a … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Camp Expected to Release Tax Reform Discussion Draft This week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) is expected to release his long-awaited plan for comprehensive tax reform. It is anticipated that the proposal will be released in discussion draft form, rather than as introductions legislation. Patton Boggs will provide an … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Proposed Merger Of Comcast And Time Warner Cable To Face Scrutiny On Thursday, February 13, Comcast announced its intent to acquire Time Warner Cable (TWC) in a $45 billion transaction that would combine the two largest cable companies in the country. The proposed acquisition, however, is expected to receive close scrutiny from the … Continue Reading
The Senate will convene today, Monday, February 10, at 2:00 pm. After any leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 1963, the Military Retirement Pay Restoration bill. At 5:30 pm, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1963. The House … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Farm Bill Signed into Law On Friday, President Obama signed the farm bill into law, which authorizes specific commodity, trade, energy, research, horticulture and organic, and nutrition programs until 2018. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Amy … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity Data Breach Issues Last week, three Congressional Committees – the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee – held hearings that explored the recent data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus that compromised the financial data for millions of customers. Officials from … Continue Reading
Defense Legislative Branch Activity Congress This week, the Senate is expected to focus on legislative measures that address sexual assault in the military and blocking a cut to veterans’ pensions. Congressional Turnover After more than two decades in the House of Representatives, House Armed Services Committee Member Robert Andrews (D-New Jersey) announced on Tuesday that he will resign … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Education Leadership Last week, Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) announced he will resign from Congress on February 18. Rep. Andrews is second in seniority to House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA), who is retiring at the end of the year. Shortly after the announcement, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) made … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity EPA Seeks Public Input on Climate Change The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a request for comment on its draft report concerning the impacts of climate change to human health. The agency is seeking input from the public on “proposed plans for scoping, drafting, reviewing, producing, and disseminating the Interagency Special Report on the Impacts … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, February 11: The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Monetary Policy and the State of the Economy.” The Honorable Janet Yellen will testify at the hearing for the first time as Federal Reserve Board Chair. Thursday, February 13: The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity SGR Policy Framework Deal Last week, the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the three committees of jurisdiction over Medicare (Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees) announced they were filing legislation to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula (H.R. 4015). The agreement would give physicians … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Iran On February 6, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control introduced the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List (FSE List) to identify foreign persons sanctioned under Executive Order 13608 – Prohibiting Certain Transactions with and Suspending Entry into the United States of Foreign Sanctions Evaders with Respect to Iran and Syria. Eighteen … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Baucus Confirmed as Ambassador to China Last week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to China. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) will assume the committee chairmanship, with speculation that the empty committee seat will be filled by Mark Warner (D-VA), although … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Net Neutrality Legislation Introduced Last Monday, February 3, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced the Open Internet Preservation Act of 2014 (S. 1981 and H.R. 3982). The legislation would restore the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “net neutrality” rules, which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia … Continue Reading
The Senate will convene today, Monday, February 3, at 2:00 pm. After any leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 (also known as the farm bill). Time will be equally divided and controlled until 5:30 pm, when … Continue Reading
