Tag Archives: Social Issues

House Passes Highway Funding Bill, Senate Prepares to Vote on Legislation

Legislative Activity House Passes Highway Funding Bill, Senate Prepares to Vote on Legislation Last week, the House voted 367-55 to pass H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014. The bill would patch and reauthorize the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) through May 2015 by using transfers from the General Fund and the Leaking Underground Storage … Continue Reading

FY 2015 Budget Includes Cybersecurity Funding

Legislative Branch Activity Upcoming Hearings: Tuesday, March 11: The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing to consider the nomination of Navy Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers to be Admiral and Director of the National Security Agency, Chief of the Central Security Services, and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. In addition, the Committee will … Continue Reading

House Passes Flood Insurance Legislation & White House Releases FY2015 Budget Proposal

Legislative Activity Senate to Hold Hearing on Federal Reserve Nominees This Thursday, March 13, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on various nominations to the Federal Reserve Board, including the nomination of Stanley Fischer, former Bank of Israel Governor, to be Vice Chairman. The committee will also consider the nominations of former U.S. Treasury … Continue Reading

Lew Before Taxwriting Committees on Presidents’ Budget Proposal

Legislative Activity Lew Before Taxwriting Committees on Presidents’ Budget Proposal Following last week’s release of the President’s FY 2015 Budget Proposal, Treasury Secretary Lew appeared before the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees to discuss the Administration’s proposal. In addition to addressing the Administration’s budget, Members discussed comprehensive tax reform, specifically focusing on … Continue Reading

House To Consider Amending Flood Insurance Bill & CFBP Legislative Proposals

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

“No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” Scheduled For Floor Consideration

Legislative Activity This Week’s PPACA Vote House leadership has scheduled a vote next week to ban federal subsidies from being used for abortion coverage. H.R. 7, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), is scheduled for floor consideration on Wednesday January 29, and would prohibit any federal funds from … Continue Reading

House Addresses Issues With Affordable Care Act

Legislative Activity House Leadership is expected to bring up an Affordable Care Act (ACA) bill next week that would address security issues with the health insurance exchanges and enhance protection of personal information entered on the healthcare.gov website. The measure will be the first of a number of proposals in 2014 addressing health reform focusing … Continue Reading

House and Senate Farm Bill Conferees Convened To Formally Kick-Off Negotiations

Legislative Activity Farm Bill Conference: Priority Issues At-A-Glance On October 30, the 41 House and Senate farm bill conferees convened at a public meeting to formally kick-off negotiations, although informal talks began a few months ago between agriculture leadership’s staff. Despite many conferees cautioning against pre-maturely drawing lines on issues, it was clear what issues … Continue Reading

Official Start To The Farm Bill Conference Involves House and Senate Conferees

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY Farm Bill Conference This Wednesday, October 30, marks the official start to the farm bill conference, which will be a public meeting involving the 41 House and Senate conferees. For months, agriculture leadership and their staff have met behind the scenes on an informal basis to start conversations on reconciling the two farm … Continue Reading

Rep. Shuster Introduces FEMA Reauthorization Act; Senators Unite to Delay Flood Insurance Rate Increases; DHS Issues Post-Shutdown E-Verify Guidance

Legislative Activity Federal Emergency Management Agency Reauthorization On Tuesday, October 22, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) introduced the first ever Federal Emergency Management Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3300). The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by full committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall (D-WV), Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Lou Barletta (R-PA), and subcommittee Ranking Member … Continue Reading

Legislative Consideration of Protecting Students from Sexual and Violent Predators Act and Promoting Adoption and Legal Guardianship for Children in Foster Care Act

The Senate will be in recess this week. The House will not be in session today, but tomorrow, Tuesday, October 22, the House will meet at 12:00 pm for morning hour and 2:00 pm for legislative business, with votes being postponed until 6:30 pm. Legislation to be considered under suspension of the rules includes: H.R. … Continue Reading

John Boehner And Nancy Pelosi Name Farm Bill Conferees

LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY Farm Bill Conferees On Saturday, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) named farm bill conferees. The Republicans appointed 17 members, including 12 Agriculture Committee members, two Foreign Affairs Committee members, two Ways and Means Committee members, and one member to represent the Republican leadership. Republican conferees … Continue Reading

Health Reform Impedes Continuing Resolution and an End to Government Shutdown

Legislative Activity Health reform provisions continue to impede resolution of the continuing resolution (CR) and an end to the government shutdown. With support from the Administration, Senate Democrats insist they will only consider a clean CR without Affordable Care Act (ACA) defunding or delay provisions. The Senate has also refused to take up a bill … Continue Reading

Affordable Care Act Takes Center Stage

Legislative Activity Centerstage: Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains in the spotlight this week with Tuesday, October 1 marking a major deadline as open enrollment in the health insurance exchanges officially begins. ACA defund and delay provisions, however, remain a key issue in the ping-pong over the continuing resolution (CR). The Senate … Continue Reading

Senate Committee Holds Hearings on DHS Nominees; Obama Rejects Calls to Halt Deportations of Undocumented Immigrants; FEMA Required to Raise Flood Insurance Rates

Legislative Activity U.S. Department of Homeland Security Nomination Hearings Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Thomas Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-OK) continue to criticize the outstanding number of open leadership slots at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Last week, the committee held a hearing to consider nominees to … Continue Reading

Hearings Examining Ways to Improve Education Research

Legislative Activity Reauthorization Legislation On Tuesday, September 10, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held its first hearing this Congress to examine opportunities to improve education research and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and committed to move forward with the reauthorization of the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA), which created IES in 2002. … Continue Reading

CMS FY 2012 DSH Allotments; State Allotments for Medicare Part B QIs

Legislative Activity This Week’s Hearings: Tuesday, July 30: The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing on “Containing Health Care Costs: Recent Progress and Remaining Challenges.” Wednesday, July 31: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will mark up H.R. 2810, the sustainable growth rate and Medicare payment for physicians reform bill. Wednesday, July 31: … Continue Reading

Action of FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Continues; House Not Likely to Vote Before Recess on Immigration Bills; ATF and DHS Nominees Being Considered

Legislative Activity Budget and Appropriations Action on the FY 2014 Homeland Security appropriations bill continues, with the respective funding levels varying by $200 million, closer than other appropriations bills to date. The full House has already passed its appropriations bill, while timing for Senate floor action has not yet been announced. Immigration and Border Security … Continue Reading

Senate Majority Leader Reid: Tax Reform Must Raise at Least $975 Billion

Legislative Activity Senators Submit Tax Reform Letters to Finance Committee; Promised 50 Year Secrecy on Tax Expenditure Submissions Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) asked their Senate colleagues on June 27 to provide proposals in response to a “blank-slate” approach (i.e., assuming elimination of all tax expenditures from … Continue Reading

Possible Nominees for Head of DHS; Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

Legislative Activity Secretary of Homeland Security After Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s announcement last week that she will be stepping down from her position, it remains unclear who will be chosen to replace her as the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Several names have been mentioned in connection with a possible … Continue Reading
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