Weekly Legislative Update
 Week of September 6, 2016
  
Congressional Outlook

Week of September 6th

The House and Senate are both back in session this week after a seven-week summer recess. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will consider 18 bills under suspension of the rules, including the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016 (H.R. 5578), which would give sexual assault survivors a federal right to a free forensic examination and the preservation of evidence collection kits, as well as the authorization for new Department of  Justice (DOJ) grants to notify survivors of their rights.
 
On Tuesday, the Senate will hold cloture votes to move forward on considering the spending bill that includes $1.1 billion funding to combat Zika (H.R. 2577), in addition to the $575 billion FY 2017 Defense Appropriations bill ( S. 3000 ). If these two bills fail to get the 60 votes necessary to advance, then it appears that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will try to negotiate a unanimous consent agreement to bring up the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 (S. 2848) on Tuesday night. The request would be to bring up the WRDA bill and then allow Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK) to offer a bipartisan substitute for the bill that includes changes negotiated in the months since the committee markup took place on April 28. Whether or not all 100 Senators can agree to bring the WRDA bill to the floor on Tuesday night is an open question. If this is not possible, then Majority Leader McConnell would have to file cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2848. Such a vote would be held Thursday morning and would require only 60 votes.
 
Lawmakers will also continue discussions on a stopgap spending bill to prevent federal agencies from running out of money on Friday, September 30, the last day of the 2016 fiscal year. Congress has just four weeks to agree on and pass the measure to avert a government shutdown. House Republican leaders are scheduled to begin discussing the length of a continuing resolution (CR) with rank-and-file members at a closed-door party caucus on Wednesday. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has voiced a preference for a three-month CR, while hard-line House Republicans favor a six-month temporary spending bill. Senate Minority Leader  Harry Reid (D-NV)  told reporters last week that Democrats won't agree to CR that extends past December 31, 2016.
Week in Review

House Majority Leader Unveils September Agenda for House
 
On August 31, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) unveiled a memo to the House Republican conference outlining the agenda that the House will pursue in September. The memo states that "[o]nce we return, Conference discussions will continue on overall government funding, including a Continuing Resolution and a path forward for the $1.1 billion supplemental funding package to address the Zika crisis that the House passed on June 23, 2016." Additional items to be considered include: numerous pieces of Speaker Ryan's "A Better Way" initiative, including the Regulatory Integrity Act ( H.R. 5226), a bill to allow Congress to disapprove en bloc "Midnight Regulations" issued in an Administration's lame duck term, and the Require Evaluation before Implementing Executive Wishlists (REVIEW) Act ( H.R. 3438); several bills related to "accelerating private sector innovation and bringing greater innovation into government"; numerous measures related to anti-terrorism and Iran; and other matters including, but not limited to, the "2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), reauthorization of career and technical education programs, and protecting seniors from a harmful Obamacare tax." Read more...
Senate's 2016 WRDA Substitute Manager's Amendment Released
 
On September 2, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee released a 421-page substitute manager's amendment to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 (S. 2848).The Senate may consider WRDA this week. A summary of the changes made in the substitute manager's amendment to the reported bill may be found here, and a section-by-section summary of the substitute may be found here. Read more...
Congressional Schedule

Tuesday, September 6 
  • Full House Rules Committee hearing to consider the Accelerating Access to Capital Act of 2015 (H.R. 2357); the Investment Advisers Modernization Act of 2016 (H.R. 5424); the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2016 (H.R. 5063). 
Wednesday, September 7 
  • Full Senate Special Aging Committee hearing entitled "Securing America's Retirement Future: Examining the Bipartisan Policy Center's Recommendations to Boost Savings."
  • Full House Budget Committee hearing entitled "Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation: Scoring Assumptions and Real-World Implications."
  • House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power hearing entitled "Federal Power Act: Historical Perspectives."
  • House Financial Services Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade hearing entitled "Federal Reserve Districts: Governance, Monetary Policy, and Economic Performance."
  • Full Senate Indian Affairs Committee legislative hearing to receive testimony on: the Lumbee Recognition Act (S. 2285); the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2016 (S. 3234); the Native American Business Incubators Program Act (S. 3261); and the Tule River Indian Reservation Land Trust, Health, and Economic Development Act (H.R. 4685); and a business meeting to consider the Protection of the Right of Tribes to stop the Export of Cultural and Traditional (PROTECT) Patrimony Resolution (S.Con.Res.49); the Native American Education Opportunity Act (S. 2711); and a bill to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to clarify the use of amounts in the WMAT Settlement Fund (S. 2959).
  • House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice hearing entitled "Oversight of the Judgment Fund: Iran, Big Settlements, and the Lack of Transparency."
  • Full House Natural Resources Committee markup of the Tribal Recognition Act of 2015 (H.R. 3764); the Robert Emmet Park Act of 2016 (H.R. 4564); a bill to "allow certain property in the town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used for purposes related to compliance with water quality standards, and for other purposes" (H.R. 5032); and the Certainty for States and Tribes Act (H.R. 5259).
  • House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Space hearing entitled "Commercial Remote Sensing: Facilitating Innovation and Leadership."
  • Full House Small Business Committee hearing entitled "Ensuring Opportunities: Oversight of the HUBZone Program."
  • House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittees on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation & Water Resources and Environment joint hearing entitled "Federal Maritime Navigation Programs: Interagency Cooperation and Technological Change."
  • Full House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing entitled "From Tumult to Transformation: The Commission on Care and the Future of the VA Healthcare System."
  • Full Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing entitled "VHA Best Practices: Exploring the Diffusion of Excellence Initiative."
  • House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health hearing entitled "Incentivizing Quality Outcomes in Medicare Part A."
  • House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources hearing entitled "Unemployment Insurance: An Overview of the Challenges and Strengths of Today's System." 
Thursday, September 8 
  • House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel hearing entitled "Views on H.R. 4298: Vietnam Helicopter Crew Memorial Act and H.R. 5458: Veteran's Tricare Choice Act."
  • Joint Economic Committee hearing entitled "Federal Debt: Direction, Drivers and Dangers."
  • House-Senate Conference Committee meeting on the "Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016" (S. 2012).
  • House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing entitled "Examining Legislation to Improve Public Health."
  • House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing entitled "Rural Call Quality and Reliability."
  • House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence hearing entitled "State and Local Perspectives on Federal Information Sharing."
  • Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management hearing entitled "Reviewing Independent Agency Rulemaking."
  • Full Senate Judiciary Committee markup of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act of 2016 (S. 2763); the Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act (S. 3155); and the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act (S. 3270).
  • Full House Natural Resources Committee markup of the Tribal Recognition Act of 2015 (H.R. 3764); the Robert Emmet Park Act of 2016 (H.R. 4564); a bill to "allow certain property in the town of Louisa, Virginia, to be used for purposes related to compliance with water quality standards, and for other purposes" (H.R. 5032); and the Certainty for States and Tribes Act (H.R. 5259).
  • Full House Small Business Committee hearing entitled "Struggling to Grow: Assessing the Challenges for Small Businesses in Rural America." 
Friday, September 9 
  • House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing entitled "An Examination of Federal Mental Health Parity Laws and Regulations."
  • House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises hearing entitled "Corporate Governance: Fostering a System that Promotes Capital Formation and Maximizes Shareholder Value."
  • House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets hearing entitled "Oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Response to the Baton Rouge Flood Disaster."