Weekly Legislative Update
 Week of July 5, 2017
  
Congressional Outlook


The House and Senate are in recess this week. Both chambers will return to Washington the week of July 10.  
Week in Review

House Passes Sanctuary Cities Bill and Bill Setting Sentencing Guidelines for Undocumented Immigrants 

On June 29, the House passed two immigration policy bills. The main bill, the "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act" ( H.R. 3003), passed by a vote of 228-195. H.R. 3003 would withhold certain federal funds from states and municipalities that have so-called "sanctuary" policies. Specifically, these jurisdictions would not be eligible to receive funds for a minimum period of one year under specific sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the "Cops on the Beat" program or the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, or any other grant administered by the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security that is substantially related to law enforcement, terrorism, national security, immigration or naturalization. Ineligible jurisdictions may only become eligible again after the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies that the jurisdiction has come into compliance.  
 
The second bill, H.R. 3004 , passed by a vote of 257-167. H.R. 3004 would set stricter sentencing guidelines for various law violations by undocumented immigrants. The bill is titled "Kate's Law" after a woman who was killed by an undocumented immigrant who was previously convicted and deported. Republicans got an unexpected boost when two dozen House Democrats voted in support of the bill. However, both bills face an uphill battle in the Senate. Read more...
CBO Releases Senate Health Care Bill Score, Bill Stalls
 
Last week,  plans to vote on the Senate's health care bill before Congress recessed for the July 4th holiday were ultimately scrapped after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published two reports outlining the effects of the bill. The first of the two CBO reports (the initial score) estimated that the measure would leave 22 million more Americans without health insurance and would reduce the federal deficit by $321 billion over a decade; $202 billion more than the House-passed American Health Care Act. The report also estimated that the Medicaid program would receive $772 billion less in federal money. 
 
The second CBO analysis, which came three days after the initial CBO score was released and aimed to analyze the longer-term effects of the bill, projected that the Senate bill, if enacted, would cut Medicaid spending by 35 percent in its second decade of implementation. The original estimate looked forward only a decade. The new analysis, barely three pages long, does not indicate how much more than $772 billion would be lost from the Medicaid program in the second decade nor does it say how many fewer people would be on Medicaid. Still, CBO projects that "a large gap" would grow between Medicaid spending under existing law and Medicaid spending under the Senate plan, which would continue to widen after 2026. According to the CBO and others, one ripple effect of the reduced federal spending would be increased pressure on states to make hard decisions about cutting benefits, eligibility or payments to doctors and hospitals while trying to make their programs more efficient. This pressure on states could also affect local governments as states try to find additional funding. Read more...
 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told Senators on June 27 that he and others want additional changes to the bill and a new CBO score to reflect those changes. Read more...
Two Flood-Related Bills Introduced
 
On  June 27, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the "Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act" ( S. 1445 ), which would require communities with over 50 repetitive loss properties, defined as properties that have flooded at least twice in a 10-year time period with claims of $1000 or more, to review and analyze data on properties and infrastructure that flood repeatedly to determine the specific areas that should be priorities for voluntary buyouts, drainage improvements, or other mitigation. Communities would also need to develop and implement plans for lowering flood risk in these areas. The same bill was introduced in the House earlier this year and has been included in National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reauthorization bills considered by the House Financial Services Committee. 
 
On June 30, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the "State Flood Mitigation Revolving Fund Act" (S. 1507), which would establish a state-revolving loan program to fund mitigation projects for homeowners, businesses, and communities to strengthen anti-flood measures and preparations. By helping states to fund activities such as home elevations, flood proofing, acquisitions, and environmental restorations, the sponsors hope the State Flood Mitigation Revolving Fund Act of 2017 would also provide an avenue to help middle-income and low-income property owners reduce their flood insurance premiums.
Murkowski and Cantwell Introduce Revised Energy Bill
 
On  June 29, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the respective Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, unveiled a revised version of their energy bill which passed the Senate last year with strong bipartisan support. S. 1460, the  "Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017" (ENRA), largely tracks the bill considered by the Senate last year, with 11 titles addressing efficiency, infrastructure, research, natural gas exports and public lands issues. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fast-tracked the bill late Wednesday by putting it on the floor calendar. McConnell would still need to formally bring up the bill with a separate action in order for the Senate to vote on it, an action he has not announced yet. However, putting it on the calendar allows it to skip through committee consideration. Read more...
President Signs Securing our Agriculture and Food Act into Law
 
On  June 30, President Trump signed the "Securing our Agriculture and Food Act" (H.R. 1238) into law. The law requires the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a program to coordinate DHS efforts related to defending the food, agriculture, and veterinary systems of the United States against terrorism and other threats.
President Announces Nominations
 
Last  week, the White House announced that the following 30 nominations had been sent to the Senate for consideration:
  • Thomas G. Bowman, of Florida, to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • Maria E. Brewer, of Indiana, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Sierra Leone
  • Mark H. Buzby, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration
  • James Byrne, of Virginia, to be General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs
  • John P. Desrocher, of New York, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
  • Kelley Eckels Currie, of Georgia, to be Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador
  • Kelley Eckels Currie, of Georgia, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during her tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  • Kyle Fortson, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the National Mediation Board for a term expiring July 1, 2019
  • Robert Wood Johnson IV, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • Jamie McCourt, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Belgium
  • Michael Rigas, of Massachusetts, to be Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel Management
  • Carl C. Risch, of Pennsylvania, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Consular Affairs)
  • Christopher A. Wray, of Georgia, to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a term of ten years
  • Jerome M. Adams, of Indiana, to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service, subject to qualifications therefor as provided by law and regulations, and to be Surgeon General of the Public Health Service for a term of four years
  • Luis E. Arreaga, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Guatemala
  • Brenda Burman, of Arizona, to be Commissioner of Reclamation, vice Estevan R. Lopez.
  • Christopher Campbell, of California, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
  • Peter B. Davidson, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
  • Joshua A. Deahl, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals for the term of fifteen years
  • Janet Dhillon, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2022
  • Douglas W. Domenech, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior
  • Matthew P. Donovan, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the Air Force
  • Eric S. Dreiband, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Attorney General
  • William J. Emanuel, of California, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board for the term of five years expiring August 27, 2021
  • Gerald W. Fauth, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Mediation Board for a term expiring July 1, 2020
  • Susan M. Gordon, of Virginia, to be Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
  • Jason Kearns, of Colorado, to be Member of the United States International Trade Commission for the term expiring December 16, 2024
  • Ellen M. Lord, of Rhode Island, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
  • Robert L. Sumwalt III, of South Carolina, to be Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board for a term of two years
  • Krishna R. Urs, of Connecticut, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Peru