Week of July 16th,  2018
Mississippi River Basin News

NEMWI to Hold Congressional Briefing on Asian Carp Control and Management in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River Basins

What:  Congressional Briefing on Asian Carp Control and Management in the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River Basins

When:  Wednesday, July 25, 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: 
2167 Rayburn House Office Building


The Northeast-Midwest Institute's Mississippi River Basin Program and the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association (MICRA) will hold a Congressional briefing to discuss the ongoing efforts to control the spread of Asian carp in the Mississippi River Basin on Wednesday,  July 25 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in 2167 Rayburn .
 
The briefing will provide Congressional staff, regional and environmental organizations, and interested members of the public the opportunity to hear directly from stakeholders from the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers about 
the current efforts to monitor, control, remove, and deter the spread of Asian 
carp, as well as a discussion of the impact that invasive Asian carp have on the recreational fishing and related industries.  Presentations will be followed by 
Q-and-A session with the panel.

The list of speakers includes:
  • Mr. Greg Conover, MICRA, US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Mr. Nick Frohauner, MN Department of Resources
  • Mr. Ron Brooks, KY Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Mr. Aaron Woldt, US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Mr. Bill Taylor, Fishing League Worldwide

For more information, please contact  Eric Heath , Senior Policy Counsel for 
the Mississippi River Basin Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute .


This Week in Washington

House Passes Interior Appropriations Bill, Senate Expected to Vote Soon

The House passed its version of the FY19 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 6147) by a vote of 217-199 on Thursday. Its passage came after two days of markup.
 
Opponents of the bill included 184 Democratic Representatives as well as 
more than a dozen Republicans, according to The Hill . Furthermore,  President Trump criticized H.R. 6147 for its provisions that ignored his proposed budget 
cuts. The administration had, however, also "praised [its] funding for water infrastructure, energy development, and wildfire response," according to 
 
The House Appropriations Committee had earlier approved the FY2019 
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill on June 6th, 
and the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version a week later. 
Both committees' versions of the bill would provide over $35 billion overall for 
the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, and related agencies .
 
H.R. 6147 and H.R. 3280, the Financial Services Appropriations Bill, were 
passed in tandem. However, The Hill  reported that "[t]he full Senate has not 
yet passed its versions of the bills but is expected to take them up next week, potentially alongside spending bills covering Agriculture and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development."
 
 

Representatives Selected for Farm Bill Conference Committee
                       
The House agreed on Wednesday to a motion to instruct conferees on the House Farm Bill (H.R. 2). This Wednesday floor proceeding made way for the selection of conference committee members. 
According to Politico , House Speaker Paul Ryan 
named 29 Republicans as conferees, while Minority Leader Nancy  Pelosi selected 18  Democrats.
 
Based on interviews with House Agriculture Chairman Michael Conway and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, Roll Call reported that "[t]he Senate is 
likely to respond to the motion early next week with a vote to go to conference 
with the House and naming of conferees."
 
Work requirements are one of the most contentious differences conferees 
must negotiate in order to pass a new Farm Bill before the current bill expires 
on September 30th. This is because H.R. 2 would require able-bodied SNAP beneficiaries between the ages of 18 and 59 to have 25-hour work weeks while 
the Senate version would not make changes to the current provision requiring 
20-hour work weeks for those who are able-bodied.
 
"If the conferenced legislation includes changes to SNAP, it will likely face an uphill battle in the Senate due to a lack of Democratic support," according to 
 


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