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Category: Week at a Glance

This Week in Congress, June 1-5

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Congress is back in session today after a week long recess. This week the House is expected to consider Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations beginning Tuesday at noon and floor consideration of Transportation-HUD Appropriations may begin as early as Thursday. The Senate is expected to continue consideration of a bill that would extend provisions of the Patriot Act and overhaul domestic surveillance authorities.

Here are a few committee hearings we’re watching this week.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: DEFENSE
10:15 a.m., 2359 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

House Judiciary
PUBLIC COLLEGES AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT
2 p.m., 2141 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

Senate HELP
COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY
10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Senate Judiciary
PATENT OVERHAUL AND JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS
9:30 a.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

This Week in Congress, May 18-22

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There’s lots to keep an eye on in committee this week! We’re paying particularly close attention to the 21st Century Cures markup in House Energy & Commerce, the CJS markup in House Appropriations, and the Higher Education Act hearing in Senate HELP.

As always, committee work can be live-streamed on each committee’s website and select hearings can be viewed on one of C-SPAN’s channels.

 

TUESDAY, MAY 19

Senate Appropriations
FY2016 ENERGY & WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS
2:30 p.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Markup

House Energy & Commerce
21ST CENTURY CURES ACT
5:00 p.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

House Transportation & Infrastructure
PACIFIC NORTHWEST EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS
10:00 a.m., 2167 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Markup

House Homeland Security
EXAMINING DHS ENGAGEMENT WITH ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY
10:00 a.m., 311 Cannon Bldg,

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
HEA Act Reauthorization: Institutional Risk Sharing
10:00 a.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE
10:30 a.m., 2359 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: DEFENSE
9:30 a.m., H-140 Capitol Bldg.
Subcommittee Markup

House Energy & Commerce
21ST CENTURY CURES ACT
10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

NDAA PATRIOT Act Combo with an Abortion Chaser

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Today, the House will vote on the rule to consider the NDAA. In a development, the Rules committee decided to combine the NDAA with two other pieces of legislation, namely HR 2048, the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 and HR 36, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

HR  2048, the USA FREEDOM Act is a bipartisan measure that extends certain provisions of the Patriot Act that are scheduled to expire at the beginning of June.  Additionally, the measure modifies domestic surveillance authorities by prohibiting the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk collection and storage of telephone metadata and ability to collect other bulk data, requiring the NSA to obtain approval from the FISA court to examine the calling records of individual target telephone numbers on a case-by-case basis (before requesting the information from a phone company) and limiting the associated calling records of a telephone number that may be examined to two “hops” from the suspect’s number. No amendments will be considered on the measure including an amendment  once again offered to change the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and require a warrant to access stored emails, along with a handful of other anti-surveillance amendments from privacy minded lawmakers trying to beef up protections in the legislation.

While, HR 2048 is bipartisan, HR 36, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is not.  The bill bans abortions in cases where the probable age of the fetus is 20 weeks or later and imposes criminal penalties on doctors who violate the ban. It provides exceptions in cases where the life of the woman is in danger, or in cases of rape or incest.

Originally, the measure was slated for House consideration in January but was pulled because of Conservative Republican women legislator’s objections over language requiring rape victims to report the crime to qualify for the exception. GOP leaders this week are putting forward a significantly modified version which drops the rape reporting requirement, and instead requires women to receive counseling or medical treatment for the rape at least 48 hours prior to the abortion procedure and to sign (along with the doctor and a witness) an informed consent form, and requires that a second doctor trained in neonatal resuscitation be present for abortions where the fetus has the “potential” to survive outside the womb, and if born alive requires that the infant be admitted to a hospital. The bill does still include similar reporting requirements for abortions for pregnancies resulting from incest.

A one technical amendment will be considered.

Democrats are expected to rally against the bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised his chamber will vote on the measure as well.

A vote on the rule to consider the NDAA will be a vote to consider HR 2048 and HR 36 as well.

While the White House has made clear its support of the surveillance bill, it has issued a veto threat for the abortion bill.

 

This Week in Congress, February 23-27

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The Department of Homeland Security will take stage front and center this week as Congress has only five days left to pass a continuing resolution to fund the agency through the remainder of the fiscal year.

Elsewhere on the Hill, we’re paying attention to these committee hearings.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24

Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
HIGHER EDUCATION REGULATION
10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Senate Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: DEFENSE
10:30 a.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation
INTERNET GOVERNANCE AND STAKEHOLDERS
10 a.m., 253 Russell Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION
10 a.m., 2358-C Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Armed Services
NAVY SEAPOWER FISCAL 2016 BUDGET
2 p.m., 2212 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Energy & Commerce
NET NEUTRALITY PROPOSAL
10:30 a.m., 2322 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Science, Space & Technology
ENERGY FISCAL 2016 BUDGET
10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Senate Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE
10:30 a.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: DEFENSE
10 a.m., H-140 Capitol Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: ENERGY-WATER
9:30 a.m., 2359 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Energy & Commerce
PATENT DEMAND LETTER PRACTICES
10:15 a.m., 2322 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Science, Space & Technology
NSF, NIST FISCAL 2016 BUDGET
10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

This Week in Congress, January 26

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Tuesday, January 27

Senate HELP
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND AND TEACHERS
10 a.m., 216 Hart Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

House Budget
CBO BUDGET AND ECONOMIC FORECAST / Full Listing
Jan. 27, 10:30 a.m., 210 Cannon Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing

House Science, Space and Technology
CYBERSECURITY ISSUES
2 p.m., 2318 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Veterans Affairs
TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
2 p.m., 334 Cannon Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

 

Wednesday, January 28

Senate Budget
CBO BUDGET AND ECONOMIC FORECAST
10 a.m., 608 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing