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Author: Gabriel Kornas

House Sends $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill to President

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Late Friday night, the House cleared H.R. 3684- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and sent the legislation to President Biden to be signed into law. The bill, worth about $1 trillion, cleared the Senate back in August. The bipartisan bill includes provisions for roads, bridges, ports, public transit, electric vehicles, coastal infrastructure, and rural broadband access.

The final details of the Democrats’ Build Back Better Act are still being ironed out, however the House is ready to begin considering the bill with paid leave provisions re-inserted by Speaker Pelosi. A consensus is still needed from all 50 Democratic Senators if the bill has any hope of making it through the Senate’s narrow reconciliation rules.

Announcement: Federal Relations Autumn 2021 Town Hall

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Please join us for the inaugural quarterly Federal Relations Town Hall.

Thursday, October 21st at 12:00pm PT

After a presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions or offer comments/concerns regarding the UW’s federal advocacy priorities.

If you would like to join in-person, please RSVP here. Space is limited.

If you would like to join via Zoom, please register here.

This event is restricted to members of the UW community. A valid Net-ID is required to participate.

 

White House Outlines FY23 R&D Priorities

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White House Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Shalanda D. Young and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Eric Lander issued a memorandum outlining the Administration’s FY23 R&D priorities for agencies submitting budget requests to OMB. The memo focuses heavily on pandemic preparedness, climate change, national security, and emerging technologies.

Senate Passes Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

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The Senate voted 69-30 to pass a $1 trillion, bipartisan, infrastructure bill. The legislation includes numerous provisions for rail, roads, water pipes, ports, combatting pollution, and electric vehicle charging stations among other things. Read more here. The bill now heads to the House, which is in recess until the end of the month.

And coming up- Democrats are expected to use the reconciliation process to pass their “human infrastructure” agenda. Many House progressives say they will not send the bipartisan infrastructure bill to the President’s desk without the human infrastructure component. This is slated to include more education-related provisions, childcare, and a path to citizenship for DREAMERS, as well as a deficit reduction. However, the rules of reconciliation are very narrow, so it’s very possible not everything will make it through.

USCIS Publishes New DACA FAQs

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USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) has published updated FAQs regarding the DACA program following the recent decision in State of Texas, et al., v. United States of America, et al., 1:18-CV-00068, (S.D. Texas July 16, 2021) (“Texas II”).