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Category: On the Hill

STEM Jobs Act Approved

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By a vote of 245 to 139, the House passed this afternoon the STEM Jobs Act (HR 6429) offered by the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Lamar Smith (R-TX).  The bill, which previously failed in September on suspension of the rules, would create 55,000 STEM visas for graduates of Carnegie Foundation rated (very high or high level) research universities with advanced degrees in STEM fields.  The bill does not include biological sciences in the definition of STEM. Unlike the prior version of the bill, it does not prohibit participation by graduates of universities that utilize commission-based international recruiters.

The bill is not expected to be taken up in the Senate in the lame-duck session so will likely die at the end of the year.

Senate Work Schedule for 2013

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Senate 2013 Calendar – 113th Congress, First Session 

Convene – 113th Congress – Thursday, January 3

Inauguration – Monday, January 21 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

February 18 – 22 State Work Period (Presidents’ Day February 18)

March 25 – April 5 State Work Period (Passover March 26-27; Good Friday March 29; Easter March 31)

April 29 – May 3 State Work Period

May 27 – May 31 State Work Period (Memorial Day May 27)

July 1 – July 5 State Work Period (Independence Day July 4)

August 5 – September 6 State Work Period (Labor Day September 2, Rosh Hashanah September 5-6)

Yom Kippur September 14

October 14 – October 18 State Work Period (Columbus Day October 14)

November 11 – Veterans’ Day

Target adjournment – TBD

Herrera Beutler Joins House Appropriations Committee

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The House Republican Steering Committee yesterday named six new GOP members to serve on the House Appropriations Committee in the 113th Congress, including one of our own: Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-3).  Congratulations Congresswoman Herrera Beutler!

Other new GOP members include:

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-3)

Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1)

Rep. David Joyce (OH-14)

Rep. Thomas Rooney (FL-16)

Rep. David Valadao (CA-21)

Alternative to Dream Act Introduced

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As the Los Angeles Times is reporting, three republican senators introduced an alternative version of the Dream Act on Tuesday that would give legal status for young immigrants brought to the US unlawfully as children.  The effort, called the Achieve Act and launched by retiring senators Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) and supported by Arizona senator John McCain, appears to be a push to take some of the heat off of republicans on immigration.  But senate democrats, in an effort to hold their feet to the fire, won’t let the bill come to a vote during the lame duck session.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

Lame Duck Begins

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Congress returns to Capitol Hill today to kick off the lame-duck session.  They are expected to work this week, break next week for Thanksgiving, and then return the last week in November for three more weeks.  During this session lawmakers will tackle big issues including sequestration, taxes, and disaster aid – among other issues.

Congress won’t likely do much this week – except welcome their new colleagues.  Nearly 80 newly elected House and Senate freshman are arriving on Capitol Hill for the start of freshman orientation.

We look forward to working with the new members of the Washington state congressional delegation: Suzan DelBene (D-1st), Derek Kilmer (D-6th), and Denny Heck (D-10th).