This Week in Congress, April 20-24

Posted on April 20, 2015April 21, 2015

Here are the committee hearings we’re monitoring this week.

MONDAY, APRIL 20

Conferences Committee Meetings
FISCAL 2016 BUDGET
3 p.m. April 20, 106 Dirksen Bldg.
Senate-House Budget Conference meeting to consider the Senate- and House-passed fiscal 2016 budget bills.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation
TELEHEALTH EXPANSION
10 a.m., 253 Russell Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22

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

Senate Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: TRANSPORTATION-HUD
10 a.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: 302(B) ALLOCATIONS
10:45 a.m., 2359 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

House Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: ENERGY-WATER
10:45 a.m., 2359 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

House Science, Space & Technology
AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT
10:15 a.m., 2318 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Markup

THURSDAY, APRIL 23

Senate Appropriations
FISCAL 2016 APPROPRIATIONS: LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION
10 a.m., 124 Dirksen Bldg.
Subcommittee Hearing

ESEA Heads for Markup Mid-April

Posted on March 9, 2015

Senators Alexander and Murray announced significant progress in negotiations with their intent to mark up the reauthorization, and potential overhaul, of No Child Left Behind or the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) the week of April 13. The senators’ announcement follows weeks of speculation over whether lawmakers will finish negotiating the bill.

The progress in the Senate is in stark contracts to the House efforts, which have stalled out. Last week, the House was slated to consider their version of the ESEA, but the measure was put on hold and eventually pulled from consideration. There is no clear timeframe on if or when the House will consider the bill.

Senate Releases Sexual Assault Legislation

Posted on February 26, 2015February 27, 2015

Today, Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have reintroduced the Campus Accountability & Safety Act (CASA) for the 114th Congress with a group of ten bipartisan Senators cosponsoring. The House is also expected to drop a companion bill in the near future.

Last Congress, CASA caused many issues for the higher education community with the scope and breadth of the legislation. The current version of CASA appears to correct many of the issues higher education and victims advocates raised with the legislation in the 113th Congress.

Below is additional information on CASA and relevant federal initiatives:

The Office of Federal Relations is reviewing and tracking the legislation, and will continue to update the blog with further information.

New Plan for Homeland Security Appropriations Bill

Posted on February 24, 2015

For the fourth time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was unable evening to call up a $39.7 billion House-passed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill on Monday evening amid united Democratic opposition to provisions blocking recent executive action on immigration riders.

Following the failure, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moved to consider a standalone bill narrowly targeting the President’s 2014 Executive Order and sparing the Administration’s 2012 action aimed only at certain young immigrants. It’s the Republican leader’s first step in trying to disentangle the immigration fight from a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

At present, it looks like the the Senate may have no choice now but to fund the agency on a short-term basis. The move towards disentanglement is designed to sway a small number of Democratic Senators towards moving the bill, while also avoiding a shut down of the security agency. Further, it avoids a shutdown of the agency and the political blame that the Republicans would face (and fear similar to what happened with the last shut down) if DHS is shut down.

If funding does lapse, there would be 30,000 furloughs while approximately 75 to 80 percent of DHS employees would have to work without pay. Historically, Congress has given essential workers back pay for the duration of a funding lapse, but such funding is certainly not guaranteed. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson warned Congress that a stopgap measure would also have consequences, including delayed improvements to border security and delayed state and local aid.

The continuing resolution funding for DHS expires on Friday.

What We’re Reading, February 16

Posted on February 19, 2015

Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team were particularly interested in this week.

Picking Fights – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has moved on from picking on labor unions and has picked a new nemesis: public universities! The fight is being viewed as his way of getting more notice before running for President in 2016. Read it at The Washington Post.

Breaking It Down – In the first of a three part series, the NY Federal Reserve examines the student loan landscape in the US. First topic, the student loan delinquency rate. Read the Liberty Street Economics.

Campus Carry – In an effort to allow guns on campus, weapons advocates are linking an increased presence of weapons as a means to fight sexual assault. Read about it in The New York Times.

Why College? – A recent survey finds that most go to college because they want better jobs. Read about it at The Washington Post.