The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a business meeting at 10:00am EDT on Thursday, March 21st, to consider the nomination of Sally Jewell to be the Secretary of the Interior. The business meeting will be webcast live on the Committee’s website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the meeting is complete. The committee is expected to advance Jewell’s nomination.
News and updates
Dr. Luis Fraga Talks Immigration Reform on Capitol Hill
Dr. Luis Fraga, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Russell F. Stark Professor at the University of Washington, was on Capitol Hill this morning for a presentation on immigration reform. Dr. Fraga spoke to the room of congressional staff about the need for comprehensive immigration reform and how current and future policies may impact UW students, faculty, and the state as a whole. Our very own Congressman, Jim McDermott, graciously introduced Dr. Fraga and opened the discussion this morning.
Busy Week in Congress
Congress has a busy schedule this week before they leave town for their two-week Easter recess. On the agenda are the continuing resolution (CR) and dueling House and Senate budget proposals.
The Senate resumes consideration of the CR to fund the federal government for the rest of FY 2013. With some 90 amendments filed, they may need to vote on cloture in order to move the process forward as the bill will have to go back to the House for final consideration before the end of the week. The current CR expires on March 27th, but both chambers intend to be out on recess starting this Friday.
On the heels of the CR votes, the House and Senate will both take action on their respective budget resolutions for FY 2014. The House is expected to adopt their FY 2014 budget resolution by the end of the week that calls for reducing projected spending as well as cutting the deficit by $5.7 trillion from FY 2014 to FY 2023, when compared with the baseline for future spending and tax receipts projected by the Congressional Budget Office. The savings would come from cuts in domestic programs, repealing the 2010 health care law, and overhauling the tax code. Continue reading “Busy Week in Congress”
Latest CR & Budget Update
This has been a productive week in the world of Congressional Budgets and Appropriations. Congress is wrapping up work on a CR to keep the government funded through the end of the fiscal year on September 30th and both House and Senate Budget Committees unveiled their FY14 budgets this week.
FY13 Spending Package Nearing Passage
The Senate is now considering legislation that the House passed last week to maintain government funding and avoid a shutdown after the current continuing resolution (CR) expires on March 27th. The current CR maintains funding for federal programs primarily at their FY12 levels, which meets the $1.043 trillion level agreed to in the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011.
The House-passed bill includes full-year bills for two appropriations measures – Defense and Mil-Con-VA. The Senate package included these two and added bills for Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Commerce-Justice-Science. Included in these bills is additional management flexibility for implementing the sequester, but not relief from it. The remaining seven appropriations bills are wrapped up into a larger CR.
The Senate process has been somewhat stalled due to a slew of amendments added to the measure, but bill managers are expected to work over the weekend to develop a smaller list and prepare the bill for floor action on Monday. It would then be sent to the House for final approval. While the CR doesn’t expire until the 27th, the deadline is realistically the end of next week before Congress departs for the Easter recess. Continue reading “Latest CR & Budget Update”
Newly Introduced Legislation
A roundup of bills introduced in the last week that may be of interest to the higher education community:
S. 440: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for loan forgiveness for early childhood educators.
Sponsor: Mark Begich (D-AK) Introduced: 3/4/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Cosponsors: 0
Begich Press Release
S. 441: A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by establishing a program to provide professional development activities for educators.
Sponsor: Mark Begich (D-AK) Introduced: 3/4/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Cosponsors: 0
Begich Press Release
H.R. 1037: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to include Occupational Therapists as behavioral and mental health professionals for purposes of the National Health Service Corps.
Sponsor: Paul Tonko (D-NY) Introduced: 3/7/2013 Last Major Action: Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce Cosponsors: 3
The full text of these bills can be found by searching for their respective bill number at thomas.loc.gov