Both chambers are in session this week after their one-week President’s Day recesses.
House Schedule
On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives is not in session.
On both Tuesday and Wednesday, the House is in session and will consider several bills under Suspension of the Rules. A full list of bills can be found here.
On the floor this week:
H.R. 3624: the Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act. The bill establishes national standards under which federal courts, when considering whether to remand back to a state court a lawsuit against an out-of-state entity, must deny that motion and have the case decided in federal court if it determines that an in-state co-defendant should not have been joined to the case. Yeah, I was a little lost on that one too, more background courtesy the House Judiciary Committee can be found here.
- Alabama co-sponsor(s): None
H.R. 2406: the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act. The bill includes a number of provisions intended to expand recreational hunting and fishing opportunities on federal lands. The bill requires that public lands be considered open for recreational hunting, fishing, shooting or similar activities unless specifically closed; allows individuals to carry firearms at Corps of Engineers recreational areas; limits the authority of the EPA to regulate bullets, angling , and other hunting equipment for toxic substances; and increases federal funding for states to set up public shooting ranges on public lands. It also permits the importation of certain African elephant hunting trophies as well as polar bear hunting trophies taken prior to when polar bears were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
- Alabama co-sponsor(s): Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03)
The House is not in session Friday.
Highlights of what is happening in House Committees this week:
- Budget Season: Budget season continues with the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Education & Workforce Committee holding related hearings. The House Appropriations committee has also begun its FY17 hearing slate, a full list of those hearings can be found here.
- Veterans: On Tuesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a joint hearing on “The Legislative Presentation of the Disabled American Veterans.” More information here.
- Zika Virus: On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing on “The Zika Virus: Coordination of a Multi-Agency Response.” More information here.
- K-12 Education: On Thursday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a hearing titled “Next Steps for K-12 Education: Upholding the Letter and Intent of the Every Student Succeeds Act.” More information here.
- Small Business: On Wednesday, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing titled “Small Business Administration Management and Performance Challenges: The Inspector General’s Perspective.”
- International Tax Reform: On Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing titled “Global Tax Environment in 2016 and Implications for International Tax Reform.” More information here.
- Agriculture: On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on “The State of the Rural Economy” featuring Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. More information here.
- OPM Data Breach: On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled “OPM Data Breach: Part III.” More information here.
- Asia-Pacific Security: On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Challenge of Conventional and Hybrid Warfare in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Changing the Nature of the Security Environment and its Effect on Military Planning.” More information here.
- European Security: On Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “Full Spectrum Security Challenges in Europe and their Effects on Deterrence and Defense.” More information here.
- Puerto Rico: On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing titled “The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Analysis of the Situation in Puerto Rico.” More information here.
- Obamacare: On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled “Review of Obamacare Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (Co-Ops).” More information here.
- Security Clearances: On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing titled “Security Clearance Reform: The Performance Accountability Council’s Path Forward.” More information here.
- NASA: On Thursday, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing titled “Space Leadership Preservation Act and the Need for Stability at NASA.” More information here.
Senate Schedule
On Monday, George Washington’s 1796 farewell address will be delivered from the Senate floor. The Senate has commemorated Washington’s birthday by reading it every year for over a century.
The Senate is expected to consider certain nominations the remainder of the week, including that of Dr. Robert Califf for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has also stated that the chamber may consider S.524: the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015, later in the week. This legislation authorizes funding to fight opioid abuse.
- Alabama co-sponsor(s): None
