THE DAILY WHIP: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018

Daily Leader

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HOUSE MEETS AT:	FIRST VOTE PREDICTED:	LAST VOTE PREDICTED:
10:00 a.m.: Morning Hour 12:00 p.m.: Legislative Business Fifteen “One Minutes”	1:15 – 2:15 p.m.	9:15 – 10:15 p.m.


H.Res. 918– Rule providing for consideration of Concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3249 – Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2018 (Rep. Comstock – Judiciary), H.R. 8– Water Resources Development Act, 2018 (Rep. Shuster – Transportation and Infrastructure), andH.R. 5895– Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Rep. Frelinghuysen – Appropriations) (One hour of debate). The Rules Committee has recommended one Rule which would provide for consideration of three bills. For H.R. 3249, the Rules Committee has recommended a closed Rule that provides for one hour of general debate on the motion equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Judiciary. The Rule waives all points of order against consideration of the motion. For H.R. 8, the Rules Committee has recommended a structured Rule that provides for one hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on the Transportation and Infrastructure. The Rule allows for 52 amendments, debatable for 10 minutes each equally divided between the offeror and an opponent. The Rule allows one motion to recommit, with or without instructions, and waives all points of order against the legislation. For H.R. 5895, the Rule provides for one hour of general debate, equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Appropriations. The Rule allows for 39 amendments, debatable for 10 minutes each equally divided between the offeror and an opponent. A second Rule providing for additional amendments to H.R. 5895 is expected to be considered on the Floor tomorrow. The Rule also provides that the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees may offer up to ten pro forma amendments each at any point for the purpose of debate. The Rules Committee rejected a motion by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts to make in order and provide the appropriate waivers to amendment #60 to H.R. 8 offered by Reps. DeFazio of Oregon, Shuster of Pennsylvania, Napolitano of California, Graves of Louisiana which establishes a specific budgetary mechanism to allow funds collected into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to be appropriated and expended to address the maintenance dredging needs of U.S. commercial harbors. Members are urged to VOTE NO. Concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3249 – Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2018 (Rep. Comstock – Judiciary) (One hour of debate). This bill establishes the Project Safe Neighborhoods Block Grant program within the Justice Department to reduce violent crime by improving upon existing nation-wide partnerships among federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors through evidence-based and data-driven approaches. The bill authorizes $50 million a year for three consecutive years to provide localities the tools they need to prevent crimes committed by criminal street gangs and transnational organized crime groups. Thirty percent of the funding will fund initiatives in areas with an increased incidence of violent crimes, firearm offenses, human trafficking and drug trafficking. The remaining funds will be used to foster and improve existing partnerships with a focus on prosecuting individuals with a leadership role in a gang. H.R. 3249 originally passed the House by a voice vote in March of this year. That bill was then amended by the Senate and passed by unanimous consent. Bill Text for H.R. 3249: PDF Version Background for H.R. 3249: House Report (HTML Version) House Report (PDF Version) H.R. 8– Water Resources Development Act, 2018 (Rep. Shuster – Transportation and Infrastructure) (One hour of debate). This bipartisan bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water resources development activities for the Nation through cost-sharing partnerships with non-federal sponsors. Authorized activities include navigation, flood damage reduction, shoreline protection, hydropower, dam safety, water supply, recreation, environmental restoration and protection, and disaster response and recovery. The bill includes reforms to the Corps planning process, including efforts to improve project delivery without harming bedrock environmental laws. H.R. 8 would authorize $2.4 billion for six new Corps projects and modifying two existing projects. It also authorizes the Corps to conduct feasibility studies for twelve projects. The bill also establishes a process to de-authorize $3 billion worth of previously authorized projects in an effort to prevent the existing $96 billion Corps projects backlog from increasing. This bill authorizes several studies, including: 1) analyze the Army Corps’ cost-benefit analysis for potential projects in rural areas to adequately measure some of the benefits of those projects; and 2) directs the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate the current organizational structure of the Corps’ civil works functions, identify impediments to efficient project delivery, and provide recommendations to Congress. The bill also reauthorizes the Levee Safety Initiative, and the National Dam Safety Program through 2023 to help protect American communities from flooding. The Rules Committee removed one provision from the bill that was passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee related to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMT). The stripped provision would take the HMT off budget and allow spending from the account for Army Corps projects without counting it against budget caps. The Rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order 52 amendments. A full list of amendments can be found HERE. Bill Text for H.R. 8: PDF Version Background for H.R. 8: House Report (HTML Version) House Report (PDF Version) TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Thursday, June 7: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to continue consideration of H.R. 5895 — Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (Rep. Frelinghuysen – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule).

THE DAILY QUOTE
“Medicare's hospital trust fund will begin to dry up in 2026 --three years earlier than projected last year. That's the latest estimate from Medicare's Board of Trustees, which attributed the change to lower payroll tax revenues and higher-than-expected health care spending in 2017, among other things… The revised projection was also influenced by last year's tax code overhaul, which effectively eliminated the mandate requiring most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. The end of the mandate is expected to produce greater numbers of uninsured patients who will increase the cost of uncompensated care at hospitals, which Medicare helps fund, officials said at a Treasury Department press conference.” - CQ, 6/6/2018

THE DAILY QUOTE

“Medicare's hospital trust fund will begin to dry up in 2026 --three years earlier than projected last year. That's the latest estimate from Medicare's Board of Trustees, which attributed the change to lower payroll tax revenues and higher-than-expected health care spending in 2017, among other things… The revised projection was also influenced by last year's tax code overhaul, which effectively eliminated the mandate requiring most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. The end of the mandate is expected to produce greater numbers of uninsured patients who will increase the cost of uncompensated care at hospitals, which Medicare helps fund, officials said at a Treasury Department press conference.”

- CQ, 6/6/2018