Dear Colleague: Update on the February Work Period
Press Types
Internal
For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2022
Dear Colleague:
As we prepare to return next week to session, I write to thank you for your hard work in January and to provide an update on the House’s legislative schedule. I hope that the past week provided an opportunity for you to spend time meeting with your constituents and sharing with them what our Democratic Majority has been doing to promote economic opportunity, lower consumer costs, keep our communities safe, and make economic security more attainable as we build back better from the pandemic. The spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has presented us with new challenges; thankfully, however, we are seeing that vaccines and booster shots are highly effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and fatalities – and the current wave of infections has begun to ebb in many parts of the country. I encourage you all to continue taking all safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as you travel back to Washington.
February is Black History Month, and I look forward to joining many of you at the wonderful events and programs taking place throughout the month to celebrate Black history, culture, and experiences. I want to thank Rep. Al Green for his work on a resolution to recognize the difficult and painful legacy of slavery in our country and the efforts by Americans of all backgrounds throughout our history to overcome slavery, segregation, and racial inequality. As we mark Black History Month, we eagerly await President Biden’s nomination of the first Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, making history and making our highest court more representative of those it serves. In addition, the House will take up H.R. 5577 next week, a suspension bill to rename Rep. Nikema Williams’s home post office in Atlanta in memory of our friend and colleague John Lewis.
As you know, I have been promoting the Make It In America plan for jobs and opportunity since 2010. I am pleased that we have taken up and passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which incorporated a significant part of that agenda. Next week, the House will take up legislation to enact more of the Make It In America plan in the America COMPETES Act of 2022, which would make further strides in innovation, technology, and advanced manufacturing – including clean-energy technology. We will now take action with this legislation to advance provisions in education, skills training, and entrepreneurship that we have stressed through the Make It In America plan since its inception.
During the week of February 7, we will take votes on H.R. 3485, the Global Respect Act and H.R. 4445, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. The first of these bills, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline, furthers our nation’s commitment to LGBTQ rights around the world by sanctioning foreign individuals found to be complicit in violating the human rights of LGBTQ people. The second, Rep. Cheri Bustos’s bill, would end forced arbitration in cases relating to sexual assault and harassment, providing survivors with legal recourse to seek justice in court against their assailants.
With the expiration of the current continuing resolution on February 18, it is essential that Congress complete Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations. That’s why the House passed the bulk of our appropriation bills last summer, well in advance of the start of the fiscal year. The House will take action before February 18 to ensure that we prevent a damaging government shutdown, and Members should be prepared for potential schedule changes as we address this issue, about which I will continue to keep Members updated.
This month, the House passed important legislation to help ensure that our country is meeting its commitment to those who served us in uniform. We are continuing to work on legislation relating to exposure to toxic substances and to the health of our service-members and veterans, and I expect to bring it to the Floor in the near future. The House is also moving forward with postal reform legislation, and when the Congressional Budget Office has completed work on its report, we may move to consider it in February. At the same time, we will continue to monitor developments in Ukraine and work closely with the Biden-Harris Administration to deter Russian aggression in whatever ways are necessary.
I am very proud that the House passed the John R. Lewis Freedom to Vote Act earlier this month. Let your constituents know that every Democrat in the House and Senate supported this essential voting rights bill. However, not a single Republican did so, which has prevented its passage up to now. We will be unyielding in our efforts to adopt provisions to protect and facilitate every American’s right to vote and to reverse the Supreme Court’s gutting of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the requirement for preclearance. Giving up is not an option.
I am also proud that we approved the Build Back Better Act in November. As negotiations continue to advance this critically important legislation through the Senate, the House will continue to encourage action. If the Senate passes legislation relating to build back better or voting rights, the House will take those bills up soon after receiving them.
As always, I will provide sufficient advance notice of any changes to the House schedule that may occur as we continue to deal with approaching deadlines, the challenges of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and addressing critical needs for our nation’s economy, health, safety, and national security. Members should be advised that March 10 will no longer be a voting day, in order to accommodate the new date for the Democratic Issues Conference. I hope everyone has a safe journey back to Washington, and I look forward to continuing to work with you over the coming weeks to ensure that the House continues to deliver results For the People.
Sincerely,
STENY H. HOYER
House Majority Leader
As we prepare to return next week to session, I write to thank you for your hard work in January and to provide an update on the House’s legislative schedule. I hope that the past week provided an opportunity for you to spend time meeting with your constituents and sharing with them what our Democratic Majority has been doing to promote economic opportunity, lower consumer costs, keep our communities safe, and make economic security more attainable as we build back better from the pandemic. The spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has presented us with new challenges; thankfully, however, we are seeing that vaccines and booster shots are highly effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and fatalities – and the current wave of infections has begun to ebb in many parts of the country. I encourage you all to continue taking all safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as you travel back to Washington.
February is Black History Month, and I look forward to joining many of you at the wonderful events and programs taking place throughout the month to celebrate Black history, culture, and experiences. I want to thank Rep. Al Green for his work on a resolution to recognize the difficult and painful legacy of slavery in our country and the efforts by Americans of all backgrounds throughout our history to overcome slavery, segregation, and racial inequality. As we mark Black History Month, we eagerly await President Biden’s nomination of the first Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, making history and making our highest court more representative of those it serves. In addition, the House will take up H.R. 5577 next week, a suspension bill to rename Rep. Nikema Williams’s home post office in Atlanta in memory of our friend and colleague John Lewis.
As you know, I have been promoting the Make It In America plan for jobs and opportunity since 2010. I am pleased that we have taken up and passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which incorporated a significant part of that agenda. Next week, the House will take up legislation to enact more of the Make It In America plan in the America COMPETES Act of 2022, which would make further strides in innovation, technology, and advanced manufacturing – including clean-energy technology. We will now take action with this legislation to advance provisions in education, skills training, and entrepreneurship that we have stressed through the Make It In America plan since its inception.
During the week of February 7, we will take votes on H.R. 3485, the Global Respect Act and H.R. 4445, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. The first of these bills, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline, furthers our nation’s commitment to LGBTQ rights around the world by sanctioning foreign individuals found to be complicit in violating the human rights of LGBTQ people. The second, Rep. Cheri Bustos’s bill, would end forced arbitration in cases relating to sexual assault and harassment, providing survivors with legal recourse to seek justice in court against their assailants.
With the expiration of the current continuing resolution on February 18, it is essential that Congress complete Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations. That’s why the House passed the bulk of our appropriation bills last summer, well in advance of the start of the fiscal year. The House will take action before February 18 to ensure that we prevent a damaging government shutdown, and Members should be prepared for potential schedule changes as we address this issue, about which I will continue to keep Members updated.
This month, the House passed important legislation to help ensure that our country is meeting its commitment to those who served us in uniform. We are continuing to work on legislation relating to exposure to toxic substances and to the health of our service-members and veterans, and I expect to bring it to the Floor in the near future. The House is also moving forward with postal reform legislation, and when the Congressional Budget Office has completed work on its report, we may move to consider it in February. At the same time, we will continue to monitor developments in Ukraine and work closely with the Biden-Harris Administration to deter Russian aggression in whatever ways are necessary.
I am very proud that the House passed the John R. Lewis Freedom to Vote Act earlier this month. Let your constituents know that every Democrat in the House and Senate supported this essential voting rights bill. However, not a single Republican did so, which has prevented its passage up to now. We will be unyielding in our efforts to adopt provisions to protect and facilitate every American’s right to vote and to reverse the Supreme Court’s gutting of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the requirement for preclearance. Giving up is not an option.
I am also proud that we approved the Build Back Better Act in November. As negotiations continue to advance this critically important legislation through the Senate, the House will continue to encourage action. If the Senate passes legislation relating to build back better or voting rights, the House will take those bills up soon after receiving them.
As always, I will provide sufficient advance notice of any changes to the House schedule that may occur as we continue to deal with approaching deadlines, the challenges of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and addressing critical needs for our nation’s economy, health, safety, and national security. Members should be advised that March 10 will no longer be a voting day, in order to accommodate the new date for the Democratic Issues Conference. I hope everyone has a safe journey back to Washington, and I look forward to continuing to work with you over the coming weeks to ensure that the House continues to deliver results For the People.
Sincerely,
STENY H. HOYER
House Majority Leader