Welcome to the Whip's Weekly Outlook, your one-stop document to find out what's to come in the following weeks on the House Floor and in Committees, as well as a review of the last week in session. Please let us know what you think. NEXT WEEK ON THE FLOORThe House is scheduled to be in session this week from Monday, 5/23, to Thursday, 5/27. The House will meet on Monday at 2PM for legislative business. The first votes of the week will be on Monday at 6:30PM. On Tuesday, the House will meet at 10AM. The Israeli Prime Minister, the Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu, will address Congress in a joint session at approximately 11AM. The House will meet at 12PM for legislative business. On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10AM for Morning Hour and at 12PM for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9AM for legislative business with last votes expected no later than 3PM. The House is scheduled to be in session for two weeks before going into a one week recess after votes on Friday, 6/3. On Monday, the House is expected to consider 5 bills under suspension of the Rules: - H.R. 1407 – Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011 (Rep. Runyan – Veterans’ Affairs)
- H.R. 1627 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain requirements for the placement of monuments in Arlington National Cemetery, and for other purposes
(Rep. Miller (FL) – Veterans’ Affairs) - H.R. 1383 – Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Miller (FL) – Veterans’ Affairs)
- H.R. 1657 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to revise the enforcement penalties for misrepresentation of a business concern as a small business concern owned and controlled by veterans or as a small business concern owned and controlled by service disabled veterans (Rep. Stutzman – Veterans’ Affairs)
- H.R. 1893– To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend the airport improvement program, and for other purposes (Rep. Mica – Transportation and Infrastructure)
On Tuesday and the balance of the week, the House is expected to consider one bill under suspension of the Rules: - S. 990 – To provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes, as amended (Sen. Landrieu – Small Business)
The House is also expected to consider: - H.R. 1216 – To amend the Public Health Service Act to convert funding for graduate medical education in qualified teaching health centers from direct appropriations to an authorization of appropriations (Rep. Guthrie – Energy and Commerce)
- Committee Markup Information – The Energy and Commerce Committee marked up the bill on Tuesday, 4/5, and reported out the bill on a party line vote.
- The Rules Committee will meet on Monday, 5/23, at 5PM to grant a rule. The rule may require that amendments be printed in the Congressional Recordprior to their consideration. Amendments should be submitted for printing in the Congressional Record on the legislative day of Monday, 5/23.
- H.R. 1540– National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Rep. McKeon – Armed Services)
- Committee Markup Information – The House Armed Services Committee marked up the bill on Wednesday, 5/11, and reported out the bill by a 60-1 vote. The six subcommittees on HASC marked up portions of the bill on Wednesday, 5/4, and Thursday, 5/5.
- The Rules Committee will meet on Monday, 5/23, at 5PM, for general debate only, and will continue debate on Tuesday, 5/24, at 3PM, on a rule, which could limit the amendment process. Amendments are due to Rules by 3PM on Monday, 5/23.
The House will also possibly consider legislation from the Judiciary Committee relating to expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. On Thursday, 5/12, the Judiciary Committee held a Full Committee Markup on H.R. 1800, the FISA Sunsets Reauthorization Act. Please find committee markup information, here. THIS WEEK IN COMMITTEESHighlights: The Appropriations Committee will hold a Full Committee Hearing on Tuesday, 5/24, at 9:30AM, on the report on the Suballocation of Budget Allocations for FY12, the FY12 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, and the FY12 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill. The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will mark up the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations Bill on Tuesday, 5/24, at 4PM. On Monday, 5/23, at 3PM, the Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a Hearing entitled “The American Energy Initiative: Discussion Draft of H.R. ____, the North American Made Energy Security Act of 2011.” The Financial Institution and Consumer Credit Subcommittee on the Financial Services Committee will hold an oversight Hearing on the FDIC on Thursday, 5/26, at 9:30AM. The Financial Services Committee’s Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade will hold a Hearing on Tuesday, 5/24 at 2PM entitled “Legislative Proposals on Securing American Jobs Through Exports: Export-Import Bank Reauthorization.” The Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a Full Committee Hearing on Wednesday, 5/25, at 10:30AM, on War Powers and the U.S. Operations in Libya, and related legislation. The Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet on the Judiciary Committee will hold a Hearing on the proposed merger between AT&T and TMobile on Thursday, 5/26, at 10:30AM. On Tuesday, 5/24, at 4PM, the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a Hearing on litigation’s effect on America’s global competitiveness. And, on Monday, 5/23, at 4PM, the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law will hold a Hearing on H.R. 1860, the Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act. On Thursday, 5/26, at 10AM, the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a Hearing entitled “Opening the Northeast Corridor to Private Competition for the Development of High-Speed Rail.” On Wednesday, 5/25, at 10:30AM, the Ways and Means Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee will hold a Hearing on the administration of refundable tax credits, with an emphasis on the level of improper payments attributable to refundable credits, and steps the IRS is taking to reduce the level of waste, fraud, and abuse related to these credits. Please find links below to each Committee’s Hearing and Markup schedules: A LOOK AHEADThe House may begin work on FY12 Appropriations bills the legislative week of 5/31. The subcommittee chairs of the Appropriations Committee have begun to issue guidance to Members about how they wish to receive programmatic requests for the FY12 subcommittee appropriations bills. Please find a letter from Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Norm Dicks regarding how to submit programmatic requests, here, which also includes links to the letters from each subcommittee chair regarding each of their deadlines and guidelines for requests. The Rules Committee is meeting on Wednesday, 5/25, at 10AM, on a rule for H.R. 1745, the Jobs, Opportunities, Benefits and Services Act, which could limit the amendment process. Amendments are due to Rules by 10AM on Wednesday, 5/25. Please view information on the Ways and Means Committee markup, here. Please view information including fact sheets and letters of opposition on H.R. 1745 from the Democratic Ways and Means Committee, here. While Floor action has not yet been announced on the following, please keep in mind: On Tuesday, 5/3, the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises on the Financial Services Committee marked up legislation related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act: H.R. 1062 – The Burdensome Data Collection Relief Act; H.R. 1082 – The Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act, H.R. 1539 – The Asset-Backed Market Stabilization Act of 2011, and H.R. 1610 – The Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2011. Please find information on the Committee Markup, here. And, on Wednesday, 5/4, the subcommittee on Financial Institution and Consumer Credit also marked up Markup of H.R. 1121 – the Responsible Consumer Financial Protection Regulations Act of 2011, H.R. 1315 – the Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2011, and H.R. 1573 – To postpone the date for the transfer of functions to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection if the Bureau does not yet have a Director in place. Please find information on the Committee Markup, here. On Wednesday, 4/6, the Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee on the Financial Services Committee marked up H.R. 1309 – the Flood Insurance Reform Act. Please find information on the Committee Markup, here. The National Flood Insurance Program’s authorization expires on 9/30. Last month, the House passed H.R. 658 – the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. In February, the Senate passed S. 223 – the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. The current temporary FAA funding authorization expires on 5/31. As noted above, the House will consider a temporary extension of the FAA through 6/30. Free Trade Agreements are pending with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. On Thursday, 5/5, the Administration began technical discussions on the Korea, Colombia, and Panama trade agreements with congressional committees. The Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) and Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA) also already expired on 2/13. The House Judiciary Committee passed the House version of patent reform, H.R. 1249 – the America Invents Act out of Committee by a 32-3 vote on Thursday, 4/14. Please find information on the Committee markup, here. RECAP OF THE LAST WEEK IN SESSIONDuring the week of 5/10 – 5/13, the House passed: - H.R. 1229 – Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (Rep. Hastings (WA) – Natural Resources)
- H.R. 1231– Reversing President Obama's Offshore Moratorium Act (Rep. Hastings (WA) – Natural Resources)
- H.R. 754 – Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (Rep. Rogers (MI) – Intelligence)
The House also passed one bill under suspension of the Rules: - H.R. 1016 - Assessing Progress in Haiti Act (Rep. Lee (CA) – Foreign Affairs)
MESSAGING FROM THE WHIP’S OFFICEDebt LimitDemocrats continue to urge Republicans to stop holding the economy hostage and putting our economy at risk, and we hope they will work with us to ensure America pays its bills and lay out a path to reduce our deficits. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said defaulting on our debt would “at minimum” lead to “an increase in interest rates, which would actually worsen our deficit and would hurt all borrowers in the economy.” And Wednesday, a coalition of 62 of the nation’s largest business groups urged Congress to act: “With economic growth slowly picking up we cannot afford to jeopardize that growth with the massive spike in borrowing costs that would result if we defaulted on our obligations. Gas Prices“With American families struggling under the burden of $4 per gallon gasoline, there is no justifiable reason taxpayers should be subsidizing oil companies currently making near-record profits. It is time for Republicans to make their priorities clear: Will they side with taxpayers or will they side with oil companies who don’t need the handout? Ending these subsidies is not just good policy, it is simple common sense.” – Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, 5/17 MedicareRepublicans continue to stand by their plan to end Medicare as we know it and raise costs for seniors. A new analysis from Senate Democrats found that the Republican plan will affect seniors currently 55 and over, despite their claims to the contrary. By re-opening the prescription drug donut hole, the Republican plan would cost an estimated 4 million seniors who fall into the coverage gap up to $44 billion by 2020, including $2.2 billion next year alone. In addition, the GOP plan would raise the cost of wellness visits, forcing at least one million seniors and people with disabilities to pay over $110 million more for this critical service in 2012. Make It In AmericaHouse Democrats unveiled our “Make It In America” agenda, a plan to support job creation today and in the future by encouraging businesses to make products and innovate in the US and sell it to the world through strengthening our infrastructure and prioritizing investments in key areas like education and energy innovation. This effort builds on House Democrats' actions to create jobs and continue growing the economy while cutting wasteful spending. |
