Recently in Washington

Last week, the House passed H.R. 692, the Default Prevention Act, by a vote of 235-194.  The bill requires the Secretary of Treasury to continue to issue debt after the debt limit is reached in order to pay principal and interest on the national debt and securities held by the Social Security trust funds.  The House also passed H.R. 10, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Reauthorization Act, by a vote of 240-191. H.R. 10 amends and reauthorizes the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act, which provides low-income families in the District of Columbia an opportunity to apply for scholarship funding to attend a private school through the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.  The House also passed H.R. 1937, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2015 by a vote of 254-177.   H.R. 1937 requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to more efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and mineral materials that are of strategic and critical importance to the United States.  On Friday, the House passed H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act by a vote of 240-189.  H.R. 3762 repeals certain provisions of Obamacare and would place a moratorium on federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, while increasing funding for community health centers. Congressman Simpson supported H.R. 692, H.R. 1937, and H.R. 3762.  He opposed H.R. 10. 

Simpson Pushes for Better Federal Land Management

Idaho Congressman cosponsors legislation to improve sage-grouse habitat, reduce wildfire threat

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has signed onto legislation to give federal land managers better tools to improve sage-grouse habitat.  H.R. 1793, the Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2015, would create a categorical exclusion from the NEPA process in order to remove pinyon-juniper from sage-grouse and mule deer habitat.

“Some of the major threats to sage-grouse habitat are wildfire and invasive species, and controlling these threats requires good, active land management practices,” said Simpson.  “Unfortunately, the environmental review process has grown so cumbersome for the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management that it has gotten in the way of their efforts to conserve the species.  H.R. 1793 addresses this problem by providing the agencies with the tools they need to remove pinyon-juniper on sage-grouse and mule deer habitat throughout the west.”

H.R. 1793 is currently under consideration by the House Natural Resources Committee.

Simpson Votes to End Harmful Obamacare Policies

Supports House Reconciliation Package to Relieve Americans from Mandates and Tax Hikes

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported passage of H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. The legislation repeals the most onerous Obamacare provisions through a mechanism known as reconciliation, which is a budgeting process that allows Congress to align the priorities outlined in the current year’s budget resolution with existing law.

“Even though Obamacare was signed into law five years ago, I still hear from Idahoans every single day about the law’s negative impacts,” said Simpson.  “A major issue with Obamacare since day one has been limiting the freedom of choice for beneficiaries. H.R. 3762 directly addresses this by repealing the major barriers that are impeding Americans’ ability to make choices about their healthcare plans.”

Specifically, H.R. 3762 would address key problems with Obamacare including:

-Repeal the individual mandate – Currently, Americans who do not purchase a health insurance plan through an exchange, receive insurance through Medicaid, or receive employer sponsored coverage, are subject to a penalty;

-Repeal the employer mandate – Employers with 100 or more employees who do not offer health insurance are subject to penalties that range from $2,000-$3,000;

-Repeal the Medical Device Tax – the 2.3% excise tax on medical devices is currently being passed on to consumers;

-Repeal the “Cadillac Tax” – 40% excise tax of the value of employer sponsored health coverage that exceeds certain benefit thresholds;

-Repeal Prevention and Public Health Fund – Referred to as the Obamacare slush fund that gives Secretary of Health and Human Services billions of dollars annually to spend with limited accountability;

-Repeal Auto-Enrollment Mandate – Requires large employers to auto-enroll employees in their medical plans.

“The reconciliation package passed by the House eliminates burdensome government mandates and repeals Obamacare taxes that are responsible for driving up the cost of healthcare for families, patients, and doctors. As the broken promises of Obamacare continue to pile on the backs of Americans I will continue to support legislation that protects individuals and families from the most harmful impacts of the law.”

In addition to repealing sections of Obamacare, H.R. 3762 would place a one year freeze on certain abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood while redirecting those funds to community health centers. The bill also addresses our national debt by reducing budget deficits by $136.8 billion over 10 years.

H.R. 3762 was passed by a vote of 240 to 189 and will now head to the Senate for consideration.

Simpson Supports Domestic Mineral Development

House passes legislation to reduce permitting delays for exploration and production of critical minerals in U.S.

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported H.R. 1937, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act when it came before the House of Representatives last week.  The legislation would ensure the availability of domestic minerals and mineral materials that are essential for national security, technological innovation, and economic growth by streamlining the permitting process for mineral exploration and development projects.  Simpson is an original cosponsor of H.R. 1937.

“The United States is increasingly dependent on mineral materials for everything from technology to national security and defense,” said Simpson.  “In spite of this, the permitting process has become more and more difficult to navigate, and today we are almost completely reliant on countries like China for the rare earth minerals we need for energy production, national security, and communication technology.  I don’t like the idea that we are subject to the legal and political whims of other nations for strategic minerals, which is why I cosponsored H.R. 1937 and am pleased that the House has taken it up.” 

H.R. 1937 was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 254-177.

Floor Schedule

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26TH
On Monday, the House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for morning hour and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) H.R. 3033 - Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia (READ) Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith / Science, Space, and Technology Committee)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.

On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected no later than 3:00 p.m.

On Friday, no votes are expected.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 623 - DHS Social Media Improvement Act of 2015 (Sponsored by Rep. Susan Brooks / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

2) H.R. 3819 - Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2015 (Sponsored by Rep. Bill Shuster / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

3) H.R. 455 - Northern Border Security Review Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. John Katko / Homeland Security Committee)

4) H.R. 1317 - To amend the Commodity Exchange Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to specify how clearing requirements apply to certain affiliate transactions, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore / Financial Services Committee)

5) H.R. 3032 - Securities and Exchange Commission Reporting Modernization Act of 2015 (Sponsored by Rep. Kyrsten Sinema / Financial Services Committee)

6) S. 2036 - Equity in Government Compensation Act of 2015 (Sponsored by Sen. David Vitter / Financial Services Committee)

7) H.R. 2643- State Licensing Efficiency Act of 2015 (Sponsored by Rep. Roger Williams / Financial Services Committee)

H.R. 1090 - Retail Investor Protection Act, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule (Sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner / Financial Services Committee)

Consideration of Legislation Related to the Debt Limit

**Additional Legislative Items are Possible**

In the News

Fire Budget

By David Sparks Ph.d, Idaho Agribusiness Today, October 20, 2015

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson continues to push for a broadly supported legislative fix to the broken wildfire suppression budget.  Simpson’s Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, H.R. 167, is cosponsored by nearly 150 Members of Congress and supported by a coalition of over 300 organizations and would end the destructive cycle of fire borrowing and treat catastrophic wildfires like similar natural disasters.  The Center for Western Priorities recently issued a report finding that H.R. 167, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, is the most bipartisan and broadly supported natural resources bill currently before Congress.

“This brutal fire season has underscored the importance of changing the way we budget for wildfire suppression,” said Simpson.  “To date nearly 9 million acres have burned, and the U.S. Forest Service has gone $700 million over budget.  Common sense says that wildfires should be treated like every other natural disaster.  That is reflected in the broad support this bill has both in Congress and from a wide range of organizations that understand the importance of this issue.”

Today the Forest Service spends over half of its budget and the majority of its time putting out fires instead of managing our nation’s public lands.  Wildfire suppression funding is based on an historical average of suppression costs over the past ten years, but because these costs have been steadily rising over the past two decades, suppression is regularly underfunded. As a result, agencies must borrow from other accounts, including timber harvest, trail maintenance, and hazardous fuels removal, in order to fight fires.  The Simpson bill ends the practice of fire borrowing and budgets for catastrophic wildfires similarly to hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.

“Fire borrowing undercuts all our efforts to implement good land management policies, undermines the Forest Service’s ability to collaborate with states, local communities, and interested parties, and chips away at efforts to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires,” said Simpson.  “When you think about the fact that the Forest Service has had to transfer around $700 million from other accounts during this fire year, you can see how it impacts the agency’s ability to carry out its mission.  This is why the status quo is not acceptable.  And this is why such a large coalition of Members of Congress, state and federal agencies, and interest groups are supporting my legislation to fix our broken wildfire suppression budget.”