Recently In Washington

Last week, the House passed H.R. 5793, the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act of 2018, by a vote of 368 to 19.  The bill creates demonstration projects in which the administration of housing choice vouchers (HCV) would be designed to encourage movement to lower-poverty areas with expanded employment opportunities.
 
On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 200, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, by a vote of 222 to 193.  The bill reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act to provide flexibility for fishery managers and stability for fishermen. 

On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 3281, the Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act, by a vote of 233 to 184.  The bill streamlines the process to transfer certain Bureau of Reclamation projects or facilities.  The House also passed H.R. 6237, the Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, by a vote of 363 to 54.  The bill authorizes appropriations for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the U.S. government for fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
 
On Friday, the House passed H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2017, by a vote of 230 to 168.  The bill closes loopholes in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and augments existing analysis requirements to improve the quality of regulations and identify unduly burdensome or harmful federal mandates.

Simpson’s Statement on President’s Nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to Supreme Court

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement after President Trump announced his nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.

“I congratulate Judge Brett Kavanaugh on his nomination to the Supreme Court. Throughout his career, Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated a stalwart commitment to the U.S. Constitution, and I am confident he will approach his work on the nation’s highest bench with the same vigor, bolstered by strong conservative ethics.  I thank Justice Kennedy for his decades of distinguished service, and I commend President Trump for his excellent choice to replace him.”

Simpson Congratulates Idaho Falls Student Whose Art is Displayed in U.S. Capitol

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson met with Congressional Art Contest Winner, Bailey Annis from Bonneville High School. Annis took first place in Idaho’s second congressional district’s art contest. Pictures of the meeting and artwork can be found on Simpson’s website.

“It was a pleasure to meet Bailey and her family and I’m proud that her art is now on display in the U.S. Capitol,” said Simpson. “She is a fantastic artist, a great student, and Idaho is lucky to have her represent our state.”

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 and more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Southwest Airline donated airline tickets for Bailey to attend the Congressional Art Reception in Washington D.C. that was held this week.

“We were thrilled at this year’s participation,” said Simpson. “This is the largest participation we have seen in years.  There were nine high schools represented in this year’s competition, spanning from Skyline to Timberline and North Fremont to Snake River.”

The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho commissioned a panel to jury all submissions and then all entries were on exhibit in March, where over 1,200 people viewed the artwork from Idaho high school students. The winning piece from Bailey Annis is now on display with the winners of every other congressional district in the country for thousands to see in the U.S. Capitol.

Floor Schedule

MONDAY, JULY 16TH
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. 1376 - Electronic Message Preservation Act of 2017 (Sponsored by Rep. Elijah Cummings / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

2) H.R. 5415 - GAO-IG Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Walker / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

3) H.R. 4446 - To amend the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act to extend the expiration date of the Commission, and for other purposes, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Stacey Plaskett / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

4) H.R. 4890 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9801 Apollo Drive in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, as the "Wayne K. Curry Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Anthony Brown / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

5) H.R. 5238 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1234 Saint Johns Place in Brooklyn, New York, as the "Major Robert Odell Owens Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Yvette Clarke / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

6) S. 2692 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4558 Broadway in New York, New York, as the "Stanley Michels Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

7) H.R. 4407 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3s101 Rockwell Street in Warrenville, Illinois, as the "Corporal Jeffery Allen Williams Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Randy Hultgren / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

8) S. 931 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4910 Brighton Boulevard in Denver, Colorado, as the "George Sakato Post Office" (Sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

9) H.R. 2979 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 390 West 5th Street in San Bernardino, California, as the "Jack H. Brown Post Office Building' (Sponsored by Rep. Pete Aguilar / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

10) H.R. 4946 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1075 North Tustin Street in Orange, California, as the "Specialist Trevor A. Win’E Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Lou Correa / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

11) H.R. 5504 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4801 West Van Giesen Street in West Richland, Washington, as the "Sergeant Dietrich Schmieman Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Dan Newhouse / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

12) House Amendment to S. 899 - Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Mazie Hirono / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

13) H.R. 3076 - CASES for Constituents Act of 2017, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Garret Graves / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

14) H.R. 4960 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 511 East Walnut Street in Columbia, Missouri, as the "Spc. Sterling William Wyatt Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Vicky Hartzler / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

15) H.R. 3230 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 915 Center Avenue in Payette, Idaho, as the "Harmon Killebrew Post Office Building" (Sponsored by Rep. Raul Labrador / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

16) H.R. 66 - Route 66 Centennial Commission Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

17) H.R. 3906 - Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Denny Heck / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

18) H.R. 5772 - To designate the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, as the "J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse" (Sponsored by Rep. Mac Thornberry / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

19) H.R. 3460 - To designate the United States courthouse located at 323 East Chapel Hill Street in Durham, North Carolina, as the "John Hervey Wheeler United States Courthouse", as amended (Sponsored by Rep. G.K. Butterfield / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

20) S. 2734 - To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas, as the "George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse" (Sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

21) H.R. 5846 - Promoting Flood Risk Mitigation Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

22) S. 490 - To reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the Gibson Dam (Sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines / Energy and Commerce Committee)

23) H.R. 5333 - Over-the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta / Energy and Commerce Committee)

24) H.R. 5554 - Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Markwayne Mullin / Energy and Commerce Committee)

TUESDAY, JULY 17TH 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 in the House.

Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:

1) House Amendment to S. 717 - POWER Act, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan / Judiciary Committee)

2) H.Res. ___ - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Nation now faces a more complex and grave set of threats than at any time since the end of World War II, and that the lack of full, on-time funding related to defense activities puts servicemen and servicewomen at risk, harms national security, and aids the adversaries of the United States (Sponsored by Rep. Liz Cheney / Armed Services Committee)

3) H.Res. ___ - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Marine Corps faces significant readiness challenges and that budgetary uncertainty impedes the Corps’ ability to meet ongoing and unexpected national security threats, putting United States national security at risk (Sponsored by Rep. Mike Gallagher / Armed Services Committee)

4) H.Res. ___ - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Navy’s total readiness remains in a perilous state due to high operational demands, increased deployment lengths, shortened training periods, and deferred maintenance all while the Navy is asked to “do more with less” as financial support for critical areas waned in the era of sequestration and without consistent Congressional funding (Sponsored by Rep. Rob Wittman / Armed Services Committee)

5) House Amendment to S. 488 - JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Pat Toomey / Financial Services Committee)

6) H.R. 1037 - To authorize the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Stephen Lynch / Natural Resources Committee)

7) H.R. 3777 - Juab County Conveyance Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Mia Love / Natural Resources Committee)

8) H.R. 4032 - Gila River Indian Community Federal Rights-of-Way, Easements and Boundary Clarification Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Tom O'Halleran / Natural Resources Committee)

9) H.R. 4645 - East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (Sponsored by Rep. Greg Gianforte / Natural Resources Committee)

10) H.R. 4819 - DELTA Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry / Foreign Affairs Committee)

11) H.R. 5105 - BUILD Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ted Yoho / Foreign Affairs Committee)

12) H.R. 3030 - Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner / Foreign Affairs Committee)

13) H.R. 4989 - Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act (Sponsored by Rep. Joaquin Castro / Foreign Affairs Committee)

14) H.R. 5480 - Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ed Royce / Foreign Affairs Committee)

H.R. 6147 - Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019, Rules Committee Print (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert / Appropriations Committee)

H.Con.Res. 119 - Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Steve Scalise / Ways and Means Committee)

Motion to Go to Conference on H.R. 2 – Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, and Democrat Motion to Instruct Conferees

Additional Legislative Items are Possible

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