Weekly Washington Outlook – September 15, 2014

White House at Night

What to Watch This Week:

Congress:

House of Representatives

On Monday evening, the House will vote on a number of bills under suspension of the rules:

1) H.R. 4771 – Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts / Energy and Commerce Committee)

2) S. 2154 – Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2014 (Sponsored by Sen. Robert Casey / Energy and Commerce Committee)

3) H.R. 83 – To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of technical, policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of the insular areas of the United States and the Freely Associated States through the development of action plans aimed at reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels and increasing use of indigenous clean-energy resources, and for other purposes, as amended (Sponsored by Del. Donna Christensen / Energy and Commerce Committee)

4) H.R. 3044 – To approve the transfer of Yellow creek Port properties in Iuka, Mississippi (Sponsored by Rep. Alan Nunnelee / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee)

5) S. 1086 – The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski / Education and Workforce Committee)

6) H.R. 5108 – To establish the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries / Judiciary Committee)

7) H.R. 3006 – To authorize a land exchange involving the acquisition of private land adjacent to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona for inclusion in the refuge in exchange for certain Bureau of Land Management lands in Riverside County, California (Sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert / Natural Resources Committee)

8) S. 476 – A bill to amend the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Development Act to extend to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission(Sponsored by Rep. Ben Cardin / Natural Resources Committee)

9) S. 1603 – Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act (Sponsored by Sen. Debbie Stabenow/Natural Resources Committee)

10) H.R. 5205 – Northern Nevada Land Conservation and Economic Development Act (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Amodei / Natural Resources Committee)

11) H.R. 3222 – Flushing Remonstrance Study Act (Sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng / Natural Resources Committee)

12) H.R. 2569 – Upper Missisquoi and Trout Wild and Scenic Rivers Act(Sponsored by Rep. Peter Welch / Natural Resources Committee)

13) H.R. 4119 – West Hunter Street Baptist Church Study Act (Sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson / Natural Resources Committee)

14) H.R. 5405 – Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick / Financial Services Committee)

15) H.R. 3374 – American Savings Promotion Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Derek Kilmer / Financial Services Committee)

16) H.R. ____ – Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014(Sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr / Financial Services Committee)

17) H.R. 2866 – Boys Town Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, as amended(Sponsored by Rep. Lee Terry / Financial Services Committee)

18) H.R. 2996 – Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Tom Reed / Science, Space, and Technology Committee)

On Tuesday and the balance of the week, the House is scheduled to consider the following:

1) H.R. 3593 – The VA Construction Assistance Act of 2014, as amended(Sponsored by Rep. Mike Coffman / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)

2) H.R. 5404 – Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2014, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Denham / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)

3) H.R. 4276 – Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Improvement Act of 2014(Sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)

4) S. 2258 – Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014(Sponsored by Sen. Mark Begich / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)

5) H.R. 24 – Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2013 (Sponsored by Rep. Paul Broun / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

6) H.R. 5169 – Senior Executive Service Accountability Act, as amended(Sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

7) H.R.5170 – Federal Records Accountability Act of 2014, as amended(Sponsored by Rep. Mark Meadows / Oversight and Government Reform Committee)

8) H.R. 5418 – To prohibit officers and employees of the Internal Revenue Service from using personal email accounts to conduct official business(Sponsored by Rep. Charles Boustany / Ways and Means Committee)

9) H.R. 5419 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a right to an administrative appeal relating to adverse determinations of tax-exempt status of certain organizations (Sponsored by Rep. Charles Boustany / Ways and Means Committee)

10) H.R. 5420 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit the release of information regarding the status of certain investigations (Sponsored by Rep. Charles Boustany / Ways and Means Committee)

11) H.R. 3043 – Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2013 (Sponsored by Rep. Devin Nunes / Ways and Means Committee)

12) H.R. 495 – Free File Program Act of 2014, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Peter Roskam / Ways and Means Committee)

13) H.R. 4137 – Preserving Welfare for Needs Not Weed Act (Sponsored by Rep. Dave Reichert / Ways and Means Committee)

14) H.R. 4994 – Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Dave Camp / Ways and Means Committee)

15) H.R. ___ – To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for limitations on the fees charged to passengers of air carriers (Sponsored by Rep. Richard Hudson / Homeland Security Committee)

H.J. Res. 124 – Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 (Subject to a Rule)(Sponsored by Rep. Hal Rogers / Appropriations Committee)

H.R. ___ – American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Lee Terry / Natural Resources Committee / Energy and Commerce Committee)

H.R. ___ – Jobs for America Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Dave Camp / Ways and Means Committee)

On Thursday, the House and Senate will meet for a joint session for the purpose of receiving the Honorable Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine.

Senate:

The Senate will take a procedural vote Monday evening on the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 2199) and two nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  Later in the week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may bring up stalled legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 (S. 2223).

White House:

On Monday, the president will award the Medal of Honor to Army Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins and to Army Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat for conspicuous gallantry. In the evening, President Obama will attend a DSCC event in Washington, DC.  On Tuesday, he will travel to Atlanta to visit the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he will receive a briefing on the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, discuss the U.S. response and thank the scientists, doctors and health care workers helping those affected by disease at home and around the world. The president will also receive an updated on the respiratory illness reported in several states in the Midwest.  In the evening, President Obama will travel to Tampa, Fla., where he will remain overnight.  On Wednesday, the president will visit U.S. Central Command at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL. CENTCOM’s area of responsibility includes 20 countries in the Middle East and Central and South Asia, including Iraq and Syria. The president will receive a briefing from his top commanders at CENTCOM, and thank the men and women who will partner with others in the region to carry out the president’s strategy to degrade and defeat ISIL. In the afternoon, he will return to Washington, DC to hosta picnic for Members of Congress at the White House in the evening.  On Thursday morning President Obama will participate in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony in the Oval Office.  At this event, he will receive the credentials from foreign Ambassadors recently posted in Washington. The presentation of credentials is a traditional ceremony that marks the formal beginning of an Ambassador’s service in Washington.  In the afternoon, the president will host President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine at the White House. The visit will highlight the United States’ firm commitment to stand with Ukraine as it pursues liberal democracy, stability, and prosperity.  President Obama looks forward to discussing with President Poroshenko efforts to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine as well as our continued support for Ukraine’s struggle to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.  In the evening, the president will attend a DNC event in Washington, DC. On Friday, President Obama will participate in an event with the DNC’s Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington, DC.

Also This Week:

Appropriations – House members had initially planned to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11th at current levels last week.  In order to have time to decide how to move forward with the President’s last minute request for additional funds to fight ISIL and potentially authorize the use of force against the terrorist group, Leadership postponed consideration of the measure.  A vote on a stopgap spending measure is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday, allowing the Senate to hopefully pass this quickly by the end of this week or early next.

Healthcare – CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner will testify Thursday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the status of healthcare.gov.  On the floor, members will vote on an omnibus tax bill, the Jobs for America Act, which includes ACA-related language to limit the law’s scope and a repeal of the medical device tax.  Elsewhere, the Census Bureau will release tomorrow its annual estimate of health insurance coverage.

Education – The House will vote on Monday on an amended version of a Senate-passed re-authorization of the Child Care Development Block Grant.  The reworked language is the product of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations to update childcare programs for low-income families.

Banking – The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Thursday on consumer financial issues, including small dollar lending, credit reporting, debt collection, auto lending, and others.  In the House, members will vote on a series of Dodd-Frank related bills aimed at limiting regulatory authority.