Lame Duck: Week 2
Welcome to the second week of Congress’s Lame Duck session — and it’s a full one! A bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline passed the House last Friday, and the Senate is expected to vote on a similar bill this week. The Senate will also be voting on NSA Reform. In addition, President Obama’s plan to reveal his executive order on immigration has sparked reactions from legislators.
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Immigration Reform
This week, President Obama plans to reveal a 10-point immigration plan — and already Congress is responding.
On Nov. 5, President Obama reiterated his support for immigration reform and in working with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress:
Immigration Proposals in Congress
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and five other Republican sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "expressing opposition to President Obama's announced intention to take unilateral executive action by the end of this year to lawlessly grant amnesty to immigrants who have entered the country illegally." (Read the letter.)
Also in response to the President’s immigration plans, Congress has introduced these resolutions:
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HRes 741
Disapproving of the President's expression of intent to expand amnesty to undocumented immigrants through Executive order after the 2014 congressional midterm elections.
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HRes 742
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that it is unconstitutional for the US President to continue to provide deferred action for childhood arrivals in enforcement of the immigration laws.
Two comprehensive immigration reform bills have been previously introduced in Congress. The Senate passed its bipartisan immigration bill in 2013, but it has not been considered by the House:
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Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S 744):
— Bipartisan — To provide for comprehensive immigration reform. "Provides for border security measures that will achieve and maintain effective control in high risk areas of the Southern border; provides a path to citizenship for the 11.5 undocumented immigrants in the United States; creates a “Track One” merit based visa which will initially allocate 120,000 visas annually based on a points system; mandates E-Verify, provides additional worker protections, reforms the immigration court system and provides additional measures related to interior enforcement," according to bill sponsors. — Passed by the Senate on June 27, 2013; the House version of this bill is HR 15. —
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CIR ASAP Act (HR 3163):
"Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and submit to Congress a National Strategy for Border Security consistent with the progress already made by the Department of Homeland Security and aligned with a vision of effective and accountable enforcement for the 21st century; Requires DHS to meet certain requirements to ensure humane treatment of detainees, ensures adequate medical treatment, requires access to telephones, and increases protections from sexual and other abuse; Creates an employment verification system for employers to verify the work authorization of new hires; creates a legalization program for qualified undocumented immigrants (and their spouses and children)," according to bill sponsors.
Keystone XL Pipeline in the Senate
This week, the Senate is expected to take a long-awaited vote on approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline — legislation that has been debated in among lawmakers in Washington for six years. The House passed similar legislation approving the pipeline last week.
According to the bill sponsor, Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), the Senate has enough support to pass the bill: “On that bill we have all 45 Republicans, plus eleven Democrats, for a total of 56 cosponsors. Now, Senator Landrieu believes she can bring four more Democrats to get to the required 60 votes to pass and get Senator Reid to allow a vote."
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Hoeven-Landrieu Keystone pipeline bill (S 2280):
— Bipartisan — A bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. “The Keystone XL pipeline is about energy, jobs, helping to grow our economy and increasing national security by increasing energy security. We do not want to depend on the Middle East for oil when we can produce it at home, along with our closest ally Canada. But to have a sound energy plan, we need the infrastructure to move that energy to market, safely and efficiently. Pipelines like the Keystone XL are a vital part of that infrastructure – to move not only oil from Canada, but also from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota and Montana,” according to the bill sponsor.
From our Hill Sources: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will allow the vote in part to give Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu an opportunity to vote “yea” and perhaps help her win her runoff election next month with Republican challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest hinted that President Obama could veto legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline. Earnest explained that in evaluating earlier proposals, "the President's senior advisors at the White House would recommend that he veto legislation like that. But we'll — and that does continue to be our position." He also reiterated that the State Department was still reviewing the controversial pipeline project.
NSA Reform in the Senate
The Senate may begin considering NSA reform this week. Senator Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is pushing for a vote on his bipartisan bill, the USA Freedom Act. According to Senator Leahy, the bill “will restore Americans’ privacy rights by ending the government’s dragnet collection of phone records and by requiring greater oversight, transparency and accountability for domestic surveillance authorities. It has broad bipartisan support among the Intelligence Community, the technology industry, and privacy advocates.”
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USA Freedom Act (S 1599):
–Bipartisan– Bans bulk collection under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and other surveillance authorities, requires the government to narrow the scope of a search to a clearly defined "specific selection term," adds needed transparency and reporting requirements, and provides key reforms to the FISA Court. The bill builds on the House version of the USA Freedom Act (HR 3361), which passed in May.
Also Being Considered…
The Senate will vote to resolve differences between its version and the House version of the Child Care and Development Block Grant:
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Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (S 1086):
— Bipartisan — According to the bill sponsor: "The bipartisan and bicameral legislation promotes high quality care by reserving funds at the state level to improve the quality of care provided to children, enhances states’ ability to train providers, and develop safer and more effective child care services. The bill enhances parental choice by providing information about available care options from all providers, including faith-based and community-based providers, and allowing parents to choose the child care provider that best suits their family’s needs. Finally, the legislation ensures that all providers comply with state health, safety and fire standards and undergo annual inspections and background checks." — Passed by the Senate in March 2014, and by the House in Sept. 2014. —
The House will vote on these bills related to international affairs:
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Renew Key Agreement for US-UK Nuclear Security Cooperation (HR 5681):
— Bipartisan — Would "extend the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defense Agreement to allow continued bilateral nuclear security cooperation," according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The agreement is renewed every 10 years, and the current cycle will expire on December 31, 2014.
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Iran Resolution (HRes 754):
— Bipartisan — Condemning the Government of Iran for its gross human rights violations.
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Girls Count Act (HR 3398):
— Bipartisan — Would assist the birth registration of children in foreign countries, according to the bill sponsor. "Without the proper documentation, these children cannot gain access to schools, health services, or the economic, legal and political systems in their home countries.” The bill would "address this important issue by authorizing the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator to work with countries, international organizations such as UNICEF and the World Bank, NGOs representing children and families, and faith-based organizations to support efforts to develop birth certificates and national registries for children in developing countries."
Also, the House will vote on a series of land use and hunting bills:
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Federal Duck Stamp Act (HR 5069):
— Bipartisan — Amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act to increase the price of duck stamps, which are required to hunt migratory waterfowl, from $15 to $25. Authorizes the Department of the Interior to reduce the price of stamps for a hunting year if the increase in the stamp price resulted in a reduction in revenues deposited in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.
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Rockingham County, Virginia (HR 5162):
To amend the Act entitled “An Act to allow a certain parcel of land in Rockingham County, Virginia, to be used for a child care center” to remove the use restriction.
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Ashland Breakwater Light Transfer Act (HR 4049):
— Bipartisan — Adjusts the boundary of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin to include the Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light Addition at the end of the breakwater on Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin.
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Idaho County Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act (HR 5040):
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to Idaho County in Idaho approximately 31 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for use as a shooting range.
The House will vote on these federal research and EPA-related bills:
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Low-Dose Radiation Research Act (HR 5544):
— Bipartisan — Would "address the limited understanding of health risks associated with low dose radiation by leveraging the nation’s current expertise in low dose radiation and then proposing a long-term strategy to address current gaps of knowledge." "This legislation also stipulates that no new spending shall be authorized,” according to the bill sponsor.
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EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act (HR 1422):
"Makes changes to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) to enhance public participation, improve the process for selecting expert advisors, expand transparency requirements and limit non-scientific policy advice,” according to the House Science Committee.
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Secret Science Reform Act (HR 4012):
Would "prohibit the EPA from proposing regulations based upon science that is not transparent or not reproducible,” according to the bill sponsor.
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Promoting New Manufacturing Act (HR 4795):
Seeks to promote new manufacturing and job creation by "increasing transparency and reducing permitting delays for air permits required under the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review preconstruction permitting program,” according to the House Energy & Commerce Committee. "These permits may be subject to significant delays and regulatory uncertainty, as well as administrative appeals.”
The House will also vote on:
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Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act (HR 5448):
— Bipartisan — Amends the John F. Kennedy Center Act to authorize appropriations to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for FY2015-FY2019 for maintenance, repair, and security, and for capital projects.
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Veterans of Foreign Wars charter (HR 5441):
— Bipartisan — Amends the federal charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States to describe the organization as a national association of veterans (currently, an association of men) who, as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, served this Nation in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign soil or in hostile waters. Expands its purpose of assisting widows to that of assisting surviving spouses.
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Grand Portage Band Per Capita Adjustment Act (HR 3608):
— Bipartisan — To amend the Act of October 19, 1973, concerning taxable income to members of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill doesn't imply a POPVOX endorsement in any way. Rather, we're simply trying to offer one more way to stay informed of an overwhelmingly complex legislative system.
