What a week to be back!
Policy, elections, and new members…

House passed bill to renew Iran sanctions for 10 years. New members headed to the Hill, taking part in policy briefings to icebreaker activities. Bicameral, bipartisan elections as lawmakers determined leadership positions for upcoming Congress. Trump administration began announcing leadership picks as well, putting forth first two Cabinet selections.

Iran Sanctions  |  New Members  |  Leadership Elections  |  Cabinet Selections   |   State Legislation  |  ICYMI

House passed bill to renew Iran sanctions for 10 years

Iran sanctions are set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year. This week the House passed legislation to extend the sanctions for 10 years, as well as impose new sanctions on Syria. The vote was 419-1, with Rep. Thomas Massie [R, KY-4] in opposition and fourteen members not voting. The bill now needs Senate approval and President Obama's signature before year's end to renew the sanctions.

Iran Sanctions Extension Act (H.R. 6297) 

Sponsor: Rep. Ed Royce [R, CA-39]

Learn more from the Congressional Research Service and let your Senators know how to vote!

Meet the new faces of Congress

New members arrived on the Hill this week for New Member Orientation. The House version is more choreographed and photographed, whereas the Senate version is often less rigid and more secretive. Sen. Cory Gardner [R, CO] recollected how the House orientation involved briefings on policy, procedure, and office management, whereas the Senate orientation involved institutional discussions and even trust fall type activities. So meet the newly elected members of Congress, set to be the most racially diverse in U.S. history.

You're a leader! You're a leader!

Most everyone hosted leadership elections this week, with many lawmakers set to remain in current leadership positions. Senate Republicans elected Sen. Mitch McConnell [R, KY] to another term as Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Democrats elected Sen. Chuck Schumer [D, NY] to serve as the next Senate Minority Leader.

The new Senate Minority Leader expanded the Democratic leadership team from seven to ten, adding positions for outreach, communications, and strategy. Here's a complete list of the ranking members of committees. Movement of note? Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT] will depart Senate Judiciary for Appropriations, making Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA] the upcoming Ranking Member on Senate Judiciary.

Turns out House Freedom Caucus Chair Jim Jordan planned on running for Speaker but changed his mind after Trump won. This week in a secret-ballot internal election, House Republicans nominated Paul Ryan to be re-elected as Speaker. Here's what happens next.

Meanwhile, House Democrats pushed leadership elections to Nov. 30. Rep. Nancy Pelosi [D, CA-12] announced she is seeking re-election, while Rep. Tim Ryan [D, OH-13] announced he will challenge the current House Democratic leader.

Surprise of the week? Rep. Mark Walker [R, NC-6] beat House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andy Harris [R, MD-1] to chair the Republican Study Committee. Walker, in just his second term, will be the youngest-ever member to lead the RSC. The RSC is the largest of the three main factions of House Republicans and comprises more than 70% of the Republican conference.

Trump administration started announcing Cabinet selections

This week the Trump administration announced picks for several top posts. The week began with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus being named as White House chief of staff and Breitbart news executive Stephen Bannon being selected for chief White House strategist.

The end of the week included three more picks: Sen. Jeff Sessions [R, AL] for Attorney General, Rep. Mike Pompeo [R, KS-4] for CIA director, and Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn for National Security Adviser.

So now what happens? Well, Priebus, Bannon, and Flynn have been selected for positions that do not require approval by the Senate, while Attorney General and CIA director are positions the Senate must confirm. It all comes down to Senate rules and those change with each Congress. Three years ago Democrats unilaterally changed Senate rules to eliminate the 60-vote threshold for most nominations.

Nominees come before respective committees for a vote and then head to the floor for a full Senate vote. Here's a list of committee jurisdictions. Attorney General, for example, would come before Senate Judiciary; CIA director would come before Senate Intelligence. Learn more about the Senate's role in the nomination and confirmation process.

Remember that these nominations will be considered in the next Congress (which doesn't start until January). In fact, President-Elect Donald Trump cannot officially appoint them until he is sworn in as President of the United States. In the meanwhile, we've created pages so that you can tell your senators what you think about these selections. (Messages will be delivered now and again when Congress comes back into session in January).

Confirmation of CIA director nominee, Rep. Mike Pompeo (pending) 

Confirmation of Attorney General nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (pending) 

Legislative Lowdown: States Edition

• California recently enacted bill that forces entertainment websites to remove the ages of actors on actors' request. IMDb is now suing California saying the new law is unconstitutional.
• Georgia state representative introduced and later withdrew a bill to prohibit women from wearing a burqas or veils in driver's license photos.
• Rep. Kristi Noem [R, SD-0] announced she will retire from Congress in 2018 and instead make a bid to become the state's first female governor. Why so soon? Last week South Dakota voters passed a new campaign finance measure, forcing Noem to make expedited decision.
• Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile will be charged with manslaughter.
• Illinois lawmakers introduced a massive energy bill that would restructure utility bills and implement a demand charge. The legislation includes subsidies to keep two nuclear power plants open.

#ICYMI

• Speaker Ryan blocked efforts to partially lift a ban on earmarks at conference meeting to establish rules for the next Congress, postponing debate until early next year.
• House Republicans and Trump administration rallied behind a plan to pass a CR that goes through March.
• Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said Congress may combine cures and mental health packages into one bill, to be voted on by year's end.
• Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White will step down at the end of President Obama's term, making her the first major Obama appointee to announce she will leave following the administration. This will leave three vacant commissioner seats. There are currently two nominees pending in the Senate.
• Republicans are set to control 69 of 99 state legislative chambers next year (an all-time high for the party) and at least 33 governors.
• Making a website for the government is no easy feat.
• Sen. Ben Sasse [R, NE] drove for Uber this weekend.
• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her opera debut.
• Obama administration said it needs more time to review the Dakota Access pipeline.
• International Criminal Court is considering launching a war crimes investigation in Afghanistan, after prosecutors said there is "reasonable basis" to believe U.S. soldiers committed war crimes, including torture.
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski has long served as the Dean of the Senate Women. This week she hosted her last post-election gathering for female senators.
• Three new members were sworn into the House, returning the House to 435 members (247 GOP, 188 Dem). Welcome Reps. Colleen Hanabusa [D, HI-1], James Comer [R, KY-1], and Dwight Evans [D, PA-2]!
• CDC Director Tom Frieden discussed what every American should know about Zika.
• New GAO report said Federal Reserve needs to improve how it implements stress tests for major banks.
• "Make America Great Again" hats were distributed during the weekly Republican caucus meeting.
• Retiring Rep. Steve Israel [D, NY-3] wants to be a full-time novelist.
• New landmark report from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy placed drug and alcohol addiction alongside smoking, AIDS, and other public health crises of the past fifty years.
• Obama administration announced it is canceling 15 leases in Montana for oil and gas drilling on lands considered sacred by the Blackfeet Tribe.
• Congressional panel released its final report, calling for a new Smithsonian museum of women's history.
• Director of National Intelligence James Clapper resigned.
• White House announced list of 21 recipients to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country.
• House Democrats called on President Obama to pardon young undocumented immigrants who are temporarily shielded from deportation under 2012 executive action.

Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill does not imply POPVOX endorsement in any way. As always, our goal is to offer one more way to help you stay informed about the complex U.S. legislative system.