Congressional leaders will host President Trump and administration officials on the Hill Monday. The Senate will vote on the CIA Director nomination, while other nominations hearings continue. The House will vote on a long list bills, including a bill to permanently authorize the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortions. The House and Senate will be out from Wednesday-Friday for the annual GOP retreat.
Confirmation Votes and Hearings in the Senate
The confirmation process continues for President Trump's appointments.
Confirmed: Two nominees were confirmed and sworn in on Inauguration Day: Ret. Gen. James Mattis (Secretary of Defense) and Retired Gen. John Kelly (Secretary of Homeland Security).
Up for full Senate vote: The Senate will vote Monday on the nomination of Kansas representative Mike Pompeo (CIA Director).
Votes in committee: Senate committees will vote on several nominations this week, sending them for consideration by the full Senate. Votes may happen this week for Elaine Chao (Transportation), Dr. Ben Carson (Housing and Urban Development), Rep. Jeff Sessions (Attorney General), and Rex W. Tillerson (Secretary of State).
Committee hearings: Several committees will hold hearings to question the nominees, including:
January 24, 10:30 AM ET: Senate Budget Committee, and
January 24, 2:30 PM ET: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
Rep. Mick Mulvaney [R, SC-5]
Office of Management and Budget Director nominee
January 18, 10:30 AM ET: Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee
Linda McMahon
Small Business Administration Administrator nominee
January 24, 10:00 PM ET: Senate Finance Committee
Rep. Tom Price [R, GA-6]
Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee
Check out A Guide to Watching Hearings on Presidential Nominations and the POPVOX nominations tracker for committee and scheduling information.
In the House:
On Tuesday the House will consider a bill that would permanently bar federal funds for abortions.
H.R. 7 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep.Christopher Smith [R, NJ-4]
Also in the House: Telecommunications and Energy Bills
H.R. 511: Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act
Sponsor: Peter Welch [D, VT-0]
To provide for consideration of the extension under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of nonapplication of No-Load Mode energy efficiency standards to certain security or life safety alarms or surveillance system.
H.R. 587: Fair RATES Act
Sponsor: Rep. Joseph Kennedy [D, MA-4]
To amend the Federal Power Act to provide that any inaction by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that allows a rate change to go into effect shall be treated as an order by the Commission for purposes of rehearing and court review.
H.R. 590: Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Latta [R, OH-5]
To foster civilian research and development of advanced nuclear energy technologies and enhance the licensing and commercial deployment of such technologies.
H.R. 518: EPS Improvement Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Diana DeGette [D, CO-1]
To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to exclude power supply circuits, drivers, and devices designed to be connected to, and power, light-emitting diodes or organic light-emitting diodes providing illumination from energy conservation standards.
H.R. 290: Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act
Sponsor: Rep. Greg Walden [R, OR-2]
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for greater transparency and efficiency in the procedures followed by the Federal Communications Commission…
H.R. 423: Anti-Spoofing Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Grace Meng [D, NY-6]
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to expand and clarify the prohibition on provision of misleading or inaccurate caller identification information…
H.R. 588: Securing Access to Networks in Disaster Act
Sponsor: Rep. Frank Pallone [D, NJ-6]
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a study on network resiliency during times of emergency…
H.R. 555: Amateur Radio Parity Act
Sponsor: Rep. Adam Kinzinger [R, IL-16]
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to amend its rules so as to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land use restrictions
…
H.R. 460: Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act
Sponsor: Rep. David Young [R, IA-3]
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of voice communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such communications
H.R. __: Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act
Sponsor: Rep. Steve Scalise
The bill would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prepare a biennial report for the Congress that assesses certain characteristics of the communications industry. The report would analyze the state of competition in the markets for voice, video, and data services, as well as the availability of high-speed and high-quality telecommunications services. Further, the bill would require the FCC to determine whether laws and regulations pose a barrier to entry into communications markets and to include that information in the biennial report. The bill also would relieve the FCC of requirements to prepare certain other reports on topics ranging from access to satellite services to prices for cable services. In all, the bill would eliminate more than 20 reports and notices, including some that remain in current law even though deadlines for their completion have passed.
H.R. 589: Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith [R, TX-21]
To establish Department of Energy policy for science and energy research and development programs, and reform National Laboratory management and technology transfer programs, and for other purposes
H.R. __: Digital GAP Act
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Ed Royce
The bill would codify many of the guiding principles and practices of the federal government’s efforts to promote Internet access in developing countries. It would require the President to report to the Congress on his policy to promote such access and on partnerships between federal agencies to provide access and expand infrastructure.
H.R. __: READ (Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development) Act
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. Nita Lowey
The bill updates the legislative authority for U.S. international basic education efforts to ensure that existing resources are effectively prioritized and aligned with U.S. foreign policy and economic interests. The bill requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a strategy to work with partner countries and organizations to promote basic education in developing countries, and designates a Senior Coordinator of U.S. International Basic Education Assistance (while simultaneously eliminating an existing, comparable position) within USAID.
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.
