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Congressional legislation, July 11, 2016 – July 15, 2016
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Lawmakers had a busy week before leaving for their summer recess. The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act but failed to pass the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. The Senate also passed a mental health and substance abuse bill that was expected to be “one of Congress’s biggest achievements this year,” according to The Hill. The House passed a bill funding the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 for the first time since 2009. The House also passed legislation to tighten restrictions on Iran on the first anniversary of the Iran nuclear agreement.
Both chambers adjourned for a seven-week summer recess on Thursday, July 14, 2016. Lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on September 6, 2016.
Monday, July 11
House
- The House passed HR 5602 - To amend title 31, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to include all funds when issuing certain geographic targeting orders, and for other purposes by a vote of 356-47. The legislation proposed expanding “the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s ability to collect information under Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs) in order to prevent money laundering.”
- The House passed HR 5607 - the Enhancing Treasury's Anti-Terror Tools Act by a vote of 362-45. The legislation proposed enhancing the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s “ability to better track cross-border fund transfers and identify potential financing of terror or other illicit finance” to combat terrorist activities.
- The House rejected HR 5606 - the Anti-terrorism Information Sharing Is Strength Act by a vote of 229-177. The legislation required a two-thirds majority to pass. The legislation proposed strengthening Section 314 of the Patriot Act to make it easier for banks to share information with the federal government “in the fight against the funding of terrorist activities.”
Tuesday, July 12
House
- The House passed HR 4768 - the Separations of Powers Restoration Act by a vote of 240-171. The legislation proposed amending the Administrative Procedure Act to limit federal agencies’ rulemaking power by requiring courts to review agency interpretations of statutory and regulatory provisions. The purpose of the legislation was to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1984 Chevron decision, which required courts to give deference to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes.
- The House passed HR 5658 - The TALENT Act of 2016 by a vote of 409-8. The bill proposed codifying a program that President Barack Obama introduced in 2012 to draw individuals from the tech sector into government service and projects. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) introduced the legislation to preserve the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program for the future.
Wednesday, July 13
Senate
- Key vote: The Senate passed S 524 - the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act by a vote of 90-2. The legislation proposed allowing the federal government to award grants to states to treat people who are addicted to painkillers and heroin, and it also proposed establishing a grant program to support prescribing opioid overdose reversal drugs. It passed the House on July 8, 2016, by a vote of 407-5.
- President Barack Obama requested $1.1 billion to help expand treatment capacity nationally, but funding was not attached to the bill. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement that the bill “falls far short” of the resources required to fight opioid abuse. Despite differences over funding, Earnest said the president would sign the bill into law “because some action is better than none.”
- The Senate confirmed the nomination of Carla D. Hayden to be the 14th librarian of Congress by a vote of 74-18. Hayden is the first black woman to hold this post.
- The Senate approved a short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extension by a vote of 89-4. The agency’s legal authority was set to expire on July 15, 2016. HR 636 authorized FAA programs at current funding levels through September 2017 and set forth numerous aviation reforms. It included provisions to strengthen airport security, enhance security coordination, optimize checkpoint efficiency, improve air travel for persons with disabilities, impose a civil penalty for drone misuse, expand the TSA PreCheck program, and refund checked baggage fees for lost or delayed luggage. The House accepted the Senate’s amendments on July 11, 2016.
House
- The House passed S 304 - the Conscience Protection Act of 2016 by a vote of 249-182. The legislation proposed preventing the government from penalizing a healthcare provider for refusing to "perform, refer for, pay for, or otherwise participate in abortion."
- The House passed HR 5119 - the No 2H2O from Iran Act by a vote of 249-176. The bill proposed prohibiting federal departments and agencies from purchasing or issuing licenses to purchase heavy water produced in Iran. According to James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, heavy water is a form of water made of up “different, heavier molecules than normal H2O.” Heavy water can be combined with uranium to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Iran is required to reduce its supply of heavy water under the terms of the Iran nuclear deal. Purchases of heavy water by the U.S. were intended to help Iran meet this requirement.
Thursday, July 14
Senate
- Key vote: The Senate passed S 2943 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 by a vote of 85-12. The legislation "authorizes FY2017 appropriations and sets forth policies regarding the military activities of the Department of Defense (DOD), military construction, and the defense activities of the Department of Energy (DOE). The bill authorizes appropriations, but does not provide budget authority, which is considered in subsequent appropriations legislation."
- Key vote: The Senate rejected HR 5293 - the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2017 by a vote of 55-42; sixty votes were needed to move forward. Democrats pledged to stall the appropriations process until Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) agrees to uphold a two-year budget deal and disallow "poison pill" riders, according to reports. The Senate first rejected a motion to proceed with this bill on July 7, 2016, by a vote of 50-44.
House
- Key vote: The House passed HR 5538 - the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 by a vote of 231-196. The bill "[p]rovides FY2017 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies." It was the first time this legislation passed the House since 2009.
- The House passed S 764, which proposed directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a national labeling standard for foods with genetically modified ingredients, by a vote of 306-117. The legislation proposed prohibiting states from creating their own mandatory labeling laws and permitting food producers to use text, symbols, or QR codes that are read using a smartphone to communicate this information to consumers. The bill passed the Senate with changes by a vote of 63-30 on July 7, 2016.
- The House passed two bills along party lines to tighten restrictions on Iran on the first anniversary of the Iran nuclear agreement.
- HR 5631- the Iran Accountability Act of 2016 passed the House by a vote of 246-179. The bill proposed imposing sanctions on officials and agents of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and on individuals identified as having provided material support to Iran’s ballistic missile program. The bill also proposed expanding sanctions for individuals involved in human rights abuses.
- The House also passed HR 4992 - the United States Financial System Protection Act of 2016 by a vote of 245-181. The bill proposed codifying regulations blocking the use of the U.S. financial system in transfers of funds that involve or could benefit Iran or Iranian entities.
Friday, July 15
- The House and Senate were not in session. Both chambers adjourned for a seven-week summer recess on Thursday, July 14, 2016. Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill after Labor Day.
