Congressional legislation, November 28, 2016 – December 2, 2016
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This week on Capitol Hill, the Senate passed a bill to renew sanctions against Iran and a bill which would prohibit companies from taking legal action against consumers who post negative reviews of them online. The House passed legislation authorizing intelligence appropriations for fiscal year 2017 and legislation aimed at providing funding for medical research. A full recap of this week's legislation can be viewed below.
Monday, November 28
The Senate and House did not cast any key votes.
Tuesday, November 29
Senate
- The Senate passed S 2873-the ECHO Act - by a vote of 97-0. The legislation would expand the University of New Mexico's Project ECHO, which links medical specialists with rural doctors in order to teach them how to treat more complex diseases.
- Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a co-sponsor of the bill, said, "This leverages technology so that eventually the quality of care will not depend how close you are to an urban center or to a highly subsidized research institution."
- The Senate passed HR 5111-the Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 by unanimous consent. The legislation would prohibit companies from taking legal action against consumers who post negative reviews of them online on websites such as Yelp.
- Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a co-sponsor of the bill, said, "By ending gag clauses, this legislation supports consumer rights and the integrity of critical feedback about products and services sold online."
Wednesday, November 30
House
- Key vote: The House passed HR 34-the 21st Century Cures Act by a vote of 392-26. The legislation is aimed at speeding the research and cure of diseases and contains a number of other healthcare priorities.
- Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the main sponsor of the bill, said, "This bill, which expedites the approval of drugs and devices, includes literally billions of dollars in additional spending for health research so that we can find the cures and the answers to what patients are demanding today."
- Key vote: The House passed HR 6393-the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 by a vote of 390-30. The legislation authorizes intelligence appropriations for fiscal year 2017. The bill also includes provisions to counter Russian covert influence in foreign countries.
- The House passed HR 6302-the Overtime Pay for Secret Service Agents Act of 2016 by a voice vote. The legislation addressed the issue of secret service agents who protected presidential candidates this year hitting their pay cap and essentially working additional overtime hours for free.
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the author of the bill, said, "This is not a bonus. This is not extra pay. This is simply trying to compensate them for hours that they worked."
Thursday, December 1
Senate
- Key vote: The Senate passed HR 6297—the Iran Sanctions Extension Act—by a vote of 99-0. The legislation proposed continuing to impose defense, banking, and energy sanctions on Iran for a 10-year period. The existing sanctions were set to expire at the end of the year.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a supporter of the bill, said, "The practical effect is the Iran nuclear agreement depends on our resolve, on our commitment to... stop a nuclear-armed Iran by using sanctions and other means if necessary."
Friday, December 2
The Senate and House did not cast any key votes.
