Congressional legislation, September 19, 2016 – September 23, 2016

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This week on Capitol Hill, members of Congress continued negotiating funding proposals to avoid a government shutdown on October 1, 2016. The Senate was expected to hold a procedural vote on a short-term funding bill on Tuesday, September 27, 2016, that would last through December 9, 2016.

President Barack Obama vetoed S 2040—the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). The legislation allows victims of terror attacks to sue countries that support terrorism, even if the country is not on a designated list of state sponsors of terrorism. The legislation specifically allows the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said members of the Senate would remain in Washington, D.C., to override the veto, instead of heading home to focus on the elections as they had planned. The Senate was expected to hold a vote to override the veto on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.

Monday, September 19

Senate

• Key vote: The Senate unanimously passed HR 5985—the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2016. The bill authorized Veterans Affairs’ services through fiscal year 2017.

Tuesday, September 20

House

• The House passed HR 670—the Special Needs Trust Fairness and Medicaid Improvement Act—by a vote of 383-22.

• The House passed HR 5785—To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for an annuity supplement for certain air traffic controllers—by a vote of 399-4.

• The House unanimously passed HR 5690—the GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2016.

Wednesday, September 21

Senate

• The Senate rejected a motion to block a $1.15 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia by a vote of 71-27. Sixty votes against the motion were needed to move forward. Supporters of SJRes 39—Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Al Franken (D-Minn.)—were concerned that Saudi Arabia would use the tanks and other equipment in missions to kill civilians.

House

• The House passed HR 5461—the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act— by a vote of 282-143. The legislation proposed requiring the Treasury Department to publicly list the known assets of top Iranian political and military leaders.

• Veto threat: President Barack Obama threatened to veto the bill because of its potential to undermine the nuclear deal with Iran.

• The House passed HR 3957—the Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act of 2016—by a vote of 400-20.

• The House unanimously passed HR 5659—the ESRD Choice Act of 2016.

• The House passed HR 5713—the Sustaining Healthcare Integrity and Fair Treatment Act of 2016—by a vote of 420-3.

• The House unanimously passed HR 5613—To provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2016.

• The House passed HR 3438—the REVIEW Act of 2016—by a vote of 244-180.

• The House passed HR 5859—the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act—by a vote of 395-20.

• The House unanimously passed HR 6007—To amend title 49, United States Code, to include consideration of certain impacts on commercial space launch and reentry activities in a navigable airspace analysis, and for other purposes.

• The House passed HR 5977—To direct the Secretary of Transportation to provide to the appropriate committees of Congress advance notice of certain announcements, and for other purposes—by a vote of 424-1.

• The House unanimously passed HR 6014—To allow the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into reimbursable agreements for certain airport projects.

• The House passed HR 5147—To amend title 40, United States Code, to require restrooms in public buildings to be equipped with baby changing facilities—by a vote of 389-34.

Thursday, September 22

House

• The House passed HR 5931—the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act—by a vote of 254-163. The legislation proposed declaring “that it shall be the policy of the U.S. government not to pay ransom or release prisoners for the purpose of securing the release of U.S. citizens taken hostage abroad.” The bill also proposed prohibiting the U.S. government from making cash payments to Iran until the president certifies that Iran is not a state sponsor of terrorism. The legislation was a response to the Obama administration using a $400 million cash payment as leverage to ensure that Iran released four Americans who were being held there as prisoners.

• The House passed HR 5946—the United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act of 2016—by a vote of 415-1. The legislation proposed eliminating federal taxes on the value of any medal or prize money received on account of competition in the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.

• The House passed HR 5719—the Empowering Employees through Stock Ownership Act—by a vote of 287-124.

• The House unanimously passed HR 5320—the Social Security Must Avert Identity Loss (MAIL) Act of 2016.

• The House unanimously passed HR 2285—the Prevent Trafficking in Cultural Property Act.

• The House unanimously passed HR 5523—the Restraining Excessive Seizure of Property through the Exploitation of Civil Asset Forfeiture Tools Act.

• The House unanimously passed HR 5625—the Modernizing Government Travel Act.

• The House passed S 1550—the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act—by a vote of 404-11.

• The House unanimously passed HR 4419—the District of Columbia Judicial Financial Transparency Act.

• The House passed HR 5963—the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act of 2016—by a vote of 382-29.

• The House passed HR 5037—the District of Columbia Courts and Public Defender Service Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments Act—by a vote of 413-1.

Friday, September 23

White House

• Veto: President Barack Obama vetoed S 2040—the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). The legislation allows victims of terror attacks to sue countries that support terrorism, even if the country is not on a designated list of state sponsors of terrorism. The legislation specifically allows the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks were Saudi nationals, but the Saudi government has denied having anything to do with the attacks. In a statement announcing his veto, Obama wrote, "I recognize that there is nothing that could ever erase the grief the 9/11 families have endured. My Administration therefore remains resolute in its commitment to assist these families in their pursuit of justice and do whatever we can to prevent another attack in the United States. Enacting JASTA into law, however, would neither protect Americans from terrorist attacks nor improve the effectiveness of our response to such attacks. As drafted, JASTA would allow private litigation against foreign governments in U.S. courts based on allegations that such foreign governments' actions abroad made them responsible for terrorism-related injuries on U.S. soil. This legislation would permit litigation against countries that have neither been designated by the executive branch as state sponsors of terrorism nor taken direct actions in the United States to carry out an attack here. The JASTA would be detrimental to U.S. national interests more broadly, which is why I am returning it without my approval." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said members of the Senate would remain in Washington, D.C., to override the veto, instead of heading home to focus on the elections as they had planned.

• President Barack Obama signed HR 3969—To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Laughlin, Nevada, as the "Master Chief Petty Officer Jesse Dean VA Clinic"—into law.

• President Barack Obama signed S 1579—the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act—into law. The bill requires "the Departments of Commerce and the Interior, and other Federal agencies with recreational travel or tourism functions, to update their management plans and tourism initiatives to include Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations."

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