NATIONAL
HOW DID YOUR MOCs VOTE LAST WEEK?
H.R. 3: Lower Drug Costs Now Act [PASSED House]
VISCLOSKY: YEA
WALORSKI: NAY
BAIRD: NAY
H.R. 5038: Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019 [PASSED House]
VISCLOSKY: YEA
WALORSKI: NAY
BAIRD: NAY
H.R. 729: The Tribal Coastal Resiliency Act [PASSED House]
VISCLOSKY: YEA
WALORSKI: YEA
BAIRD: NAY
CONFIRMATIONS:
Patrick Bumatay: U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Lawrence VanDyke: U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
John Sullivan: Ambassador to Russia
Stephen Han: Commissioner of the Food & Drug Administration
Aurelia Skipwith: Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
A considerable amount of legislation was passed last week by voice vote, meaning individual votes were not recorded. SEE ALL OF LAST WEEK’S VOTES AT COUNTABLE
COMMITTEE WATCH
We all know what the House Judiciary Committee is up to, but plenty of other important stuff happened in committee this week. Here are just a few examples:
- Betsy DeVos testified at a hearing called “Examining the Education Department’s Implementation of Borrower Defense“
- The House Transportation Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal Aviation Administration’s Oversight of the Aircraft’s Certification”
- The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing titled “Examining the Need for Comprehensive National Paid Family and Medical Leave”
- See all the Committee happenings here
UPCOMING ISSUES
This week is all “added voting days,” meaning both chambers will be tying up loose ends. Also possible is a full House vote on impeachment.
H.R. 5430: [NAFTA Replacement]
H.R. 5377: Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act
According to Countable, ” This bill increases the tax deduction for state and local taxes in 2019 to $20,000 for persons filing a joint tax return. It eliminates the current $10,000 cap on the deduction in 2020 and 2021. The bill increases the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% beginning in 2020, and reduces the dollar amount at which the increased tax rate begins.”
S. 1790: National Defense Appropriations for 2020
SEE THIS WEEK’S FULL SCHEDULE AT CONGRESS.GOV
STATE OF INDIANA
Legislative priorities were unveiled this week at the Statehouse. For the Dems, it’s gun safety, jail overcrowding, and redistricting reform. For Republicans, it’s public health and education/workforce development.
Two-year panel to guide Indiana energy policy: Task force targeting local conflicts with wind and other renewable energy projects. (Kokomo Tribune)
The House approved a bill Wednesday that would grant legal status to farmworkers currently living in the country illegally in exchange for stricter future hiring enforcement, but with meager Republican support that makes its future in the Senate unclear. (Stateline.Org)
A trio of experts on Thursday dissected the vulnerability of Indiana’s election systems at a Statehouse panel. (Journal Gazette)
State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary, is touting a new plan to immediately pay Indiana teachers more money, without increasing taxes or reducing spending on other state priorities. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
