Weekly Legislative Update 11/20/2032

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Enacted, signed into law by the President

H.R. 6363: Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024
GovTrack.us: “This bill provides continuing FY2024 appropriations for federal agencies and extends several expiring programs and authorities.
It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and prevents a government shutdown that would otherwise occur if the FY2024 appropriations bills have not been enacted when the existing CR expires on November 17, 2023. The CR generally funds most programs and activities at the FY2023 levels with several exceptions that provide funding flexibility and additional appropriations for various programs.
The CR provides funding through January 19, 2024, for agencies and programs that were funded in the following four FY2023 appropriations acts:
the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023; the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023; the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023; and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023.
For most other federal agencies and programs, the CR provides funding through February 2, 2024.”
Passed in the House 336-95 with all but two Democrats voting yea. Indiana Reps Mrvan, Carson, Baird, Pence and Bucshon voted yea; all other Indiana reps voted nay. View the vote.
Passed in the Senate 87-11 with Senator Young voting yea and Senator Braun voting nay.

H.R. 1226: Wounded Warrior Access Act

H.R. 366: Korean American VALOR Act

Congress

“Congressional leaders are hoping to muster a supplemental package to aid the war efforts in Ukraine and Israel, as well as make improvements to the U.S. immigration system, by the end of the year, according to multiple people involved in discussions.” (NBC News)

“After a marathon day and late-night vote to avert a Thanksgiving government shutdown, four U.S. Senate Republicans held the floor until the wee hours Thursday, urging their Alabama colleague to lift his months-long objections to hundreds of U.S. military nominations.
Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Todd Young of Indiana, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked for unanimous consent on two stalled nominees and spoke on the matter until nearly 4 a.m.
Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah objected to both on behalf of GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, speaking at length in defense of the minority party’s right to block nominations as leverage and about his own opposition to the Pentagon’s abortion policy that Tuberville is protesting. Lee’s objections meant the nominations remained stalled.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Passed the House

H.Res. 845: Censuring Representative Rashida Tlaib for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.
Passed 234-188 with 22 Democrats and all but four Republicans voting yea. Indiana Reps Mrvan and Carson voted nay and all other Indiana Reps voted yea. View the vote.
This is a simple resolution; it is not voted on in the other chamber and does not have the force of law.

H.Res. 798: Condemning the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
Passed 396-23 with all Indiana Reps voting yea except Rep Carson who voted nay. View the vote. This is a simple resolution; it is not voted on in the other chamber and does not have the force of law.

H.Res. 559: Declaring it is the policy of the United States that a nuclear Islamic Republic of Iran is not acceptable.
On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 354 – 53 (Roll no. 560). All Indiana Representatives voted yea except for Rep Carson who voted nay. View the vote.
This is a simple resolution; this is the end of the legislative process for a simple resolution.

Passed the House, Senate next

H.R. 6126: Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024
GovTrack.us: “This bill provides FY2024 supplemental appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State for activities to respond to the attacks in Israel. The bill designates the funding as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits… the bill rescinds specified unobligated funds that were provided for activities of the Internal Revenue Service and related agencies.”
This bill “would pay for aid to Israel by cutting the same amount in funding that was allocated to the IRS under the Inflation Reduction Act, one of President Biden’s signature pieces of legislation.” (CBS News) In addition, the bill “would add $26.8 billion to the U.S. budget deficit, according to a new report Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.” (NBC News)
Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 226 – 196 with Indiana Reps Mrvan and Carson voting nay and all other Indiana Reps voting yea. View the vote.

H.R. 4821: Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024
GovTrack.us: “This bill provides FY2024 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and several related agencies.”
Passed 213-203 with Indiana Reps Mrvan and Carson voting nay and all other Indiana Reps voting yea. View the vote.
“The overall bill that funds the Interior Department, EPA and some related agencies provides 35 percent less than the fiscal-2023-enacted level. The bill also would rescind $9.4 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding provided to EPA, the Presidio Trust and the Council on Environmental Quality.…EPA would be subject to a steep cut of nearly 40 percent — down to $6.2 billion. The Department of the Interior would be funded at $14.3 billion, slicing its budget by $677 million.” (E & E News by Politico)

H.R. 1505: No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act of 2023
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 1105: Debbie Smith Act of 2023
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 405 – 0

H.R. 1722: Grand Ronde Reservation Act Amendment of 2023
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 3448: American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act of 2023
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 1318: Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 1607: To clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 359: Fort San Gerónimo Preservation Act
GovTrack.us: “To establish Fort San Gerónimo del Boquerón in Puerto Rico as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and for other purposes.”
Passed 359-24 with all Indiana Reps voting yea except for Reps Pence and Yakym who did not vote.

H.R. 3774: SHIP Act (Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act)
Congress.gov: “This bill requires the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against foreign persons that knowingly transport, process, refine, or otherwise deal in petroleum and petroleum products (including petrochemicals) originating in Iran.”
Passed 342-69 with all Indiana Reps voting yea except Rep Carson who voted nay. View the vote.

H.R. 3266: Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

H.R. 340: Hamas International Financing Prevention Act
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 363 – 46

HR 4364: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2024
Congress.gov: “Making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.” Passed 214-197 with all Indiana Reps voting yea except for Reps Mrvan and Carson who voted nay. View the vote.
“The $5.3 billion bill represents a 4.7 percent cut from current spending levels. That total does not include Senate-only funds…House Democrats generally oppose the GOP’s spending bills because they set discretionary spending well below the cap agreed to in June’s debt limit law and because they include controversial culture war policy riders.
The Legislative Branch bill is no exception — Republicans included language to prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion programming and zero out $3.5 million in funds for the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion.” (Roll Call)

Failed in the House

H.Res. 773: Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the House of Representatives.
On agreeing to the resolution Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 179 – 213. View the vote.

Passed the Senate, House next

Failed in the Senate

S.J.Res. 43: Improving Income Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and published on July 10, 2023. The rule creates a new income-driven repayment plan called the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan.
GovTrack.us: “This joint resolution nullifies the final rule submitted by the Department of Education titled Improving Income Driven Repayment for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and published on July 10, 2023. The rule creates a new income-driven repayment plan called the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan.”
Failed 49-50 with all Republicans and Senator Manchin voting yea and all other Democrats voting nay. View the vote.

H.R. 662: Block Grant Assistance Act of 2023
Under the order of 10/24/23, having not achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 43 – 53.
Congress.gov: “This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide as block grants to states and territories certain funding available to assist agricultural producers with losses due to droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, tornadoes, winter storms, freeze, smoke exposure, and excessive moisture occurring in calendar year 2022.” Failed 43-54 with both Indiana Senators voting yea. View the vote.

To find and contact your Members of Congress: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

In other news

“Former first lady Rosalynn Carter died Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia. She was 96. The Carter Center in Atlanta had announced Friday that Mrs. Carter, who had dementia, was in hospice care at home. Rosalynn Carter advocated for better treatment for the mentally ill when her husband, Jimmy Carter, was in office and for decades afterward. She established the modern office of the first lady, becoming the first to maintain an office in the East Wing of the White House. She expanded the first lady’s traditionally ceremonial role and advised her husband. The Carters were married for 77 years, the longest presidential marriage in the nation’s history.” The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Meta will allow political ads on its platforms to question the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election, part of a rollback in election-related content moderation among major social media platforms over the past year ahead of the 2024 US presidential contest.
The policy means that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will be able to directly profit from political ads that boost false claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 election.” (CNN)

Senator Joe Manchin will not seek re-election to the Senate. (West Virginia Watch)

“Virginia voters have rejected Republican efforts to take full control of the state’s government, keeping Democrats in power in the Legislature as a counterweight to GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin and conservative policy proposals that include a 15-week abortion ban.
Democrats kept their majority in the state Senate and flipped the state House…” (NBC News)

“The biggest news from November’s elections was Ohio’s passage of two ballot initiatives: one legalizing recreational cannabis and another enshrining a right to abortion access into the constitution. The moves makes Indiana an outlier among surrounding states on both topics.” (Nikki Kelly, Indiana Capital Chronicle)

“Hamas gunmen fought Israeli forces trying to enter Gaza’s largest refugee camp on Sunday. In northern Gaza, a strike killed at least 24 people at a school run by the United Nations, a U.N. official said Sunday. The intense fighting came as U.S. and Israeli officials neared a deal on a days-long cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages Hamas took in its deadly Oct. 7 raid in southern Israel. Israeli tanks approached another hospital in northern Gaza as troops continued to search Al-Shifa Hospital, where Israel says Hamas operated an underground command center, which Hamas denies. A United Nations humanitarian team allowed inside described the facility as a “death zone.”” Reuters, The New York Times

“President Biden stressed on Saturday that the U.S. is prepared to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers who are involved in attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.” (Axios)

“Far-right outsider Javier Milei won Argentina’s presidential run-off election on Sunday, defeating Sergio Massa, the center-left finance minister. Milei campaigned on a promise to “break up with the status quo” represented by Massa. Milei’s brash, anti-establishment politics and embrace of conspiracy theories inspired comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump. The economist and former TV pundit won 55% of the vote, according to preliminary results. As Massa conceded, Milei said the election had put the South American nation back on “the path that we should never have lost. Today we retake the path that made this country great.”” CNN, The Guardian

Economy
Consumer prices rose 3.2% in October compared to a year ago, cooling significantly from the previous month and exceeding economist expectations. The data indicates progress in the Federal Reserve’s fight to reduce inflation.
The results mark a half-percentage-point decline from the annual inflation increase shown in September, according to data released Tuesday by the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. (ABC News)

SCOTUS
“The Florida law that limits drag shows in the state will remain blocked, the Supreme Court said Thursday, dealing a blow to a key initiative championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.” (CNN)

Indiana

“Democrat Destiny Wells announced Monday she is running for Indiana attorney general next year.
Medical privacy, workers’ rights and ethics are the three areas Wells focused on in her campaign launch.” (WFYI) She is “pledging to bring ethical administration back to the Indiana attorney general’s office after two consecutive Republican” officeholders were sanctioned by the Supreme Court for professional misconduct.” As Attorney General she would be an “honest advocate for the needs of Hoosiers — instead of an attorney general focused on furthering the political ambitions of the incumbent.” (NWI Times)

Governor Eric Holcomb and the IEDC have big plans for their LEAP District in Boone County, which they claim will garner billions in economic development. The only problem is, they lack sufficient water resources. Their plan? Get it from water-rich Tippecanoe County. But residents in Tippecanoe County aren’t excited about sharing. The plan to syphon off a hundred million gallons of water a day has people up in arms and has sparked concern from politicians. (Statehouse Happenings, WIBC)

The number of private school vouchers in Indiana has increased significantly this year, good news to those benefiting but grounds for concern on the part of public school advocates.  (Tribune Star)

The Hamilton East Public Library Thursday nixed its controversial book relocation and removal policy that had embroiled the community in fierce and often ugly debate for nearly two years while casting the northern suburbs as a hotbed of the national culture wars.  (Indy Star)

“The Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) is rolling out a new $1.46 million grant to assist local government in strengthening energy efficiency and conservation efforts.
The grant money may be utilized by Indiana communities for efforts in energy planning, audits, and efficiency upgrades for publicly owned buildings and electric transportation.
“We are excited about this grant opportunity for Hoosier communities,” said Ryan Hadley, executive director of the Indiana Office of Energy Development. “Supporting energy efficiency projects at the local level leads to lower energy costs for local government and reduces taxpayer burden. It’s a win for everyone.”
The grant is funded by federal dollars [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act] via the Indiana for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.” (WNDU)

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is trying to prevent his disciplinary complaint from being entangled in appellate court arguments over whether to release a report about his previous employment with Apex Benefits.  (Indiana Citizen)

“Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said Wednesday he would appeal a court ruling that allows Indianapolis Public Schools to sell buildings instead of being forced to offer the property to charter schools for $1.” (WFYI)

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined 17 other AG’s from across the country in coming to the legal defense of former President Donald Trump.  (Indy Politics)

“As Indiana hits the halfway point for the Medicaid unwinding process, the rate of Hoosiers losing benefits seems to have slowed as the state reassesses the coverage of millions of beneficiaries following the expiration of pandemic protections.
However, with a total of 231,403 Hoosiers kicked off of the rolls, Indiana could potentially exceed an earlier estimate that predicted only 300,000-400,000 Hoosiers would lose coverage.”
(Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Indiana’s Department of Transportation (INDOT) expects to lose billions of dollars in revenue in the coming decades as more Hoosiers buy alternative fuel-using and fuel-efficient vehicles. That might mean changes to a popular grant program’s funding mix, and more.  (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Indiana voters across the state showed support for giving their school districts the green light to use millions of dollars in property tax revenue to hire and retain teachers and fund programs and transportation.  (Chalkbeat Indiana)

Unemployment fell across Northwest Indiana in September, but Lake County continued to have the highest jobless rate in the state.  (Times of Northwest Indiana)

“Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, who championed removing personal ideologies from state investment strategies throughout the legislative session, announced on Wednesday a significant purchase of Israel funds to support the U.S. ally.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett easily secured a third term over Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve. The big win came despite Shreve spending millions of his own personal fortune.  (Statehouse Happenings, WIBC)

After devastating defeats in St. Joseph County a year ago, Democrats won the big races in South Bend and Mishawaka Tuesday.  (Jack Colwell, South Bend Tribune)

“LaPorte County Coroner Lynn Swanson faces drunken driving charges after allegedly crashing her vehicle into a sign Friday night at the Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets and then being found with a blood-alcohol concentration twice the legal limit for driving.” (NWI Times)