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The Latest: A Weekly Federal Update (06/20/22)



Upcoming Events & Activities

June 20, 2021 - June 24, 2022

All events in Eastern Daylight Time


Monday, June 20th

No events to report.


Tuesday, June 21st

4:00 PM - House Appropriations Committee: Hearing titled, "Markup of FY2023 Interior, Environment, & Related Agencies Bill"


5:30 PM - House Appropriations Committee: Hearing titled, "Markup of FY2023 Energy and Water Development, & Related Agencies Subcommittee Bill"


Wednesday, June 22nd

9:30 AM - Senate Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee: Hearing titled, "The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to Congress"


10:00 AM - Senate Environment & Public Works Committee: Hearing titled, "Toxic Substances Control Act Amendments Implementation"


10:30 AM - House Energy & Commerce Committee: Hearing titled, "Legislative Hearing to Strengthen Energy Infrastructure, Efficiency, and Financing"


12:00 PM - House Economic Disparity & Fairness in Growth Committee: Hearing titled, "Tackling the Tax Code: Evaluating Fairness, Efficiency, and Potential to Spur Inclusive Economic Growth"


2:30 PM - House Homeland Security Committee: Hearing titled, "Securing the Future: Harnessing the Potential of Emerging Technologies While Mitigating Security Risks"


Thursday, June 23rd

10:00 AM - House Financial Services Committee: Hearing titled, "Monetary Policy & the State of the Economy"


4:00 PM - House Appropriations Committee: Hearing titled, "Markup of FY2023 Transportation, Housing & Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Appropriations Bill"


5:30 PM - House Appropriations Committee: Hearing titled, "Markup FY2023 Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill"


Friday, June 24th

9:00 AM - House Climate Crisis Committee: Hearing titled, "Cutting Methane Pollution: Safeguarding Health, Creating Jobs, & Protecting our Climate"

 

Energy, Water & Environment

The latest from the House and Senate committees on energy (infrastructure), WIFIA, water treatment and wastewater management, environmental issues, natural resources, or environmental justice.

Legislation

H.R. 8127, To reauthorize the Water Infrastructure Finance & Innovation Act of 2014

Sponsor: Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA-08) referred to Transportation & Infrastructure; Energy & Commerce Committees Date Introduced: June 16, 2022


H.R. 8090, To reauthorize funding for the Reclamation Climate Change & Water Program

Sponsor: Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA-45) referred to Natural Resources Committee

Date Introduced: June 15, 2022


H.R. 8068, To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include in a report the amount available to the Secretary of Energy to make certain loan guarantees, to amend the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to provide for direct loans to Indian Tribes and tribal energy development organizations for energy development

Sponsor: Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-03) referred to Energy & Commerce; Science, Space, & Technology; Natural Resources Committees

Date Introduced: June 16, 2022


H.R. 8053 - GRID Act, To provide the Secretary of Energy with the authority to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements to improve the resilience of defense critical electric infrastructure and reduce the vulnerability of critical defense facilities to the disruption of the supply of electric energy to those facilities

Sponsor: Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO-06) referred to Energy & Commerce Committee Date Introduced: June 14, 2022

News

E&E: House Appropriators Release Bill to Bolster EPA, Interior Dept

On June 21st, House appropriates released a bill that would provide sizeable increase for the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. Under this bill, the EPA would receive $11.5 billion for FY2023, or roughly a 21% increase or $2 billion more over the agency's current funding of $9.5 billion. Further, the DoI would receive $16.6 billion, or $2.1 billion over the agency's current FY2022 funding.


Politico: Ban on Xinjiang Manufacturing Law Takes Effect

On June 21st, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act officially takes effect, which prohibits the importation of any goods mined, produced, or manufactured wholly, or in part, from the Xinjiang province of the People's Republic of China, unless an importer can prove that their products were not made with forced labor. In 2021, about 50% of the world's supply of polysilicon came from the northwestern province of China. On December 23, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law.

 

Transportation & Infrastructure

The latest from the House and Senate committees on industrial and commercial mechanical insulation, cybersecurity, electric vehicle charging, supply chains, port authority, metropolitan transit, or airports.

Legislation

H.R. 8140, To enable high research activity status HBCUs to increase capacity toward achieving very high research activity status

Sponsor: Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) referred to Education & Labor Committee

Date Introduced: June 17, 2022


H.R. 8121, To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from making certain grants to zero-emission or electric ferries

Sponsor: Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA-10) referred to Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

Date Introduced: June 16, 2022


News

Fortune: More than 75% of Global CEOs Think a Recession Will Hit Soon, New Survey Finds

A majority of business executives are convinced a recession is inevitable over the next year and a half, or that it’s already underway, according to a survey released Friday. Over three-quarters of global CEOs say they expect a recession to hit the region their business primarily operates in by 2023, the Conference Board found in its latest survey of 750 CEOs and other C-suite executives. The findings show a staggering change in economic outlook from the 22% who reported seeing recession risk in the business research firm’s late 2021 survey. Compared to CEOs, other C-suite executives expressed slightly less certainty that a recession is coming. Among them, CFOs were the least convinced; 60% expected a recession in their region by the end of next year.

 

Public Safety & Justice Administration

The latest from the House and Senate committees on immigration, detention, homeland security, border security, asylum policy, criminal justice reform, and firearm regulation.

Legislation

H.R. 8126, To improve the procedures of the national instant criminal background check system in the case of firearm transfers by federally licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers before the completion of the related criminal background check, and to provide for annual reports on default firearm transfers

Sponsor: Rep. Bradley Scott Schneider (D-IL-1o) referred to Judiciary Committee

Date Introduced: June 16, 2022


News

Fox News: Supreme Court Releases Opinion on Arizona v. City & County of San Francisco

On June 15th, the U.S. Supreme Court released their opinion for Arizona v. City & County of San Francisco, essentially stating they should have never taken up the case in the first place. The case involved 13 states that intervened in a case to defend the "public charge rule," which stated that the U.S. can refuse to accept immigrants or grant green cards to those who are "likely at any time to become a public charge." The rule was put into effect by the Department of Homeland Security under former President Donald Trump. A number of Democrat-leaning states and cities, including San Francisco, had refused to enforce the Trump policies on public charge, and had brought their own lawsuits. After President Biden took office, his administration opted not to defend the rule, then repealed it by relying on a lower court ruling in a separate case as a reason for why they did not have to go through the standard notice and comment period.


Those other issues, Roberts said, include standing, mootness, and whether the Administrative Procedure Act even allows a district court "to vacate regulations or other agency actions on a nationwide basis."


 

Healthcare & Public Health

The latest from House and Senate committees on health insurance, COVID-19 and testing, Medicare & Medicaid, telehealth, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), CDC, FDA, or rural hospitals.

Legislation

H.R. 8132, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to repeal the ban on provider-owned hospitals by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act

Sponsor: Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05) referred to Energy & Commerce; Ways & Means Committees

Date Introduced: June 16, 2022


H.R. 8078, To ensure that prior authorization medical decisions under Medicare are determined by physicians

Sponsor: Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) referred to Ways & Means; Energy & Commerce Committees

Date Introduced: June 15, 2022


H.R. 7995, To exempt qualifying physicians from prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage plans

Sponsor: Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX-26) referred to Ways & Means Committee

Date Introduced: June 9, 2022


News

Politico: CDC, FDA Recommends Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for Babies, Toddlers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday recommended that children 6 months to 5 years old should receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccine. With the CDC's formal endorsement, children in this age group will be able to begin receiving vaccines as soon as next week.


Independent advisers recommended children 6 months to 4 years old receive three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech 3-microgram vaccine. The first two doses should be three weeks apart, followed by a third dose at least eight weeks later. For now, children with a compromised immune system will not receive an additional dose, though the expert panel noted this group may need an additional dose for optimal protection. The advisers also recommended children 6 months to 5 years old receive two doses of Moderna’s 25-microgram vaccine four weeks apart. Additionally, children with certain kinds of compromised immune systems may receive a third dose of Moderna’s vaccine at least one month following their second dose.

 

Finance & Federal Partnerships


The latest from House and Senate committees on taxation, Social Security, small business, federal contracting, or monetary policy.

Legislation

H.R. 8129, To give the Federal Trade Commission authority over certain tax-exempt organizations

Sponsor: Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN-05) referred to Energy & Commerce Committee

Date Introduced: June 16, 2022


Updates from the Federal Register

EPA: Revisions for Data Elements Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to amend specific provision in the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule to improve the quality and consistency of the data collected under the rule, streamline and improve implementation, and clarify or propose minor updates to certain provisions that have been the subject of questions from reporting entities. These proposed changes include revisions to improve the existing calculation, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements by incorporating updates to existing emissions estimation methodologies and providing for collection of additional data to understand new source categories or new emission sources for specific sectors. The EPA is also proposing revisions that would improve implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule such as updates to applicability estimation methodologies, providing flexibility for or simplifying calculation and monitoring methodologies, streamlining recordkeeping and reporting, and other minor technical corrections or clarifications. This action also proposes to establish and amend confidentiality determinations for the reporting of certain data elements to be added or substantially revised in these proposed amendments.


The EPA is accepting comments on these proposed rules by August 22, 2022.


FDA: Tobacco Standards for Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Cigars

The Food & Drug Administration is extending the comment period for two proposed rules that would prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes (Docket No. FDA-2021-N-1349) and prohibit characterizing flavors in all cigars (Docket No. FDA-2021-N-1309). The FDA will now be accepting comments until August 2, 2022.

 

Special Reports


The latest reports, studies, and research issued from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Government Accountability Office (GAO), public policy organizations such as the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), Resources For the Future (RFF), Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), and others.







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