Category: Federal Legislative Updates

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week
Both Chambers will be in session this week and return today. The Senate will convene at 4:00pm. The House will meet at 12:00pm for morning hour and at 2:00pm for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30pm.

Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Advances in the Senate
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved their bipartisan Labor-HHS-Education (LHHS-ED) funding bill by a vote of 29-1.

The bill would fund the National Institutes of Health at $34.084 billion, a $2 billion (6.2%) increase from FY2016 enacted. Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII and Title VIII programs would be funded at $527 million, a $35 million (7.1%) increase from FY2016. The Senate FY17 LHHS-ED appropriations bill funds Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $324 million, a $10 million (-2.9%) cut from FY2016.

Under the bill, the maximum Pell Grant for FY2017 would be $5,935, a $120 increase from FY2016.  In addition, the Senate LHHS-ED bill reinstates year-round Pell Grants. The reinstated year-round Pell program is modeled after the program included in S.1062, the “Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act,“ which does not have a minimum credit requirement or acceleration clause for eligibility.

Reinstating year-round Pell in FY2017 would cost $1.2 billion ($950 million in discretionary funding and $250 million in mandatory funding).  Funding year-round Pell would not require a rescission from the Pell surplus, it simply would increase the cost of the Pell program and deplete the surplus more quickly.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work Study, TRIO, and GEARUP are all level funded.

The LHHS-ED bill language and the report may be found here.

Senate Consideration of FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
On Friday, June 10, the Senate voted to invoke cloture and limit debate on the NDAA. Senators have filed over 500 amendments.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for June 13, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

Floor Activities 
The Senate reconvenes today at 2:00 PM and is scheduled to be in session through Friday, June 10. This week the Senate is expected to begin consideration of S.2943-The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.

The House reconvenes tomorrow at 2:00 PM and is expected to consider measures under suspension of the rules. The House is scheduled to be in session through Friday, June 10.

Committee Activities
Tuesday, June 7:
Senate Appropriations
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Markup: Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017

House Veterans’ Affairs
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Hearing: VA and Academic Affiliations: Who Benefits?

Thursday, June 9:
House Education and the Workforce Full Committee Hearing: The Administration’s Overtime Rule and Its Consequences for Workers, Students, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses

Senate Appropriations
Full Committee Markup: Markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for June 6, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week’s Legislative Activity
Both Chambers are in session this week. The Senate will convene today at 3:00pm. The House will meet at 12:00pm for morning hour and at 2:00pm for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30pm.

FY2017 Appropriations Update
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved its Department of Defense (DoD) FY2017 appropriations bill. The bill would fund DoD Science & Technology at $13.028 billion, a $223 million increase from FY2016 enacted levels.  Basic Research (6.1) would be funded at $2.124 billion, a $185 million decrease, while DARPA would be funded at $2.973 billion, an $82 million increase from FY2016 enacted.

The House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee approved its FY2017 bill which would fund the National Science Foundation (NSF) at $7.407 billion, $57 million less than FY2016 enacted.  Under NSF, Research and Related Activities would receive $6.08 billion, a $46 million increase and Education and Human Resources would be level-funded at $880 million.  Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction would receive $87.1 million, a $113 million decrease from the FY2016 enacted amount.

For NASA, the bill would provide $19.5 billion, a $223 million increase from the FY2016 enacted level. The Science Directorate would receive $5.597 billion, an increase of $8 million. Space Grant would be level-funded at $40 million. Aeronautics would receive $712 million, an increase of $72 million and Space Technology would receive $739 million, a $52 million increase. The House CJS appropriations report is expected to be released this week.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its Agriculture Appropriations bill. This measure would fund the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) at $375 million, a $25 million increase from FY2016. The bill would also level-fund a number of extension and research and education activities accounts, including Hatch Act Funds and the Evans-Allen Program.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for May 23, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week’s Legislative Activity 
The Senate will convene today at 2:00 pm. The House will meet today at 12:00 pm for morning hour and at 2:00 pm for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30pm.

FY17 Appropriations Update
Last week, the Senate finished work on its first FY17 funding bill, Energy and Water (H.R. 2028).

This week, the Senate will consider a combined FY17 appropriations package of Transportation-Housing and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (H.R. 2577). The package is also expected to include money to combat the Zika virus.

In the House, budget rules allow Republican leaders to begin taking appropriations bills to the floor this week without an FY17 budget resolution. First up will be Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for May 16, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL
The United States House and Senate are on recess this week.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for May 2, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

Legislative Activity This Week
The Senate will convene today at 3:00pm. The House will meet at 12:00pm for morning hour and at 2:00pm for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30pm.

Senate Appropriations
On April 14th, The Senate Appropriations Committee released the FY17 spending allocations for its 12 Appropriations Subcommittees and approved the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs and Energy and Water appropriations bills. The Energy and Water appropriations bill is expected to be debated on the Senate floor this week.

In the absence of the budget resolution, the Senate is expected to approve a “deeming” resolution this week that sets FY17 discretionary spending at the level approved in last year’s two-year budget deal. House GOP leadership had hoped to work out a deal on the FY17 budget resolution with their conservative colleagues who want additional cuts, but were unable to reach an agreement. Absent an agreement, budget rules will allow House appropriations bills to go to the floor beginning May 15th.

House Agriculture Appropriations Bill
Currently, the House version of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill that was approved in subcommittee last week includes $375 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), a $25 million increase from FY16. AFRI is the Department of Agriculture’s premiere competitive research program.

Upcoming Hearings
–  April 19th – Senate Appropriations Subcommittee mark-up of the FY17 Commerce, Science, Justice and Related Agencies Act
– April 19th – Senate Appropriations Subcommittee mark-up of the FY17Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies Act
– April 19th – House Appropriations Committee mark-up of FY17 Agriculture and Energy and Water appropriations bills
– April 20th – Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the FY17 budget request for Defense Innovation and Research
– April 21st – Full Senate Appropriations Committee meets

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for April 18, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

Legislative activity this week
On Monday, April 11, the Senate will convene at 3:00pm. The House will meet in pro forma session at 3:30pm, with no votes expected. On Tuesday, April 12, the House will meet at 2:00pm for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30pm.

FY17 Appropriations
Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will hold subcommittee and full committee appropriations bill markups and release 302(b) sub-allocations this week, even without an approved budget resolution in either chamber.

This week’s hearings
Wednesday, April 13:
1)  The Senate Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Development Subcommittee will hold a markup of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for FY 2017.
2)  The House Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a markup of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for FY 2017.
3)  The House Appropriations Committee Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a markup of the Agriculture Appropriations Act for FY 2017.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for April 11, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week in Congress
The Senate will convene on Monday, April 4, at 3:00pm. The House is not in session this week, but is scheduled to return on Tuesday, April 12.

Regulatory Reform Bills for Research Introduced
Last week, legislation was introduced in both the House and Senate to address the overregulation of research.

The Senate bill, Promoting Biomedical Research and Public Health for Patients Act, was introduced by Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee leaders Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA). The measure, which focuses on regulatory issues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be marked up in the HELP Committee later this week.

The House bill, the University Regulations Streamlining and Harmonizing Act of 2016, introduced by Rep. Dan Lipinksi (D-IL) as a proposed measure, addresses the regulatory burden on research across federal agencies.

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for April 4, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week in Congress
The U.S. Senate is not in session until April 4th. The U.S. House is in session Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The House will then be on recess until April 12.

Senate Confirms King as Secretary of Education 
Last week the Senate confirmed John King, Jr. as U.S. Secretary of Education. The vote was 49 to 40, with seven Republicans, including Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), voting in favor of his confirmation.

House Committee on Appropriations Budget Hearings This Week
Department of Education – Tuesday, March 22

Click here to see the STATE UPDATE for March 21, 2016.

CLEMSON ON CAPITOL HILL

This Week
Both the House and Senate return to Capitol Hill today and will be in session the next two weeks leading up to the annual President’s Day recess.

Senate Energy Authorization Bill
The Senate has begun consideration of a bipartisan and comprehensive energy reauthorization bill. The Energy Policy Modernization Act (S. 2012) contains language to reauthorize energy programs in the America COMPETES Act: the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

President’s Budget to be released on February 9
The White House will release the President’s budget request for FY 2017 on February 9. The package is expected to stick to the caps on defense and nondefense discretionary spending agreed to last year, which would largely freeze FY17 funding at the FY16 level.

To view the STATE UPDATE for February 1, 2016 click here.