This week, the House will consider 13 bills on topics ranging from veterans affairs to free trade.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 (H.R. 2433): provides up to one year of retraining assistance for veterans age 35-60 who were discharged from active duty service with an honorable discharge, have been unemployed for a designated period of time, and are ineligible for certain veterans’ benefit educational assistance.
Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act (H.R. 2074): establishes a centralized policy on reporting and tracking sexual assaults at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. This includes risk-assessment tools, mandatory security training, surveillance systems and clinical guidance for treating sexual assaults.
H.R. 2302: requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to notify and provide a cost estimate to Congress of all large conferences, meetings, and other forums at least 180 days in advance, and a report including an accounting of the final costs within 60 days after such conferences.
Veterans' Benefits Training Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 2349): requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs each year to assess the skills of Veterans Benefits Administration employees responsible for processing VA compensation and pension benefit claims. It also directs the Secretary to implement training plans for these skills, provide remediation for unskilled employees, and take appropriate disciplinary actions.
H.R. 1263: amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend to surviving spouses of servicemembers who die in action the same protections against sale, foreclosure, and seizure of property that their spouses had while in military service.
H.R. 1025: recognizes the service of retired military reserve servicemembers by honoring them as veterans under the law.
H.R. 2250: repeals entirely several environmental protections, including the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major and Area Sources, and requires the head of the EPA to propose new rules in their place that would increase levels of pollution.
United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 3078): approves the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement entered into in 2006 with the government of Colombia to expand free trade between the two nations.
United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 3079): approves the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement entered into in 2007 with the government of Panama to expand free trade between the two nations.
United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (H.R. 3080): approves the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement entered into in 2007 with the government of Korea.
Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2832: would extend the Generalized System of Preferences. The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a program run by the U.S. Trade Representative designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products from 129 designated countries and territories. Created in the Trade Act of 1974, the GSP’s authorization expired on December 31, 2010, and has not yet been reauthorized. The House passed H.R. 2832 in September, but the Senate passed an amended version of that bill, and so the House must now vote on the amended version.
H.R. 358: amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to prohibit federal funds from being used to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion services. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act already prohibits federal funding for abortion services, and requires health plans to keep federal funds segregated from any funds for abortion services.
H.R. 2273: exempts coal waste from federal environmental protections and allows states to implement their own, less stringent, protections.