This week, the House will consider 12 bills, ranging from US-Israel relations to the budget.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2012 (H.R. 4097): maintains current spending levels for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts through Fiscal Year 2014.
H.Con.Res. 106: authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the 2012 Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on June 16. The derby has been held on the Capitol grounds since 1991, attracting more than 40 participants each year.
H.Con.Res. 117: authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the 31st annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service on May 15. The Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police sponsors this memorial service each year to honor law enforcement officers who have died in the past year.
H.Con.Res. 105: authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center on June 24 for an event to celebrate the birth of King Kamehameha. King Kamehameha unified the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1800s to establish an independent kingdom. His statue now stands in Emancipation Hall, and a ceremony is held each year in June to honor him.
H.Con.Res. 118: authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run on June 1. The run is a nationwide event held by law enforcement officers leading up to each state’s Special Olympics Summer Games.
H.R. 2297: promotes the development of the Washington, DC, waterfront by allowing the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency to lease or sell property to a redevelopment company. Also authorizes the DC government to allow the fish wharf to operate as a market and transfers control of some of the Potomac River from the Army Corps of Engineers to the District of Columbia.
S. 1302: allows the General Services Administration to sell a 150-acre parcel of land to the city of Tracy, California. Funds received by the federal government for the transfer would be deposited into the Federal Buildings Fund.
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 (H.R. 4133): extends a US government loan guarantee relating to Israel. Notes that the Middle East is undergoing rapid change, which presents challenges to the national security of the United States and Israel. Also notes that Iran may soon attain nuclear weapons capability, which would threaten vital American interests, destabilize the region, and embolden Iran. Also notes that Iran and Syria have helped Hezbollah and Hamas increase their stockpiles of rockets, which has eroded Israel’s security.
H.R. 2072: reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank through September 2014 and raises its lending cap to $140 billion.
H.R. 5326: appropriates $51.5 billion to the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and NASA – 3% below current spending levels.
Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 (H.R. __): produces roughly $300 billion in savings over 10 years from mandatory programs in order to partly replace the scheduled sequester of defense spending set for January 2013, which was agreed to in the August 2011 debt ceiling compromise.
Sequester Replacement Act of 2012 (H.R. 4966): repeals the sequester of defense spending set for January 2013, which was already agreed to in the August 2011 debt ceiling compromise.