This week, the House will consider seven bills, ranging from US-Israel relations to defense spending.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
S. 2039: directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency to approve construction of a flood risk-reduction levee on North Dakota land previously restricted to open-space use only.
S. 1959: requires the State Department to determine whether the Haqqani network meets the legal criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization, thus making it unlawful for individuals in the United States to provide them with funding, weapons, training, or assistance or any kind. The Haqqani network is an ally of the Taliban and is considered the most dangerous insurgent group in Afghanistan.
State Department Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 6018): authorizes funding for the State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors and certain international organizations equal to FY 2012 appropriation levels.
United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act (S. 2165): 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. Congressman Himes is a cosponsor of this bill, which was already passed in the House; if the House passes the Senate version, then it will head to the President's desk.
Insular Areas Act of 2011 (S. 2009): addresses several concerns for U.S. Pacific territories and insular areas, including delaying the required minimum wage increase for American Samoa, requiring the Energy Department to conduct radioactivity analysis of a nuclear testing debris storage facility in the Marshall Islands, and allowing magistrate and territorial judges to be assigned to serve on the courts of the Freely Associated States in the South Pacific.
H.R. 5872: requires the President to submit to Congress within 30 days a report detailing the automatic cuts to discretionary and mandatory spending that would occur under the currently scheduled sequestration. These cuts were agreed to under the Budget Control Act of 2011 (the debt ceiling compromise).
Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 5856): appropriates $519.2 billion for Defense Department programs for Fiscal Year 2013 - $1.1 billion more than current levels.