This week, the House will consider 34 bills, ranging from law enforcement to taxes.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
H.R. 828: makes individuals, including current federal employees, with seriously delinquent tax debts – those for which a notice of lien has been filed – ineligible for federal employment.
S. 679: eliminates the requirement for Senate confirmation for 169 executive branch positions, including those on the boards of the National Science Foundation, the National Council on Disability, and the National Museum and Library Services Board. Also establishes an executive branch working group to study and report on streamlining the paperwork required for executive nominations.
H.R. 4365: clarifies that federal employee retirement savings accounts in the Thrift Savings Fund are subject to IRS tax levies, which will allow the IRS to impose levies on these accounts and collect unpaid taxes.
S. 300: requires federal agencies to improve their internal controls for government charge cards and to take disciplinary action against employees who abuse charge card privileges.
Concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1627: reauthorizes and expands several veterans health and benefit programs. It also makes the Veterans Affairs Department’s disability claims process more accountable, enhances protections for veterans from sexual assault, and revamps guidelines for burial at Arlington National Cemetary.
H.R. 4073: authorizes the Department of Agriculture to accept relinquishment by the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway Company of a roughly one-mile stretch of rail right-of-way for the Forest Service to operate as a recreational area.
H.R. 4606: authorizes the National Park Service to grant a right-of-way permit for the existing 3.5-mile portion of the Montana Power Company natural gas line located within Glacier National Park, allowing the pipeline to continue its current operation.
H.R. 3641: redesignates Pinnacles National Monument in Paicines, California, as Pinnacles National Park.
H.R. 3706: directs the governor of the US Virgin Islands to appoint a chief financial officer (CFO) for the territory for a term of five years.
S. 270: directs the Bureau of Land Management to convey two parcels of land totaling 900 acres to Deschutes County, Oregon, and one parcel totaling 10 acres to the city of La Paine, Oregon, to be used for a community event recreational space, a water treatment facility expansion, and public open space.
S. 271: directs the Department of Agriculture to convey the Wallowa Forest Service Compound to the city of Wallowa, Oregon, for use as a historical education center.
H.R. 3803: prohibits abortions in the District of Columbia in cases where the probable age of the fetus is 20 weeks or later, punishable by up to two years in prison for any doctor who performs an abortion after 20 weeks.
H.R. 1950: makes technical and clarifying changes and consolidations to Title 54 of the US Code, which relates to the National Park Service and its historical preservation programs.
H.R. 3120: requires US colleges and universities that admit foreign nationals as students on F visas to be fully accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Department of Education. Currently, only English-language training programs are required to be accredited.
H.R. 6029: amends the federal criminal code to increase maximum penalties for the theft of trade secrets by individuals or organizations who commit economic espionage to benefit a foreign entity. The maximum prison sentence is increased from 15 to 20 years and the maximum fine is increase from $500,000 to $5 million.
H.R. 6063: increases criminal penalties for the possession of child pornography, or for harassing a witness or victim who is a minor and involved in an investigation or trial involving child pornography or exploitation crimes.
H.R. 4362: increases penalties against identity theft involving tax returns by adding fraudulent tax returns and fraudulent or false statements on tax documents to the felony offenses for which aggravated identity theft can be charged.
H.R. 3796: reauthorizes several grant programs enacted under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, reduces the sanctions against states for failing to meet national registry standards, and decreases the time that juvenile offenders must register.
H.R. 6062: reauthorizes the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program at a rate of $800 million per year through FY 2017 – nearly twice as much as was appropriated for the program in Fiscal Year 2012.
H.R. 1550: directs the Justice Department, in allocating federal law enforcement personnel and resources, to give priority to placing and retaining them in states that have a high rate of homicide or other violent crime.
H.Con.Res. 127: express the sense of Congress that the U.S. delegation to the International Telecommunication Union should promote a global Internet free from government control, and should preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet today.
H.R. 4273: amends the Federal Power Act to exempt utilities operating under an emergency order issued by the Department of Energy from federal or local environmental laws for up to 90 days.
H.R. 897: authorizes state and local governments and transportation authorities to establish programs that offer discounted tolls, user fees or other fares to residents of specific geographic regions in order to reduce or alleviate toll burdens.
H.R. 5797: amends current law so Mille Lacs Lakes, Minnesota, is no longer classified as a federally navigable body of water, and therefore not subject to certain Coast Guard regulations, including requiring federal boating licenses for fishing guides.
H.R. 3158: directs the EPA to change the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule with respect to certain farms to create an exemption for farms with a small oil storage capacity.
H.R. 1171: reauthorizes National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) activities under the Marine Debris Research, Prevention and Reduction Act and requires NOAA to investigate, identify sources of, and prevent the occurrence of marine debris and its impact on the marine environment, navigation safety, and the economy.
H.R. 2446: amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) to clarify that rules prohibiting kickbacks and unearned fees involving the real estate settlement service of federally insured mortgage loans do not apply to homeowner warranties or similar residential service contracts for the repair or replacement of home system components or home appliances.
H.R. 2139: directs the Treasury Department to mint and issue as legal tender $1 coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Lions Club International, the world’s largest service club organization.
H.R. 3187: directs the Treasury Department to mint and issue coins in recognition and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the March of Dimes Foundation.
H.R. 4104: directs the Treasury Department to mint coins commemorating the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
S. 3363: amends the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center Commemorative Coin Act to allow proceeds from commemorative coin sales to also be used for the retirement of debt associated with building the existing National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.
Farm Bill Extension and Disaster Relief (H.R. 6228): provides a one-year extension of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. Pays for supplemental disaster assistance for livestock producers available for FY 2012 and 2013 by making cuts to direct payments to producers and several conservation programs.
H.R. 8: extends for one year the reduced tax rates and other tax benefits enacted in 2001 and 2003, which would otherwise expire on December 31. Extending these cuts for one year would cost $403.1 billion over 10 years.
H.R. 6169: establishes expedited procedures in both the House and Senate for consideration of a broad overhaul of the tax code in 2013. This overhaul must consolidate the current six income tax brackets for individuals into no more than two brackets of 10% and 25%, reduce the corporate tax rate to no more than 25%, repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, and “broaden” the tax base to maintain revenue levels between 18% and 19% of the economy.