This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider 12 bills, ranging from veterans benefits to student loan rates.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
Stolen Valor Act (H.R. 258): narrows the scope of the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 – which was struck down by the Supreme Court for being overly broad – by clearly defining that the objective of the law is to target and punish those who misrepresent their military service with the intent of profiting personally or financially. The original Act did not specify that the misrepresentation had to be for material gain.
Nuclear Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation Act of 2013 (H.R. 1073): brings US maritime law into line with several international treaties by prohibiting violent acts against ships and offshore platforms and the transport of weapons of mass destruction.
Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2013 (H.R. 1412): reduces the compensation that veterans participating in Veterans Affairs On-the-Job and Apprenticeship Training programs can receive from 85% to 75% of the wage that the job ordinarily pays. Critics of the current program argue that lowering this rate will make more employers and unions willing to participate in the training programs.
American Heroes COLA Act (H.R. 570): provides a permanent annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to the amounts paid to veterans for disability compensation and to their survivors for dependency and indemnity compensation. The COLA would be equal to the cost-of-living adjustment payable to Social Security recipients under CPI-W.
Helping Heroes Fly Act (H.R. 1344): requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop procedures to streamline airport screening for disabled and severely injured servicemembers and their families.
H.R. 324: awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the First Special Service Force in recognition of its superior service during World War II. The Force, which was the only one in WWII to include troops from Canada and the United States, participated in the liberation of Rome and France and became known for their intensity in battle.
S. 982: bans the Army Corps of Engineers from restricting public access to areas downstream of dams owned by the corps on the Cumberland River Basin in Tennessee and Kentucky for two years. The Senate has passed this bill on May 16 unanimously.
S.Con.Res. 16: authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for the unveiling of a statue of Frederick Douglass. The Senate has passed this bill on May 16 unanimously.
H.R. 3: declares that a presidential permit is not required for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline’s northern route from the Canadian border through Nebraska, thereby bypassing the normal permitting process (the southern portion of the pipeline already does not require a presidential permit, as it is all within the United States). The State Department rejected TransCanada’s original application on January 18, 2012, due to environmental concerns over how the pipeline would affect the Nebraska aquifer. TransCanada resubmitted its application with a new route through Nebraska and in March 2013, the State Department released a draft Environmental Impact Statement favoring the new route. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has challenged this decision, thus leaving it to the President to decide whether to approve the project.
Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2013 (H.R. 271): 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 and other ordinances that may be violated as a result of the order.
Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act (H.R. 1949): requires the Department of Education to evaluate information colleges are required to provide to help students and families research data on such topics as education costs, graduation rates, and student outcomes.
H.R. 1911: modifies how interest rates on most federal student loans are set, returning to a system under which interest rates are tied to market rates. Specifically, interest rates for all federal student loans (except Perkins loans) would be tied to 10-year Treasury notes, with interest rates capped at 8.5% for Stafford loans and 10.5% for graduate and parent PLUS loans.