This week, the House is expected to consider nine bills, ranging from wildlife conservation to defense appropriations.
Items under consideration this week include:
H.R. 697: authorizes the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell 950 acres of federal land, some of which is contaminated by hazardous waste, to the city of Henderson, Nevada.
Reauthorize Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Programs (H.R. 1300): extends the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s authority to carry out volunteer programs and community partnerships for the benefit of national wildlife refuges for three years, with $2 million authorized each year for those activities.
H.R. 1411: adds certain islands and large rocks located off the coast of Mendocino County, California to the California Coastal National Monument, where they will be managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
H.R. 2353: exempts vehicles operating on the Wisconsin highway Route 41 corridor, the future Interstate 41, from federal weight limits. Allows trucks to continue to operate on the route without regard to the federal weight limits of 80,000 pounds when the highway becomes part of the interstate system.
H.Con.Res. 44: authorizes the use of the Capitol grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.
H.R. 1542: directs the Homeland Security Department to share information with state, local, and tribal partners, as well as private sector entities with homeland security responsibilities to ensure intelligence is coordinated among organizations.
Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 (H.R. 2397): allocates funding for Fiscal Year 2014 to the Department of Defense for the operation and maintenance of all branches of the military. The bill appropriates $512.5 billion in non-war discretionary spending, $5.1 billion less than the FY 2013 pre-sequester level, and $3.4 billion below the president’s request. The amount, however, is $28.1 billion more than the Pentagon’s current funding level, which reflects the automatic “sequestration” spending cuts made in FY 2013. The measure also includes $85.8 billion in contingency funds to support operations in Afghanistan and the war on terrorism.
Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2218): allows states to create and implement their own coal combustion residuals (CCR) permit programs rather than adhering to a national standard. Limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to review states’ permit programs.
H.R. 1582: prohibits the EPA from finalizing energy-related regulations estimated to cost more than $1 billion of the Energy Department determines that the regulations will cause significant adverse effects to the economy. The bill would duplicate analysis already done by the EPA for each of its regulations, effectively giving the Energy Department veto power over EPA rules.