This week, the House is expected to consider 13 bills, ranging from veterans affairs to appropriations.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act (H.R. 2072): requires the VA's Inspector General and the VA to take certain actions, including notifying Congress, if the VA fails to make significant progress in taking actions recommended by the IG regarding VA programs or services.
Gulf War Health Research Reform Act of 2014 (H.R. 4261): establishes the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses as an entity independent of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department, with authority over its own budget allocations, staffing levels, expenditures, personnel decisions, processes, procurements, and other administrative and management functions.
H.R. 2527: authorizes the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department to provide counseling and treatment to veterans for sexual trauma that occurred during inactive-duty training.
H.R. 2942: re-establishes the Professional Certification and Licensure Advisory Committee until Dec. 31, 2019, to continue helping the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department in assessing certification and licensure programs.
Comprehensive Department of Veterans Affairs Performance Management and Accountability Reform Act of 2014 (H.R. 4399): creates a new system for setting performance goals and appraising the performance of Veterans Affairs (VA) Department officials who are members of the Senior Executive Service, and it allows the VA secretary to remove an individual from the Senior Executive Service (SES) if the secretary determines that the individual's performance warrants such removal.
H.R. 3366: removes the reversionary interest in the 290-acre Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC) at Oregon State University, allowing the land to be used for other purposes. It also conveys the 6-acre plot of land adjacent to the HAREC to the state of Oregon.
National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial Act (H.R. 503): authorizes the establishment of a National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial as a commemorative work in the District of Columbia.
Sandia Pueblo Settlement Technical Amendment Act (S. 611): requires the Agriculture Department to transfer to the Interior Department the 700 acres of New Mexico Forest Service lands that originally were to be transferred to the Pueblo of Sandia — with those lands subsequently to be held in trust by Interior for the pueblo.
The Venezuela Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act (H.R. 4587): authorizes sanctions against individuals in Venezuela who are responsible for human rights violations, and it authorizes funds for democracy promotion in the country.
H.Res.__: urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, religion and all fundamental human rights for all of its citizens and to stop censoring discussion of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and their violent suppression.
H.R. 4028: adds "desecration of cemeteries" as a violation of religious freedoms under the International Religious Freedom Act
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 4660): appropriates $51.5 billion, including $51.2 billion in discretionary budget authority subject to the FY 2015 cap on discretionary spending, to the Commerce Department, Justice Department, and federal science programs. This is $398 million (1%) less than the current level but $1 billion (2%) more than requested.
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015 (H.R. 4681): authorizes classified amounts in FY 2014 and FY 2015 for the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and activities of the U.S. government, including the CIA, the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency. The bill includes two amendments I introduced to ensure the intelligence community is considering and protecting our civil liberties and privacy.