DC Legislative Update: July 26-30, 2021

DC Legislative Update: JULY 26 – 30, 2021

Check here for the 2021 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2021 House Calendar

Upcoming Congressional Hearings 

  • Senate Agriculture Committee
    • Monday, July 26 at 5:30pm EST: Business Meeting “To vote on the nomination of Jennifer Moffitt, of California, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.”
    • Thursday, July 29 at 10am EST: “To consider the following nominations: Xochitl Torres Small to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development and Robert Bonnie to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation.”
  • House Financial Services Committee
    • Tuesday, July 27 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance hearing on “NAHASDA Reauthorization: Addressing Historic Disinvestment and the Ongoing Plight of the Freedmen in Native American ”
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, July 27 at 10am EST: “Hearing to Examine the President’s FY 2022 Budget Request for the Department of the ” This hearing will feature Secretary Haaland. Secretary of the US Department of the Interior.
    • Wednesday, July 28 at 10am EST: “National Parks Subcommittee Hearing to review the impacts of overcrowding in our national parks on park resources and visitor experiences, and to consider strategic approaches to visitor use management.”
  • Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
    • Tuesday, July 27 at 10am EST: “Pipeline Cybersecurity: Protecting Critical ”
    • Wednesday, July 28 at 10am EST: Nominations hearing “to consider the presidential nominations of Alexander Hoehn-Saric to be a Commissioner and Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); Mary Boyle to be a Commissioner of the CPSC; Richard Trumka, Jr. to be a Commissioner of the CPSC; and Grant Harris to be Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis at the Department of Commerce.”
  • House Agriculture Committee
  • House Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, July 27 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing on “The Toxic Legacy of the Mining Law of 1872”
    • Thursday, July 29 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife “Hybrid Legislative Hearing” on over a dozen wildlife and fisheries bills, including the Recovering America’s Wildlife ” This hearing will feature testimony on the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act from NWF’s own Collin O’Mara. This is going to be a fantastic opportunity to educate new committee members about the bill, discuss the ever-growing coalition of supporters, and emphasize the urgency of advancing the bill this year. The committee will also be looking at other important bills we support, including the MONARCH Act, the Extinction Prevention Act, and the Safeguarding America’s Future Act.
  • House Oversight and Reform Committee
  • House Judiciary Committee
    • Tuesday, July 27 at 2:30pm EST: Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing on “The Need to Enhance the Voting Rights Act: Practice-Based ”
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
    • Wednesday, July 28 at 10am EST: “Examining the Benefits of Investing in USACE Water Infrastructure Projects.” This hearing will include testimony from NWF’s own Collin O’Mara. This is the committee’s kickoff for developing the next Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill, which has enormous implications for natural infrastructure, environmental justice, freshwater species, ecosystem restoration, and potential risks associated with dredging and navigation You can watch the hearing here.
    • Thursday, July 29 at 10am EST: “Hearing on the Nominations of Stephen Owens, Jennifer Beth Sass, and Sylvia E. Johnson to be members of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigations Board.”
  • Senate Judiciary Committee
  • House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis
  • House Science, Space, and Transportation Committee
    • Thursday, July 29 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics hearing on “Enabling Mission Success from the Group Up: Addressing NASA’s Urgent Infrastructure ”
  • House Transportation Committee
  • House Foreign Affairs Committee
    • Thursday, July 29 at 1pm EST: Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber hearing on “Renewable Energy Transition: A Case Study of How International Collaboration on Offshore Wind Technology Benefits American Workers.”

Congressional News 

  • Senators Heinrich [D-NM] and Blunt [R-MO] introduced the bipartisan “Recovering America’s Wildlife Act” to “dedicate $1.4 billion annually to proactive, voluntary, locally-led efforts to recover thousands of at-risk wildlife species, while creating jobs and ensuring US outdoor heritage endures for future ” See NWF’s press release here and more on the bill here.
  • Last week, the House passed the bipartisan “PFAS Action Act,” introduced by Reps. Dingell [D-MI] and Upton [R-MI], that would address the contamination and cleanup of dangerous chemicals that endanger the health of humans and See NWF’s press release here.
  • Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted on the nomination of NWF’s own Tracy Stone-Manning for Director of the Bureau of Land Management. She received a 10-10 vote, meaning the Senate will next take up a vote to discharge her nomination from committee.
  • Senator Casey [D-PA] introduced legislation to create a “21st-century Civilian Conservation Corps to address the environmental and economic crises facing American communities. The bill establishes a Civilian Conservation Corps that partners with state and federal agencies, NGOs, and local partners to create on-the-ground conservation projects that conserve and restore public lands as well as private working lands, including conservation projects on farms as well as restoration of abandoned mines and contaminated lands. The bill would also ensure the programs create good paying jobs and job training for future employment, particularly in frontline ” See NWF’s press release here.
  • In previous weeks, Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee agreed to a $3.5 trillion top-line spending level to address President Biden’s priorities, laid out in the American Families Plan and American Jobs We expect movement on the budget resolution in the coming weeks.v

Administrative News 

  • See here for White House resources, including a comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.

What’s Happening This Week 

  • The Senate is beginning the week with a focus on nominations, including the nomination of Todd Sunhwae Kim to head the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, as members continue to try to work out a bipartisan infrastructure agreement.
  • The House is considering an appropriations minibus package, H.R. 4502, which includes seven of the twelve appropriations bills including Agriculture, Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, and We expect floor consideration later this week.
  • The July convening of the Clean Economy Coalition of Color will occur on Wednesday, July 28 from 6- 7:30pm EST. This convening will revolve around “ways that federal investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs and businesses can ensure every community doesn’t just survive, but thrive in a clean energy future.” Register here to attend.
  • As Congress continues to work on appropriations and budget reconciliation, NWF will continue to advocate for organizational See NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda for more.

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