DC Legislative Update: Feb 28–Mar 4, 2022 

Check here for the 2022 Senate Calendar
Check
here for the 2022 House Calendar

Upcoming Congressional Hearings

  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Committee
    • Wednesday, March 2 at 10am EST: Hearing to consider the nominations of Christy Goldsmith Romero to be a commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Kristin Johnson to be a commissioner of the CFTC, Summer Mersinger to be commissioner of the CFTC, and Caroline Pham to be a commissioner of the CFTC.
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
    • Wednesday, March 2 at 10am EST: Hearing on implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, will testify.
  • House Agriculture Committee
  • House Homeland Security Committee
  • House Judiciary Committee
    • Tuesday, March 1 at 10am EST: Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee hearing on discrimination against Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American communities.
  • House Natural Resources Committee
  • House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Congressional News

  • With just under two weeks before government funding runs out on March 11th, details on an appropriations deal for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2022 remain scarce. Last week, President Biden requested an additional $6.4 billion to support Ukraine against the invasion by Russia. Congress could add this funding to a larger appropriations package, or we could see piecemeal funding bills passed up until the 11th. Given the amount of work on the appropriations committees’ plates, there could also be a very short funding extension to keep the government open beyond March 11th. Senator Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico remains absent from the Senate as he recovers from a stroke. His absence impacts Democrats’ ability to command a majority in the chamber. He is expected to recover and return to the Senate within a few weeks.

Administrative News

  • President Biden will provide his State of the Union address to Congress at 9pm EST on Tuesday, March 1. Even with the Russian invasion of Ukraine taking center stage, the President is expected to devote part of his speech to the need for climate action. The speech follows just a day after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest installment of the sixth climate assessment, focused on how changes will affect humans and natural ecosystems. You can view NWF’s press release on the report here.
  • On Friday, President Biden announced his selection of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. Judge Jackson will begin meeting with Senators this week as the chamber prepares for her confirmation proceedings. A confirmation hearing with the Judiciary Committee is expected to come quickly, although the exact timeline has not been announced.
  • See here for additional 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

  • Both chambers of Congress are in session this week.
  • The House will begin by considering 8 bills under suspension, and will likely move later in the week to consider legislation related to toxic exposures for military servicemembers under a rule. Action on a Fiscal Year 2022 funding bill or emergency supplemental funding to provide aid to Ukraine is possible.
  • The Senate is in session and will open the week by moving to consider a House-passed bill that protects the right of Americans to receive an abortion. A vote on the motion to consider is expected to fail, after which the chamber will take up the Postal Service reform that has been before Congress for a few weeks.
  • NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.
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DC Legislative Update:  January 10–14, 2022

Check here for the 2022 Senate Calendar
Check here for the 2022 House Calendar

Upcoming Congressional Hearings 

  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 10am EST: Hearing to examine the opportunities and challenges for maintaining existing hydropower capacity, expanding hydropower at non-powered dams, and increasing pumped storage hydropower.
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
    • Wednesday, Jan 12, 2022 at 2:45 PM EST: Business meeting to consider the nominations of David Uhlmann to be assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Henry Christopher Frey to be Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, and Martha Williams to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
    • The Business Meeting will be followed by a hearing on Water Resources Development Act Oversight: USACE Implementation of Water Infrastructure Projects, Programs, and Priorities. The hearing and business meeting are both accessible at the link provided above.
  • House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • House Agriculture Committee

Congressional News 

  • On January 3rd, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Senate Democrats stating his intention to again consider two pieces of voting rights legislation, the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Under Senate rules, these bills need 60 votes to advance – they have both failed to reach that threshold on previous attempts. In the letter, Senator Schumer indicates that the Senate will consider rule changes – likely including changes to the filibuster – if there is no bipartisan cooperation on advancing these bills. He set a deadline of January 17th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, for debate on rules changes.
  • Further Senate consideration of the Build Back Better Act is expected to remain on hold while the chamber seeks a breakthrough on voting rights legislation.
  • As a reminder, the government is funded through February 18, 2022 by a continuing resolution that Congress passed in December. Congress must pass a new spending bill before midnight on Feb. 18 to avoid a government shutdown.

Administrative News

  • On Tuesday, January 11, President Biden will travel to Georgia to highlight his administration’s efforts to pass legislation protecting the right to vote. His remarks may shed further light on the degree of his support for filibuster reform in the Senate.
  • House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited President Biden to deliver his 2022 State of the Union address to Congress on March 1st.
  • Last week, President Biden re-nominated a batch of nominees whose nominations had expired when the Senate adjourned its 2021 session. The list includes Laura Daniel Davis, formerly of NWF, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior, and Martha Williams to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The full list is available here.
  • See here for additional 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 House and Senate will both be in session this week, with the House returning for the first time in 2022.
  • The Senate will consider Commerce Department nominees and continue work on voting rights legislation.
  • The House will consider a Veterans Affairs bill and a NASA Other legislation may be added to the schedule.
  • NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.
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D.C. Legislative Update: December 6 – 10, 2021

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

Upcoming Congressional Hearings

Congressional News

  • Recovering America’s Wildlife Act – Collin O’Mara to Testify: On Wednesday, December 8 at 10am EST, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on S. 2372, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. NWF CEO Collin O’Mara will testify in support of the bill. He will be joined on the witness panel by Dan Ashe of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Sara Parker Pauley of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act has gained 32 Senate cosponsors – including 9 of the 20 members of the Environment and Public Works Committee – and 137 in the House. This hearing is a major step towards passing this key NWF priority, and it reflects the enthusiastic support of this bipartisan group of legislators, our partners, and the entire Federation Family.
    • More details on the hearing, including a livestream link are available at the Committee website here, and livestreams are also available on Twitter, and YouTube.
  • Last week, Congress passed and the president signed a stopgap government funding bill, preventing a government shutdown. The law funds the government at existing levels through February 18, 2022, with the addition of $7 billion to support Afghan evacuees. Congressional leaders are continuing to negotiate on a full-year spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The House and Senate appropriations committees have each posted their proposed funding bills for FY22, available here: Senate Committee; and House Committee.

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 House and Senate are both in session this week.
  • The Senate is expected to consider nominees, and will be engaged with the House on efforts to pass a deadlocked National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.
    • Senate committees will be meeting with the Senate Parliamentarian to review provisions of the Build Back Better Act and ensure that the legislation abides by the rules of the Budget Reconciliation process.
  • The House is expected to consider R. 5314, the Protecting Our Democracy Act. a possible Continuing Resolution for FY2022 appropriations given the current CR expires this week. In addition, the House is expected to work on a number of suspension bills, including H.R.2074, the Indian Buffalo Management Act, and H.R. 5608, the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act.
  • NWF continues to work to advance our priorities on Capitol Hill, so please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.

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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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DC Legislative Update April 12-16, 2021

DC Legislative Update

April 12-16, 2021

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

Congressional Hearings

  • House Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, April 13 at 1pm EST: Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States legislative hearing on the “Save Oak Flat Act”
    • Thursday, April 15 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources hearing on “Building Back Better: Creating Jobs and Reducing Pollution by Plugging and Reclaiming Orphaned Wells”
  • Senate Appropriations Committee
    • Tuesday, April 13 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing “to examine the President’s proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2022 for the National Science Foundation and securing US Competitiveness.”
    • Wednesday, April 14 at 2pm EST: Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing on “The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to COVID-19 and other challenges”
  • Senate Homeland Security Committee
  • House Appropriations Committee
  • House Financial Services Committee
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
    • Wednesday, April 14 at 10am EST: “Business meeting to consider S.914, to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize programs under those Acts; to be immediately followed by a hearing to examine the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, focusing on lessons learned from the Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives Program and other user-based revenue solutions, and how funding uncertainty affects the highway programs.”
  • Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • House Energy and Commerce Committee
    • Thursday, April 15 at 10:30am EST: Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change hearing on “The CLEAN Future Act and Environmental Justice: Protecting Frontline Communities.” Other pieces of legislation under consideration include H.R. 501, the “Climate Smart Ports Act,” and H.R. 862, the “Climate Action Planning for Ports Act of 2021.”

Congressional News

  •  On March 26, Congress passed a bipartisan, NWF supported resolution from Senators Portman & Hirono designating April as National Native Plants Patrick Fitzgerald, NWF’s Senior Director of Community Wildlife, provided a quote for the Senators’ press release, see here.
  • On April 1, Senators Coons, Heinrich, and Lujan introduced a bill to create a 21st-century Civilian Climate Corps that aims to employ millions of young Americans to restore and protect public lands and waters. See NWF’s press release here
  • On March 25, Senator Markey and Congresswoman Dingell introduced the Climate Change Education Act to expand NOAA’s climate change education The link to NWF’s press release is here.
  • On March 24 the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted unanimously to advance the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act which seeks to expand nation-wide access to clean drinking water. See here for NWF’s press

Administrative News

  •  On March 31, the Biden administration released a jobs and infrastructure plan to “Create Jobs, Resilient Communities, [and a] ‘Visionary’ Civilian Climate ” See NWF’s press release here.
  • The Executive Branch has turned focus to offshore wind by committing to work with stakeholders and partners to protect wildlife and advance environmental justice on future projects. See here for NWF’s Twitter
  • Last week, the Administration released their fiscal year 2022 discretionary budget request with specific provisions to highlight the all-of-government approach to climate change and related See the White House’s notice here.
  • See here for President Biden’s comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other

What’s happening this week?

  •  On Monday, April 12 at 4pm EST the National Wildlife Federation, Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, and Reimagine Appalachia are hosting a congressional briefing to discuss the role of climate infrastructure investments in Appalachia.
  • This and next week, NWF’s Public Lands team is hosting staff and affiliates in a virtual fly-in to discuss legislative and restoration and resilience priorities as part of upcoming legislation and larger infrastructure
  • NWF expects a Senate confirmation vote on Brenda Mallory to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality early this Mallory’s confirmation was advanced on March 24 following an 11-9 vote from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
  • Congress is turning attention to address surface and natural infrastructure priorities, appropriations, and reconciliation. NWF will continue working with Members and conducting virtual meetings, emphasizing organizational recommendations from our newest Restoration and Resilience report – located here and in our press release here,

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