Tag: legislative update

D.C. Legislative Update: Sept 20-24, 2021

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

Upcoming Congressional Hearings 

  • House Foreign Affairs Committee
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, September 21 at 10am EST: “Full Committee Hearing to Consider Pending Nominations” including Laura Daniel-Davis to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (Land and Minerals Management), Camille C. Touton to be Commissioner of Reclamation, and Sara Bronin to be Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
  • Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
    • Tuesday, September 21 at 3pm EST: Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion hearing on “Legislative Solutions to Revive Travel and Tourism and Create Jobs.”
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
    • Wednesday, September 22 at 9:30am EST: “Business meeting to consider several of President Biden’s nominees, legislation to rename federal buildings, and several General Services Administration resolutions. Immediately following, the committee will hold a hearing on the importance of promoting a circular economy.”
  • Senate Finance Committee
    • Wednesday, September 22 at 10am EST: “Hearing to Consider the Nominations of Christi A. Grimm, of Colorado, to be Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services and Neil Harvey MacBride, of Virginia, to be General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury”
  • Senate Judiciary Committee
  • House energy and Commerce Committee
  • House Agriculture Committee
  • House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
    • Thursday, September 23 at 10am EST: Subcommittee on Environment hearing on “Advancing Earth System Science and Stewardship at ” This hearing will feature witness testimony from the Honorable Richard W. Spinrad, Ph.D., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  • Senate Homeland Security Committee

Congressional News  

  • Last week, components of the Build Back Better Act (budget reconciliation) bill passed out of the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees. See here for NWF’s press release on passage through Ways and Means outlining support of the committee’s work to strengthen clean energy and technology. Additionally, see here for NWF’s tweet in support of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s work on the Build Back Better Act to advance climate action.
  • NWF sent this letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in support of Laura Daniel Davis’ nomination to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Lands and Minerals Management. Davis, NWF’s former s Chief of Policy and Advocacy, brings the leadership, skills, and experience needed for the role, and NWF supports her swift confirmation.

Administrative News  

  • Last week, NWF sent out a statement urging Congress to pursue needed and overdue reforms to the National Flood Insurance See here for NWF’s press release.
  • 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  

  • Both chambers are in session this week. The House is expected to focused on a C.R. for FY2022 – to keep the government funded past the September 30 deadline and into, likely, December, 2021 – as well as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
  • The Senate is expected to work on judicial nominations this In addition, we are expecting this week a cloture and full Senate vote on the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning for Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
  • As Congress continues to work to advance budget reconciliation, infrastructure, and appropriations, please feel free to share NWF’s 117th Congress National Policy Agenda.

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DC Legislative Update March 22-26, 2021

Congressional Hearings

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

  • House Budget Committee
  • House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
    • Tuesday, March 23 at 11am EST: Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment hearing on  “The Water Resources Development Act of 2020: Status of Essential Provisions.”
  • House Natural Resources Committee
    • Tuesday, March 23: Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands hearing on “Building Back Better: Examining the Future of America’s Public ”
    • Wednesday, March 24: Hearing on “How the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better Plan Can Benefit the S. Territories.”
  • House Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
    • Wednesday, March 24 at 9:30am EST: Business Meeting to consider the nomination of Brenda Mallory for Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and Janet McCabe to be Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The meeting will also consider “The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure ”
  • Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
    • Wednesday, March 24 at 10am EST: Hearing on “Driving the Road to Recovery: Rebuilding America’s Transportation Infrastructure” to examine surface transportation infrastructure needs across the Agenda will also cover the nomination of Polly Trottenberg to be Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation.
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  • Senate Homeland Security Committee
    • Thursday, March 25 at 10:15am EST: Hearing on the “Nomination of Deanne Criswell to be  Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”

Congressional News

  •  Last week, NWF hosted 13 state affiliates including Emily Wood, executive director of the Indiana Wildlife Federation, in a virtual fly-in focused on our agriculture priorities, including on the upcoming Farm Bill and conserving grasslands. The team conducted 32 Hill meetings with both congressional staff and Members of Congratulations and thank you to all that helped organize, lead, and participate!
  • Last week, the Senate, on a bipartisan vote of 54-42, confirmed Deb Haaland to be Secretary of the Interior. NWF and affiliates have led the way in supporting this historic nomination – she is the first Indigenous cabinet secretary – and are excited to partner with the new Secretary and the Department to advance wildlife conservation and public lands See here for NWF’s press release.
  • Last week, Representatives DeFazio, Napolitano and Fitzpatrick introduced the bipartisan “Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021” See NWF’s press release here.
  • Last week, Representatives Grijalva and McEachin introduced the “Environmental Justice for All Act” with the purpose of addressing and promoting environmental justice while supporting and empowering frontline communities as the US transitions to a clean energy See here for the House Natural Resources press release and here for NWF’s press release.
  • Senators Coons and Cassidy and Representatives Veasey and McKinley introduced the “Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions (SCALE) ” This bill focuses on carbon capture and storage to invest billions in connecting CO2 emitters and storage sites. The bill serves as a pivotal step in the US’ path to reaching net- zero emissions by 2050.

Administrative News

  •  Last Tuesday, 116 Democratic members sent a bicameral letter to President Biden in support of his Executive order on 30×30. Republicans also sent a letter on the order, see here for more. Check out NWF’s January press release on the administration’s 30×30
  • See here for President Biden’s comprehensive list of Executive orders to address COVID, the climate crisis, and environmental justice, among other topics.

What’s happening this week?

  •  Last Monday, NWF hosted a – very successful – virtual Hill briefing on “Mapping Climate & Environmental Justice: Lessons Learned from State Tools.” On Monday March 22, NWF will be hosting the second webinar in the series focused on “Lessons Learned from Local & Regional ” The purpose of this series is to highlight environmental justice mapping tools and their potential in furthering environmental and climate justice. Register to attend today’s 4pm EST briefing here.
  • The House is in recess for the coming weeks, and we expect the Senate to focus on Biden cabinet nominations:
    • Last week, the Senate voted 98-0 to confirm Katherine Tai as the S. Trade Representative.
    • Last week, Sarah Bianchi was confirmed in a 50-49 vote to be Secretary of Homeland
    • Marty Walsh’s nomination for Secretary of Labor, passed on a cloture vote of 68-30. The final vote on confirmation is expected to occur on Monday.
    • This week, the Senate will consider David Turk to be deputy Energy secretary. Turk received a 20-0 vote out of
    • We anticipate the Senate will vote this week on the nomination of Shalanda Young for Director of the Office of Management and
  • Congress is turning attention, and creating hearings, to address surface and natural infrastructure priorities. 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.

Report compiled by National Wildlife Federation.