Previewing the Rest of Spring in Congress
How do you feel about the outlook for the rest of the spring in Congress?
Congress will be out of session again this week while it observes the second week of its recess for Easter and Passover, but here’s a look at some of what will be on the agenda when lawmakers get back to the Capitol.
Nominations
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) set up potential votes on five district court judges and three lower-tier executive branch nominees when the Senate returns by filing cloture motions on those nominations, all of which would qualify for shortened post-cloture debate following the recent use of the “nuclear option”.
Climate Change
House Democrats recently advanced their Climate Action Now Act (H.R. 9) out of committee along party-lines and will soon bring it to the floor. The bill would require the U.S. to remain in the Paris Agreement on climate change and require the president to develop and publicize a plan for the U.S. to meet the agreement’s pollution reduction goals, which President Donald Trump started the process of withdrawing from in 2017.
LGBTQ Anti-Discrimination
House Democrats recently held hearings on their Equality Act (H.R. 5), which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, jury service, and other public accommodations under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It’d also preclude defendants from using the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense to alleged discrimination.
Dreamers
House Democrats are also expected to bring up their American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) soon, which would provide temporary, renewable legal status and a roadmap to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), temporary protected status (TPS), or deferred enforced departure (DED).
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: iStock.com / TriggerPhoto)
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