This Week in Congress: Net Neutrality, the Farm Bill & Protecting Cops

Congress has a busy week ahead of it with the House taking up the “Farm Bill” to reauthorize USDA agriculture and nutrition programs, while the Senate will weigh in on the Trump administration’s net neutrality rollback.

The Senate is expected to vote on the confirmation of two circuit court judges on both Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday it will debate a bill that would block the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback of net neutrality if enacted. Its schedule thereafter is yet to be announced.

The House starts its week Tuesday with a slate of nine bills, including legislation to allocate Justice Department grants to clearing backlogs of DNA evidence from violent crimes and survey the assignment of school resource officers at public schools. It will spend the rest of the week debating three bills, including: the “Farm Bill” ― which would reauthorize many agriculture and nutrition programs (like SNAP) through the 2023 crop year; a bill to establish a community care program for veterans and a process for modernizing VA infrastructure; and a bill to establish federal penalties for attacking a law enforcement officer.

Check here throughout the week to see the vote results and updates to the schedule.

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

House

Tuesday after 6:30pm (all suspensions)

• H.R. 4854: Justice Served Act of 2018 Passed 377-1.
• H.R. 613: Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act of 2017 Passed 378-0.
• H.R. 5242: School Resource Officer Assessment Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.Res. 285: Expressing the sense of the United States House of Representatives that Congress and the President should empower the creation of police and community alliances designed to enhance and improve communication and collaboration between members of the law enforcement community and the public they serve Passed 377-2.
• H.R. 4895: Medgar Evers National Monument Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 2991: Susquehanna National Heritage Area Act, as amended Vote postponed.
• S. 35: Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act Vote postponed.
• S. 1285: Oregon Tribal Economic Development Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 1417: National Law Enforcement Museum Exhibits Act Passed by voice vote.

Wednesday after 12pm

• S. 2372: VA MISSION Act of 2018 Passed 382-35.
• H.R. 5698: Protect and Serve Act of 2018 Passed 347-70.

Thursday after 12pm

• H.R. 2: Agriculture and Nutrition Act (Amendments only)

Friday between 9am and 3pm

• H.R. 2: Agriculture and Nutrition Act Failed 198-213.

Senate

Monday after 5:30pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Michael Scudder to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit Confirmed 90-0.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Amy St. Eve to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit Confirmed 91-0.

Tuesday after 12pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Joel Carson III to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit Confirmed 77-21.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of John Lalbandian to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit Confirmed 53-45.

Wednesday after 12pm

• Motion to proceed to S.J.Res. 52: CRA Repealing the FCC’s Order to Rollback Net Neutrality Adopted 52-47.
• S.J.Res. 52: CRA Repealing the FCC’s Order to Rollback Net Neutrality Passed 52-47.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Mitchell Zais to be Deputy Secretary of Education Confirmed 50-48.

Thursday

• Motion to proceed to S.Con.Res. 36: Paul Budget Resolution Not agreed to 21-76.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Invoked 54-44.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Confirmed 54-45.

You can tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills using the "Take Action" button!

— Eric Revell